This is a tough one to review because I can't make my mind up whether I loved it or loathed it. It takes up the story of Paula, a character who Roddy Doye has previously written about. In the first book,, Paula is a battered wife and an alcoholic. Now, early thirty years later she has got her act together and is happy and sober at last. Her relationship with her children isn't all it should be however and when her daughter Nicola turns up, having left her family, Paula has to deal with many conflicting feelings.

What I liked about this book. Paula is a great character. She's resilient, tough and full of humour. As is her friend, Mary. I love the fact that RD has written about an older woman. Many issues are covered in the book, alcoholism, child abuse. domestic abuse, Covid, difficult parent child relationships and this is all done very sensitively.

What I wasn't sure about./didn't like. Although the stream of consciousness narrative allows us to get right into the head of Paula, I found it wearing at times. It's bad enough having to listen to your own thoughts without having access to someone else'e! It also meant that the story was quite repetitive and I'm afraid I became bored at times. The humour is very welcome but overall I found it a rather depressing read.

In summary, Roddy Doyle has built a lasting character in Paula but she's not someone I want to spend much time with. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a book which has been waiting to be written for rather a long time, almost 30 years in fact, 1996 having seen the publication of The Woman who Walked into Doors. What has happened to Paula Spencer, the main character of that Roddy Doyle novel? In The Women Behind the Door, we meet Paula again, now in her late 60s, living alone in the house she shared with her abusive husband Charlo in the first book. Her four children have left home and she now has four grandchildren. She has not drunk alcohol for several years; she has a job in the dry cleaners with her best friend Mary and she has a relationship of sorts with widowed Joe. This book starts during lockdown as Paula is about to go for her first Covid vaccination. Her thoughts and feelings about this resonated well with me and it is in the writing of the ordinary that I believe Roddy Doyle excels. The turning point of the novel, giving the book its title, is when Nicola, Paula's eldest daughter, unexpectedly comes to stay. Paula is somewhat in awe of Nicola who seems to have it all and succeed at everything she does. Their relationship has never been easy and Paula feels that Nicola is often the parent in their relationship having seen her through all the troubled times of the first book's abuse and alcoholism. She doesn't know why Nicola has turned up but decides to let everyone know that they both have Covid and have to stay quarantined in the house, hoping this will give them a chance to talk and to keep away anyogot.nkne Nicola may not wish to see. Their difficulties in communicating made for rather depressing reading and I felt some of the text was a bit too repetitive although I understand the circumstances would lead to this. As always Roddy Doyle has written his women characters really well and I was glad to find out that Paula has survived and to a large extent taken control of her life. However I was a little disappointed after a 30 year wait that this is all we got. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book

The Women Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle is a powerful and moving exploration of the lives of women who have been hidden, overlooked, or silenced. Doyle’s evocative writing brings their stories to the forefront, delving into themes of identity, resilience, and the quiet strength required to face societal and personal challenges. The narrative captures the nuances of the characters' emotions and experiences, drawing readers into their world with empathy and honesty. Through a blend of raw moments and tender reflections, The Women Behind the Door provides an intimate portrayal of the complexities of womanhood. It's a compelling read that resonates deeply, shining a light on the courage found in confronting what lies behind closed doors.

Dazzling portrait of a woman in her time

There are characters that are synonymous with their authors, and Paula Spencer is Roddy Doyle's Galatea, a woman who, by this third book, has lived many lives and is more than ready to relax into the person she has finally become comfortable with. But when her daughter returns to the nest, leaving her own life and family behind, the ghosts of the past and the pains of the present come forcefully to confront the little world that Paula has so carefully constructed around herself. Will Paula be able to look beyond her past choices, or will she always be the mistakes she made?

Doyle returns with a new novel that looks at Paula from all sides, and gives no tight, trite ending. I felt perched on Paula's shoulder, aware of her uncertainties, her reliance on detail to keep her on the straight and narrow, her over-thinking of what others might think of her. The narrative skips around in time, perhaps in a reflection of Paula's own loose relationship with her history and her present, and showing that there are no simple causes and effects in life. In the end, whatever Paula chose or faced in the past are not the only ways and means for her to live in her present; and that age does finally bring wisdom, no matter how hard earned.

