THE SCHOOL RUN.

THE SCHOOL RUN by SOPHIE KING.

Meet seven very different women - all on the same route to school.

Home loving Harriet is wondering whether her marriage is on - or off.
Widower Nick is struggling to cope with his troublesome teenage daughter.
Working mum Pippa is waiting for some potentially devastating hospital results.
School teacher Kitty has accepted a bet to find a man in a week.
Step-mum Evie has to save her career - and find her missing husband.
French Au pair Martine is about to run off with a married man.
Distraught Betty watches by the roadside for the driver who hit her son ...

Little do they know that over the course of one week the school run will have become a collision course, connecting their lives in more ways than one.

..... From the back cover.

First Sentence: The phone!

Memorable moment: My precious daughter,
I hope you are well and that your employers are not giving you so much work now. The children sound horrible but I have heard that the English abuse their children with artificial drinks and television.

What I would call a light and fluffy read. To be honest there wasn't really much to The School Run though it was enjoyable enough.

Not having children and being unable to drive I've never actually experienced the so-called school run for myself and I must say, if the book paints an accurate picture of what it's like, I'm not missing out on anything.

Story-wise. As I said light and fluffy. With some of life's major events being skimmed over, there is nothing at all heavy going about this read.

Character-wise - On the whole not very well written, stereotypical and not well rounded. Apart from the exception of 2 (maybe 3) of the main characters, Nick, Kitty and, perhaps, Betty whose story I felt could have been dealt with in a different, more thorough way, I found them to be not particularly likable and as for the children? There was only Nick's daughter, Julie who was portrayed as anywhere near a decent human being. I know the rest of the children had 'issues' to deal with (as did Julie) but how's this for beastly?

"No, Mum, I said I wanted a Croatian Au pair. Not another French one. I bet he can't even play football. Look at his picture - he's a real prat with those sticky-out ears and goofy grin. And turn off the radio. I don't care if you're on Desert Island Discs next week. I want to hear MY music. If you don't do what I say, I'll get my stutter again."

MY RATING: 2.5 out of a possible 5.