So I have finally finished this book. It was not my choice – it is our next Book Club book – so I had to read it. Since there were only 2 books in the local library (not surprised there) I had to borrow the audio version. Which normally would have not been an issue, but listening to this book put me in a bad mood and I would start and finish my day cranky. By second disc I was ready to use them as anything else but audio books -> preferably flying saucers never to return. By third disk I was imagining pain full ways to make Alice and her friends to disappear or to at least grow a brain.There are quite few things I really dislike in this book:1.tAlice is a very selfish, self-centred, arrogant, middleclass, unintelligent snob who is surrounded by the same kind of people 2.tAlice has no idea of the real world surrounding her, and her unrealistic, ridiculous fears and phobias are simply pitiful.3.tThere is no way that a 36 year old woman could pass for an 11 year old girl. Maybe a 20+ year old or, if we stretch our imaginations by a lot a teenager. But not an 11 year old. If her face does not give her away, her hands will.4.tI hated Alice’s friends and their snobby and selfish attitude towards raising their children. With all those extra classes, tutoring and activities they were raising selfish brats5.tAll those Sunrise (or whatever) books – you feed your brain rubbish – you know rubbish 6.tThat Alice needed to venture into a scary world of low income family to realise what a real world is like. Simply pathetic.What I liked about this book:1.tThat it has ended.2.tAlice bullied her son’s bully (yet again she would not pass for an 11 year old), but the whole scene was quite good. Yet I was not sure if it worked, her son’s bulling was not explained at the end of the book3.tThat at the end Molly was going to a public school. If she continued on to the posh private school within a week or two, she would have realised that she is not academically as smart as the other kids and would have been miserable.4.tThat Alice has realised that children need to enjoy their childhood.5.tThat Alice has grown as a human being
O livro tem uma premissa muito interessante, mas a maior parte da narrativa é bem monótona. Vale por umas sacadas muito boas e principalmente pelos três últimos capítulos que são realmente interessantes e fazem o livro todo valer a pena de ser lido - mesmo que a classificação de livro de humor não seja verdadeira, pelo menos no meu caso, que não achei o livro tão engraçado a ponto de dar gargalhadas, apenas alguns sorrisos em trechos esparsos.Para ter uma ideia, demorei dois meses para terminá-lo, pois a cada capítulo lido eu ficava pelo menos uma semana sem tocar no livro simplesmente porque ele não me atraís de forma alguma. Já os três últimos capítulos me prenderam tanto que nem dei bola para o mundo acontecendo ao meu redor. E eu fiquei bem feliz com o final. Várias vezes durante a leitura fiquei me perguntando como poderia terminar um livro em que a mãe é capaz de se travestir de criança para fazer um exame de admissão no lugar da filha. Felizmente o final não decepciona, e apesar de não acontecer o mais esperado (o que seria também um desapontamento), o que acontece deixa uma sensação de acalento, um afago leve no leitor.
What do You think about May Contain Nuts (2006)?
This book is a hoot--especially if you have dealt with or can relate to competitive parenting. The extremes that the parents in this book go to to advance their daughter to the "best" middle school is extremely funny. Or the way O'Farrell describes the mom uses a Tony Blair mask (the author is British) on a stick to try and slow cars that she thinks are driving too fast down her street. I think this book works is because no one would go to these extremes, the author captures the insecurity of parents who want to do their best for their kids but maybe take it a step (or maybe a mile) too far.
—Jennifer
This is the first book I have managed to finish in the last two years. It is a very funny satire on the dilemna parents face about school choice. The family live closeted in a safe middle class circle competitively striving to have their children do and be better than their frineds while all of South London goes on unnoticed arround them. The mom gets so worried about her 11 year old daughter she decides to disguise herself as her daughter and sit an entrance exam for her. Light, easy, funny reading.
—Marjie
Well, I rather enjoyed this book - although the amount of laughs per page meant that it got rather annoying after a while. Its the literary equivalent of the office joker from the fast show and gets a bit monotonous.Starts excellently, with a concerned middle class 36 year old woman starting a one person campaign against speeding in her road by creating a small boy (complete with a Tony Blair mask) which is waved in front of passing cars, causing an accident.This is the main thrust of the book - over protective parents doing to much for their kids - in this instance, taking exams for them on their behalf to get into the top public schools.Flimsey subject matter for a whole book and there is a sub plot of a working class family who are denied entrance to the school through the mothers actions but find that the local comprehensive is just as good. Obviously O'Farrell leaning towards his left wing roots.There is an excellent closing epilogue where he takes the piss out of any of his friends who recognise themselves from the story.All in all, its the jokes that make the book worthwhile although they are delivered in machine gun style, with around 10% hitting the mark and 5% being laugh out loud funny.
—Ian Mapp
