Mums on Strike

by Laura Kemp

From the author of Mums Like Us comes a fun, witty novel about what it's like when an ordinary mum has had enough. Perfect for fans of Pedigree Mum and The Mummyfesto . It was just a squashed grape on the kitchen floor. Hardly a reason to get upset, right? But six years of motherhood has left Lisa Stratton feeling like a skivvy. Every morning before she’s opened her eyes, she starts her mental inventory of jobs to do. And just like yesterday, the day before and every day since she became a mum, she’s woken up knackered. So when her husband deliberately steps over the grape because it’s ‘her responsibility’ to run the house, it tips her over the edge. He wasn’t always like this – they used to share everything. Then the kids came along and he saw it as an excuse to sit back. But this time things are going to change. Lisa has made a decision. She’s going on strike…

Genres: Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2014

About the author

Laura Kemp writes tender but hilarious romantic comedies which are unashamed love letters to the everywoman.
Her uplifting message - based on the notion that everything is research apart from the rude bits - is 'You Don't Know How Brilliant You Are!'.
A journalist who has written for The Guardian, The Daily Mail and The Sun amongst others, she is married with a son in Cardiff, where she pretends to be a domestic revolutionary so she doesn't have to do the ironing. Runs to eat crisps and drink wine, adores her mates and loves her dog, Lego and sweary cross-stitch.

What they say about Laura's books...

'Witty, warm and wise with the funniest one-liners - totally loved every page. Laura Kemp delivers another winner' MILLY JOHNSON.

'Warm, funny, sweet *and* spicy, what a fab read' LUCY DIAMOND.

'A warm-hearted, laugh-out-loud story of the things we do (or don't do) in pursuit of love. Sexy, witty and wise, with moments that will steal your heart, prepare to fall for Frankie Green!' MIRANDA DICKINSON.

'Gorgeous! Funny, clever, romantic and real, it's brilliant' Rachael Lucas.

'Read this book while on holiday - and loved it! I would highly recommend!' Rachel Abbott.

'Fun but with real heart' Fabulous Magazine
Fantastically funny - Allison Pearson, I Don't Know How She Does It
Brilliantly funny - Fiona Gibson, Mum on the Run author
Witty, brilliantly written - Fabulous mag
Funny and poignant - The Sun
Funny and gutsy - Sainsbury's mag

Her sixth book Bring Me Sunshine is coming 2019 - ebook in March and paperback in June.
Also published by Orion, A Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness is out now.
Other titles are The Late Blossoming of Frankie Green and Whatever Happened to Vicky Hope's Back Up Man?, with Head of Zeus and Mums Like Us and Mums on Strike, published by Arrow.
She is represented by Lizzy Kremer at David Higham.
For all her book news go to Laura Kemp Books on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheLauraKemp

Reviews

[Tracy Enright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dip into chick lit occasionally when I need something a little lighter than the normal crime thrillers, fantasy and science fiction that I read. It's rare that a book in this genre has hit home as closely as this book has though. This is not a book that focusses on the disastrous love life of a 20-something woman who finds out in the last chapter that the man of her dreams has been with her the whole time, this is the story of a wife and mother who has had enough of being taken for granted and decides to go on strike to show her husband that sharing the load is better for all concerned. This book has real characters who suffer from the same niggling irritations that plague my life and I suspect I'm not alone in that. It also made me think more about how my other half might view our domestic life. I had a bit of insomnia when I picked this up but I don't think I can claim that is the only reason I read this book in one sitting. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this author.

[Rea Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far this year I seem to be reading authors who are new to me, I have read Nicholas Sparks, Louise Mensch, Koren Zailckas and now I have just finished a book by Laura Kemp. I loved the synopsis for Mums on Strike, it sounded like a fun and entertaining read that many women would relate to.

A crushed grape is what finally tips Lisa over the edge. She is fed up of being the only one to do the housework the dinner, taking care of the children as well as holding down a job and yet it seems to be a given that this is her job! Well she has had enough and is now going on strike and so now husband Adam is about to get a shock to the system.

All Lisa wants is for Adam to change his ways and help out with the day to day chores but he is reluctant to agree but soon things begin to get a little out of hand when other women hear what Lisa is doing. Will Lisa get Adam to agree to do half the chores?

There are going to be so many tired and stressful mums who are going to love this book and really relate to Lisa. I don’t have children but even I could relate to her as it is more to do with those pesky lazy husbands who we seem to love but hate! Running alongside Lisa’s story of woes is her best friend Cal and her troubles and also the lovely Mandy and the terrible time she is having with her Italian husband. Adam who is Lisa’s husband was a great character, like a lot of men he took his wife for granted but fair play to him he redeems himself in this book.

The storyline is an easy, light read that has some witty humour ( especially Lisa’s DIY!) but also touches upon some more serious issues. It took me no time at all to read this as it was an easy writing style and the book flowed well. When you think about it the main storyline is rather basic but yet the author manages to create a great read out of it. It is definitely one of those books that because you relate to it so much you can’t help but stand there whilst you are doing the washing up thinking ummm maybe I should strike too!


