Muriel and Ruth are now in their 70s and have been friends since childhood, though their friendship has never run smoothly. Ruth has been jealous of Muriel her whole life, and Muriel seems to have wanted whatever Ruth has (her mother’s affection, her husband …).They have been oddly bonded through friendship, resentment and an odd mutual dependency on one another, though who has needed the other more has changed at various times …
Now elderly, they find themselves together again, living in Muriel’s home (that was once Ruth’s) in London, with Ruth caring for Muriel who has a number of health issues. Their life primarily consists of playing Scrabble, arguing and making up, and of Muriel treating Ruth as a servant, yet Ruth seems to like being needed. Their life now is punctuated with flashbacks to their younger years, and with such a long shared history there is much to reflect on, and many layers to uncover before we reach the final few days before Muriel’s death.

For the reader, the book title confirms that Muriel’s life will end, but the way that end arrives is not at all expected.
The characters are believable, well developed and keenly observed, and the toxic, unequal relationship between the women is full of ups & downs and twists. I found that I shifted my attitudes to each of the women as the book progressed – they were not always likeable, sometimes I positively loathed them, then I sympathised or …

I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator Jenny Farrell to be excellent – she kept the story flowing and was able to inhabit both characters well. I felt that it was an interesting choice by the author to have the book told only from Ruth's perspective, and it did feel odd to only have one set of memories, one perspective – we do get a glimpse into Muriel’s life, but it is through Ruth’s eyes …

Ultimately this is an unusual, slightly odd book that is slow-paced but it does unravel beautifully if you can handle the pace. The personalities of the two women, the history they have shared between them and a number of secrets they’ve kept, are gradually revealed as we learn more about them … their friendship might be long, but it’s been quite toxic for many years & you will wonder who exactly is going to come out on top in the end. Both characters are flawed and there is a subtle dark humour that some may miss. The book might make some readers a bit uncomfortable, but I think that this is because the book is not what you might expect and the characters do not behave in a stereotypical way.

After reading the blurb of this book I somehow assumed that this is a murder mystery, don’t ask me where I got that from; when in actuality this is a book about a toxic life-long friendship that has some suspenseful aspects to it. It is marketed as a thriller, but I don’t think I would go that far.

My impression of this book may have suffered a bit when the plot did not develop in the way I expected it to. The plot and intrigue only developed very slowly and only picked up within the last 20% of the book and I was close to DNF’ing the book during the first 50%.
I found the characters and their actions that only manifest their own misery to be quite unbelievable. Could neither of them really not find a better husband? I guess not maintaining toxic relationships is a lesson that only came after their generation.

I could just not find any enjoyment in this book. The suspense picked up too late for me the intrigue was too little and I struggled to find the ‘dark humour’ other reviewers were talking about. The majority of the book just made me feel uncomfortable.

If the story sounds interesting to you, nonetheless, I would recommend getting the audiobook version. The narrator of the audiobook was very well suited to the story, the voice matches the age and background of the character very well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.

A dark but sharply observed story about two elderly friends, Ruth and Muriel, who have had a love-hate friendship going since childhood. Ruth (Roo) is also Muriel (Moo)’s carer and reliant on her for a roof over her head. Both are flawed characters and show one another an equal amount of love and resentment. The story is written from Ruth’s viewpoint, with flashbacks to their childhood, young adulthood and middle age, leading up to an explanation about their current situation. Whilst Muriel is housebound, Ruth gets out and is acquainted with her neighbours in their aspirational neighbourhood and her interactions with them are both comedic and cringy. The story is beautifully narrated and although it drags a little at times, you never know where the story is going to take you until everything falls apart at the end.

With thanks to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook.

You know you’ve just finished a really special book when it comes to a close and you miss the main character already.
Audio was a hit too!

I definitely had vibes of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and Delores Claiborne from this wonderful audiobook by Claire Parkin. Muriel and Ruth, lifelong aged friends, live together in Muriel’s north London house. Ruth (or Roo) cares for Muriel (Moo) after she becomes incapacitated by an undisclosed illness. Their claustrophobic and often uncomfortable relationship is laid bare through flashbacks. Shocks, questions over reliable narrators and moments that made me squirm in my seat made this a wonderful and memorable listen. I loved it.

