I love books with difficult or even dangerous protagonists and so, of course, I loved Gilda. She is portrayed with great skill because, although we see disaster looming, we still understand and forgive (just about) Gilda. Her self-deception - “I happen to be passing their house, that’s all"- is convincingly written and Gilda's backstory is woven together with its outcome:: a compelling account of how she targets her son and new daughter-in-law. A story that might have been too dark, but humour saves it.
I cried as much as laughing. I loved it.

Gildas story drew me in at the beginning, but unfortunately, I always felt like i was waiting for something to happen.

To start with, the title is brilliant, concise and to the point. Bitter’s meaning (resentful, dissatisfied, discontented, grudge-bearing and carrying a chip on one's shoulders because of perceived ill treatment from others) are apt characteristics of the main character, Gilda, whose life has been far from a gilded cage.

Her sense of injustice festers after years of never being fully considered, appreciated or understood by her family of origin. Consequently, her own behaviour as a youthfully naive wife to Frank, and a seemingly rejecting mother to Reuben, appears to have seeded resentment—if not bitterness—in the heart of her son.

We encounter Gilda at a time when the son she has failed to fully connect with, or make happy from childhood onwards, becomes blissfully so himself with the blonde, gentile girl he chooses to marry.

Alice is a thorn in the flesh to her mother-in-law, an enigma she tries to comprehend and eventually ends up aping the behaviour of. She also proves to be a loving wife to Reuben, a talented career woman and a source of solace, compassion and support to the desperately needy Gilda.

As the story unfolds we learn more about Gilda's personal history and the factors that helped shaped her into the woman, wife and mother she becomes. Her clear flaws and failings endear her to the reader, as does her obvious desire to do right by those she loves.

She's a compelling and fully rounded character. One we easily warm to, while hoping that reconciliation and restoration will be possible for her as she learns how to better engage with her son.

An insightful, enjoyable and highly recommended read that teaches us much about the indomitability of the human spirit and how very powerful maternal love is, in all its varied shapes and forms.

This moving story of the fallout from divorce, infidelity and the need to be loved by our children is sad and unforgettable. The story stayed with me long after I put the book down. Highly recommended.

This is actually a rather delicious novel, which deftly spans four decades or so, from pre-war Germany to 60s London. Gilda, the unsympathetic central character, is refreshingly acerbic, the structure is compelling, and the writing is elegant and distinctive. Easy to read but with substance, and in the end rather moving, I would highly recommend Bitter.

I thought this was a really interesting read. I was willing for a plot twist or a big event to really kick off the plot as it took a while for me to get in to it. On reflection, once I’d read the whole book I realised it really didn’t need any gimmicks.

This is a well written emotional read with depth and interesting characters. I’m glad it went against all of my expectations as ultimately this is what made it a fascinating read and as a result my perceptions of Gilda changing throughout the book.

4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Orion and Francesca Jakobi for my ARC in exchang for an honest review.

A duet or tandem of stories run tbrough the book as the main character takes the reader with her in the present whilst also reminiscing and recounting events. With love and loss Gilda, and the reader is prompted to consider what if....and how when faced with reality there is a choice to react with bitterness, or acceptance....regret or with fortitude.
The switch between present and past was not easy to follow at times demonstrated how flash backs can be so swiftly provoked, but some fluidity was lost and reading was stunted and halted at times.
All in all well written saga.

I received this book via Netgalley, what an original story and oh it so pulled at my heartstrings.

I felt so much sympathy for Gilda, life has treated her so harshly; she has never received love and so she has no idea how to show or give love. Despite this she still manages to breach the potentially most difficult barriers which are often prevalent in a mother in law/ daughter in law relationship and formed a lasting bond with her son's wife. She was seemingly, lost when it came to forming a similar relationship with her son.

Communication is so vital is all successful relationships and at times I felt so empathetic towards her that I could have cried out loud to Gilda- don't do that or -please say that.

This is a great piece of writing and the style used could easily translate to a fabulous film .

Bitter is a rather interesting novel, told from the perspective of Gilda Meyer, twice divorced and dissatisfied with life and her relationship with her son. Told both in the present (the 1960s) and looking back on Gilda’s life, the timeframes are quickly cut together and the detail from the past is drip fed throughout, layering information as Gilda allows herself to remember and thank about it.
Gilda herself is at times hugely sympathetic, at others quite repellent, but always compelling.

Gilda and her sister were both married off to older men. While Lena headed for a life in New York, Gilda remains in London with husband Frank. Eventually she gives birth to Reuben. Surely his arrival should herald a new and positive phase in this arranged marriage? It seems not.
The story begins when Reuben is 30 and about to marry Alice. Now divorced from Frank, we go back and forth over the years seeing through Gilda's eyes the journey which led her to the loss of her husband and son and turned her into the sad, needy individual she is today. Now in her 50s Gilda becomes fixated on Alice, following her, trying to understand why her golden child has chosen a girl like her. She begins to stalk her, to dye her hair the same colour and emulate her dress - I found this quite uncomfortable. And yet it was also incredibly sad. Yes, Gilda has huge problems but every man, it appears, has let her down in some way. First her father marrying her off to an older man in order to cement his business relationships. Her husband Frank, lacking in affection. Her fair weather lover Leo. And then there is Reuben himself. Angry with his mother for abandoning him while not really being aware of the real circumstances behind it. In the end Alice is the catalyst who brings about change.

It’s a thought provoking read and an excellent debut novel. Highly recommended.

This is a really captivating emotional read about a mother’s love for her son.