I enjoyed this book and wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another book by this author. Although I don’t think this will be a book that will stay on my mind, it was a perfect entertaining read that I literally did not put down.

[Luisa Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great fun, and a quick read. I’ve enjoyed all the Laura Kemp books I’ve read so far and this was no exception. If you want something lighthearted and uplifting, with likeable characters and relatable situations, you’ll love this story of mums taking action to reassert their right to be treated as equals instead of skivvies. I liked that it isn’t all one-sided, either - Laura Kemp acknowledges that there’s a certain satisfaction in taking on the martyr role, the husbands are not all villains, and both partners must step up and shoulder the burden of responsibility.
I’ll look forward to reading more by Laura Kemp, as her books always leave me with a smile on my face.

[Kasthuri BV · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun!

[Mary Geraghty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny!!

Loved the characters and their families. The story was very descriptive. I am sure that a lot of women over time, have, or would love to go on strike. 😁

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, nice, relaxed and in some parts funny

[Alu · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's the best thing ever?
Women standing up for women.

what's better than that?
husbands standing up for their wives.

What's even better?
patriarchal and egoistic men turning over a new 🌿

[Agi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Laura Kemp's book but first that I have read. I have "Mums Like Us" on my bookshelf but never came to read it. Yet, it's just a matter of time.

The story is about Lisa, working mum of two children who one day says she is up to her nose being also a housewife, doing everything at home. She feels underestimated, taken for granted by her husband and decides to go on strike from the domestic things. Now it is time for her husband Adam, who has his own firm but s doing nothing at all. And well, flying to their honeymoon they have promised that they will share everything.
Parallel to Lisa's story we get to know her best friend Cal, stay - at - home mum to three children who seem to have no problems at all, and Mandy, married to Sandro, with two children and all but romantic in her marriage.

This book sounded totally innovative to me, while I have read many books about mums and their everyday lives, there was actually no single one of them who has decided to go on strike, no matter how unhappy she was. I must say that there are moments in my life that the idea is very appealing for me.

The idea of this book is so easy and normal, I mean, who would actually think to write about mum going on strike, because we take it for granted, and there are roles that we so easy fall into: house and children are for girls and the rest is for big, hunting boys and nobody should complain. I am not a fighting feminist, I take what I get but reading this book I have done some thinking. I am a stay - at - home, my man is the one winning the bread in the moment, our daughter is almost two years old. He takes care about her so willingly, he goes with her for walks, he stays with her that I can go to do my zumba, he is loving and caring man but... There are moments that I feel like Lisa, underestimated, never hearing thank you, always having to ask if he liked my cupcakes. What I mean, well, it is NOT obvious that I should make those cakes, isn't it? Thinking about doctors, what to buy, what to cook... Why is it me? Because I have, like Lisa, boobs and am a woman? "You do this better", "you know what to do", "how shall I do this"...? Grrrr. One example. Sophie was crying in the night, well, actually it was in the very early morning, the time my husband is getting up to go to work. I have thought, good, he is going to give her her pacifier and I don't have to get up. And what???? Of course he didn't do this, and what I heard later? "I didn't know what I should do". Well, I never...

I don't consider going on a strike but I see Lisa's point. She was a normal, likeable woman, like almost all of us, she wanted to feel appreciated and I totally get it. I liked her from the beginning, she was like my neighbour or a friend, warmed to her immediately and even if I'm not like her - here is all topsy - turvy, often unorganised, I am not stressing about small things like she did - I really could see where all of this strike thing is coming from. She was juggling children, job, husband, work and there came a moment that she said she cannot any more. Believe me, I often have such feeling.
Adam was great. I really can't see my husband coping with the things so patiently like he did, and he did brilliant in my opinion. I would say, thumbs up to him, he had a stressful job and that he played along with Lisa's strike. I personally would have some pangs of conscience doing something like this but like I said, my husband is not so bad. He could only stop searching for things that our out of a sale date and showing them to me again and again.
The other characters were also good but I didn't like them as much as the main heroes. I have very mixed feelings about Cal, she was not so totally my cup of tea, too smug and too posh for my liking, but I felt for Mandy and it was great to see how she developed in the book. Maybe it went a little too easy with Sandro but well, all is well that ends well.

Altogether, I really enjoyed this book. I have read every page with flushed face, turned the pages with curiosity and wanted to know what's going to happen next. I think it was because this book was about me, about normal people and their everyday lives, and actually I have found myself nodding at every turn, knowing the situations, everything was so familiar to me. Laure Kemp showed that one doesn't need to write a book with exaggerated plot, impossible situation and still, this book can be gripping, normal and brilliant read.

I have received a copy of this from publisher in exchange for a review.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa Stratton has been a mother for about six years and she could never have expected the big changes she would have to get used to after becoming a mum. Somehow, she has found herself in a marriage where it is solely her responsibility to keep the house clean, to make sure the kids get to and from birthday parties, and everyone has enough clean clothes to last them through the week. Before the arrival of the children, Lisa and her husband used to take it all on together, as a couple, and she sees no reason why it shouldn’t go back to the way it was. So, Lisa decides there’s only thing for her to do if she wants things to change: a strike.

