This was a charming book and a welcome antidote to my usual diet of crime and psychological thrillers. It's great to have three women of over a 'certain age' featuring as the protagonists but not so great that this itself is a rare thing. I hope this brings about a rash of books about older women.

The three women, Nan, Minna and Blanche are all well drawn characters. Nan in particular was a great character, somewhat abrasive at times, but hiding a great tragedy in her life (as well as the fact that she's an award winning poet) and completely realistic about life in general. I liked her a lot. Minna and Blanche were also very likeable. Minna who despite her frumpy appearance has great understanding of people and Blanche, although seeming a bit of a cliche at the beginning (well heeled woman who unravels after the death of her husband and turns to drink and shoplifting) also turned into a believable character.

The book focuses on the relationships between these women and their grandchildren (in Minna's case, ersatz grandchild). At the beginning of the book they don't know each other but eventually all meet. I thought there was scope for more. As with all good character driven books you wanted to stay with the characters and so I was a little disappointed by the end which was somewhat abrupt. Overall though, a lovely book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a lovely gentle book that deals with some compelling and very modern issues with an adept and light touch.

It's lovely to see a book focused on older women, giving them the page space to appear as very different characters with different life experiences, and the three main characters are well-drawn and presented with humour. What they have in common though is first their definition by failed or happy relationships with previous men in their lives, and secondly their bond with their grandchildren.

Nan, Minna and Blanche all lead interesting lives that are enriched by time spent with the children in their lives, and it's lovely to see that grandparent-child relationship drawn so boldly. The multiple storylines come together naturally and the women, who are all quite different, enrich each others lives as they get to know each other. Late friendship and finding common ground, knowing what to talk about and what to leave out between new friends are explored with delicacy and presented believably. And these friendships contrast nicely with friendships between the children in the book, although the children are less acutely drawn.

The novel skates along at a surface level and is full of humour and kindnesses. Towards the end this starts to contrast with the increasing interior monologues of Nan, as she pieces together some of the strands of her life. This contrasts a little too much for me with the lighter tone of the rest of the book, and I was slightly disappointed by an ending that, while touching, was a little too neat.

An enjoyable light read with some great truths in it about women in later life, thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Grandmothers by Salley Vickers
I read this book having just become a Grandmother for the first time and was fascinated by the way in which these very different grandmothers were portrayed. I thought that it was a very interesting study of intergenerational relationships and the way in which they are forged. There are three “grandmothers” in this story. Nan who is an award winning poet hiding her writing from everyone. She has formed a close bond with the grandson Billy even though she has become distanced from her son. Then there is Blanche who has become unravelled by the death of her husband and turns to drink to sustain her resulting in her being cut off from her treasured granddaughter Kitty. Finally there is Minna who has never married but has formed a close bond through reading with Rose a young girl she met when she was working as a teaching assistant.
It is clear that these three characters will meet at some point but the way in which this occurs is unforced and well devised. As always with Salley Vickers the writing is of a very high standard and I found myself fully engaged with these interesting and stimulating characters. It was an exploration of how we are defined and in each case these women had been set free, or torn from, relationships with men. How they coped on their own varied greatly. I found the ending satisfactory bringing the story full circle. Many thanks to Net Galley and Penguin for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

What happened at the end?!

This book has some lovely moments, and I enjoyed reading about the three very different women, although I wasn't always sure that I liked them. Although I sensed they would meet up in some way, it still came about fairly naturally. The children didn't always quite ring true to me - sometimes sounding either a lot older, or a lot younger, than they were. But it's a gentle read, with some moments of humour and some that are quite emotional. I wasn't sure I liked how much these 3 women's lives had been defined by men - even when they'd escaped those men (or been rejected) they were still an ever-present factor in their lives, or had been replaced by other sons or relations or male acquaintances. I felt the female friendships would have played a greater role, but that wasn't the focus for the story.

What frustrated me most, however, was the ending, which seemed to bundle along in a rush and a jumble before I was quite ready, and no clear answer as to what, exactly, had happened. I think I felt cheated. I'd invested in the lives of these women, and I'd expected just a little more clarity at the end.

