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Moving

Jenny Eclair

4.02 · Rating details · 5,245 ratings · 363 reviews

Edwina Spinner has lived in the same house for over fifty years. It used to be a busy, crowded family home but now Edwina lives alone and it has grown too big for her. She has decided to sell it.

The young estate agent who comes to value the house sees potential. Knock down a few walls, add a wet room. 'People like a project.' But as Edwina takes him from room to room, she ...more

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Paperback, 388 pages

Published July 23rd 2015 by Sphere

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· 5,245 ratings · 363 reviews

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Jul 19, 2015 Elaine rated it it was amazing

I have been aware of Jenny Éclair for years as a comedienne but I have never read any of her books before. I think I had a preconceived notion that I would get a light, fluffy chick lit read with a heroine dripping with sarcasm and, in fact, nothing could have been further from the truth. This is a wonderful read with well drawn, interesting and realistic characters who I really fell for, hook line and sinker. The first I met was Edwina. She has lived in the same house for fifty years and it is ...more

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Feb 08, 2016 Laura rated it it was ok

Shelves: two-star

When its tempting to write a one-word review for a book, the word of choice for this one is 'underwhelming.' Despite its high Goodreads rating, I feel much of this is perhaps due to a slight bias by fans of the author. When I purchased the book, I didn't immediately recognise the writer is the same woman who often appears on daytime women's interest talkshows. She also has a notable career in radio. I ordinarily shy away from celebrity authors, but decided to give Moving a shot nonetheless. As When its tempting to write a one-word review for a book, the word of choice for this one is 'underwhelming.' Despite its high Goodreads rating, I feel much of this is perhaps due to a slight bias by fans of the author. When I purchased the book, I didn't immediately recognise the writer is the same woman who often appears on daytime women's interest talkshows. She also has a notable career in radio. I ordinarily shy away from celebrity authors, but decided to give Moving a shot nonetheless. As it so happens, I doubt I will pick up any other of the authors other novels based upon this one.

It began promising enough, as the reader journey's with Edwina as she attempts to begin the process of selling her huge London home. In doing so, she is reminded of the memories hidden in each room. The first hundred or so pages are devoted to Edwina simply moving through the home with a rather nervous estate agent in tow; chapters are headed by the rooms, which I found a little peculiar.

Very abruptly, the story switches to another protagonist, Fern, and I struggled to see how she fitted into the story. I had somewhat of a soft spot for poor Edwina, who is gradually beginning to lose her marbles, but couldn't empathise with Fern. Maybe its the fact the book is set predominantly in the eighties, maybe its the graphic descriptions of Fern's sex life and drug taking, I'm not sure. Either way, I wasn't keen on Fern's behaviour or her blatant infidelity. The author attempts to paint Fern in a sorrowful light at times, but I wasn't having any of it.

Many of the books supporting characters are very typically middle-class English, but unfortunately this came off as cliched, right from having groceries delivered from Harrods to having high tea at a posh London hotel. Conversely, some of the book is more down-to-earth and set in the slightly less glamorous city of Manchester in grubby student digs.

The author emphasises the changing attitudes typical of the eighties, chiefly attitudes towards homosexuality. I was pleased Fern treated her gay flatmates with indifference at their sexuality, but the author falls into the trap of turning them into sex toy mad lesbians. Sigh.

By the last third of the book, I didn't care much for what happened to any of the lead characters. Having read far past Edwina's story, I had almost forgotten about her. The main storyline is the most underwhelming aspect of the book. I guessed what was happening long before the author made her big reveal.

