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In her profoundly moving, uniquely comic debut, Kate Atkinson introduces readers to the mind and world of Ruby Lennox, born above a pet shop in York at the halfway point of the twentieth century, and determined to understand both the family that precedes her and the life that awaits her. Taking her own conception as her starting point, the irrepressible Ruby narrates a story of four generations of women, from her great-grandmother's affair with a French photographer, to her mother's unfulfilled dreams of Hollywood glamour, to her young sister's efforts to upstage the Queen on Coronation Day. Hurtling in and out of both World Wars, economic downfalls, the onset of the permissive '60s, and up to the present day, Ruby paints a rich and vivid portrait of family heartbreak and happiness.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
God I love Kate Atkinson's writing. And her sense of humor. And her wry wit. And her sense of history. Oh let's face it, I love Kate Atkinson. And this polished novel was her debut novel?? Can that be right? Of course I read and loved [Life After Life] but that didn't prepare me for a debutnovel
The story is narrated by Ruby Lennox and who better to tell the story of her life as well as that of her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and sundry other relatives. Ruby’s family, much like yours, mine and everybody else’s, is littered with rogues, crooks, cheats and scoundrels. As Atkinson moves the narrative back and forth in time, across the twentieth century, she drops one tidbit after another that attest to her narrative wiliness. Ruby’s mother, Bunty, is such a rich, vibrant character (although not a contender for “Mother of the Year”) and Atkinson plays her for all she’s worth:
”I love the smell of paraffin heaters, so warm and dangerous. ‘Be careful,’ Bunty warns automatically. In another life Bunty was related to Joan of Arc, constantly alert to the possibilities of fire….Paraffin heaters are even more hazardous than stakes to riches, and they never occur in a sentence without a cautionary warning attached. None of us….could be within five feet of one of the Shop heaters without being in danger of conflagration. The coal fire in the living-room is treated similarly and kept guarded day and night (lit or unlit); matches are lethal, of course; the burners on the gas cooker are alive and trying to grab you as you pass by; cigarettes are struggling to drop and smolder----and as for spontaneous combustion! Well, it’s just waiting to happen.” Page 182
So that’s what this book is like: laugh out loud moments followed by a history lesson or two (the section about Ruby’s great uncles during WWI was some of the most poignant writing on that subject that I’ve ever read) with Atkinson setting a frantic pace throughout the narrative. Pure delight from beginning to end and very highly recommended.
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that exudes shades of Dickens and had me furiously turning pages well into the night.The story is narrated by Ruby Lennox and who better to tell the story of her life as well as that of her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and sundry other relatives. Ruby’s family, much like yours, mine and everybody else’s, is littered with rogues, crooks, cheats and scoundrels. As Atkinson moves the narrative back and forth in time, across the twentieth century, she drops one tidbit after another that attest to her narrative wiliness. Ruby’s mother, Bunty, is such a rich, vibrant character (although not a contender for “Mother of the Year”) and Atkinson plays her for all she’s worth:
”I love the smell of paraffin heaters, so warm and dangerous. ‘Be careful,’ Bunty warns automatically. In another life Bunty was related to Joan of Arc, constantly alert to the possibilities of fire….Paraffin heaters are even more hazardous than stakes to riches, and they never occur in a sentence without a cautionary warning attached. None of us….could be within five feet of one of the Shop heaters without being in danger of conflagration. The coal fire in the living-room is treated similarly and kept guarded day and night (lit or unlit); matches are lethal, of course; the burners on the gas cooker are alive and trying to grab you as you pass by; cigarettes are struggling to drop and smolder----and as for spontaneous combustion! Well, it’s just waiting to happen.” Page 182
So that’s what this book is like: laugh out loud moments followed by a history lesson or two (the section about Ruby’s great uncles during WWI was some of the most poignant writing on that subject that I’ve ever read) with Atkinson setting a frantic pace throughout the narrative. Pure delight from beginning to end and very highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Lman
With Behind the Scenes at the Museum I am now, out-and-out, an absolute Kate Atkinson fan! This is the second of her books I have read – being much taken with Case Histories I rapidly collected all her books I could find - purposely opting to read this, her debut novel, next. And, despite needing
Foremost this is the story of Ruby Lennox’s life; told from her distinct viewpoint and in her unequivocal terms, beginning directly at the moment of her conception and following through many of the significant events of her next forty-or-so years. But as it would not be possible to rightly comprehend her family dynamics from this singular point-of-view, interspersed into the composition are chapters of explanations – designated cleverly as footnotes – accordingly fleshing out past, and sometimes present, crucial circumstances beyond Ruby’s direct sphere of engagement; enabling the reader to grasp the essence of this somewhat exhaustive arrangement of familial foundation. Consequently, within this context, Ruby reveals to the reader, from her rather odd childhood experiences, and therefore often immature perspective, a picture of family life filled with grit, grief and grand events reflective of the times it depicts. What unfolds is a twisted, elaborate, sweeping epic of the past four generations of Ruby and her family, through two world wars and by way of a Yorkshire emphasis, which evokes extraordinary poignancy, complexity and a comedy of manners difficult to expound in a simple review.