The narrator of this book was one of the best I’ve heard, meaning I felt like I was listening to a radio play than a book. It may be the strong narrative voice also lent itself to this well, but it was the first time in a long time I’ve listened to an audiobook without being conscious of the narrator,
The novel does indeed have undertones of other books such as Eleanor Oliphant etc, and her unreliable perspective was critical throughout, leading to moments of clarity which offered the real surprises, there were a few times I thought oh this is going to happen… then it didn’t but it all led to a satisfactory ending. There were times I felt it went on rather longer than necessary and the characters are certainly not likeable so don’t expect to warm to anyone, or route for anyone either. Quite a dark book with an ending that left me surprisingly sorry for Ru and Moo and anyone who had the misfortune of being drawn into their world.

I usually like a more uplifting book but there was nothing specifically wrong with it if that is your preferred genre so my star rating is based on preference and not author skill.

I enjoyed the story although was a slow start and at first I thought it might get abit boring, but as the depths of the personality’s of the women slowly peeled away it became very interesting. The narration was good and I was completely invested in the characters and how it would all end.

I did like this although it was a quite a slow story - I'm giving this feedback is the slowness was worth it for the bombshells dropped, for example about Harvey.
Didn't expect the depth / deceit from Ru, but I expected it from Mu, who seemed like a mean, jealous and unlikeable character. Portrayed well in the story though.
I almost thought the end was fitting, although I questioned whether I was mean!!

Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC audio of this...I didnt think i was going to like it, but really did! LOVED both the main characters and the storyline was great and so much better than expected.

It sort of reminded me of Richard Osman, looking at older age with a bit of humility and fun as well as as a great thriller storyline.

THANK U

Muriel and Ruth are in their 70s and have been ‘friends’ since childhood. They have a chequered history, yet here they are living together, with Ruth (Roo) acting as carer for Muriel (Moo), confined as she is to her wheelchair and needy of attention and succour. Their relationship careens between spikiness, hostility, neediness and warmth as they play rounds of Scrabble, trying to outwit each other and score points.

Muriel received her MBE for services to publishing, she was a lauded romantic novelist in her time. Ruth was a good journalist who had a varied career. In their childhood years Muriel was welcomed into Ruth’s home, where her mother favoured the incomer at the expense of her own daughter, leaving Ruth craving love and nurture over her lifetime. Ruth married and found she could not have children and was verbally skewered for this by her mother. Her husband turned for solace to Muriel who welcomed him with open arms. They then married and had a son, much to Ruth’s chagrin, although she had an incurable and deadly attachment to the son that wasn’t hers. And thus the competitive nature of their relationship continued throughout adulthood. Are you up to speed? Put it this way, their boundaries and motivations are pretty skewed.

As a reader, we are never clear who the victim is in this relationship, and it is wise to remember that wherever a victim lurks, there is always a persecutor nearby 😉 – and that these ‘roles’ are interchangeable. In this regard, the author creates a wonderfully well observed toxic relationship between the two women. The Twits by Roald Dahl has clearly proved inspirational. The reader knows that somehow Muriel’s life will come to an end, given the title, but there are plenty of diversionary tactics, and twists and turns, ramping up the passive aggressive interchanges and downright hostile and nasty remarks and observations along the way – before she dies.

The novel is well written and beautifully observed, with digs and dark humour highlighting the shifting dynamics of power and control, detailing events that are creatively misremembered. I didn’t much enjoy spending time in the company of these noxious women, to be honest, who really cared only for themselves, and destructively outwitted each other at every turn. But I was fascinated and drawn in by the level of deceit and escalating vitriol.

This is a well put together storyline that wonderfully captures the shifting dynamics of a toxic relationship.

The setting of North London and its inhabitants is intuited (since when did plantation shutters have to get such a dissing?) through the kinds of shops and characters that are perceived as stereotypical of the area.