This is not the worst book I have read this year, but it comes dangerously close. ...more

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Jul 21, 2015 Kim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle, 2015, n, net-galley

Jenny Éclair has a very fresh and interesting writing style and I can’t wait to read more of her books. This one draws you in from the beginning pages.
Edwina decides that her house of the last 50 years is too big for her and calls an estate agent. As he values the house, memories come flooding back for her. Very moving flashbacks from her past are laid out before us. Happy times, moving times, scandalous times. Secrets come pouring out.
We are treated to another couple of points of view- how will ...more

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Jun 15, 2015 Denise rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, netgalley

A fantastic read, with believable characters, this is an amazing story of family secrets and betrayals, Jenny Eclair had me hooked from the start. This is one one of those books where I couldn't wait to read more to find out what became of the characters, but I didn't want the book to end either!
Moving and completely absorbing, this book is really impressive, I'm glad I had the chance to read it and I highly recommended it.
Jenny Eclair is a new author to me and I will certainly be reading more ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Kirstie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club

This is a slow burner. I got to almost half way and thought I wasn’t sure if I’d finish it but I loved it once it picked up pace.
All the characters are very well developed- some you like and some you really don’t like
I think the way it was told from different points of view I just felt Edwinas view at the start was a bit long and could have been shorter!

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Jul 12, 2015 Agi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015

Last year I read Jenny's "Life, Death and Vanilla Slices" and I rated this book with 5 stars, I truly loved this story, it was different and yet felt so very close home, and so I kept my eyes opened on any new release by this author. Almost as soon as my review copy of "Moving" arrived, I started reading it - I was incredibly hooked by the synopsis to this book, and having in mind previous novel, I was sure I am for a real treat again.

And yes, I was right. Even though I can't help thinking that
Last year I read Jenny's "Life, Death and Vanilla Slices" and I rated this book with 5 stars, I truly loved this story, it was different and yet felt so very close home, and so I kept my eyes opened on any new release by this author. Almost as soon as my review copy of "Moving" arrived, I started reading it - I was incredibly hooked by the synopsis to this book, and having in mind previous novel, I was sure I am for a real treat again.

And yes, I was right. Even though I can't help thinking that this story is much more serious than "Life, Death and Vanilla Slices" (although it was also not only bed of roses and fun, fun, fun), the writing style stayed the same, the storytelling interesting, and the plot, even though I have read books about the same idea previously, was fresh, original and it tackled the story from different to all the others angle. Yes, true, there were moments that the novel felt a little flat and too slow, but altogether, the way it was told, the characters, events and surprises defended themselves and "Moving" was intriguing, hooking read.

What I really liked, was the way the novel was built. At the beginning I thought, OK, it is a story of Edwina, but in fact the book was told in parts, and for me it was incredibly interesting to see how the story in fact came full circle and came back to the starting point (the end was brilliant for me. Just brilliant.), and how all the people involved, even though they didn't know it, they had no idea about it, were connected, how the story intertwined their lives without their knowledge. Moreover, as much as there were some things that I could see coming, mostly the story totally took me by surprise and I couldn't be sure what's coming next.

Also, the strength of this book lies in its characters. They are not absolutely, immediately likeable. On the contrary, they are often very unpleasant, they are people that we wouldn't necessarily like as our friends. But in my eyes this is what makes them real characters - they feel totally realistic, three dimensional, they make a lot of mistakes and often they don't learn from those own mistakes, only continue making them again and again. Young girls fell for unsuitable boys, young boys put their interest in inappropriate things, adults stereotype other people and are not able to forgive - quite so are the people in this story. But this made reading much more interesting and the feelings much more realistic.

It is also incredibly genuine and honest image of family relationships, especially the dynamics of the patchwork family. Jenny Eclair has written how it is, she's written it so honestly that there were moments it really hurt, so brutal it was, but I liked it - there was no beating around the bush; no pulling the wool over the reader's eyes, she has perfectly described feelings of all people involved - I only didn't expect the situation to escalate so much, to go as far as it went, but of course the way the plot went didn't bother me at all. This story is full of secrets and the way the author reveals them all is truly exceptional, and also, there are mostly secrets that I didn't expect - and you know how hard it is to surprise me.

