Jane is Trying (W&N Essentials)

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Suttie has a keen eye for supplementary detail, which makes her story seem all the more real, and an ear for a nice turn of phrase, which makes it delightful to read. I felt cheated by the ending, and by the reveal of what caused Jane's anxiety about hospitals and "room 3". The second series of her Sony award-winning radio series ISY SUTTIE'S LOVE LETTERS was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2014, and in 2014 she made her musical theatre debut as the starring role in THE A-Z OF MRS P at the Southwark Playhouse.

The book does touch over important topics such as mental health and IVF but in the end she just started to piss me off?This is a funny and sweet story about trying to start afresh when your past haunts you, and the realities of being an independent adult. That’s a tribute to my friend who once genuinely convinced me that it was pronounced “The Ma-goose”. Suttie has created a charming world of oddballs (and their even odder parents) I miss them all already! I’d get a 27-minute window, run up to bed because it was the quietest place in the house and get down as many words as I could. As for the circuit, my worry is that up-and-coming comics from a less-privileged background have been forced to give up and they might not start again.

View image in fullscreen Isy Suttie photographed in London last month by Pal Hansen for the Observer. Suttie portrays the more honest aspects of what are usually regarded as the best parts of life - family, relationships, friends, careers - with warmth and grit ― I NEWSPAPER --This text refers to the hardcover edition. I did really enjoy reading this though and there was some glimpses of genius in her writing… would definitely read more of her work!There are some truly chaotic and humorous family scenes and an overall warmth running through the book, with a large cast of quirky characters and a dose of community action to boot. A lady brought back a period book 'It's ahout bloody time period', I loved in the library and mentioned this book was good too.

Really enjoyed this book, it was refreshing not to follow a guessable narrative and feature so many flawed and in depth but likeable characters. Suttie has two children – six-year-old Beti and two-year-old Steffan – with her fiance, Welsh comedian Elis James. I listened to the audiobook -- with Isy Suttie doing the narration -- and her voice just fits perfectly with the humour. I can’t say much but Michelle de Swarte is the lead, the script is fantastic and I’m really enjoying it. Some of the tropes (overbearing mothers, interfering in-laws, rejection of one's rural upbringing) were a little tired but made a little richer by the addition of extreme anxiety over the top which felt like an accurate depiction.Beyond the battering her confidence took from the split, it’s clear Jane has other issues: she’s OCD and suffers anxious, intrusive thoughts. Her trauma in Room 3 was disappointing given how Jane avoided The Arch and made every attempt at ignoring Room 3 after she moved into the Arch.

I really felt Jane's experiences - having to move back home after the break up of her relationship and deal with her parents' - and everyone else's - small town mentality.

There were some delightfully funny moments scattered throughout the gloom and absurd bad luck Jane has to deal with but unfortunately I found Jane to fall flat as a narrator and couldn't fully get into the story - some of the characters were brilliantly written but not all and this made me drag at certain parts. The story didn't intrigue and the themes such as mental health etc were dealt with at a superficial level. sleeping at her friend's house and then moves into a dilapidated old hotel that a group of activists are trying to turn into a community centre. I found the ending a little unsatisfactory, but the general character writing and dialogue were very engaging.