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Spinning Around
Slowly losing her grip on sanity, while dealing with two children, her part-time job, and home renovations, Helen discovers that her husband might be having an affair and hires a sexy private investigator to find the truth, in this rollicking look at marriage, trust, and what really matters in life. Original. 30,000 first printing.
- GenresChick LitContemporary
247 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Catherine Jinks
62 books543 followersCatherine Jinks is the Australian author of more than thirty books for all ages. She has garnered many awards, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award(three times), the Victorian Premier’s Award, the Aurealis Award for Science Fiction, the Australian Ibby Award, and the Davitt Award for Crime Fiction. Her work has been published in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and Thailand.
Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.
From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.
She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.
Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.
Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin
Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.
From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.
She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.
Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.
Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 3, 2022
Wicked and depressing. Anyone with an experience of caretaking (the kids, the sick, the elderly) will attest to it being truer to life than most lit. Ah....
August 31, 2010
This is pretty much the stupidest book on the planet. That's about all I can say.
March 5, 2012
A terrible, predictable bore.
September 1, 2016
I was a bit disappointed in this book as the characters were all annoying and the story just seemed to drag on
December 17, 2018
Couldn’t bother finishing the book. The whole book was her struggling with her mommy life and trying to ask her husband if he is really cheating on her till the end where she builds the courage to say something,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2021
That was... That was a lot. Those certainly were all words.
Surprisingly humourous, and if I didn't have anxiety before I probably do now.
Surprisingly humourous, and if I didn't have anxiety before I probably do now.
February 9, 2013
I skipped a lot of this book and I really didn't find the rest of it too interesting - a shame because I have enjoyed the other Catherine Jinks' books I've read.
A mother of 2 bemoans the loss of her manicure, figure, bank balance, and sexy boyfriend. Then she bemoans being a mother of 2, the band-aids on her hands, her weight gain, her messy house and the fact that her sexy boyfriend is now her husband. Some people are never happy.
Along the way we meet a 'perfect mother', a corporate embezzler, a sleazy private detective, and the result of her husband's moment of youthful madness.
It does have a happy ending tho. I read that bit.
A mother of 2 bemoans the loss of her manicure, figure, bank balance, and sexy boyfriend. Then she bemoans being a mother of 2, the band-aids on her hands, her weight gain, her messy house and the fact that her sexy boyfriend is now her husband. Some people are never happy.
Along the way we meet a 'perfect mother', a corporate embezzler, a sleazy private detective, and the result of her husband's moment of youthful madness.
It does have a happy ending tho. I read that bit.
July 9, 2013
Not bad for a grab from the bin at the dollar store. I think I picked it up because it met one of the requirements of a reading challenge - one I apparently did not complete as this has been in the pile for ages.
Nothing truly compelling, but not so bad I had to plug my nose to finish it! Helen apparently needed a good wake up call - to recognize all the wonderful things she had. Matt needed a good shake and a reminder to communicate with his family!
The resolution could have covered a few more pages, with all the lead up it would have been nice to take time with toeing up the ends. The book ended too quickly and too neatly, but all in all a fair read.
Nothing truly compelling, but not so bad I had to plug my nose to finish it! Helen apparently needed a good wake up call - to recognize all the wonderful things she had. Matt needed a good shake and a reminder to communicate with his family!
The resolution could have covered a few more pages, with all the lead up it would have been nice to take time with toeing up the ends. The book ended too quickly and too neatly, but all in all a fair read.
September 27, 2012
This was actually a decent Chick Lit book. I didn't feel that it was overwhelmingly similar to other books I have read in that genre (I hate when I start one and say, "Geez did I already read this, or was it another book just the same?") It was first person; she was likable. the plot was decent, if not better to describe as a real situation, not super far-fetched, as I have once again read in the past. I bought it for $.10 so I can't complain!
August 3, 2014
Light frothy, absorbing and fun, but I thought the structure went a bit wonky at the end. Enjoyed it very much though. and was genuinely worried for the narrator even though sometimes her voice was a bit shrill. All about early motherhood and its slings and arrows.
November 12, 2008
It was a'iiight. A bit forgetable.
August 12, 2012
OMG this was painful to read. I guess thats what you get for paying $1.29 or so for it. This book just dragged on!
August 3, 2012
I picked up the book at a flea market for a quarter. I read 3 pages and grew bored. So I headed to Goodreads to see if I should continue. Thanks for saving my time everyone!
April 30, 2013
From the description I thought it would be quite nice and funny, but it turned out to be predictable and boring. It went on and on and on but nothing really happened in the end.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews