Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
9th out of 23 books
—
5 voters
Hens Dancing
Hilarity and tenderness abound in this novel narrated in pages torn from the diary of one Venetia Summers, a thirty-something divorced mother of three who resides in rural England and is owner of, among other things, controlling shares in her ex-husband’s pet mortuary and numerous pairs of oddly colored Wellingtons.
While Venetia’s life may not be as glamorous as the one s...more
While Venetia’s life may not be as glamorous as the one s...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
April 9th 2002
by Anchor
(first published January 1st 1999)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
493)
It's hard to know where to start reviewing on a book I so absolutely adore as much as "Hens Dancing." I guess I should start by saying that I am not a mother, let alone a single divorced mother of three. That having been said, It had no bearing on my enjoyment of this book. I am extremely British in my sensibilities, and grew up with a lot of the terms and pop culture references mentioned in the book. The fact that Teletubbies are mentioned so frequently really gets me, because in 1999, I had th...more
Having read Summertime, I remembered that I had Hens Dancing on my bookshelf. I was under the impression that I had read it a while ago and planned on rereading it to give myself more context for the events taking place in its sequel. I soon realized that I must have abandoned reading this book instead of actually reading it. This time though, I finished it.
With that in mind, I recognize that you have to be a certain kind of mood or reading phase to enjoy these books. I remember thinking 'so wha...more
With that in mind, I recognize that you have to be a certain kind of mood or reading phase to enjoy these books. I remember thinking 'so wha...more
I found Barker's "Summertime" on the shelf at the library and adored the novel. Because I liked that book so much, I checked out Barker's other novel, "Hens Dancing." It turns out this story preceeds "Summertime." I love this novel even more. Venetia (the heroine) is absolutely lovable and has the greatest insights to motherhood and life in general. I think you really need to be a mother to truly appreciate the humor and truth found in the novel. If you do read this book, check out a Georgette H...more
view 2 comments
This book made me laugh outloud repeatedly. And I'm not British, a divorce, or a mother of three kids! Pure fun.
Diary of a Brit, a la Bridget Jones, but this narrator is a recently divorced mum of three, living in the country. It's a cute story, but lacks much of a plot, just meandering through her year. The shortfall of this type of novel is that you have to patch together the story from the bits and pieces that the narrator gives you. It wouldn't be logical for her to give sweeping descriptions of her home for example, or detailed narrative of her past, because one doesn't write that in a journal. I had...more
Hens Dancing was a fun book to read. The characters are hilarious and my favorite was "The Beauty", Venetia Summers' baby daughter. It is about life in the English countryside. Venetia and Children have lots of funny adventures. Venetia learns in the end that life can go on and she can take care of her family with a little help from her friends after her husband leaves her for "The Midget". Sprinkled with hilarious incidents and a few odd characters, it was an enjoyable book.
Apr 22, 2008
Nicole
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
gardening mothers
Shelves:
british-chick-lit,
gardening-theme
Bridget Jones in the country as dirt doyenne. The character records her life in diary entries in first person but drops her personal pronoun. Will not belabor the point but seems odd at first go. Become a just divorced parent, cope with three children, a dog, a cat, and several farm animals plus a large garden to keep active.
Some parts are lively and well portrayed but some episodes seem like they were grafted on. The story portrayal is often as chaotic as the characters lives. The one consiste...more
Some parts are lively and well portrayed but some episodes seem like they were grafted on. The story portrayal is often as chaotic as the characters lives. The one consiste...more
Venetia Summers future seemed set when she abandoned her life in London for marriage and a new life in the countryside. But that was ten years ago, before her husband left her and their three children for his masseuse. Left with no particular skills and living in the sticks, Venetia keeps a blog-like journal as she uses her wit and resourcefulness to keep her lopsided family together.
Hmmmm...nothing here that held my attention. I couldn't connect with the main character, her method of mothering or lack thereof, her chaotic house and lifestyle. I have too many great books waiting to be read, so after reading nearly half of the book, I had a reality check and realized this was not my cup of tea. I had high hopes for this story, however it fell far short of what I need to keep me engaged.
