Wife in the North by Judith O'Reilly
Friday, 25 Jul 2008 17:59
Wife in the North by Judith O'Reilly
Published by Penguin, out now, 295pp, £7.99.
In a nutshell...
Tales of a city dweller transported against her will to the rural north.
What's it all about?
Wife in the North is the paperback version of the first instalments of Judith O'Reilly's blog about her life after moving to Northumberland. The diary entries chart her life after O'Reilly, a self-confessed city lover, decides to give life in the rural north a go with her country-loving husband and three children.
The loneliness of adjusting to a new place, tender moments of being a mother and difficulties of coping while the husband is more often than not away on business are all included alongside frank and often humorous accounts of feelings of failure to cope.
Who's it by?
Judith O'Reilly is a former journalist whose work appeared in the Sunday Times, ITN and the BBC. After moving to Northumberland she now works freelance while also looking after her three children.
As an example...
"Northumberland is the northernmost county in England - the sort of place you go to get away from it all. But what if you like 'it' just fine? I never would, never could, say that it is not beautiful: the air cut with lemon, the skies thick with light and cloud, the rise and fall of green fields, hills and moorland, the sweep of empty sands with a history of Romans and Vikings and bloody battles with the Scots. I like its grandeur and its story - I just do not think I want to live in it."
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
According to one of O'Reilly's latest blog entries there is "interest from TV" so even if Hollywood does not beckon, a feature length drama could well be in the pipeline.
What the others say
"O'Reilly faces up to the challenges of her new life with a fine line in gallows humour and resilient determination. This hit blog-turned-novel is funny and tenderly moving." - Marie Claire
So is it any good?
Wife in the North deals with a mixture of emotions and situations, ranging from death and depression to playground politics, but it always remains a heartfelt and moving read.
O'Reilly deals with the high and lows of life without losing her sense of humour and is brutally honest about her life. Her accounts of trying out various country pursuits are often hilarious and the descriptions of the beautiful Northumberland countryside will no doubt boost tourist numbers to the region.
8/10
Carolyn Robertson
"I honestly don't know why the tourist board would want her as its poster girl after she has spent the best part of two years moaning about how horrible the place and people are. She needs to get over herself." - Fred Smith
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