Olivia's Luck

Fans of Catherine Alliot's other novels will be pleased to find that they can add another page-turner to their growing libraries. Olivia's Luck is a combination of gentle farce, emotional heartache and some uplifting moments. Olivia (Livvy) recounts the sudden breakdown of her 10-year marriage and the swings and roundabouts that follow. Alliot has created a seductive cast of characters, from Livvy's 10-year-old daughter and the cockney builders to her mother-in-law and old school friends, all of whom seem realistic, with a dash of the drama queen for the fun of the story. Although--or maybe because--the novel is damning about the fate of marriages and the bad behaviour of men, the story will strike a chord with many thirtysomething women. As with Alliot's other novels, this is a book that demands to be read in one sitting, devouring the pages alongside a box of chocolates. The ending is happy, in a fittingly idiosyncratic way, and a fine reward for an afternoon away from real life. Ultimately, though Livvy seems to lead a "a very unusual and complicated life ... nutters and weirdos at every corner ... on intimate terms with the police...", she is an ordinary 21st-century woman trying to carve out a comfortable life for herself and her daughter. -- Olivia Dickinson