A book to read between the lines: four stars.

The Women Behind The Door follows Paula, a sober woman in her sixties, living alone and working in a dry cleaner during the challenging times of COVID-19 lockdowns in Dublin. As she begins to find stability in her life, her eldest daughter, Nicola, unexpectedly arrives at her doorstep after leaving her husband and children.

The narrative delves into complex emotional themes, exploring the family's troubled past with the abusive Charlo, Paula's quest for forgiveness, and the evolving dynamics of mothering between Paula and Nicola. It also highlights Paula's relationships with her other children and grandchildren, her burgeoning romance with Joe, a man in his seventies, and her deepening friendship with Mary.

What sets this book apart are the poignant conversations between Paula and her friends and family. Roddy Doyle masterfully captures the nuances of Paula's fraught relationship with Nicola, portraying the delicate balance of love and tension that often characterizes mother-daughter bonds.

With a blend of humour and heartbreak, The Women Behind The Door is an exceptional read that resonates on multiple levels. Highly recommended for its sensitive portrayal of family dynamics and personal growth.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

Nobody writes like Roddy Doyle and it was lovely to return to his writing and to Paula Spencer in particular. In The Women Behind the Door, Paula is now in her late 60s, I felt quite deflated reading the beginning of this book for Paula , as even as she is heading into older age , life still isn’t always easy for her.

I didn’t realised before reading that this novel was set during the pandemic , I don’t know if I would have read it had I known. I think down the line novels set during this time will be an easier read but it’s still so recent and especially because it’s set in Dublin, I found it upsetting to read in parts.

Doyle writes with his usual mix of pathos and humour but I felt the characters were held , slightly at a remove, it felt harder to connect with them than in his previous novels.

Overall absolutely worth reading but it felt a little uneven or unsettling a read for me.

3.5

An interesting read. I hadn’t read the previous books in this series but I watched The Family which was shown on TV a good few years ago. As it was set during Covid it brought back memories of how our life was only a few years ago.

At sixty-six, Paula Spencer – mother, grandmother, widow, addict, survivor – is finally living her life. A job at the dry cleaners she enjoys, a man – Joe – with whom she shares what she wants, friends who see her for who she is, and four grown children, now with families and petty dramas the likes of which Paula could only have hoped for. Despite its ghosts, Paula has started to push her past aside.
That is until Paula’s eldest, Nicola, turns up on her doorstep. Independent, affluent, a loving wife and mother, “a success” – Nicola is suddenly determined to leave it all behind. Over the next few days, as Nicola gradually confides in Paula the secret that unleashed this moment of crisis, mother and daughter find themselves untangling anecdotes, jokes, memory and revelation to confront the bruised but beautiful symmetry of what each means to the other.
Oh my word so good… Had me actually gasping out loud… Brilliant…

I haven't read Roddy Doyle before, so this was my first book by him.
I really appreciate how well he writes female characters, which is quite rare!
This book has everything and more!

The Woman Behind the Door is the latest episode in the life of Paula Spencer wonderfully written by Roddy Doyle. Paula is in the later years of her life; her children are all adults most with family of their own. Paula is content living alone, but her glamorous forty-something self-employed daughter Nicola comes around to stay for a few days and Paula finds herself revisiting events of her past with a fresh perspective.

The story documents some aspects of pandemic life but is given the Roddy Doyle treatment which makes them ridiculous and amusing at the same time.

This is a powerful story told brilliantly with humour but heartbreaking emotion. The dialogue is sharp and witty; the cast of characters are larger than life. The Woman Behind the Door is a great book that will please all readers of Roddy Doyle and many who aren't yet in that group.

This is the third book featuring Paula Spencer. I read both many years ago and have scant memory of the details. So I guess you could read this as a stand alone. Obviously if you want the full experience, you could go back and play catch up. I would have liked the time to do that myself, but... too many books!
So, Paula, now at the ripe old age of 66 is all set. She has a job, a person to share her life with and friends. She also has grown up children, the eldest of which Nicola is having her turn at a life-crisis. It appeared on the surface that Nicola is a successful wife and mother, but as we all know, what we show other people is rarely the truth of what we really feel inside.
Set in the relatively early days of covid, we first catch up with Paula as she, along with her best friend, is on the cusp of getting her first vaccine. It's a bit all spelled out and dragged out, that bit, it's still a bit too soon for me. But soon enough, our story really gets going when Nicola turns up at Paula's door having left her family. What follows then is a warts and all, frank mother and daughter series of conversations about growing up, the bad and the occasional good. The suffering and damage that Nicola experienced due to Paula's addictions and Charlo's abuse... The scars that never healed.
But I will leave you to read all about that. I will advise tissues and occasional breaks as it is all a bit heavy at times. Interspersed with lighter, funnier moments for balance though. It's totally character driven and the characters are all brilliantly created and develop as the book progresses. As well as covid, we also skirt round the cost of living crisis and trying to make ends meet.
Personally, I had a bad relationship with my mother. We never did the mother-daughter things that other did. I think we were too alike to be able to communicate properly. This book also did make me think about my own stuff. And that's not necessarily a bad thing...
All in all, a book that I will probably need to re-read to get the very best from it. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Paula, the woman who walked into doors, is back. She's sixty-six now, sober, a grandmother, a survivor, though still battling her past too.
As always with Dolye the writing style is direct, conversational, the less said delivering more,
While dealing with serious issues this is also a brilliant look at Dublin, the walk up Talbot Street, The Spire, the Deliveroo cyclist nearly knocking you on your arse!
Not the easiest read but an important one nonetheless and it reasserts Doyle’s dominance as one of the great Irish writers.

Paula Spencer and Roddy Doyle are back.

The Women Behind the Door is a strong read about an older woman, Paula, revisiting her past in her thoughts as well as dealing with the pressures of the present. Covid is at the backdrop. Paula’s oldest daughter, Nicola, an epitome of the perfect, comes to live with her, and Paula’s conscience takes us on an emotional rollercoaster. There are serious and sensitive topics covered. The humour, wit, tenderness and wackiness are always present too. l like Paula Spencer and Roddy Doyle.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Plot 3
Characterisation 4
Prose 3.5

The Woman Being the Door
By Roddy Doyle

I was a huge fan in the late 80s when Doyle first held up a big mirror and made all us Dubs laugh at ourselves, but at some point I grew bored with the schtick and stopped reading him.

I wish I had read the Paula Spencer series from the beginning because, although I never felt lost in this story, I never quite felt any connection to Paula and didn't actually find the humour funny.

There are themes of mother daughter relationships, domestic and sexual abuse, addiction and living on the bread line that get bogged down by the exhaustive details that litter the text, unnecessary pages upon pages of cleaning of lap trays, opening nets of satsumas, to have or not have tea along with step by step instructions of how to make the tea. It's like Mr Doyle was so fixated on word count that he included any improbable notion that entered his own head.

This was a miss for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for the eGalley, these are my honest opinions

Publishes 12th September 2024

This was ok, but I didn't really connect with the characters and felt like it rambled on a bit at points. You got little snippets of Paula's backstory, but I hadn't read the previous two books featuring her, which I think might have connected me with the characters. Also, I wasn't keen on revisiting the COVID period, but that's just my personal feelings.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

While reading The Women Behind the Door, I found the narrative at times repetitive. However when I finished the book and the essence of the story made sense, the path that Paula Spencer walked was fraught with flashbacks that were reinforced by repetition.
The complicated consequences that continue after violent traumatic domestic violence has long ended, are painfully described by Roddy Doyle. The ripple effect on family is poignantly recounted and the struggles by all affected to attain some modicum of functional relationships is heartbreaking.
I was able to put flesh and bones on Paula and Nicola, her daughter, and connect with the behavioural triggers that both lived.
Very powerful piece of work.

My thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Women Behind The Door’ by Roddy Doyle in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Paula Spencer is in her mid-60’s and in a relationship with Joe although she has no desire to move in with him. Her eldest daughter Nicola turns up on Paula’s doorstep and says she’s experiencing a crisis as although she doesn’t dislike her husband Tony she wants to leave him and the children behind and start her life afresh. Over the following days they don’t want to see anyone so use the excuse of having contracted covid, while both women reveal memories that are occasionally outspoken, sometimes loving, but always honest.

