The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year

A laugh-out-loud read. Loved it. Come on, be honest - what woman wouldn't want to take to her bed for a year and let everyone look after themselves for a change!!l

Full of wit and compassion. If you like the first page you will love the book.

Why is this book not on kindle? I would love to read it, but sadly, my eyes make it so I need larger print......

At first, I was slightly disappointed with this book, since I didn’t feel it lived up to the excellence and humour of the Adrian Mole books.

However, later on, I was laughing aloud just as much as in the previous books and realized it was equally good, if not better.

Eva is married to an emotionally cold Doctor of Astronomy and Planetary Science called Brian. They had twins, Brian Jr. and Brianne, who were equally gifted and who “belong somewhere on the autistic spectrum”.

Eva had been overwhelmed by an endless run of chores and duties until the day came when the 17-year-old twins left for university.

She was tired and went to bed with her clothes on, thinking she would get up again in half an hour, but realized she couldn't do so since the bed’s comfort was “exquisite”. She thought she would have to be mad to leave it.

The cast of the book includes Eva; Brian; Brian Jr.; Brianne; Yvonne, Brian’s mother; Ruby, Eva’s mother; Peter, the window cleaner, Alexander, the handsome black man, the “man with the van”, who does all sorts of practical tasks for Eva and finally falls in love with her; Alexander’s two small children, Thomas and Venus; Titania, Brian’s intellectual mistress, who ends up moving in with them; Poppy, an emotionally disturbed girl who mobs and bullies the twins under the guise that she is their best friend.

Eva only leaves her bed to go to the bathroom, and she does this by walking on hr sheet which she pulls down and makes into an extension of the bed. “She felt that if she stayed on the sheet she would be safe, though from what, she didn’t know.”

“Briane lets people walk all over her, and Brian Junior panics if he has to talk to another human.”

Brian asks Eva “--- how long do you intend to stay in bed?” “Where does the universe end?” replies Eva.

Eva doesn’t know how to live in the world, and can’t even work the remote. She can’t work the new oven either or can find out how much they’re paying per quarter on their electricity bill. (I understand her completely.)

“Eva couldn’t remember when Brian had turned into a middle-aged man. Perhaps it was when he had started to make a noise when he got up from a chair.”

She had met Brian while she was working in a library and he came in to explain why he had not returned Dr. Brady’s book “The Universe explained”. “I won’t be returning Brady’s book, --- because it was so full of theoretical errors and textual buffoonery that I threw it into the River Soar. I cannot take the risk of it falling into the hands of my students.”

Brian had constructed a large shed in their garden and there installed a king-sized bed and other furniture. This is where he secretly entertains his mistress, Titania. The twins and Eva knew never to disturb him when the red light went on and he was “working”.

Gradually, Eva establishes an international reputation as a woman with special powers, who is perhaps even a saint, and a crowd gathers and camps outside their house. A few manage to gain access to her and Eva gives them healing advice.

Doctors and others, however, diagnose her with a mental problem, and perhaps they are right?

This is a well-written, extremely funny book which, as with all Sue Townsend’s books, contains much covert social commentary. She writes in a very down-to-earth style; when her characters speak they show who they are, and we recognize ourselves, or parts of themselves, in them. She has a very distinctive style. I strongly recommend that you read this book and the author’s other books, Enjoy!

Sue Townsend's name will always be synonymous with the Adrian Mole stories, they are what have most helped make her Britain's favourite comic author today. Her other books I have enjoyed but there has never been another character as memorable as Adrian Mole.

There is no doubt that The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year is very well written, a satirical read, funny and sad there is something terribly dark about this latest novel from Sue Townsend. When I first picked it up and read the blurb I thought it had possibilities for a very amusing, entertaining read. At first it was as the protagonist Eva Beaver, a librarian, (yes I know!)decides that she just cannot tolerate her life any more. Before long though I was beginning to find that that this woman and her selfish attitudes just grated on my nerves, spoiling the humour for me. Maybe this is what the author intended but one cannot be sure, certainly the picture she paints of the rest of the family makes you sympathetic of Eva's feelings. Just do not think she did herself any favours in the way she responded to her annoying family, surely languishing in bed was just not the answer.

As you can probably tell there was nothing compelling for me about this novel, but I plodded through and if you are a fan of Sue Townsend's writing then you should definitely add this to your reading list. However if you have never read any of her novels I personally do not think this is a good one to start with.

with that title, i expected more. it's not realy "LITERATURE". but it has some insights on women's life that I enjoyed.