THE ONE WHERE THE HOUSE TELLS THE STORY ‘Full of unique characters I loved, laughed and grimaced at.’ – UK Kindle customer.You do know that walls have ears, don’t you? When sisters Edna and Edith move into Curmudgeon Avenue, their presence is not welcomed by the proud, yet grouchy Victorian terrace. This delightful comedy-drama is narrated by the house itself and tells of quarrels, romances and … quarrels, romances and dramas of the intertwined nincompoop residents.
Widowed Edith is looking for love and dates one of Edna’s ex-boyfriends, Maurice – wait until you find out what happens there! Edna is heartbroken after her long term partner moved to France. Unhappily cohabiting with her idiot sister, Edna dislikes her nephew, Ricky Ricketts, who permanently hangs around Curmudgeon Avenue with his on/off girlfriend Wantha, her sister Toonan and all the tomfoolery they bring…
The sisters decide to advertise for a lodger – enter the notable Harold – yet another of Edna’s exes! Still vulnerable from the Maurice incident, Edith falls for his charms… what will happen at Curmudgeon Avenue?
This novella is the first in the series of the quirky comedy-drama series, Curmudgeon Avenue.
‘Chortling from beginning to end I remained captive of the book. it was a winner.’ – US Kindle customer.
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Having a bad week? Had a tough few days? Need to lighten the mood? This is exactly what you need to read! The British humour combined with a completely unpredictable story line make this book so memorable, and is definitely one for you if you’re looking for a light read with some hilarious characters.
I know I’ve said some books I’ve read are completely unlike anything I’ve ever read before, but this one definitely tops that list. This story has a very unusual narrator for the most part, and I had a smile on my face throughout the whole thing! Completely and utterly worth the read, and is the perfect humourous story to lift up your mood after a long week. Definitely recommend this one!
Curmudgeon Avenue (Book One: The Terraced House Diaries) by Samantha Henthorn
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Number One Curmudgeon Avenue,a 4-storey Georgian house, a stone’s throw from Whitefield tram station near Manchester, has many tales to tell – walls have ears you know! But as ever one must start at the beginning. A story of an unfortunate end to Mr and Mrs Payne (not to mention a unique ending involving an elephant named Deirdre) and the complicated liaisons of the sisters,Edna Payne and her younger sister Edith. “Edith ran away from Edna and hid away in the understairs cupboard.She took out her smartphone, and un-friended Edna on Facebook, knowing this would hit Edna where it hurts.”
This is an amazingly,witty book full of in-depth descriptions that are cleverly written.Edith and Edna Payne are two sisters with an intricate relationship of dislike for one another, hilariously narrated by the poor suffering establishment that the siblings share.Curmudgeon Avenue is an account of the ins and outs of the siblings frenetic existence including neighbours and acquaintances, past and present.It will entertain and transport you to North West UK with the colourful dialect and larger than life characters such as Ricky Ricketts, Edith’s sponging son.
I appreciate how it is the house that narrates the story as first person and how the author distinguishes the character’s unique way of speaking and illustrating their cultural background. “Harold really was a smug git.”
My overall thoughts on this book:readers prepare to be diverted with delight and a captivating storyline that leads through this book. Every chapter is written to amuse including several side stories “for a later date” to keep you guessing.Each added character adds colour and depth and yet we also learn about the community and details of their past.I fully recommend!
I enjoyed this comedy. The opening line: “On the day this all started, the sky was full of August apologies for a summer undelivered.” I loved that the main character happened to be the house. It was not a fan of Edith or Edna, which I found funny. I will say the ending happened quite abruptly, and I wasn’t prepared for that. It was a nice cliffhanger though.
My favorite line of the book was: “If I have to contend with the bunch of nincompoops that replaced Mr and Mrs Payne, then so should you…” This summed up everything perfectly lol. I enjoyed the lighthearted tone of the book. It’s not a genre I typically read, but I’m happy I gave it a chance for #DectheShelves. The entire time I was reading, I pictured everything as a play with over-the-top characters and funny situations to force everyone to interact.
I RECOMMEND this book to read.
Absolutely. Freaking. Hilarious.
If you like dry British humor, this one is completely a hoot. Narrated from the point of view of an old house that changes hands from a respectable family couple to their ridiculous middle-aged daughters, each set of characters is more over the top than the last. It’s the dry acerbic wit and commentary on everyday social settings that make this really work. The author has good comedic timing and knows how to deliver a line. If you like authors like Sophie Kinsella and series like Bridget Jones, I think you’d like this one.
Edna and Edith, the two terrible sisters, move in after their parents’ demise. One has a son—Ricky Ricketts (who was easily my least favorite character and most favorite to read on page—or was that the horrible murderous Maurice?) who is a complete drip. There is an entire cast of characters. The writing is sharp and punchy and utterly delightful. First-world cat emergencies? Bwah ha ha!! It’s the great use of language and wonderful sarcastic commentary on the ordinary that makes this piece really work, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Quirky, entertaining British humor. A fun book!
Quirky fun and an entertaining farce!
I loved the idea of the house itself as the narrator. That’s what drew me to this book. I just wish the house had been more of a presence in the story – I had hoped for more-numerous pointed opinions from it. Still, this tale of fantastically eccentric characters, improbable situations and wildly intertwined lives is full of quirky fun, including some of the chapter titles (“The Collective Noun for Fugitives.” is my favorite). A great light read, short and amusing!
A British Farce about “nincompoops and intertwined lives” Told by a House
The author of Curmudgeon Avenue #1, Samantha Henthorn describes her work as a comedy-drama. Drama, for example, comes in the form of the death of the parents of our two protagonists, the elderly sisters Edna and Edith at the start of the book. Comedy comes in the form of the parents dying by being crushed by an elephant thrown from a lorry driven by one of Edna’s exes. The elephant broke free of her constraints because the driver smelled so bad. Even so, he later becomes Edith’s romantic interest when he rents a room in the sisters’ home after a long, roof-sitting protest over being evicted from his own. Yes, it’s pretty difficult to find much drama in this book that’s not wrapped in total absurdity. It is truly the story of a group of nincompoops whose worlds never generate enough momentum of their own to escape each other’s orbits. And if that silliness isn’t enough, the story is told by the house, a Victorian terrace. The book even has some house humor. Speaking of the “tiresome” process of evicting someone, the house notes that it’s “… enough to make one’s front bedroom windows glaze over.” Drama? Maybe. A farce? Without a doubt.
My primary word of advice to the potential reader is check out the book’s preview online so that you can judge the humor for yourself. Humor is, in my opinion, idiosyncratic. Not everyone finds the same things funny. And while I count satires as material I usually enjoy, I couldn’t figure out what was being satirized in this book. The British form of welfare and how it affects their society? Rather, I found humor based largely on peculiar personalities, bizarre relationships, and bodily functions. It wasn’t material that I found greatly entertaining, which is not to say others won’t. Like I said, humor is personal.
There are also a few minor detractions, the grammar and punctuation being one. The book is filled with run-on sentences and missing punctuation. It’s surprising how confusing one missing period can be in the middle of a long, winding thought. I found myself re-reading sections, which made the book feel somewhat slow. There is also some repetition, which adds to that problem. Additionally, the (over)reliance on British slang and custom affected the flow of the story for me. Just what does it mean to order a “shandy” and get “watered down slops?” What is the old saying about “chalk and cheese?” Why were the sisters upset when their ad for a lodger was changed to an ad for a todger? Of course, I expect and enjoy some exposure to another set of customs and forms of expression when reading an author from another country, but too much of this book felt like inside jokes told to someone, me, who isn’t part of the in-crowd.