And the title… at first I was intrigued, as I read more I became confused – what could it mean; at the end I was astounded! The story of this family is a display, the truth carefully hidden behind a curious façade; but like any exhibit at any museum, when the layers are pealed back, what a saga there is to tell. Often it is only when the curator is tasked, to disclose the measures required from ‘behind the scenes’ to construct the show, does the true picture emerge. Ruby was, thus, an admirable custodian of this tale!
It was hard, at times, to like many of the characters in this chronicle and the stark, often harsh, reality of Ruby’s existence overwhelmed at others; but the honesty of it all could never be questioned. There were moments of absolute hilarity (the holiday in Scotland comes to mind), and there were times when I ached with despair for Ruby and her family’s lot; but overall I was compelled to read on to the final act. This is, after all, a story told oft-times from the magical aspect of a child’s innocence – both the good and the very bad – and it is so well-crafted, and uses such mesmerising imagery and wry discernment that, despite the horrors, and probably due to its rather pragmatic style, I was enchanted and totally enthralled from beginning to end.
This book is not at all what I had anticipated – except for the brilliance of the actual writing of the work – and as such, was another totally unexpected delight! And, it was my 50th read for 2008 to boot!
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two attempts at starting this book – the story necessitating a certain concentration from the very beginning - I was once again amazed at the talent of this author to weave such a sophisticated tale.Foremost this is the story of Ruby Lennox’s life; told from her distinct viewpoint and in her unequivocal terms, beginning directly at the moment of her conception and following through many of the significant events of her next forty-or-so years. But as it would not be possible to rightly comprehend her family dynamics from this singular point-of-view, interspersed into the composition are chapters of explanations – designated cleverly as footnotes – accordingly fleshing out past, and sometimes present, crucial circumstances beyond Ruby’s direct sphere of engagement; enabling the reader to grasp the essence of this somewhat exhaustive arrangement of familial foundation. Consequently, within this context, Ruby reveals to the reader, from her rather odd childhood experiences, and therefore often immature perspective, a picture of family life filled with grit, grief and grand events reflective of the times it depicts. What unfolds is a twisted, elaborate, sweeping epic of the past four generations of Ruby and her family, through two world wars and by way of a Yorkshire emphasis, which evokes extraordinary poignancy, complexity and a comedy of manners difficult to expound in a simple review.
And the title… at first I was intrigued, as I read more I became confused – what could it mean; at the end I was astounded! The story of this family is a display, the truth carefully hidden behind a curious façade; but like any exhibit at any museum, when the layers are pealed back, what a saga there is to tell. Often it is only when the curator is tasked, to disclose the measures required from ‘behind the scenes’ to construct the show, does the true picture emerge. Ruby was, thus, an admirable custodian of this tale!
It was hard, at times, to like many of the characters in this chronicle and the stark, often harsh, reality of Ruby’s existence overwhelmed at others; but the honesty of it all could never be questioned. There were moments of absolute hilarity (the holiday in Scotland comes to mind), and there were times when I ached with despair for Ruby and her family’s lot; but overall I was compelled to read on to the final act. This is, after all, a story told oft-times from the magical aspect of a child’s innocence – both the good and the very bad – and it is so well-crafted, and uses such mesmerising imagery and wry discernment that, despite the horrors, and probably due to its rather pragmatic style, I was enchanted and totally enthralled from beginning to end.
This book is not at all what I had anticipated – except for the brilliance of the actual writing of the work – and as such, was another totally unexpected delight! And, it was my 50th read for 2008 to boot!
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
We live in a place called 'Above the Shop' which is not a strictly accurate description as both the kitchen and dining-room are on the same level as the Shop itself and the topography also includes the satellite area of the Back Yard. The Shop (a pet shop) is in one of the ancient streets that
Ruby Lennox narrates her life story beginning with her conception in 1951. Each chapter provides a window to another year in Ruby's life. Ruby defines herself in relationship to her mother, her older sisters, her father, and her extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Each chapter concludes with a footnote that anchors Ruby to her family's past in the stories of her grandmother Nell's and her mother Bunty's youths.