Even though I’m not (yet) a mum myself, I always love reading novels about motherhood and the challenges that come with it. ‘Mums on Strike’ has an original idea at its core which I thoroughly enjoyed; you often hear about mums who feel there is still a rather old-fashioned idea out there in the world that it is the woman who has to do the ironing and keeping the house clean, instead of this being a team-effort. Laura Kemp used this idea and managed to turn it into a funny and captivating read that focuses on a mum going on strike and forcing her husband to rethink the task division in their home, including the troubles and difficult moments that come with this decision.

Lisa is a lovely heroine and a true example to many female readers, I think. She is strong, ambitious (I really liked how she wants to be a great mother and a wonderful wife, but also an independent woman who has her own dreams and ambitions) and she stands up for her beliefs. Laura Kemp shows both sides of Lisa’s strike; the pro’s and con’s and how it influences everyone around her, including her young children, which is part of what makes this novel good. ‘Mums on Strike’ is an entertaining, funny and feminist read and I wouldn’t be surprised if this will put ideas in the heads of wives and mothers all around the world!

Visit my blog for the entire review and an author interview with Laura Kemp: http://spoonfulofhappyendings.blogspo...

[Kathryn Laceby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes

I loved Mums on Strike. I actually asked for this one from the author and was thrilled to get a copy and then had to wait to read it because of others on my to-read list. When I finally was able to pick it up I whipped through it in a couple of evenings.

This book will make every mother who feels the load of family, work, life to be falling almost entirely on their shoulders, feel validated. I also know a few dads who feel this way on occasion so perhaps it’s not just for the mums out there either! Kemp must have come at this from experience because the details of the minutea were perfect and made me laugh out loud. The squashed grape on the floor was the epitome of the whole problem and she picked at it and made a point of it perfectly.

As much as I loved Lisa I actually loved her husband just as much. I wanted to smack him over the head and I wanted to hug him all at the same time which defines my own marriage to a T. When you decide to start a family, and are lucky enough to have children, the actual running of such an entity creeps up on you until you realise you’re actually organising not only yourself, your kids and your house but sometimes your husband as well. I always struggle with the job of being the stay at home parent in terms of how much around this place is supposed to be my job. If I’m supposed to be raising the children to be happy and productive members of society then how do I end up being the only one cleaning anything and getting grumpier and grumpier as each task mounts up? This cannot possibly be the recipe to creating happy offspring and spouses.

This is a touchy subject in many homes I would imagine but well put on the table in this novel with humour, emotion and reality. All of Kemp’s supporting roles were warm, clearly defined and had purpose. She didn’t leave anything hanging or stick people in for no reason. She ensured that all the people in Lisa’s life were interesting and the plot moved swiftly and didn’t even have any lagging bits! Mums on Strike is an excellent read and I’ll be seeking out other Laura Kemp novels immediately.

[Ingrid Wassenaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Mums on Strike -- clever, thought-provoking conceit and plot, funny down-to-earth writing that every mother will relate to, whatever their taste in literature, and the overall thrust of it, towards a quiet revolution in attitudes to women, mothers, and working mothers in particular was very refreshing. It doesn't shy away from some of the problems its plot throws up -- what DOES it mean for a stay at home mother to go on housework strike? The plot's inspired by Lysistrata, but after that is a completely modern interpretation of love, marriage, housework and freedom. Great stuff.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa and Adam are happily married, but Lisa is getting increasingly fed up of having to do everything around the house as well as all the childcare.

AFter Adam walks around a dropped grape instead of picking it up, thinking thats a woman's job, Lisa snaps and goes on strike.

Slowly word of the strike gets around locally and more women join in.

I was smiling as I read this, as the situations sound so familiar and believable and really well presented.

Loved reading about the friendship between Lisa, Cal and Mandy, as well as their other halves.

I wasn't too keen after reading Laura Kemp's first book, but this is much better and I look forward to future releases by Laura.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, although I'm not a mother (yet!) I could still relate to much of the premise of this book, and that's even with a fair split of housework between my hubby and I. The bit that I struggled with in this book was that all of the characters were quite hard to like. Don't get me wrong, I could empathise a lot with nearly all of them, but each of them were taken a little further than what was needed to make a point. There were a couple weird turns in the story too which kind of left me feeling a little sceptical. Parts of this I enjoyed, other parts were a bit of a miss for me.

[Sylvia Clail · Rating 5 out of 5]

An delightful read. A feminist story of how woman can come together to support each other. Written in a quirky easy to read manner. Am gonna have a look to see if Laura Kemp has any other reads. A new favourite writer for the moment has been found.

[Vanda Szabo · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny book with lot of real situation, real feelings.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

BETTER THan I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and easy read!

[Ann Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very was read. I could really relate to the main character.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Then in the last couple of chapters it seemed to rush to a finish :/

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing and light-hearted - an easy read.

[June Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny story, and I think you Have a very tolerant husband to put this idea into practice

[Louise Marshall-jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book which I found quite mundane and confusing at times although could relate to the main character at times

[Amanda Astbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, light read. I would definitely try more by this author