Saturday 25 January 2014

Missing Gretyl - A Comedy Novel by Si Page


Missing Gretyl

I'm going to make an admission now. When I read the reviews for Missing Gretyl I was put slightly on edge with one citing the fact it contained domestic violence as the reason they couldn't carry on reading it. Having suffered through such a period in my life, I am often left cringing when I see someone make light of such a situation. Having spoken to Si over a period of a couple of months after winning the book, it was glaringly obvious to me that his intentions for the book were to make people laugh, take the warped English sense of humour and put it down on a page, so it was with an open mind (and soon to be discovered, heart) I opened up Missing Gretyl.

Missing Gretyl is full of colourful characters, each at first wrapped up in themselves - what they can get and in some cases, whom they can scam next. Gretyl herself reminds me of a larger than life version of a woman we all know - the one that's quite kooky, perhaps a little insane. With her love for wigs, frogs and getting a right good bargain, she's perhaps the woman you cross the street for when you see them coming.

Gretyl lives with her long suffering husband Albert on the 12th floor of a high rise in London. He often dreams of a life without her, how 'doing her in' in the silliest of ways (head in the toilet and a couple of flushes) might just be what he craves - but when he thinks she really might be gone, is there any way that losing his long time love would really be a good thing?

The Soddall family live in a council house and while Sharon wants out, Dave is a bit of a couch potato, but together with their son, Dave's brother and an old family friend they come up with the scam of a life time - one that will will have the rich folk of Poncey Bridge just chomping at the bit to throw in some of their fortunes.

But how do the two families meet? How does Gretyl end up in Poncey Bridge and just why is there a hitman called Arti Chokes involved in it all? To find out those answers you'll just have to read the book - a book which had me crying with laughter, sympathetically crying with pain and at the end - well that would just be giving a little too much away. No one wants to know the end before they start, right?

Si is offering the first 10 people to download Missing Gretyl from Amazon the chance to grab a signed copy in paperback for just £5 (including delivery within the UK). You can reach Si by email via www.missinggretyl.com

15 comments:

  1. I actually love the cover! haha

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  2. Thank you for the kind blog review. I'm glad you understood the first few pages. Without giving the game away, Albert feels trapped and his dreams reflect something of how he feels, and it's these feelings thst manifest themselves in a bad dream. Carry on reading and you'll find an honourable man who isn't at all violent and shows a great deal of care for others. x

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  3. Thanks Sarah Burton. The cover is one of the old designs. You can see the new one on Amazon ;-)

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  4. I sure could use a good laugh right about now and you make this book seen like it might be the one which will give it to me! I will definitely put this book at the top of my getting to be almost too long (naw that's not possible) TBR list.

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  5. I love books and this one looks right up my alley, especially since it's funny!

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  6. This sounds like an interesting read. I usually only read over the summer at the beach, but I would give this one a shot!

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  7. I'm glad you didn't tell the end, I really want to read it. And lol at Arti Chokes!

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  8. Sounds like a great read! I'm glad that you talked with the author before reading it. Its important to be comfortable when reading a book

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  9. Thank you for your honest thoughts and the review. This is a sensitive subject and should be handled with care. Hugs to you.

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  10. It actually does sound like a great read and I love your honest opinion on it (I am sure it must have been hard for you at first!).

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  11. Right, wouldn't want to spoil the ending. Sounds like a fun book to read.

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  12. I wouldn't naturally pick this book up due to the cover ( I KNOW never judge a book by...) but the way you've described it makes it sound like something I need to read! Adding it to my endless list! Thanks :)

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  13. Already purchased it from what you told me before the review went live :D

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  14. Thank you for your interest x has anyone read it yet?

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