Up to now, my only experience with Kate Atkinson has been the Jackson Brodie novels. I liked Case Histories and loved the rest. I picked up her first novel with some trepidation. Would it live up to the Jackson Brodie novels? I'm happy to say that it exceeded my high expectations. Atkinson strikes a perfect balance between strong characters, vivid settings, and narrative pace in a distinctive voice. As she does in the Jackson Brodie novels, Atkinson follows chains of small events that propel characters toward major events that will change the course of her characters' lives. Atkinson is well on her way to becoming my favorite currently active author.
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cower beneath the looming dominance of York Minster. In this street lived the first printers and the stained-glass craftsmen that filled the windows of the city with coloured light. The Ninth Legion Hispana that conquered the north marched up and down our street, the via praetoria of their great fort, before they disappeared into thin air. Guy Fawkes was born here, Dick Turpin was hung a few streets away and Robinson Crusoe, that other great hero, is also a native son of this city. Who is to say which of these is real and which a fiction?Ruby Lennox narrates her life story beginning with her conception in 1951. Each chapter provides a window to another year in Ruby's life. Ruby defines herself in relationship to her mother, her older sisters, her father, and her extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Each chapter concludes with a footnote that anchors Ruby to her family's past in the stories of her grandmother Nell's and her mother Bunty's youths.
Up to now, my only experience with Kate Atkinson has been the Jackson Brodie novels. I liked Case Histories and loved the rest. I picked up her first novel with some trepidation. Would it live up to the Jackson Brodie novels? I'm happy to say that it exceeded my high expectations. Atkinson strikes a perfect balance between strong characters, vivid settings, and narrative pace in a distinctive voice. As she does in the Jackson Brodie novels, Atkinson follows chains of small events that propel characters toward major events that will change the course of her characters' lives. Atkinson is well on her way to becoming my favorite currently active author.
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LibraryThing member SandDune
Superficially, Behind the Scenes at the Museum tells the story of Ruby Lennox from the time of her conception (shades of Tristram Shandy I think - not that I've ever read it), through her childhood in 1950's York ,and into adulthood. This is a chronological story, but interspersed with this, and
Ruby's own story is a delight to read: surprisingly so for something that contains so many unhappy people. Her mother Bunty, had married her father George (a serial womaniser) as the best of a bad lot after the Second World War and had regretted it ever since, her first choice being an American soldier called Buck who had carelessly blown his foot off with a hand grenade and was shipped back to the States never to be heard of again. Irritation is Bunty's normal state of mind, which very little is able to penetrate, and this does not make for a happy family life in the flat above the pet shop where the family live. I loved the beginning of the book (this is not a universal reaction as I found out from my book club) and the way the author establishes the characters of Bunty and George so quickly, as here when the newly conceived Ruby eavesdrops on her unsuspecting mother's dream:
'Given free choice from the catalogue offered by the empire of dreams on her first night as my mother, Bunty has chosen dustbins.
In the dustbin dream, she's struggling to move two heavy dustbins around the Back Yard … She is growing wary of one dustbin in particular; she suspects it's beginning to develop a personality - a personality uncannily like that of George.
Suddenly, as she heaves hard at one of the bins, she loses control of it and it falls with a crash of galvanised metal - CCRASH KERLUNCK! - spewing its contents over the concrete surface of the yard. … Despite the mess, the dreaming Bunty experiences a flush of pleasure when she sees how tidy her rubbish looks. As she bends down and starts picking it all up she becomes aware of something moving behind her. Oh no! without even turning round she knows it’s the George dustbin, grown into a lumbering giant and now towering over her, about to suck her into its grimy metallic depths …
Somehow, I can't help feeling that this dream doesn't augur well for my future.'
As the footnotes continue to introduce more and more members of Ruby's family, the reader can feel overloaded at times. Many people at my book group wanted a family tree to be provided, and apparently there is one on line. But one review of the book that I have read points out that to have a family tree provided would immediately expose the secrets and lies that are at the heart of the book, and so would remove the pleasure of piecing together the clues. And it did remind me of the sort of family that I grew up in, where there were numerous vague and more distant relatives that couldn't quite be placed but belonged there somewhere.
Despite more deaths than can be recounted on the fingers of one hand, and a set of unhappy and unfulfilled characters there are some very funny scenes in the book that really evoke a sense of time and place. The coronation where Bunty is too busy making food for her guests to watch any of the coverage on their new TV (and resenting every minute of it) and the wedding from hell booked for the day of the World Cup final in 1966 are wonderful.
The one weakness of the book, in my opinion is its ending. It does peter out rather than come to any definite conclusion. But the journey to get there was so much fun that I can forgive it that!
