Oh Dear Silvia

3.00 out of 5 (2 ratings)

In stock
Usually despatched within 24 hours
Free delivery to a local independent bookshop

Format:: Hardback
Pages:: 352
Publisher:: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication Date:: 25 October 2012
Category:: Modern & Contemporary
ISBN:: 9780718156060

Description

Dawn French, number one bestelling author of "A Tiny Bit Marvellous" and one of Britain's best loved comic writers, returns with "Oh Dear Silvia", a darkly comic pageturner that will have you hanging on her every word. Who is in Coma Suite Number 5? A matchless lover? A supreme egotist? A selfless martyr? A bad mother? A cherished sister? A selfish wife? All of these. For this is Silvia Shute who has always done exactly what she wants. Until now, when her life suddenly, shockingly stops. Her past holds a dark and terrible secret, and now that she is unconscious in a hospital bed, her constant stream of visitors are set to uncover the mystery of her broken life. And she must lie there, victim of the beloveds, the borings, the babblings and the plain bonkers. Like it or not, the truth is about to pay Silvia a visit. Again, and again and again..."Oh Dear Silvia" is the brand new novel from one of Britain's most loved comic writers and the number one bestselling author of "A Tiny Bit Marvellous". Praise for Dawn French: "Extremely funny". ("Sunday Times"). "A fantastic slam-dunk pageturner". ("Mail on Sunday"). Dawn French has been making people laugh for thirty years. On purpose. As a writer, comedian and actor, she has appeared in some of this country's most long running, cherished and celebrated shows, including "French and Saunders", "The Comic Strip Presents"..., "Murder Most Horrid", "The Vicar of Dibley", "Jam and Jerusalem", "Lark Rise to Candleford", and more recently, "Roger and Val Have Just Got In". Her bestselling memoir, "Dear Fatty", was published to critical acclaim in 2008. Her first novel, "A Tiny Bit Marvellous", was also a great success, going straight to No.1.

Reader Reviews

Showing 1-2 out of 2 reviews.

Oh Dear Sylvia is the second novel by Dawn French, her first A Tiny Bit Marvellous, published in 2011, became a bestseller in the UK.The novel begins by introducing Ed who is seated by his ex-wife's hospital bed where Silvia rests, unresponsive and on life support after a severe head injury, with subsequent chapters shifting between the perspectives of Ed, Silvia's nurse (Winnie), housekeeper (Tia), partner (Cat), sister (Jo) and daughter (Cassandra). As each character spends time with Silvia, reminiscing about their respective relationships with her, they develop a portrait of a complicated woman for the reader. Just as you are sure you know and violently dislike Silvia, one of her visitors makes a stunning revelation that proves the old adage that you can never really know another person.I thought the way in which the author structured this novel was very clever. The plot is carefully constructed to reveal critical information with perfect timing, betraying secrets and truths that reflect not only on Silvia but also her visitors.The darker, serious elements of the story are tempered by the lighter, often farcical, moments, such as Jo's attempts at pet therapy and Tia's prattle about celebrity gossip, yet an undercurrent of grief is always present.I have to admit while I found Tia's muddled, and often accidentally profane, speech hilarious, I found Winnie's Jamaican patios very difficult to read. British, and American readers, might be more attuned to the accent and therefore more comfortable with the odd rhythm but it's not familiar to me, so I struggled with her chapters.While there are similarities in style between A Tiny Bit Marvellous and Oh Dear Sylvia, notably the multiple perspectives and French's irreverent style of humour, somewhat disappointingly, there is barely a hint of Dawn's distinct voice.Oh Dear Silvia is a come-tragedy which is hilarious, dark and moving in turn. Though it is not entirely what I expected from Dawn French the novel has its' own unique charm which should appeal to a broad audience.

3.00 out of 5

shelleyraec
I enjoyed this book in some places but skimmed and scanned in others. I loved the Tia character but found Jo a little inane. Cassie's relationship with her mother was very moving, as was her relationship with her own daughter. Good but not gripping.

3.00 out of 5

Carolinejyoung