On Top of Everything.

On Top of Everything        TBR Challenge
Sarah-Kate Lynch
Published: Black Swan - Random House
Date: 2008
Pages: 308
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Own book

Summary from back cover

Rotten things happen in threes in Florence's family, so when she's fired by her best friend and left by her husband in the space of a single afternoon, she knows there is yet more trouble brewing.  And when her son Monty returns from his gap year Down Under it's only too clear what, or who, that trouble is.

Then the plan to turn her crumbling home into a tea room hits a snag, the macrame at her sister's house seriously starts to unravel, and why is her doctor leaving so many messages?  Enter Will, a mysterious handyman with a secret stash of chocolate truffles, and soon life - with all its hiccups - is just her cup of tea.

My thoughts.
I chose this one for the TBR challenge this month because it has been on my shelf since 2008 when I bought it - at the cost of $29.99.  (Books are expensive in NZ, not a good place for readers to live!) And we are a nation of readers!  Was there hype about it - can't really remember, but there must have been in magazines because it came to my attention somehow.  But oh dear, it sure languished on my shelf after that.  After five years it deserved to be read.

The cover promises light and fluffy.  However there is very little about it that is light and fluffy.  Florence the main character has enough things go wrong in her life, and all at once, and far more than most people experience in their life.  At the beginning and through the story its a case of.... and on top of everything.... this disaster happens.  The rug has been pulled from under Florence's feet.  As the story is told and family and Will impact on her life, and she starts to let go and accept support, she finds she is really 'on top of everything'.  The title of the book is certainly clever and well suits the book.

The book has a witty style to it, told from 1st person point of view - Florence.  At the end of each chapter there is a short chapter form another character's point of view.  This actually works well and gives a more rounded view to the reader.  The book is well written, Mary-Kate Lynch is a competent writer.  While this book did not particularly grab me, I do have another one by Mary-Kate Lynch that I bought at a book fair, and I will certainly go ahead and read it.