Again, Rachel: The love story of the summer (Walsh Family, 6)

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Menopause seemed like a strange country with some very odd practices and I did my best to pretend I’d never be old enough for it. As it happened, I could well have been perimenopausal, but it was hard to be sure, seeing as I already had several of the symptoms. Insomnia? Step right up! Tiredness? Well, that’s just modern life.” Messy, tangled complex humans who reminded me that few of us ever really sort out our lives at all Jojo Moyes

I highly recommend “Again, Rachel”. You do not need to have read any of her other work. You will fall immediately in love with the Walsh family and Keyes’ superior writing ability.Marian Keyes is just the most talented writer. I adore her, and this book is a pinnacle. It left me sobbing with its beauty, and minutes later laughing out loud at the wit and wry humour of the deeply flawed and deeply human characters' 5* Reader Review

Osman’s father left when he was nine. Everyone was very “English” about it; the first he knew of any difficulties was when his father called him into the living room and told him he was leaving. His mother became a primary school teacher: people still call out “Hello, Mrs Osman” when they walk around Haywards Heath. She would stuff envelopes in the evenings to bring in extra money, but shielded him and his brother from any sense of financial hardship or sadness. Addiction can be work or power, or whatever you need to cover up your shame and to run from your trauma Richard Osman Nailing my colours to the mast here, I have been a fan of Marian Keyes since the get go. I have probably invested as much energy in the doings of the Walsh sisters as I have my own, flesh and blood family to be honest. I love them with all my heart and the news that there was to be a sequel to Rachel's Holiday had me lepping about the living room like a mad thing for several minutes until I had to sit down and have a biscuit. I enjoyed writing the camaraderie of the group and the way different personalities impacted on Rachel when she was there. Rehab, to me, was a challenging and frightening experience, but it was also kind of lovely. It wasn’t only that it gave me new life, there was something about the humanity and the way people bonded that was soul filling. People come in at their worst but there’s so much of them being their best as well. I wanted to reflect that again, and the fact that Rachel is an unreliable narrator. “I got a lot from writing this book — the joy of writing about rehab again. The potpourri of individuals at the worst time of their lives thrown into this common humanity where they help each other to get well, even if it is accidental.” Again, Rachel has all the ingredients that make Marian's books so uniquely special - warmth, humour, sadness and depth. It's absolutely perfect' 5* Reader ReviewTo Khun Aguero Agnis) " Sly woman? Yes, you may be right. But to someone else, I'm the brightest woman ever. That's right. To that guy, I'm somewhat like a star. A star that shines so bright. That's what I should be like to that guy." [34] I love Marian Keys and I generally think her writing is just getting better the older she gets. So I was excited to read her bewest book. I think this book is well written and thoughtful and as always I love the gentle humour and likable characters. But the further I got into the book, the more I found myself frustrated by Rachel's (and obviously Marian's) unquestioning true believer devotion to the AA philosophy of addiction and treatment. She continues: “I gave myself a couple of months and if I failed, or it was half-baked, not good enough or faithful to the original, then I would walk away, no matter how painful.” In Rachel's Holiday, we meet Rachel Walsh as she finds herself unexpectedly a resident in The Cloisters, a rehab centre, where she is being treated for drug addiction. A drug addiction she is in massive denial about.

To Grand De Lee) " You think everyone has to live according to a fixed destiny? Don't be silly. No one on the outside lives like that. Destiny only has value when you create it yourself!! I know very well!! It's foolish to devote your own life to destiny like that!!" [44] To Khun Aguero Agnis after the Dallar Show) " Since the very beginning. They have been determined to kill you all at any costs. To them, today is merely the start of a greater story. No matter what results you may achieve, everything will flow in a set direction." [39] Brenda Wright celebrated her 80th birthday recently and came up to London to visit her sons. “She said: ‘I will turn up at 12 and I will be leaving at 4.30. All I want is a Chinese takeaway.’” Which is exactly what happened.The people who care about addicts have it very hard. So much of their time they’re plagued by suspicion, fear, thwarted hope, frustration, anger, and then, when they’ve finally convinced their loved one to get help, they usually feel terrible guilt.” When I first found out Keyes was working on another book in the Walsh Family series, I thought I was in the midst of a fever dream. When I found out it was centered around Rachel and it takes place 20 years after Rachel’s Holiday, I had to pinch myself to be sure. But it’s here! And it’s everything I hoped for! We first meet Rachel as a 27 year old hot mess and now she’s successful, sober, and approaching 50. But a phone call from a former love interest throws her life off balance. Romance, family dilemmas, self-realization, and growth is all present here and excellently done. As a recovering addict herself, Marian Keyes nails writing about addiction. The story is dark and painful in parts, but is lit up with Keyes’s wit and a truly compelling romantic hero, Luke Costello – for my money, the sexiest man in literature.

I have loved Marian Keyes books for as long as I can remember. I can’t even recall which one of hers was my first, because I devoured them all as soon as I discovered them. There were many sensitive topics which were dealt with respectfully. On that note aside from the obvious topic of addiction, I'd give a trigger warning for child loss. To Baam) " Do you think you were born to come here, defeat Zahard and become the hero that would change this Tower? No, Baam. You weren't born for that. You weren't born to save this Tower. You are a 'Monster', born to curse this Tower and devour everything. Arlene always called you.. A monster." [49]The audible narration by the author was great, I was so addicted, I kept listening right through to the interview with Graham Norton at the end - a great little add-on. I also enjoyed it very much, and was glad she ended up with Luke again. Didn’t like the Claire/Adam swinger story and felt the resolution to the storyline was a bit unsatisfactory.