This is not a genre that I normally read but I finished and enjoyed this book.
This book in diary form describes the
pressures of life for a middle class family where two incomes are
needed to support a menagerie of animals and dependent children.
It is written by the frazzled wife who
takes responsibility for everything. The husband is a shadowy figure
who takes little part in parenting or family life – perhaps he is
just needed to provide the dosh to keep the whole show on the road!
In parts it was a very funny book and
there were several places where I laughed out loud.
Other parts were alien to my
experience: I never tweet, I text rarely and couldn't imaging why
anyone would want alpacas, sheep, pigs cats, dogs and horses as pets!
I am sure I would have been frazzled too if I had taken on looking
after this zoo whilst holding down a full time job and having
responsibility for an elderly parent suffering from dementia as well
as a teen with issues at school.
A few of the numerous incidents
portrayed may have been extremely funny for those there at the time
as they dissolved in fits of giggles however they aren't necessarily
as amusing in a written account. The author uses acronyms for all the
protagonists, such as SIL for sister in law, but there were so many
of these that I found this literary device overused. The awful
sister in law is so dreadful that she becomes an unbelievable figure
of fun and I was cheering on the teens as they found ways to
humiliate her.
It is a good example of its genre and
there are many incidents that working parents who juggle many
responsibilities will recognise.
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