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taking up probably at least a third of the book, are the 'footnotes', which delve in a seemingly haphazard way into the past of Ruby's family, telling its story through poverty and world wars. At least, the book tells one version of the family's past, as events which are a matter of record are interspersed with events which may be true or may be fictional (as how can the narrator possibly know). But although the footnotes contain seemingly random reminiscences at first, the information given in the footnotes enables the reader to decipher some of the mysteries at the heart of this family, as although this isn't a mystery as such, this is certainly a family which has secrets.Ruby's own story is a delight to read: surprisingly so for something that contains so many unhappy people. Her mother Bunty, had married her father George (a serial womaniser) as the best of a bad lot after the Second World War and had regretted it ever since, her first choice being an American soldier called Buck who had carelessly blown his foot off with a hand grenade and was shipped back to the States never to be heard of again. Irritation is Bunty's normal state of mind, which very little is able to penetrate, and this does not make for a happy family life in the flat above the pet shop where the family live. I loved the beginning of the book (this is not a universal reaction as I found out from my book club) and the way the author establishes the characters of Bunty and George so quickly, as here when the newly conceived Ruby eavesdrops on her unsuspecting mother's dream:
'Given free choice from the catalogue offered by the empire of dreams on her first night as my mother, Bunty has chosen dustbins.
In the dustbin dream, she's struggling to move two heavy dustbins around the Back Yard … She is growing wary of one dustbin in particular; she suspects it's beginning to develop a personality - a personality uncannily like that of George.
Suddenly, as she heaves hard at one of the bins, she loses control of it and it falls with a crash of galvanised metal - CCRASH KERLUNCK! - spewing its contents over the concrete surface of the yard. … Despite the mess, the dreaming Bunty experiences a flush of pleasure when she sees how tidy her rubbish looks. As she bends down and starts picking it all up she becomes aware of something moving behind her. Oh no! without even turning round she knows it’s the George dustbin, grown into a lumbering giant and now towering over her, about to suck her into its grimy metallic depths …
Somehow, I can't help feeling that this dream doesn't augur well for my future.'
As the footnotes continue to introduce more and more members of Ruby's family, the reader can feel overloaded at times. Many people at my book group wanted a family tree to be provided, and apparently there is one on line. But one review of the book that I have read points out that to have a family tree provided would immediately expose the secrets and lies that are at the heart of the book, and so would remove the pleasure of piecing together the clues. And it did remind me of the sort of family that I grew up in, where there were numerous vague and more distant relatives that couldn't quite be placed but belonged there somewhere.
Despite more deaths than can be recounted on the fingers of one hand, and a set of unhappy and unfulfilled characters there are some very funny scenes in the book that really evoke a sense of time and place. The coronation where Bunty is too busy making food for her guests to watch any of the coverage on their new TV (and resenting every minute of it) and the wedding from hell booked for the day of the World Cup final in 1966 are wonderful.
The one weakness of the book, in my opinion is its ending. It does peter out rather than come to any definite conclusion. But the journey to get there was so much fun that I can forgive it that!
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LibraryThing member DieFledermaus
Excellent – one of those books that lives up to all the good things everyone says about it. Ruby Lennox narrates her childhood from conception on (like Tristram Shandy) with glimpses back to the lives of her mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and assorted relatives. The writing is dazzling
In the present, Ruby narrates a series of ingeniously constructed set-pieces – a drunken family get-together for the Coronation of the queen, a horrible and horribly funny co-neighbor vacation to Scotland, a comically dysfunctional wedding – as well as the everyday life of school, work, affairs, adolescence and deaths. In the past, we hear the stories of Ruby’s relatives which are described in the “footnotes” ostensibly to relate the origin and history of some object but really giving all the lives that have come before Ruby. Ruby’s family consists of her ineffectual philandering father, George, her difficult, frustrated mother Bunty, Patricia, the good sister who grows up to be a rebellious teenager, and cherubic brat Gillian. Bunty’s maternal line starts with her grandmother, spoiled Alice, who marries a drunken, neglectful husband and has too many children. The story of Alice’s children is told by her daughters Nell and Lillian who worry about their brother Albert during World War I and are both frustrated in their attempts to find love and build a family. Bunty, lost amidst another brood of children, tries to find an identity during WWII and also ends up settling for mildly unsatisfying married life. Besides these characters, many other relatives, friends, and partners work their way in. Life above a pet store, which is run by Ruby’s parents, also has its quirks. The setting, York from the 19th through the 20th century, is vividly described. Altogether very good and highly recommended.