‘The Women Behind The Door’ is the continuing story of Paula Spencer as she deals with her eldest daughter Nicola’s crisis, with welcome appearances from her best friend Mary. Told with the covid pandemic in the background, we’re treated to Paula and Mary’s experiences when they go for their first covid injection and decide to make a day of it by having a picnic with their friend and driver, Mandy. I enjoyed reading this novel despite covid being mentioned a lot, and some readers may not want to be reminded about it. The author skilfully conveys in the narrative that family relationships are complicated and that love isn’t mentioned as often as it should be but is there nonetheless.

The woman behind the door is the first book by Booker prize winner Roddy Doyle. So, I am grateful for a copy and couldn’t wait to read it.
Paula Spenser is in her sixties, sober and living on her own. She is trying to cope with living through covid and Lockdown. But she is strong after living through a relationship with a abusive husband. Her children are all flown the next, but she gets a knock on the door by Her daughter Nicola who has left her husband with her children.
When I started reading this book for me personally, I found something missing, and the story didn’t add up for me. I couldn’t connect to the story But after reading other people’s reviews, I understand that this is the third book involving Paula. Had I read the previous two other books I have more understanding of this novel. Don’t get me wrong this book is a book full of emotion and another gred read from the talented writer. It just didn’t work for me as I hoped it would. 3 stars from me.

FROM THE COVER📖

At sixty-six, Paula Spencer – mother, grandmother, widow, addict, survivor – is finally living her life. A job at the dry cleaners she enjoys, a man – Joe – with whom she shares what she wants, friends who see her for who she is, and four grown children, now with families and petty dramas the likes of which Paula could only have hoped for. Despite its ghosts, Paula has started to push her past aside.

That is until Paula’s eldest, Nicola, turns up on her doorstep. Independent, affluent, a loving wife and mother, “a success” – Nicola is suddenly determined to leave it all behind. Over the next few days, as Nicola gradually confides in Paula the secret that unleashed this moment of crisis, mother and daughter find themselves untangling anecdotes, jokes, memory and revelation to confront the bruised but beautiful symmetry of what each means to the other.

The next sequence in the life of Roddy Doyle’s quietly remarkable, ever-memorable Paula Spencer.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Roddy has long be one of favourite writers for many years, I fell in love with his quick wit and dark humour after reading Paddy Clarke Ha Ha in school ever since then I have devoured his works. The Paula Spencer books are among the best I’ve read so was over the moon to be approved for this ARC,

Written in true Doyle style we catch with Paula and her family during the covid pandemic, while covid features it is very much in the background the focus of the plot is Paula her thoughts and feelings on everything from the vaccine to deliveroo. Doyle's writing is exquisite, beautifully juggling the difficulties of the past and the present for Paula he captures perfectly the inner monologues we all have within ourselves . Told over monthly interludes with snippets into the past we find out what is happening and what has happened to Paula and her family. I love Doyle’s dialogue driven writing style he is always in control of using events in a bigger story making it personal and relevant to the character’s story, he portrays the cost of life crisis perfectly though Paula.

Paula is a brilliant character despite her short comings she is a character you can not help engage with and like, in this book I loved the conversations between her and Mary they were gas and gave us insight to the fun loving girl Paula was once before life broke that sprit. While it’s an ordinary life she takes pleasure in and as reader you become captivated and immersed her world. This is for me is Doyle’s true talent as a writer he takes the everyday and makes it extraordinary, he is without doubt a literary genius this book further cementing that. Doyle has created iconic heroine in Paula Spencer she is a every woman who has battled and continues to battle to get over the traumas in her life while keeping a sense of humour, showing an unlimited resilence and a pure of heart kindness. Doyle proves any notion that men can not write woman wrong.

A brilliant book on the human condition told with love, laughter, tears and all a mighty voice. My book of the year.

Emotional novel, fantastic realistic dialogues, Roddy Doyle is back to splendour. Funny and heartbreaking.