When I read this comment on Oh My God, What a Complete Ainsling, I had to be on the Blog Tour:
“There aren’t enough words for how much I love it. It’s
feckin’ HILAIRE and very touching” MARIAN KEYES
It has been dubbed ‘The Irish Bridget
Jones’, and is already a huge sensation in Ireland - the Number One
bestselling adult fiction title of 2017 in the country. Now it is coming to the UK and is soon set to be made into a major film by the producers
of Room and The Lobster.
Intrigued? Here is a little about the book:
Aisling is twenty -eight and still lives at home with her
parents. She loves a drink (always served on a coaster, she's not an animal).
She thinks whoever invented the shirt/jumper combination - the schumper - is a
fashion genius. She'd rather die than miss a free hotel breakfast. In short,
she's a complete Aisling.
Her boyfriend John is a bit of a ride, but after seven years
Aisling wants more than two nights a week at his place. She wants to be able to
answer the question 'When's it your turn?' by flashing a ring on her finger.
Until a week in Tenerife with John ends in a break-up, and
she surprises everyone by deciding it's time to move on, and introduce the Big
Smoke of Dublin to the ways of the complete
Aisling . . .
If you are not too sure what exactly is meant by an 'Ainsling', here's a little quiz to find out 'How Ainsling are You?'
HOW MUCH OF AN AISLING ARE YOU?
Do you own a red fascinator (25% off at Coast and goes with
everything) Perfect for wedding season?
Have you ever had a sit down in the toilets to take a little
breather from your control tights?
Are you sensible enough to be trusted with the key to the
office stationary cupboard?
A good pair of dangly earrings can jazz up any outfit. True
or False.
You have never dyed your hair, gotten a car parking ticket,
turned up late for work or taken narcotics.
You know the Weight Watchers points in a Snickers (12) and a
Curly Wurly (3)
Do you love an inspirational quote on Facebook: ‘The
Comeback is Always Stronger Than The Setback’ ‘Don’t Call It A Dream, Call It A
Plan’ ‘If Opportunity Doesn’t Knock, Build A Door’ ?
You would NEVER use a brillo-pad on your brand new non-stick
frying pan.
My Thoughts
I have to admit that this book was not an immediate success with me. I did struggle to tune in to the humour and had the feeling that somewhere along the line, I was missing something. However, midway through, probably about when Ainsling went to Berlin for a weekend with the girls, I started to cotton on to her character and after that I was hooked into her story and had to keep reading to find out what happened in the end.
There were some very touching moments along the way and Ainsling's relationship with her parents stands out as offering up some genuinely emotional and touching moments. It is a mixture of humorous and sad moments and does leave you thinking what is important in life. Add to that some great subsidiary characters, with their own back stories and you have a lovely summer read.
In short: a genuinely funny read with poignant moments and a dollop of social commentary.
About the Authors
Authors Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen are Aislings. Maybe not complete Aislings but about 42%.
The Aisling character was conceived in their sitting room in 2008, when they
began to observe the many traits, characteristics and quirks of a very
particular type of Irish girl; one they identified around them and one they
identified with.
The Aisling character started as an in-joke between two best
friends on a Facebook group which now boasts over 50,000 followers and
counting.
Thanks to the authors and Jenny Platt of Penguin Random House for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
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