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– funny, memorable, wonderfully descriptive. Both the past and present narratives are involving and Atkinson is good at building suspense and leaving a trail of big and small secrets. Sometimes it irritates me when authors deliberately keep things from the readers but it works here because the narrators are often limited in their knowledge or other characters actively work to keep things a secret.In the present, Ruby narrates a series of ingeniously constructed set-pieces – a drunken family get-together for the Coronation of the queen, a horrible and horribly funny co-neighbor vacation to Scotland, a comically dysfunctional wedding – as well as the everyday life of school, work, affairs, adolescence and deaths. In the past, we hear the stories of Ruby’s relatives which are described in the “footnotes” ostensibly to relate the origin and history of some object but really giving all the lives that have come before Ruby. Ruby’s family consists of her ineffectual philandering father, George, her difficult, frustrated mother Bunty, Patricia, the good sister who grows up to be a rebellious teenager, and cherubic brat Gillian. Bunty’s maternal line starts with her grandmother, spoiled Alice, who marries a drunken, neglectful husband and has too many children. The story of Alice’s children is told by her daughters Nell and Lillian who worry about their brother Albert during World War I and are both frustrated in their attempts to find love and build a family. Bunty, lost amidst another brood of children, tries to find an identity during WWII and also ends up settling for mildly unsatisfying married life. Besides these characters, many other relatives, friends, and partners work their way in. Life above a pet store, which is run by Ruby’s parents, also has its quirks. The setting, York from the 19th through the 20th century, is vividly described. Altogether very good and highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member cajela
An extraordinary story, and utterly compelling. It's hard to make it sound good, though. The protagonist and narrator is Ruby Lennox, and we start her story at conception. Following her, we bounce around in time, tracking four generations of her mostly unlovely and very real family.
Digressions
But this is no sentimental cliched family saga novel. Often it's very, very funny as chaos is heaped on catastrophe and it collapses into farce. The writing is sharp, witty, well observed, and full of life. Atkinson writes with a strange kind of hard-nosed pitiless compassion.
Digressions
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into the details of the past are inspired by a word or an object - a zeppelin, a button, a rabbit's foot, an old photo. Great grandmother Alice, and the following generations Nell, Bunty and Ruby live in often unhappy families, from 19th century Yorkshire rural poverty to 1950s middle-class repression. People die in wars, and in freak accidents - especially the pretty golden haired ones. They make terrible choices, and mess up their lives. But this is no sentimental cliched family saga novel. Often it's very, very funny as chaos is heaped on catastrophe and it collapses into farce. The writing is sharp, witty, well observed, and full of life. Atkinson writes with a strange kind of hard-nosed pitiless compassion.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Ruby Lennox begins narrating this novel in utero. It's 1951 and she is the third child born to a dysfunctional family headed by Bunty and George. Ruby's mother Bunty is third in a line of women unhappily married and dissatisfied with their station in life. Ruby's narrative is wry and funny, whether
This book is a brilliant interweaving of past and present. I loved the "herstory," with events unfolding through a matriarchal line. I enjoyed Ruby's cocksure narration, even when she turned out to be incredibly unreliable, because the reason for it made perfect sense (I can't say more without spoilers). And Atkinson is very funny. My favorite scene was her description of a wedding that occurred during the legendary 1966 FIFA World Cup Final. Here the behavior of a drunken wedding guest is juxtaposed with television commentary of the match:
Everything seems to go into slow motion as Ted pitches and reels, his arms flailing like windmills, in a desperate attempt to regain his balance and avoid the irresistible, inevitable accident which we can see hanging before our eyes. The tiny bridal couple on top of the cake sway and totter as if they were sitting on top of a volcano. Some people are on the pitch -- they think it's all over-- Ted moans as his feet go under him and in one dreadful slapstick movement he falls, face first, into the wedding cake. It is now! (p. 260)
Yet despite the humor, it's clear all is not right in the Lennox family. The pieces just don't all fit together; that is, until a significant event is revealed that sheds new light on everything that came before. The drama and emotion escalate as Ruby sorts through her family's history and tries to heal wounds to lead a normal adult life. This was Kate Atkinson's debut novel, and is highly recommended.