I have enjoyed some of Salley Vickers’ novels and I very much wanted to enjoy this one. A great idea to write about grandmothers in an age when the old are often seen as little more than a nuisance, not that the three women featured are particularly ancient.
Salley Vickers is always very good at portraying the thoughts and feelings of the marginalised. Three grandmother figures are at the centre of this story. Eccentric Nan looks after Billy; he is privy to her quest to find the perfect coffin but doesn’t know that she’s a much-admired poet. Minna is a quasi-grandmother; she often entertains Rose with make-believe games in her shepherd’s hut, and is sad that Rose’s parents are thinking of a move to Scotland. Blanche is a little more worldly. After drinking too much, she has been forbidden to see her beloved Kitty by her daughter in law. As the stories slowly weave together, eventually all three women and their charges meet up at Kew Gardens.
Whilst this is not a plot driven tale, that is not the issue. To my mind, despite their various troubles, the characters, young and old, appear just a little out of touch with real life. There’s an air of quaintness throughout that detracts from some of the serious issues explored. And the ending seems self-indulgent. Without introducing any spoilers, it feels more like the sort of conclusion that Kitty or Rose might write rather than an author of Vickers’ talent and experience.
As ever, Salley Vickers writes beautifully. Details of surroundings are crafted as carefully as those of her characters. However, ‘Grandmothers’ seems like a lost opportunity to look at intergenerational family relationships in more detail. Is the role of a son’s mother different from a daughter’s mother? Why do antipathies build? How best to build on love and respect?
My thanks to NetGalley and Viking, Penguin Books (UK) for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

This is a gentle book about three women and the children in their lives. Nan has a grandson Billy who is helping her find a comfy coffin for when the end finally comes. Blanche has a granddaughter Kitty but is estranged from her son so access to Kitty is difficult. Despite being wealthy she finds the thrill of shoplifting hard to resist. Minna lives in a shepherds hut and assumes the role of grandmother to the emotionally volatile Rose. All three women’s lives cross through various circumstances and the friendships made encourages each of them to live their lives for themselves and not for others. Not my favourite Salley Vickers book but charming all the same.

Grandmothers, the hidden babysitters, advisers, cleaners, cooks and so much more. The Grandmothers in this novel are all quirky, endearing and slightly mad. They all share the intentions of helping their Grandchildren ( in Minna's case her young friend) through life's traumas but come up against secrets, parental disapproval and their own pasts..
Trips to France and Kew Gardens were described in an intriguing way, enough to make one visit and share the experience.
Being a Grandmother myself I felt a great deal of sympathy for these women, the difficulties with their own offspring and partners led to resentment and regrets.
The ending seemed abrupt with many questions left unanswered
Some amusing moments, some frustrating ones but on the whole very readable.as I have found all of Salley Vickers books to be..

A delightful story featuring three women and their relationships with the children in their lives. The characters, both adults and children, are beautifully drawn. This isn't an action-packed story, rather its a gently paced story of every day life. The focus is on the feelings and relationships of the characters. It is light and easy read with many heart-warming episodes.

A gentle tale of three women in a grandmother role and how their lives intersect with each other as well as with their young charges.
The three grandmothers are very different: Strong-willed Nan who has had her wicker coffin made and uses it as an erstwhile sofa. Blanche, estranged from her son, with her predilection for shoplifting. And Bohemian Minna who lives in a Shepherds Hut and takes on the role of grandmother to Rose whose own life is in turmoil.
Vickers has an understated writing style which I enjoyed. The drama is made up of the domestic troubles that dog us day to day, rather than high drama, but is all the more poignant for it.
Some people may find this sweet novel a little pedestrian - but if you enjoy writing that encapsulates the minutiae of ordinary life, and covers some surprising truths along the way, I’d thoroughly recommend it.

Grandmothers is great. It is nice to read a book centering on the lives of this, often underappreciated, generation. The three women in this story, Nan, Blanche and Minna develop rich and interesting lives that aren't solely defined by what they are doing for someone else. For all three wome, their Achilles heel is their relationship with a beloved grandchild.
Nan is the linchpin of this story. She is fully in control of her life, and sanguine about her time left on earth. She has a fulfilling relationship with her grandson, Billy, and brings illumination to the lives of Blanche and Minna. In secret, Nan is a renowned poet.
Blanche is bored, and takes up shoplifting, which is how she meets Nan, who offers her thoughtful friendship. Blanche learns to live her own life. Nan and Minna meet on holiday. All of their lives are enriched by these meetings.