A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French

Publisher: Michael Joseph
Publishing Date: 10/28/2010
ISBN: 9780718156046
Pages: 352 pages

Summary from GoodReads:

Mo is about to hit the big 50, and some uncomfortable truths are becoming quite apparent: She doesn't understand either of her teenage kids, which as a child psychologist, is fairly embarrassing. She has become entirely grey. Inside, and out. Her face has surrendered and is frightening children.

My Review:
I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing. The book is told in the form of diary entries. They are written by the mother Mo, the daughter Dora and the son Peter who goes by the name Oscar (yes, as in the Oscar Wilde). I have to say that at first I wasn't sure what I thought of this book. It starts off with a diary entry from Dora who has the dirtiest mouth of anyone I have ever encountered before. I found that character a bit irritating but then I thought about what it was like to be a teen; Dora is about to turn 17. I feel like although I don't want to admit this, I was probably very much like Dora at that age. I was unsure of myself, insecure, trying to fit in by maybe adding a few new swear words to my vocabulary, embarrassed of my family and I may have thought that I was the center of the universe. Anyhow, after reading a few chapters I began to really like this family. They were disfunctional at the best of times but if you think about it I don't know a family that isn't. The mother at one point contemplates having an affair with her co-worker who ends up being a complete loser. She felt unnoticed and quite plain after years of marriage with the same man. During this point I just wanted to yell at her and tell her she was being dumb but in the long run she came to that conclusion all on her own. The character that I disliked the most was the son Peter/Oscar. He took on the personality of Oscar Wilde and had this gregarious personality. I found it hard to follow his story as he seemed quite deluded. Overall, I am not a huge fan of the diary entry style book. I wouldn't say that I disliked the book, it just isn't something I would normally read. There were some really great, hilarious parts of the book that made it worth reading but I don't think this will be on my re-read list. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.