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she is talking about her siblings, the war, or even deaths in the family. Each chapter describes events in Ruby's life, and is followed by a "footnote" (actually chapters in their own right), documenting some piece of family history. Ruby takes us back 100 years to her great-grandmother Alice, who has recently had a series of family photographs taken by an itinerant photographer. Alice dies suddenly, leaving her husband and several young children (including Ruby's grandmother, Nell). Little by little we learn Ruby's family history and get to know a mixed bag of aunts, uncles, and cousins.This book is a brilliant interweaving of past and present. I loved the "herstory," with events unfolding through a matriarchal line. I enjoyed Ruby's cocksure narration, even when she turned out to be incredibly unreliable, because the reason for it made perfect sense (I can't say more without spoilers). And Atkinson is very funny. My favorite scene was her description of a wedding that occurred during the legendary 1966 FIFA World Cup Final. Here the behavior of a drunken wedding guest is juxtaposed with television commentary of the match:
Everything seems to go into slow motion as Ted pitches and reels, his arms flailing like windmills, in a desperate attempt to regain his balance and avoid the irresistible, inevitable accident which we can see hanging before our eyes. The tiny bridal couple on top of the cake sway and totter as if they were sitting on top of a volcano. Some people are on the pitch -- they think it's all over-- Ted moans as his feet go under him and in one dreadful slapstick movement he falls, face first, into the wedding cake. It is now! (p. 260)
Yet despite the humor, it's clear all is not right in the Lennox family. The pieces just don't all fit together; that is, until a significant event is revealed that sheds new light on everything that came before. The drama and emotion escalate as Ruby sorts through her family's history and tries to heal wounds to lead a normal adult life. This was Kate Atkinson's debut novel, and is highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
From the very beginning Behind the Scenes draws the reader in. Told from the point of view of young Ruby Lennox...(before she is even born) there is humor and sarcasm. Her voice reminds me of the wise-alec baby on Family Guy (sorry, the name escapes me). Ruby is omnipresent, giving the reader
The alternate chapters (told in third person) give the backstory of Ruby's mother's life during the second Great War. The writing is not as humorous, nor as witty as when Ruby gets to speak. Over all the reading is a rollercoaster of ups and downs, twisting you through life's crazy moments.
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insight on every thought, feeling, dream, nightmare her family has. The alternate chapters (told in third person) give the backstory of Ruby's mother's life during the second Great War. The writing is not as humorous, nor as witty as when Ruby gets to speak. Over all the reading is a rollercoaster of ups and downs, twisting you through life's crazy moments.
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LibraryThing member mzonderm
You know it's bad when you go online to see what the big secret is when you're halfway through the book. But that's what I finally had to do with this book. I just got overcome by curiosity. Or possibly driven mad by all the vague hints and innuendo. (And yes, all my suspicions were correct.) If
Aside from all the secrets, this book is populated by a vast and confusing cast of characters. Told in alternating chapters between the life of Ruby Lennox (who narrates her own story from the moment of conception) and the stories of her maternal antecedents (told in the third person), we learn about several generations of women who make bad decisions in marriage and what happens to them as a result. Needless to say, this isn't a particularly cheerful book.
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you're looking to find the answer, you'll have to look elsewhere (I suggest Wikipedia), but at least now you know you're not alone in not being able to wait for the big reveal.Aside from all the secrets, this book is populated by a vast and confusing cast of characters. Told in alternating chapters between the life of Ruby Lennox (who narrates her own story from the moment of conception) and the stories of her maternal antecedents (told in the third person), we learn about several generations of women who make bad decisions in marriage and what happens to them as a result. Needless to say, this isn't a particularly cheerful book.
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LibraryThing member sjmccreary
This story is told from the point of view of Ruby Lennox, beginning from the moment of her conception in England in 1951. She introduces us to her family - mother and father and 2 older sisters - and their lives "above the shop". The family owns a pet shop and lives in the quarters upstairs. She
The book provides interesting glimpses of life in other times and places. Since I am in USA, even ordinary life in England is novel to me. The book also exposes the pain, heartache, and disappointments which abound in all families and talks about the secrets which are kept and the effect they can have on the lives of everyone.
As far as my own reaction to this book - I thought it is better done than most of this type. I usually don't care for much introspection and analysis. I prefer lots of plot. The sections when things were happening were much more enjoyable for me than the sections when Ruby was telling us that things had happened. There were lots of characters and towards the end I began to confuse the relationships (Was Tom Nell's brother or her uncle?) But in the end, I think it didn't matter. The point is that families are tied together, even if the genealogical relationships are unclear. I found my self thinking about this book over and over after I had finished it - a sign that it did touch me at some level - but I'm just as happy not to still be reading it.
Recommendation? Yes, definitely, for those who enjoy these relationship stories. The plot driven types should save this one for a time when you want something more touchy-feely than normal.
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also examines her family's history, going back to her great-grandmother before the turn of the century, her grandmother reaching adulthood around World War I, her mother at World War II, and her own adolescence in the 1960's, through to her middle age in the 1990's. She explores various branches of the family tree, including one which ends up in Vancouver, Canada, and her own sister who settles in Melbourne, Australia. Most of the attention is given to the women in the family, although several uncles and beaus of her aunts are introduced, and Ruby does talk quite a lot about her father.The book provides interesting glimpses of life in other times and places. Since I am in USA, even ordinary life in England is novel to me. The book also exposes the pain, heartache, and disappointments which abound in all families and talks about the secrets which are kept and the effect they can have on the lives of everyone.
