This is the story of life of an ordinary English woman from her life in the 1990's to the present. Susan is in university, studying English with plans to maybe teach. She works part time in a sewing shop to make ends meet and there she meets Norma who will become her best and longest friend. Susan's plans are put on hold when she meets Roy Warren and soon is pregnant. Instead of returning to her studies, she marries Roy and has her daughter Honey.
When the shop closes as women's lives change and sewing becomes less popular, Susan works a number of jobs. She ends up working at the local university, starting as a part timer and working her way up until she becomes the personal assistant to the Chancellor. Along the way, she keeps up her friendship with Norma who gets her degree in English and has much more career success. The book ends with the coming of the covid pandemic and how that affects the life of Susan and the university.
This was my first Nina Stibbe book and I listened to this novel. It had no real passion or threats, just the everyday life of a woman with its ups and downs. Susan is a survivor who takes what life gives her and looks for the best in everyone and every situation. Norma is a stranger character who often backstabs Susan or goes out of her way to be secretive with her. But the friendship endures and when Susan needs her, Norma usually eventually comes through. This book is recommended for women's and literary fiction readers.
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