I first heard about Missing Gretyl: You Only Love Twice through Sarah from Life In A Breakdown. She had read and reviewed the book and absolutely adored it, so when Simon approached me to review it, I had to say yes!
Missing Gretyl tells the story of Albert and Gretyl Trollop. Albert is the long suffering husband of battleaxe Gretyl and this comedy novel tells all about their odd little marriage whilst also focusing on a number of different characters too. There are sad moments, laugh out loud moments, aww moments and moments that will shock you.
We all know a woman like Gretyl. She can only be described as a battleaxe – that woman that those shop assistants really don’t want to serve, that the hairdressers don’t want to work on and the people at the car boot cringe at seeing. A woman who thinks she knows everything and thinks she is the cream of the crop – when she looks more like a dogs dinner. Simon has written her so vividly that I can almost imagine her walking down the street in my village – a cross between Nora Batty, Bet Lynch and a few others!
Gretyl has always believed that there is more to life than her and Albert’s pokey little flat in London – and it seems as if her prayers are answered when a long lost relative dies and she finds out she has quite a substantial inheritance. Moving to her new abode, she soon finds out that she isn’t quite the type of person they want in their close knit area – and some will stop at nothing to be rid of her. Add in the Soddalls with their madcap scheme to con some rich old idiots out of their money and you have a novel that is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
With such rich, vivid characters and a tale that can make you laugh and cry, I would recommend this novel to anyone. I’m eagerly awaiting Simon’s next work and I’ve been lucky enough to get a sneak peek of his latest work in progress – we’re all in for a treat by what I’ve seen!
If you like a book that has you still thinking about it a few weeks after you’ve finished it, then this is for you. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!