As far as my own reaction to this book - I thought it is better done than most of this type. I usually don't care for much introspection and analysis. I prefer lots of plot. The sections when things were happening were much more enjoyable for me than the sections when Ruby was telling us that things had happened. There were lots of characters and towards the end I began to confuse the relationships (Was Tom Nell's brother or her uncle?) But in the end, I think it didn't matter. The point is that families are tied together, even if the genealogical relationships are unclear. I found my self thinking about this book over and over after I had finished it - a sign that it did touch me at some level - but I'm just as happy not to still be reading it.
Recommendation? Yes, definitely, for those who enjoy these relationship stories. The plot driven types should save this one for a time when you want something more touchy-feely than normal.
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LibraryThing member RoseCityReader
Kate Atkinson won the 1995 Whitbread (Costa) Book of the Year Award for her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, before going on to write six more books, so far, including the popular Jackson Brodie mystery series.
In Museum, the precocious narrator Ruby Lenox takes us behind the scenes of
This is a book about parents, children, sisters, love, marriage, infidelity, war, death, pets and the general hodgepodge of family life. Ruby is a beguilingly effervescent narrator, finding humor in the darkest cubbyholes of her family’s past and, eventually, finding her own place in the family gallery.
Also posted on Rose City Reader.
In Museum, the precocious narrator Ruby Lenox takes us behind the scenes of
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the museum of her family history, starting with the very moment of her conception. Interleaved between the chapters of Ruby’s biography are lengthy “footnotes” that provide the story of earlier generations, back to Ruby’s great-grandmother.This is a book about parents, children, sisters, love, marriage, infidelity, war, death, pets and the general hodgepodge of family life. Ruby is a beguilingly effervescent narrator, finding humor in the darkest cubbyholes of her family’s past and, eventually, finding her own place in the family gallery.
Also posted on Rose City Reader.
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LibraryThing member mcalister
Not at all what I expected -- happily, far, far better. The story flip-flops between the chronological narrative of Ruby's life growing up in York, and brief but non-chronological episodes (interludes, "footnotes") that connect her back to other female members of her family -- primarily her mother,
Atkinson's prose has both a levity and a gravitas that balances beautifully between hilarity and pathos. A few passages could have profited from editing and compaction, but overall she uses language wonderfully without becoming too overburdened with words.
This is a story about history and destiny and the patterns of life, and the ways in which women can choose between living and surviving. Recommended.
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grandmother, and great-grandmother -- in ways that are not immediately obvious, but which unfold slowly throughout the book, both delightfully and tragically. Atkinson's prose has both a levity and a gravitas that balances beautifully between hilarity and pathos. A few passages could have profited from editing and compaction, but overall she uses language wonderfully without becoming too overburdened with words.
This is a story about history and destiny and the patterns of life, and the ways in which women can choose between living and surviving. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member ShellyS
Before she introduced readers to PI Jackson Brodie, Atkinson wrote this book, her first, and to say it's brilliant would be an understatement. I can understand why it won the Whitbread Book of the Year award. A novel that reads like a surreal memoir, the book is narrated by Ruby Lennox, who starts
But Ruby is, as many narrators are, unreliable, albeit unwittingly, and in her quest to make sense of her family, she finds herself.
Atkinson's prose is fluid and in turns humorous and moving, in a way that kept me reading (even if it took me a long time). The words sucked me in and I came to fully believe in these characters. They became real, especially Ruby. This is definitely going to make my list of all-time favorite books.
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her tale at the moment of her conception. The family she's born into is dysfunctional at best, and Ruby relates her life and that, in alternating chapters, of key members of her family tree, filling in the family history in what she calls "footnotes." The passages covering relatives who fought in the World Wars, were especially well done.But Ruby is, as many narrators are, unreliable, albeit unwittingly, and in her quest to make sense of her family, she finds herself.
Atkinson's prose is fluid and in turns humorous and moving, in a way that kept me reading (even if it took me a long time). The words sucked me in and I came to fully believe in these characters. They became real, especially Ruby. This is definitely going to make my list of all-time favorite books.
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LibraryThing member Lisa2013
recommended for: if you have a warped sense of humor and enjoy novels about families
I enjoyed this book much more than most of the members of my book club. I loved Ruby, the narrator, especially as a child, and I thought that the intricate story was very clever and hilarious. The funniest parts
I enjoyed this book much more than most of the members of my book club. I loved Ruby, the narrator, especially as a child, and I thought that the intricate story was very clever and hilarious. The funniest parts
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were when Ruby was scathingly commenting about her family members, especially her sisters and parents. Terribly traumatic events happen to this family but they’re told in such a light and breezy manner (by Ruby during and before her actual lifetime) that I didn’t find the book at all depressing, but very entertaining. I did find some of the sub-plots (this is an epic book told over decades about this extended family) extremely disturbing. I also was disappointed by parts toward the end of the book: Ruby’s narrative style which worked so well for me when she was young, making her seem engaged & possessing an acerbic wit, makes her seem distant and unfeeling in the latter part of the story. But even though it ended on a low note for me, I really liked the book as a whole. Show Less
LibraryThing member neverlistless
I loved it! I have yet to be disappointed by Atkinson. It was really interesting to see how choices and circumstances affect people (and their offspring) down the line.