I really enjoyed it. It is sweet but not saccharine. Instead it is quirky, funny, irreverent and truthful about what it is to be a mother and a woman. It is also British which makes it much funnier than American books usually are. I was often laughing while I read this and I cried too.
quirky, tough, vulnerable, goofy, so-real-&-fun Venetia is a single mother in rural England. I may move there myself, adopt a couple of adorable cockney orphans, raise some chickens, buy some wellis, and live the dream. (I've read this 3 times already, and have no plans to stop.) Put on a kettle.
This is one of those books that I read again every year or so. I fell in love with the child known only as "the beauty" and the funny, blithe tone of her harried mother, who tries in vain to keep some glamor in her life while chasing children and chickens throught the British countryside.
If you liked Bridget Jones' Diary, then you'll love this. Also told in diary form, it is the story of a recently divorced mother trying to raise three kids, manage an increasingly chaotic household and keep up with a garden and a menagerie of pets. Light, fun read!
I found this book at the dollar bookstore. Picked it up because of the title. Bought it because of good goodreads rating--and the back cover has a silver-laced wyandotte!
Not good reasons to buy a book.
I can't believe I read the whole thing. Not funny. Main character is a whiney insecure divorcee who likes to buy stuff. She has 2 sons and a bratty daughter ("the Beauty", really). Mom constantly there to help. Not poorly written, just sooooo boring.
Not good reasons to buy a book.
I can't believe I read the whole thing. Not funny. Main character is a whiney insecure divorcee who likes to buy stuff. She has 2 sons and a bratty daughter ("the Beauty", really). Mom constantly there to help. Not poorly written, just sooooo boring.
A JOY. Funny, light and an absolute joy. Even though it resembled my life a bit too closely. Thanks, Kerrie, for passing it along - I am so sorry it took me 8 months to read it!
Hens Dancing was such a charming book to read. I laughed most of the way through the book. I enjoyed the journal entry style of this book. it provided a much more intimate view of the lead character.
The writing is very fun and witty. I love it when a book creates a community of characters that are lively and bright. I want her home and her garden!
A laugh out loud book. I loved it. Garden seasons, mood swings and a wild array of characters, couple of dogs, some chickens etc it was great.
this is, hands down, my all-time favorite book. I laugh out loud every time I read it. I think all of us have an "inner Venetia" somewhere...
LOVED IT - the main character is funny and down-to-earth, a little odd (maybe that's why I could relate to her :))
enjoyable tale of a single mother raising three children in modern times, with a nod to Heyer
Pretty fluffy. I wasn't crazy about it at first, but the book and the heroine grew on me:-).
Why had I never heard of this writer? She's wonderful. This book was a delight.
จากเล่มแปล
ระบำแม่ไก่ หัวใจกุ๊กกุ๊ก ผู้แปล มณฑารัตน์ ทรงเผ่า
สำนักพิมพ์ มติชน
ระบำแม่ไก่ หัวใจกุ๊กกุ๊ก ผู้แปล มณฑารัตน์ ทรงเผ่า
สำนักพิมพ์ มติชน
2.5 stars only because I just couldn't keep track of all the characters and I also didn't love the choppy, journal style writing. Otherwise it was a fun read that captured the life of a frazzled mother of three young children. Oh, how I know that life all too well. Luckily, unlike Venetia, I have a great husband to share the load with.
An ok kind of story where Venetia can't really see what's under her nose.
Very funny.Note to Ms Barker:Write novel about life of Venetia's mum.
Pretty light but not in the mood for her writing style.
Reminded me of Bridget Jones - if she was divorced with children.
Aug 25, 2011
Liz
added it
Read this a long time ago but remember enjoying it.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Raffaella Barker was born in London in 1964 and moved to Norfolk when she was three. Her father, the poet George Barker, had 15 children; she is the oldest of those by the novelist Elspeth Barker.
She spent her childhood in Norfolk sulking and refusing to get dressed, going everywhere in her nightie. She recalls worrying about how to respond at school when asked how many brothers and sisters she h...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
