by Hilary Gardener, Andrea Bettridge, Sarah Groves and Lyndsey Lawrence
I wondered briefly about the wisdom of buying a second book in a series without having read the first, but, as a result of a special offer from a publisher, "The Fat Ladies Club: Facing the First Five Years" found its way onto my overloaded bookshelves. Having read the publishers blurb, it sounded irresistible - and it was.
The book is written by a group of friends who met while having their first children and decided to write a book about the experience. Now, five years on, they write about raising their children through their first five years - the tears, tantrums and toilet training traumas of toddler-hood are all humourously and good naturedly discussed.
Within seconds of opening the book, I felt a ridiculous sense of disappointment to learn that Annette, one of the original Fat Ladies, had died from bowel cancer. (I use the term "ridiculous" since, not having read the first book I knew absolutely nothing about her.) However, the remaining four Fat Ladies, Hilary Gardener, Andrea Bettridge, Sarah Groves and Lyndsey Lawrence did not disappoint.
Although I do not have children of my own, I have enough nieces, nephews and godchildren to appreciate the trials and tribulations of motherhood albeit not through personal experience - something that is probably a slight handicap to reading this book. It is divided into chapters and each woman contributes a few pages to each chapter. They start, in "The Who's Who of Fat Club", by introducing themselves to the reader, continuing with "Where Are We Now?" to update readers of the first book and lay some foundations for those like me who started on book two.
From then on, the chapters have such diverse headings as "Sleep and Sex", "Flab and Fashion" and "Toilets and Tantrums".
This is not meant to be a "how to..." manual on raising children, rather it is a personal account of the experiences of doing so of four very different women. You won't be lectured, but will be able to share stories of how the friends themselves coped with various situations. At times it is touching, at others hilariously funny and always a delight to read. I would, however, have liked the inclusion of some photographs.
Written in an informal, almost chatty style, it discusses not only children, but also other issues important to the group of friends such as careers, miscarriages and marital relationships. The friends various reactions to Annette's death are particularly poignant.
My feeling is that this book would make an ideal present for any mother or mother-to-be, even if only as a dire warning of the minefield that raising a family often resembles.(See chapter entitled "Ground, Swallow Me Up!" for prime examples.) I'm now off to buy the first book in the hope that it’s as good as the second, which I can heartily recommend as an excellent and very entertaining read.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0141012927
Price: £7.99 p/b
Date Reviewed: May 2003
My Rating: 3.5/5