LibraryThing member vixen666
A book that has the power to make you laugh and cry, this is a touching story of a young girl, Ruby, and her life as she grows up in York, England.
LibraryThing member jolee
I quite liked this book. I enjoyed how Atkinson told the stories of the other women in Ruby's family. I especially liked the footnotes about her grandmother Nell's life during World War I. Despite the fact that the characters are all dealing with deep-seeded sorrow, the book is a fulfilling and
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pleasurable experience. Show Less
LibraryThing member murraymint11
This is the first of hers that I've read, and I love her writing style. Very funny, but with subtle touches of sadness that jump out at you here and there. The narrative has a quirky 'British' sound to me.
To quote another reviewer: "a treasure chest bursting with the painful, pitiful, sad, always
I loved this book.
To quote another reviewer: "a treasure chest bursting with the painful, pitiful, sad, always
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fascinating details of the most ordinary of lives".I loved this book.
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LibraryThing member EricaKline
Very good. Generations of British women with troubles in marriage and kids. Writing was both objective and sympathetic, and the characterization was good.
Erica Kline, 5/1/2003
Erica Kline, 5/1/2003
LibraryThing member theageofsilt
Despite of surfeit of characters who too often meet an early end, Atkinson's novel is a delight of witty and captivating prose. Consider this..."I take a deep breath and - there he is! The light of my world! The Mobo horse is perhaps the most handsome creature ever manufactured by man. All of
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five-and-a-half hands to his withers, he is made from dappled grey and white tin, with a permanently scrolled mane and plumed tail. His eyes are friendly, his back is firm and he has a scarlet saddle...By a continuous and relentless incantation of 'DottydottydottydottydottydottydottydottyMOBO!' I force Bunty into helping me mount my heart's desire..." Who doesn't know this rapturous love of a toy! Show Less
LibraryThing member alanna1122
It took me more than 150 pages to get into this book - but once I did - I found it really engrossing. The author's decision to leap around in the narrative from one generation to another takes some getting used to - I wish I had started to build a family tree for my own reference early in the story
While I believe this book is really well written - it does contain a lot of disturbing things - I enjoyed it - but its not a book I would read over and over. At some points I really felt like it was just a catalog of all the deaths in one family.
Anyway - if you are reading it and about to give up - I'd say - give it 150 pages before you decide to pack it in.
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- this is a book that would have hardily benefited from one printed on the early pages... it was frustrating reorienting myself with all the players with each generation leap - but eventually I was able to keep most of the characters straight in my head. While I believe this book is really well written - it does contain a lot of disturbing things - I enjoyed it - but its not a book I would read over and over. At some points I really felt like it was just a catalog of all the deaths in one family.
Anyway - if you are reading it and about to give up - I'd say - give it 150 pages before you decide to pack it in.
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LibraryThing member carmarie
It was good. It could have been better if I didn't have to keep stopping and starting (life gets in the way!)...which I hate to do. I was more interested in the "present" chapters than in the chapers taking place in the past. I kept getting lost with all of the characters, but Kate Atkinson does a
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great job weaving them all in to their rightful places. Show Less
LibraryThing member smarks
Especially nice are the footnotes leading the reader through a troubled genealogy by introducing items (rabbit's foot, small spoon, a smile) in the chapters. A dark book, but an excellent tale of one girl's coming of age--the book begins with the narrator's own birth. Hard to say if I enjoyed this
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more or less than Atkinson's Case Histories--I may have to read both again to figure it out! Show Less
LibraryThing member Whisper1
I seem to be in the minority re. this book. I finished it but it was difficult. While the quick wit and vivid images kept me reading, I found that the chapters drug on and on and on. Perhaps Kate Atkinson is making a feeble stab at sick british humor, but I really found it incredibly annoying that
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each and every chaper -- and sometimes -- each sentence was filled with tragedy. The weaving back and forth of generations was very difficult to track. I read for pleasure and while I like to escape, I really dislike reading a book that loses me in each and every chaper. Show Less
LibraryThing member ann42na
Amazingly refreshing history of a family with a female narrator.
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 1997)
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — First Novel — 1995)
Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (Winner — 1996)