Mad Elaine

by Helen Stevenson

On the face of it, Madelaine is a dumpy, dull librarian, respectable, outwardly timid, inwardly enraged, and of no consequence to anyone whatsoever. That is, until a mysterious would-be novelist enters her life and turns her world upside down.

Genres: Fiction

235 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Shawna (endemictoearth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first 3/5 of this book. The character's voice is great, and I think comparisons with Alan Bennett are pretty accurate. And, like Bennett's work, things take a bit of a turn, well, quite a big turn. This book was very compelling, and though the ending was strange and unexpected, it didn't lessen my enjoyment of the first part. I didn't fell let down by it, let's just say that.

I'm going to give the book 4 stars, though it's really more of a 3.5 book for me. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but there's a lot to like, especially if you favor quirky books with singular narrators.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very bizarre and a the ending was a clunker for me.

[Samantha Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was usual