There are three Casey men, Johnny who is married to Jessie with 3 daughters and 2 step children from when Jessie was married to his best friend Rory. The Break was published in the autumn of 2017, and the abortion-prohibiting eighth amendment of the Irish constitution was repealed by a landslide vote the following spring. We rage for Gemma, who is too funny to pity, and we feel every part of Lily’s guilt, hope and despair. Grown Ups is as alive, complicated and chaotic as any real-life family, evoking extraordinary tenderness, pain and humour. The psychopath, whose nature is perhaps not obvious at introduction but soon becomes clear, proves more despicable at every turn.

Grown Ups by Marian Keyes | Goodreads Grown Ups by Marian Keyes | Goodreads

This is a big book (656 pages) about a big messy Irish family where the children are all behaving, but the grown-ups not so much. The pacing of this story is somewhat slow, every element of the story was told in great depth, usually from multiple perspectives. A humongous family and tons of characters made me feel like I’m watching German series “Dark”, trying to remember the names, their connections, back stories. Keyes does seem to labour the point on a certain issue, but if a little tedious, it is worth persisting with for the relevance to the plot. I adored the story of Cara, struggling bulimic and her work in the hotel industry, her worries about her finances plus those of her husband's brother's, whose wife Jessie was a superwoman who was super stressed, super anxious, and utterly overwhelmed by keeping up appearances of "having it all," and then, finally, my favorite, lovely Nell, a newly married set designer in the small world of theater who was learning her new husband was not, in fact, the man of her dreams, but that his family was marvelous.Keyes at her best: capturing everyday voices with humour and empathy with writing that you'll devour in a weekend. Can fragile Liam bear for Nell – beguilingly spontaneous (and unemployed) when he meets her – to prioritise work? EXCERPT: When Rory died, Jessie's one consolation was that she'd never again have to live through something as bad. I also have to say that it's gross that we see two people in my eyes exploiting relationships with younger people in this one. Every work is a testament to the generosity with which she has shared the more painful details of her personal life.

Grown Ups by Marian Keyes, review: Bursting with wit and Grown Ups by Marian Keyes, review: Bursting with wit and

But mostly sad, as I just wanted to give them all (well, most of them) a big hug and tell them never to leave. We meet them at family events – anniversaries, birthdays, holidays abroad – which allows for some lovely scene-setting in Tuscany and rural Ireland. I found this book to be an enjoyable, engaging, witty and sometimes dark family drama with a focus on addictions, denial, deception, insecurity and love.She's the camera panning back on the set, not the character having to suffer the slings and arrows of familial banter. Although it is a big book (and probably could have been shorter), like all Marian Keyes books, it was a breeze to read and never dragged, mainly because there were so many angles to explore and different characters to get to know. Still, everything manages to stay under control--that is, until Ed's wife, Cara, gets a concussion and can't keep her thoughts or opinions to herself. There is “maybe-ever-so-slightly slippery Johnny”, the charmer and eldest brother, who is married to Jessie (who used to be married to his late best friend Rory, something he’d like to forget, but which his stepson won’t allow). Initially, I wasn't too sure but by the mid-way mark, I found myself becoming guiltily curious about how the story of the huge Casey family would pan out.