Review: A Bit of Mummy Madness
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 23, 2011
So here's the deal-io!  I'm reviewing Amanda Egan's novel, DIARY of a MUMMY MISFIT and the bottom line is you must read it because both she and her novel are both so funny.One word of warning for Americans:  It's very heavy in British humor, so I'm sure I missed a great deal of the laughs and that's unfortunate.  Then again, maybe it was just me.In DIARY of a MUMMY MISFIT, Libby Marchant is determined to do whatever it takes to make sure her son gets accepted into and receives the most prestigious education provided by Manor House Prep School.  Now whether or not Libby and her husband Ned can afford it is another question.Libby Marchant is yummy mummy to her four year-old son, Max.  She doesn't fit in around the vulgar money set meemies (all about me, me, me) at Manor House, but once accepted, she ends up finding an ally in Fenella Hunter-Barnes, a rich down to earth rich mummy with a son in Max's class.  Together they make the competiveness, constant striving for perfection against the mwah mwahs tolerable.  Somehow they are able to navigate the shark-infested school halls where there's a trademark disregard among the parents for anyone but themselves.Libby and Fenella remind me of the characters Patsy and Eddy in the BBC show "Absolutely Fabulous."  They are so over the top, completely flawed and you love to hate them.  They come off the page larger than life and you can't wait to read what they do next.  Libby wakes up in a cold sweat recalling Fenella has volunteered them to oversee the Christmas Fair for 140 children.  "I'll kill Fenella.  She caught me at a weak moment.  I hadn't had any chocolate for two days so I was vulnerable."DIARY OF A MUMMY MISFIT has an entire Prep school full of characters, not to mention all of Libby and Fenella's friends.  There comes a point when one may need to start taking notes to keep up with all the characters and plot lines, but all in all it's great fun.  Like all good chick-lit there are ups and downs, but in the end, everything works out as it should.Amanda is working on another novel and several agents are said to be interested in this one.  You can find her on Twitter, Facebook and she has a wonderful blog, but I wonder ... today I checked it out and Libby was interviewing Amanda... ?So, now the question?  Is Amanda Libby, or Libby Amanda?