It’s a real delight to have been able to spend some more time with the wonderful Mary Brown, larger than life heroine of Bernice Bloom’s book series. Today I’m sharing my review of Cruise with an Adorable Fat Girl, a short read (around 130 pages) that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Mary Brown – our full-figured heroine – is off on a cruise. It’s the trip of a lifetime…featuring eat-all-you-can buffets and a trek through Europe with a 96-year-old widower called Frank and a flamboyant Spanish dancer called Juan Pedro in attendance. Then there’s the desperately handsome captain, the appearance of an ex-boyfriend on the ship, the time she’s mistaken for a Hollywood film star in Lisbon and tonnes of clothes shopping all over Europe.
This is really such a lovely series of books – I can almost hear people saying “ooh no, not one for me”, but you’d be so wrong, and I’d really urge everyone to give one of the books a try. This one really is a laugh a minute – I particularly loved the unplanned showtime appearance and the whole episode of mistaken identity – but there’s a lovely story at its centre of the wartime experiences of 96 year old Frank and his quest to find his wife’s family to finally make amends.
The balance of the book is excellent – a pretty authentic cruise experience (who doesn’t love the eat-all-you-can buffet!), some wonderful characters (Frank’s frumpy companion with a story all of her own, and the flamboyant and totally OTT Juan Pedro is a magnificent creation), and that central story around Frank’s quest is quite beautifully done and very touching indeed. And I’m still laughing about the leprosy excuse…! Such a lovely read…
Giveaway
With thanks to Bernice and Rachel, I have another lovely giveaway – a Daisy Bracelet and Earring set created by Bernice Bloom (open internationally).
Here’s the rafflecopter for entry, followed by the terms and conditions:
Terms and Conditions – The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winner’s information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
About the author
Hello, my name is Bernice Bloom and I am a writer (I write light-hearted rom-com style novels and also work as a magazine journalist and advertising copywriter) and jewellery designer. My recent series of novels is called ‘Adorable Fat Girl’ and it features a heavily overweight woman called Mary Brown. She is bright, funny, friendly and bonkers. She’s also fat. The books blend the comedy of her efforts to lose weight with a more serious backstory about what happened to her in the past that had led to the issues that make her prone to over-eating.
I’m fascinated that there are so few overweight heroines in literature. Women can be manipulative, evil, even murderers in fiction, but not fat! Certainly not fat and beautiful with loads of friends! Then along came Mary and she’s developed quite a fan base of people who love the fact that the heroine is large. She gets lots of letters and I have ended up taking her on lots of adventures!
The novel sounds like fun!
‘Cruise with an Adorable Fat Girl’ does look like a fun escape. I am happy to celebrate your book in the Handbag Gallery. http://jessiecahalin.com/handbag-gallery/
Super fun read. I don’t know which made me laugh more: the leprosy story or the unplanned show dance!