The story is set in 1969 when Reuben, Gilda’s only child, marries Alice, who Gilda is not too sure about but is that just jealousy speaking ?

The story jumps from the present time to the past and we get to see how Gilda’s life has developed and what has led to the very strained relationship she now has with her son.

It all starts when Gilda sees something she shouldn’t and her father sends her from Germany to a boarding school in England. We then follow her life from her teens to adulthood, marriage to divorce and lots more along the way.

The book covers love, secrets, betrayal and much much more. It is a beautiful book that shows how past decisions can affect some much in the future.

I went through various feelings for Gilda, Alice and Reuben. I think the characters are brilliant and you really feel for all of them at some point.

This is a lovely book that if you love family dramas with a little bit of everything else you will love it. A beautifully written book revolving around a mother’s love for their son.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

We first meet Gilda as a lonely guest at her only child Reuben’s wedding. Unlike her ex-husband Frank and his second wife Berta, Gilda is very much on the edge of things. Berta is congratulated on “her” son, Reuben’s speech includes the statement that his wife Alice taught him how to love. Alice is kind and beautiful, she wants Reuben to be a good son to his mother. Reuben can’t bear to touch her and spends as little time as possible with her. When Gilda breaks her bookshelves so that she can ask Reuben to fix them for her she imagines the conversation she will have with him. Sadly the conversation neve happens as Reuben runs out of the door as soon as he’s botched a repair.

Slowly the story moves on, as Gilda tries to escape from her loneliness by stalking her son and his lovely new wife, little snippets of her own story are revealed. She grew up in a wealthy household in Germany as the Hitler was coming to power. She and her beautiful older sister were totally neglected by her socialite mother. As her life unfolds we realise why Gilda is so unhappy trapped in the life her father mapped out for her, unable to be a good mother or find true happiness because she’s never really been sure what it is. All the time she’s becoming more obsessed with Reuben and his wife. This is where the story didn’t ring true to me as there was no mention of their reactions as they got home to discover someone had made Reuben’s side of the messy bed or had been trying on Alice’s clothes. Surely they would have noticed and been appalled, maybe even changed the lock that she'd stolen the key to? I’m certain the staff in Alice’s department store would have noticed and commented on the woman who spent hours standing watching Alice as she went about her cosmetics sales. There were parts I could hardly bring myself to read as I thought she was surely going to get caught but I persevered and found Gilda’s own story was interesting enough to keep me engrossed despite some misgivings about the plot.

This book starts in 1969 as Gilda Meyer is at the wedding of her only child, Reuben, to Alice. Gilda is in her 50s and has had a difficult life as a Jew born in Germany in the 1920s who’s lived in the UK since the 1930s. In her teens she is sent to boarding school in England which she believes is punishment for having seen her father in a compromising situation. She is then isolated from her parents and sister. After school her father arranges a marriage for her to Frank, an older man and business associate of her father. They have Reuben but the marriage is never a great love match so inevitably Gilda finds love elsewhere. Things then start to unravel quickly for Gilda as she becomes more and more estranged from Reuben.

Gilda’s only lifelong friend is Margo who she met at boarding school. Gilda is haunted by her estrangement from Reuben and builds a fantasy view of their mother-son relationship which she shares with Margo. At times her mental state is very poor and she starts following and obsessing about Reuben and his new wife.

The book moves back and forth between present day and Gilda’s teenage and younger years. I found this quite hard to follow at times as the changes are abrupt and within the same paragraph. I frequently had to reread the previous section to clarify which timescale we were now in which interrupting the flow and my immersion in the book. There’s no great plot, just a lot of observing the intricacies of relationships within a family. I just found it quite depressing and was glad to finish it.

With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group. for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this book had me gripped from the start. You are in turn revolted and then sympathetic to Gilda the main character, there are twists and turns as you find out her secrets. I completely related to this book and read it over two days. Loved it.

A bitter sweet tale. Gilda never really fits in, in any of the varied roles life throws at her. As schoolgirl, bride, mother, lover, mother in law, something is always not quite right.
This lovely story is about Gilda's awakening. There is a wide ranging cast of characters, which we see through Gilda's eyes, but can also interpret for ourselves.
I loved it.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

There is a wonderful flow to this book even though it switches from one time period to another in mid paragraph. It is a sad story that moved me to tears in the end.

Bitter is a novel about guilt, jealousy, false perceptions, obsession and depression. Despite being a quick read, the author manages to tackle many issues through a powerful first-person narrative that moves constantly from the present (1960s) to the past (WWII),
This book reminded me of something very important: it is very easy to judge (others and ourselves); the difficult (almost impossible) part is to try and understand others. No one acts in a vacuum and sometimes our actions can be the product of various aspects beyond our control and/or intentions.

Wow this was a roller coaster of a read all the way through. Fast paced and twisty. One of the best books I have read this year. 5 stars.

I am sure this book will appeal to many readers but for me it was a case of waiting for something to happen that would grab my interest.. Didn't get this feeling.

I loved this novel whose title derives from a schoolyard misunderstandng of the German word for please, but aptly descrbes the protagonist as we meet her, somewhat broken and unloved in an airless, lonely middle age. It's testament to the deft narrative skill of the author that I quickly warmed to her as her story unfolded and ended up blinking back tears on the bus as I finished the novel. It's one of those stories which makes the reader wince at the hundreds of little insults and wounds we inflict upon each other in our lives, intentionally and carelessly - it's the nuanced depiction of pain which makes it feel so real, but all the characters were three-dimensional and relatable and I really, really liked them. I'll definitely look out for more from this writer!