Really decent listen. Good plot and character development. Recommended to followers and students narrator is a match for the story

Best friends Muriel and Ruth, born minutes apart, they’ve grown up together.
Ruth has been jealous of Muriel her whole life. Ruth’s mother appeared to prefer Muriel and often told Ruth she wished she was more like her.
Ruth’s ex husband married Muriel and went on to have the son Ruth always wanted.

Now they’re both old and living together in Muriel’s (Ruth’s old) house. Ruth has been her career for many years.
One evening Muriel informs Ruth she will be dead in72 hours.
The story flits back and forth between past and present and leads us to the events leading to Muriel’s death.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook and am looking forward to reading more from this author

Baby Jane, toxic friendships, unreliable narrators and sooooo many secrets!

Moo and Roo live together, as they have for decades. One is a carer and former journalist, the other a disabled former romance writer. But their relationship stems back even further - friends as children when Ruth's mother doted on beautiful Muriel. To their young adulthood when Ruth married a man who later divorced her for her best friend... Through family tragedy and health crises these two women are bonded by friendship, resentment and a mutually parasitic need.

It's venomous stuff. And Muriel has now predicted her own death three days hence. With threatening faxes, strange occurrences and the wheelchair-bound woman's confidence in her impending end, Ruth doesn't know what is real or what to believe.

This was psychologically fascinating, guessing just what had gone on throughout the women's lives, picking up clues along the way but also never quite trusting what we are being told. The stories uncovered along the way are horrifying at times, the women's relationship so complex and twisted, it's a car crash you can't bear to either see happen or look away from fully.

Excellent stuff, though I found the audio voice narrating very young-sounding for two 70-something characters, which confused a little as we moved from present day to the women's youth.

Well plotted debut, very confident writing. Reminded me of old Hollywood films that just aren't made well anymore.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.

The Final Hours of Muriel Hinchcliffe is Claire Parkin’s debut and it’s a darkly funny and original novel.
It’s beautifully narrated by Jenny Funnell who does an excellent job of bringing the story and the characters to life. Both Muriel and her friend Ruth are unlikeable characters with a complicated history and a toxic friendship full of resentment. I found this to be a slow paced novel that took a while to draw me in but the narrator helped to keep my interest.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.
3.5 stars

Really enjoyed this book about two women enjoying (or trying to enjoy) their golden years.
The history between these two is what makes the story.
Dive in for a portrayal of toxic friendships, jealousy, and constantly trying to get the upper hand.

Listened to audiobook. Took about 50% before things starting heating up. 3.5 stars

This was an odd one. Quite old-fashioned in a way, but I did enjoy the telling. Muriel and Ruth have a toxic relationship and, as you soon discover, are the worst of people, destroying all the lives around them, as theirs were damaged by the people they loved. The novel is a real old-school dark comedy with the characters totally oblivious to their toxic traits. I think it would translate beautifully into a tv series.

EXCERPT: Monday 24th June 2019 - Evening - A death is announced

Now that I think about it, it wasn't so much Muriel telling me she was going to die, it was more that she gave her death an actual date and time that unnerved me so much. I am well acquainted with Muriel's prophecies; unfailingly vague and melodramatic, invariably relating to her health or safety.
A whispered, 'Ruth! You mustn't leave me alone tonight. I felt the angel of death's icy palm caress my cheek during Eastenders.' That sort of thing. Yes, I am very familiar with Muriel's predictions which, by now, I am able to predict myself because they occur, without exception, when I have plans to go out for the evening. But that was the other curious thing, I had no such plans for tonight. I was a free agent anticipating the familiar, comforting ups and downs of a night in with Muriel, a cup or two of chamomile tea, a game of scrabble, a furious row.

ABOUT 'THE FINAL HOURS OF MURIEL HINCHCLIFFE M.B.E.': Muriel, a former bestselling romantic novelist, and Ruth, a journalist, are best friends. Inseparable since they were little, they’ve shared everything; unable to be without each other, even after the most vicious of fights.

