The Woman who Went to Bed for a Year

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I had no sympathy for the woman, just pure frustration and anger, in fact it actually left me feeling sorry for her bullish and chauvinistic husband, at least he tried to rise to the challenge of housekeeper, nurse and carer. As a comedy it failed on every level, and, as a meaningful or poignant tale of modern life, it failed doubly. I don't like criticising Sue Townsend, who is the creator of Adrian Mole and some very funny plays, but she leaves me no choice. What at first seems like a protest against her years of hard work and limited appreciation quickly becomes far more worrying.

He'd had a few nasty surprises in the past, like the 103 year-old man who, when Derek asked for the secret of his longevity, shouted, on a live interview, 'Wanking! The books have been adapted for radio, television and theatre; the first being broadcast on radio in 1982. It is impossible to sympathise with Eva Beaver when she is portrayed as selfish, self-centred and petulant. Townsend's apparent need for humour to be in every crevice of the book seeped out of the pages like a crass creature, when they were discussing the death of Brian's mother and making jokes in a pointless manner.Surely the utterly impractical and potentially selfish prospect of withdrawing from the responsibilities, pressures and expectations of modern life, to take an extended holiday from life, no matter what kind of life we lead – can at times be a very tempting prospect for us all? If the planets turned on their orbits, she would not have known and would not care, while her husband entertained himself in his man cave out in the back yard shack, watching those planets and stars through his telescope, hoping to have one named after him, the astronomer, Dr. Instead we get an amiable tour around the latest scientific developments, and the insistent claim that the truth must be complex, not simple. Townsend is adept at handling the subtleties of everyday life, and as a reader you are completely unaware of the lessons she has taught you until you close the book. I really wanted to like this book considering its title and the main character but this book is not even funny when all the one liner reviews rave about it as being hilarious.

And which of us, in a moment of feeling insufficiently cherished, harassed by pedestrian responsibilities and bewildered by the world's demands, has not felt that the most sensible option would be to take to our bed? There are a few (very few) amusing moments in this book, but most of it is dull and rather pointless.A bear of a little brain, as she described herself, promised to sit at the back and keep her pretty mouth shut until she's up to speed. The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year’ does however raise and allude to more serious points – Eva who doesn’t have a particularly difficult, challenging or stressful life – something which is readily acknowledged by her and yet…. I was drawn to it by the name of the heroine, Eva; the fact she was a librarian and that there were twins.