Making It Up As I Go Along

I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. I never enjoy short stories as I always feel let down at missing the opportunity to get to know characters better, they're just too compact and lacking substance for me. I assumed a book of column articles etc to be just as unfulfilling, but I actually loved this book. I love Marian Keyes books (with the exception of Mercy Close), and especially love her humour - which certainly wasn't lacking in this book. I kept finding myself laughing along and thinking "She thinks like me"! Reading this gave the same sort of comfort as though I was sitting down with a cuppa having a chat with my bestie. A lovely, funny lady - well worth the read!

Marian has a wonderful sense of humour, she had me laughing out loud lots of times. Sometimes I was nodding my head because I did that etc. I love her books. Xx

Made me lol several times and I identified with so much! If you like any of her books you'll appreciate this collection of essays. These are blog style articles, not short stories. Very funny.

Nice and light, quite funny, some bits a little slow perhaps so skip to the next bit that might be more relatable or funny to you.

Hilarious and relatable. Such a witty, real person. Marian Keyes really knows how to make real life situations seem funny and interesting. Feel like reading it again straight away.

Very witty a good read when you haven't got much time

I was initially disappointed that this wasn't a novel but ended up loving it. Although I am very different to Marian in lots of ways I could relate to many of her stories. It had me laughing in inappropriate places.

I've read many Marian Keyes books and have enjoyed most if not all of them. I pre-ordered this book and was looking forward to another good read. Very disappointed to discover that it's no more than a collection of already published articles covering a random amount of subjects. Mildly amusing but hardly engrossing or entertaining, I do feel somewhat conned and would certainly not be recommending it.

Die perfekte Urlaubs-Liegestuhl Lektüre . Kurze Geschichten aus dem Leben Von Marian Keyes über ihre Reisen, ihre Sucht nach Make-up etc. Geschichten wie sie jeder von uns auch schon erlebt hat auf den Punkt gebracht und super witzig erzählt. Hab das Buch in einem Sonnentag durchgelesen.

Si vous aimez ses romans, vous aimerez cette sorte de journal, où elle dévoile sa vie au fil des mois, avec franchise. Les épisodes se suivent, tantôt hilarants, tantôt plus poignants. A recommander : comment se défendre dans un salon de coiffure qui vous snobe, comment n'être pas nerveuse dès le début de votre dîner car vous ne pensez qu'au dessert, très amusant, ou les résolutions du nouvel an.... Les différents pays visités sont passés à la moulinette de l'ironie la plus vacharde (la France s'en sort bien, pas la Slovaquie !) Mais ne restez pas sur l'idée d'une simple succession de saynètes rigolotes. Tapie au fond de sa psyché, il y a toujours ce relent de tristesse et les restes de la terrible dépression dont elle souffrit. Elle le dit :même dans les moments les plus heureux, elle a du vague à l'âme. et je ne conseillerais pas trop ce livre à quelqu'un qui vient juste de sortir de déprime. Elle en parle certes avec humour, comme de sa passion pour les pharmacies du monde entier, incollable en antidépresseurs et insomnie. Marrante, mais très humaine en somme. On l'adore.

Very good book. Beware do not buy Under the duvet or Further under the duvet as they are just repeats of parts of Making it up as I go along. Save your money.

I haven’t read any Marian Keyes books for a while and I’d forgotten what a funny, clever, observant writer she is. The book is a collection of personal stories, some that have been published in various magazines or newspapers and quite a lot that haven’t been published before. A memoir of sorts and a real mix of hilarious anecdotes, overseas travel, various experiences and other stories that are quite poignant and insightful and give us glimpses into the author’s life. The book made me laugh out loud and giggle quite a lot at times which all helped to ease the strain of the house sale/move I’m going through at the moment. Hard to find a favourite funny bit to quote, there are so many. Marian Keyes is painfully honest and self-effacing throughout with each different tale. There are parts of the book that are reflective and insightful and as if the author has, dare I use the phrase, ‘been on a journey’. Quote ‘I find it difficult to ever be truly at peace, there’s always something that feels like a shark relentlessly on the prowl..’ We hear of her struggle with alcohol in her early years and also that she takes ‘anti-mad’ tablets every day for depression and has suffered a nervous breakdown. There is an underlying sadness at times that gave me a bit of a lump in my throat and some of the stories involve a search for some sort of peace of mind by trying out various alternative therapies and ‘interests’, some with extremely funny, near catastrophic effects. I quite like a bit of ‘beach-house banjo’ too (read the book to find out :-) I love the way Marian Keyes sometimes alters the spelling of words, ‘fabaliss’ and ‘sangwidge’ to name a few that she Irishizes (pedants, I know there is no such word). I grew up on Merseyside, had Irish grandparents, friends from Irish families and we all Irishized and Scouseified a lot of words ourselves, much to the disgust of the Irish nuns in our Convent school who wanted us all to speak proper English. The book is quite a lengthy one, really jam-packed with stories and good value but I was sad when it ended and could have just carried on reading more and more… Happily I’ve since discovered a few books from the author that I haven’t yet read.

I have read a lot by Keys, starting from Under the Duvet and moving on to several of her novels and collections of pieces written for magazines etc. I am not giving 5 stars to this one in particular because I find some parts of it a bit repetitive. This, however, might be due exactly to the fact that I have read so much by her that some things sound a little too familiar. On the other hand, I have discovered some stylistic changes which I have appreciated: as a speaker of English as a second language, I have always appreciated Keyes' descriptive skills and precision in the choice of adjectives. I think the travel section of this book displays them at their best. Keyes' is Irish and uses several words and expressions that are typically Irish (like "eejit", which is similar to idiot): one plus of this book is that it contains a mini-dictionary that explains the jargon. There is a section where Keyes describes her encounters with famous people. Some of them are popular in Ireland but not elsewhere, I am afraid, which subtracts to the fun of reading about them. Howver, her family scenes are always the best and will make you giggle.