Now fate has left them living together in a North London home, with Ruth caring for Muriel in her deteriorating health, playing Scrabble, arguing and making up, passing the days in monotony, ignoring the scars of their relationship. Then one afternoon, Muriel makes a shocking and sinister announcement, sending Ruth’s world into chaos. Only one thing is certain. Life, as she knows it, will never be the same again. . .

MY THOUGHTS: I loved this! So entertaining! It's a blend of indifference in a relationship that has lasted decades, resentment, dementia and obligation. Yes, sometimes I knew what was going to happen, but that didn't detract from my pleasure at all. I cackled out loud (yes - cackled with glee!) in parts and in others felt inordinately sad.

Muriel's (Moo) and Ruth's (Ru) relationship is one of inequality and toxicity buried under an outer surface of respectability. Both have had dysfunctional childhoods. Each wanted what the other had including, at one stage, a husband. Yes, the same husband.

I loved these two characters - stroppy, selfish, sly . . . and, in Moo's case, entitled. Ru, on the other hand, feels obliged and put upon but is quite, quite sure that she is getting one over on Moo and that she has the upper hand. They argue and sulk and put each other down.

The story is told entirely from Ruth's perspective. It is her memories we are privy to, her recollections, her machinations, her disappointments. But Muriel has had an equally unhappy life, which just goes to prove that getting what you want is not necessarily best for you, and this is slowly revealed through conversations.

Some of the revelations are deliciously shocking. I loved it! I finished this audiobook with a big smile on my face and now, several hours later, I am still smiling. I am sure I will smile every time I think of this book, and I will be recommending it to everyone I know who likes a little dark humor.

An excellent debut novel, and an author to watch!

The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Jenny Funnell, a new to me narrator whom I will be watching for in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheFinalHoursofMurielHinchcliffeMBE #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Claire was born and brought up in a village just outside Cardiff. She worked as a journalist on women’s general-interest magazines for many years, where she was known for being able to turn her hand to pretty much anything – from interviewing boxing champs and war correspondents, to learning how to pole dance and the correct way to iron a shirt. Other career highlights include taste-testing eight varieties of mince pie during an August heatwave, begging Victoria Beckham to donate a dress to a charity raffle, and visiting six second-hand car dealerships in one afternoon, in a bid to expose sexism in the motoring industry.

She turned to fiction after the birth of her twin son and daughter. Claire lives in London with her husband and children. When she’s not writing, she’s a passionate Park runner, container-gardener and baker of calorific goods. After a break of several years, she’s finally enjoying mince pies again.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Macmillan UK Audio via NetGalley for providing an audio ARC of The Final Hours of Muriel Hinchcliffe M.B.E. written by Claire Parkin and narrated by Jenny Funnell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

A story of two old friends told over various timelines. I enjoyed the narration of this book - I would definitely look out for more by this narrator. However, I do think the narrator is the reason I have this 5 stars. Had I read the book, I think it may have been a 2 star read. It was slow in places and sometimes, I felt, repetitive. That said, this is a debut novel and so I would read the author’s next book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

The final hours a Muriel Hinchcliffe M.B.E was an okay story, its not the most dynamic and it does drag in places but for a debut novel its not a bad start, It is a story about friendship of Ruth & Muriel they have been friends their whole life and the tale is retold by Ruth who used to have a career as a journalist but now she cares for her friend who she calls moo, of the lives, love & life they could of had, it is quite dark in places as Ruth slowly unravels as the story progresses but the story was well read by the narrator Jenny Funnell.

Muriel and Ruth have been best friends since childhood and, now in their 70's, are living together with Ruth being Muriel's carer. More like sisters than friends, they spend their days bickering, playing Scrabble and listening to The Archers. One afternoon, Muriel makes a shocking announcement, causing Ruth to wonder how she can help avoid the inevitable.

This was a pretty solid mysterious tale, but both main characters were so unlikeable that I eventually wasn't particularly bothered what happened to them! I also think having two main characters, but only giving one of their POV's made it a bit too one-sided.