Wilberforce & Grace

Odd, hilarious, and very British, are the first words that come to mind to describe this book. The concept is a simple one - the author shows us glimpses of the lives of various people, often in the most mundane situations. I've read a few books based on a similar concept, and I've often found them wanting, because the author never quite managed to tread this dangerously thin line where mundane becomes boring. Mr. Turner instead excels at turning the mundane into something very worth reading. Th

‘Wilberforce and Grace’ is an affectionate satire of English suburban society across the latter decades of the twentieth century. Although the novel can feel a little episodic at times, the various narrative threads skilfully interweave to create a fascinating tapestry-like portrait of the eccentric Windcheater family, their friends, neighbours and (especially in eldest daughter Grace’s case) lovers. Anyone who has read the novels of David Nobbs or Jonathan Coe will feel completely at home with

I very much enjoyed this one. All through the book is the feeling that all the characters want to return to a time that was better, when-ever that time was. It’s like a P-take on nostalgia, relentlessly making fun of the idea that life was better, in that all of the characters, from youth to adulthood, seem to feel that way.Grace is an unpleasant young lady, back-stabbing and spiteful, driven and greedy, while Wilberforce could best be described as reluctant and shy. Following them is fascinatin