Revenge of A Middle Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan

This is a deliciously entertaining book about Rose, her adulterous husband Nathan, the other woman, the diabolical Minty (a rather fragile she devil) and Rose's oddball grown up children Poppy and Sam.

The plot centre around Nathan leaving Rose for Minty who is actually Rose’s assistant at work where Rose is the editor of the Book Section of a magazine. I thought Rose was very weak as she didn’t make any sort of fuss when Nathan says he is leaving her. And then to cap it all she loses her job to the other woman Minty and then to add insult to injury Nathan says he wants the home she had made, for his new paramour Minty. But through the book Rose realises her strengths and is more resilient to the situation than she thought she could be. I liked this book and as it was my Book Group’s choice for January, it was interesting to hear what other members of the group thought, especially as one member is male who left his wife for a young woman, he admitted!! LOL

Add to this a cast of quirky characters like Rose's eccentric mother, Ianthe, an ancient cat called Parsley, Richard, the man Poppy marries suddenly in Thailand, a suicidal ex-girlfriend of Sam's and Hal the man Rose might have taken up with if she hadn't chosen Nathan and you have a novel to make you laugh and cry in the same breath.

Funny, heart rending and totally absorbing, "Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman" is a book for those people who can honestly go with the old Spanish proverb, "Living well is the best revenge..."

Chris
PS. In 2010 I read 47 books and of them all I still love Emily Barr, who needs to write another book fast as I have read everything she has written and loved them all!