ACCORDING TO YES.

 ACCORDING TO YES by DAWN FRENCH.

Manhattan's Upper East Side has its own rigid code of behaviour. It's a code strictly adhered to by the Wilder-Bingham family.

Emotional displays - unacceptable.

Unruly behaviour - definitely not welcome.

Fun - no thanks.

This is Glenn Wilder-Bingham's kingdom. A beautifully displayed impeccably edited fortress of restraint.

So when Rosie Kitto, an eccentric thirty-eight-year-old primary school teacher from England, bounces into their lives with a secret sorrow and a heart as big as the city, nobody realises that she hasn't read the rule book.

After a lifetime of saying no, what happens when everyone starts saying ... yes? ... Back Cover Blurb

Fifty-seven. ... First Sentence, Part One: Tested

Mr West does as he is told, and in an instant, all swagger is vanquished. Mr West who would love everyone to believe he is a powerful and scary gangta man, is in fact a naughty boy who can't fake it in front of the judge before him, and even worse, his momma behind. ... Memorable Moment, Page 172

Why oh why oh why do I keep subjecting myself to books written by stand-up comics, comedy actors when I have yet to find one who can tell a good story let alone a particularly humorous one? 

OK, I get it, as with all things in life, 'funny' is all a matter of personal taste as, for that matter, is what constitutes a 'good' book; something I'd urge anyone reading my thoughts on this book to bear in mind.

The absurd plot poorly if at all thought through, the writing what I can only think to describe as shambolic, the characters, the characters, oh dear! 

Caricatures, each and every one of them; I can't help but think if I'd perhaps been more accepting of this from the off I might well have fared better but, as it is, I'm afraid at best I found the characters irritating. 

 

Certainly no Mary Poppins, primary school teacher come nanny Rosie {in ways an embodiment of the author herself; those familiar with Dawn French will recognise the actor/comedienne turned writer's quirky turn of phrase in Rosie} literally squelches into the home and lives of the Wilder-Bingham family only to find herself pregnant with a much longed for baby. Only problem being who is the father; {spoiler alert, scroll over text to hi-light} the 18 year old virgin son, his 40 year old father who at the time is confused with his sexuality OR his 80 year old grandfather? ... as I said, she's no Mary Poppins and the Wilder-Bingham's most certainly aren't no Bank's family. 

Ah yes, the token 'sexually confused, oh, wait a minute, I'm actually gay', character in the novel ... what a waste; two dimensional, tormented by their sexuality. I'm sorry but, longing for a gay character who actually celebrates their sexuality, I'm sooo bored by gay characters being portrayed in this way 🥱 

I've said it before and I'll no doubt say it again, I don't have to 'like' a character {in fact some of my favourite characters have been totally unlikable} but I do have to find them enjoyable or interesting and I'm afraid I just didn't find any of these characters either of these things. The only one who came anywhere close being Glenn who, the only one to have the slightest misgiving about Rosie having sex with just about every one of the male Wilder-Bingham's {did I mention According To Yes was saturated with sex?}, was portrayed as something of a villain 😠

The only remotely positive thing I can say about the novel ... Rosie was a plus-size, sex positive English woman. Its just a shame that, as with all of the others, so much, too much, of the character is based on outdated stereotypes