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Tiny Bit Marvellous, A [Paperback]

Dawn French
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Nov 23 2010
A hilarious and poignant first novel from the No.1 bestselling author and one of Britain’s best-loved actresses

An accomplished writer, Dawn French gives us a painfully honest, utterly hilarious and accurate account of a family in crisis, told from three very different perspectives.

This first novel by Dawn French is told through the eyes of a mother and her two teenage children. There’s seventeen-year-old Dora, a stroppy teenager who’s just come out of her first relationship (it lasted a whole six weeks) and who’s longing to escape to university; her long-suffering mother, Mo, a child psychiatrist who’s baffled by the antagonist behaviour of her children; and sixteen-year-old Peter, who prefers to be known as Oscar due to his obsession with Oscar Wilde.

Written in diary format, with each chapter narrated by a different voice, this is a hilarious, sharp and utterly compelling novel about the ups and down of family, sibling rivalry and growing up. With each chapter told from the point of view of one character, Dawn French’s witty and engaging novel offers us an honest and insightful account into the relationships between children and parents.


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Review

Beautifully observed. Makes you laugh on every page The Times Hilarious. Chortle-out-loud turns of phrase, razor-sharp observations The Stylist Fresh, extremely funny Sunday Times Has she cracked it with her first novel? Yes. Engaging from the first page Heat Really enjoyable and highly recommended. Dawn French is a wonderful writer - witty, wise and poignant Daily Mail A hilarious and compelling read Good Housekeeping --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dawn French is one of Britain’s most popular and successful actresses. She’s also a bestselling author—her autobiography, Dear Fatty, has sold nearly 1 million copies.

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Customer Reviews

3.2 out of 5 stars
3.2 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars The battles of the Battles May 22 2011
By I LOVE BOOKS TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I love Dawn French as a comic actress and was looking forward to reading her book. It turned out to be as hilarious as expected, with a psychological touch which was appropriate and rendered a certain depth, therefore I would not classify this book as just "comical". Written in a diary form, it is the story of a modern family where each member has different flaws and views and expectations.

Meet the Battles family, Mum, Dad, Dora and Peter, both teenagers. They share the same roof but live into separate words, each struggling in a private battle of their own, either towards menopause, or first kiss, or first love or... whatever. There does not seem to be a linear or joint path on which they can walk together, overcoming their struggles or problems. Will they manage?

Get ready for some good laughs and for some thinking too. I bet anyone with adolescents in the house will identify themselves with some of the characters or find similarities, enjoy the reading! In my opinion, 4.5 stars.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars More than a tiny bit marvellous Dec 15 2010
By Luanne Ollivier #1 HALL OF FAME TOP 10 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I have loved actress and comedienne Dawn French for years. (The Vicar of Dibley still makes me laugh) I was curious to see if her wonderful sense of humour translated to the written page. No worries - it did... and more.

In A Tiny Bit Marvellous we meet the Battles. And the name is somewhat apropos as battles seem to be the order of the day for this family. Mom Mo is an almost 50 child psychologist. She and daughter Dora (17) can't seem to speak to each other without a war of words igniting. Peter(16) prefers to be known as Oscar, as in Oscar Wilde, who he emulates in both style and syntax. Dad - well he's just Dad. Oh, and the dog - Poo.

Each chapter is told in first person through the eyes of each character. The same event (or affront) is told in their voice and viewpoint, often varying wildly. Each Battle is sorting through their own issues.

French had me laughing from the first few pages. She has captured the voices of these characters perfectly. The language, the tone, the scenarios - all were spot on. Oscar's voice was my favourite. I reread many of his sentences as I enjoyed them so much. But as the book continues, additional layers are added to the narratives, with deeper subjects explored - homosexuality, bullying, infidelity and more. All are handled with wit, candor and a deft touch. I was drawn into each member's narrative, quickly turning pages so I could find out what happened next in each of their spheres.

At first I identified with Mo and empathize with her restlessness. Perhaps because we're of similar age. However by the end of the book, I still respected her decisions, but wasn't overly enthralled with her. Instead it was Oscar who I fell in love with. His unfaltering sense of direction, his heart and his caring endeared him to me. There are two 'quiet' characters that we don't hear much from, but they both have a profound impact on everyone's lives. The first is Dad. The second is Grandmama - her unerring directness and intuition added much to the novel.

French's first novel is an absolute gem. Lots of laughter and real life. It's much more than a tiny bit marvellous!
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3.0 out of 5 stars A Tiny Bit Less than Marvellous Feb 12 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really wanted to like this - I love Dawn French. She makes me giggle wildly just by entering a room and some of skits have left me unable to breathe from laughing so hard (remember her Robin to Jennifer's Batman? Or their hilarious skit about training animals for the movies... ). Unfortunately, I found this book lacking the hilarious....and the ending was pretty predictable. All in all I can't really recommend it.
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