I was disappointed with Various Pets. I read We are all Made of Glue a few years ago, which I thought was brilliantly funny. This one is enjoyable enough to read and the characters are easy to warm to. I just never felt engaged enough to really care about the conclusions to their stories, with the exception of Oolie-Anna, who is written brilliantly and is really at the heart of the book as a whole.I found there were a lot of loose threads that I hoped would tie together in the end but ultimately didn't amount to anything. A let down from an author that is clearly capable of a lot more. Marina Lewycka seems to be able to write fiction but also deal with topical issues in an entertaining manner. The main issues are the lives people are leading and whether how these equate with parental expectations of this life. Serge the main character is a trader. His mother does not know he works for a bank and comes from a more community orientated past. Serge also has a crush on a materialistic ( Eastern European?) women. I finished this book yesterday the day Margaret Thatcher died. It is interesting to think the financial system which produces wealth for the few came about as a consequence of Thatcherite economic policies which were continued by New Labour. This book makes you think about the current times and also dwells on the past with issues such as the miners strike being looked into in a lighthearted manner.
Funny, good contrast between ageing hippy values and modern day ideologies
—kissmypoo
slow to start but I liked it.
—Pavel
very funny
—crichardson
