Published: 2011
Author: Nicola May
A fun chick-lit novel, that’s just a little too politically correct
I’ve been quite good with my reading recently. There’s a lot of serious books in my to-be-read pile and I’ve been reading classics like Pride and Prejudice and Phantom of the Opera as well as highly acclaimed new books such as Alexander Maksik’s You Deserve Nothing. I’ve just finished Doreen Lawrence’s autobiography And Still I Rise – it’s not been the easiest few weeks of reading so I decided to take a break from all the serious stuff and settle down with a fluffy chick-lit novel and let my mind relax for a day or two.
I had a look at some of the book review sites that focus on this kind of novel to see what was being spoken about and to get some ideas. Nicola May’s self-published Working it Out
Ruby Matthews is 30 and a successful marketing officer but is made redundant just a few days before Christmas. Gone is the high salary, the ability to purchase designer shoes and handbags on a whim and the freedom to waste money on glossy magazines and wine. Ruby needs a new job, but doesn’t know what she wants to do so comes up with an interesting plan. In the next 12 months she is going to try 12 different jobs. At the end of the year she will choose what she wants her new career to be. With the help of her motley crew of family, friends and neighbours Ruby finds herself in positions she would never have previously considered. Can she finish the year with a new job that she really wants – and the man she loves at her side?
The concept of Working It Out is fantastic. It’s simple but allows for lots of different narrative arcs to be explored. The new jobs allow Ruby to meet a range of characters and have a range of experiences which keep the story ticking along at a great pace. There’s never a dull moment and the story never drags – it gets silly at times, but is never slow or boring. Some of the plot devices are a bit over-the-top and ultra convenient, but why not? It’s a lighthearted romp designed to keep the reader entertained, not a great work of literature.
The main characters are all very likeable. I’ve noticed a trend in chick-lit recently for many of the heroines to be quite trying in an Ally McBeal/Bridget Jones way, middle class bints with little to complain about who nonetheless spend all their time complaining about their tough lifes. There’s absolutely no way that the vast majority of these characters would get their hands dirty in an old folks’ home or a cafe. Not Ruby though, she is disappointed that she can’t afford her previous lifestyle but she’s a game girl and sets about her new life with gusto and an open mind.
The supporting characters are all quite enjoyable too, from Ruby’s blind brother who gets his first guide dog to her sparky best friend who can get a bit mean when drunk to her broad-minded pensioner neighbour desperately missing her husband. All of the characters felt real and like people we know and like spending time with.
The only false note for me was that too many politically correct boxes were ticked. I’m all about inclusiveness and it was good to see a range of diverse characters but there were lots of them – a blind guy, an ethnic minority family, a man from an ethnic minority who had a disability …. a sad lesbian, a elderly gay man who lost his partner to AIDS, a little person …. there was even a blooming Geordie!
Nicola May is a self published author and on the basis of this book she deserves to find a publisher to pay her a lot of money to keep creating such fun stories. It wasn’t the best book in the world but it was certainly a fun way to spend a few hours. Highly recommended for curling up on Saturday afternoon with a big bar of chocolate and a bottle of wine.