The way Edwina told her story was brilliant, it felt as if every room in the house was telling about its own history. She's selling the house that was a witness to so many events, and we learn about her life - starting when she entered the house as a pregnant newlywed, through losing her first husband, raising her children, having second husband, working... I was so deep into Edwina's story that changing it to Fern's felt very abrupt and felt not as a next part, but as if a new book was starting, but soon this feeling was forgotten and I was back on track. Fern's story is set in the 80's, and it is mostly in this part that we get the bigger picture and see how the lives of the characters interweave, even if they don't know about it. And last part is told from Lucas's point of view, a stepson of Edwina, in the present, and even if it was a short part, it was shocking, as Lucas started to reveal his secrets.

This book is moving (pun intended :) ) and really absorbing. The characters are believable and outstanding and it felt as if they were living their own lives. Jenny Eclair has also an incredible writing style, it is dry but also very emotional, it is humorous, but also full of sadness, and she can create amazing characters that we root for, no matter what they do. It is really impressive, gripping read and I couldn't wait to pick the book again - you know, it is this kind of story that you want to read as quickly as possible to see what's going to happen, but on the other hand you don't want to finish - highly recommended!

Copy received from publisher in exchange for a review.
...more

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Apr 10, 2017 Jackie rated it really liked it

Shelves: mobile-library-reading-group

Edwina now lives alone in a family house, it is now much too big for he, she has decided to sell up, and while sorting out her goods and chattels, old memories are stirred up from the past and her family’s stories come back to haunt her.
Edwina is an artist and illustrator, her first husband and father to her twins dies very young in a freak accident on a family holiday, I warmed to her as a character looking back over an eventful life where nothing works out as planned and everything has to be ...more

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Aug 30, 2015 Eileen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

For me there was so much to love here! Reads a quote on the back cover: ‘This house has our blood, sweat, love, laughter and betrayal seeped into its very bones. I might leave this place, but bits of me will remain here, tears soaked deep into the floorboards.’ A compelling generational saga of sorts, Moving begins with the elderly protagonist, Edwina, guiding a young estate agent on a tour of her family home. ‘The house is telling her to go: her allotted time is up, it’s someone else’s turn. ...more

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Dec 30, 2015 Carol rated it really liked it

I don't know what I expected when I chose this to satisfy the category "Written by a celebrity" for my 2016 challenge. I am familiar with JE as a comedienne but not as a novelist.

What a fab fab book told by three people from different perspectives. Edwina, an old lady living alone in a large house where she has raised her family. She realises it is now too large to manage and decides to sell. As she shows the estate agent around the house each room prompts memories of her past and her life in ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Lydia Bailey rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

A really good, absorbing read. Cleverly written and keeps you turning the pages. Overall it has a melancholy feel to it; a journey of wrong roads taken leading to wasted lives. An unlikely hero emerges at the end though. I Enjoyed it - and will look out for other titles by Jenny Elcair.

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Aug 12, 2019 Bob rated it liked it · review of another edition

Really enjoyed this book. The characters were almost perfectly drawn and the writing quality made it such an easy read. Not for the faint-hearted though; there are a few moments which will raise eyebrows with the more conservative types.
Not completely sure about the structure: it's one complete story but told from three different perspectives. As such, it's more like three linked novellas.
The 'betrayal' didn't seem that big a deal to me. Just a comment that was acted upon and resulted in ...more

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Aug 13, 2019 MRS Laurel Dawn Lawson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Lost in the story

The book tell of the life's of Edwina as she proceed to sell her house, but found i got lost in the story when another character appeared and Edwina was put away in the back ground to appeared again at the sad ending

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Jun 29, 2015 Jill's Book Cafe rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

When I got this book I was not sure what to expect. I loved the cover and the synopsis but was also worried that it was written by a comedienne known for her strong, fiesty, opinionated persona. No criticism intended here by the way, I'm a bit like that myself, I just wasn't sure what sort of characters I'd be meeting in the book and how well she writes as opposed to performs. Well for anyone with similar concerns I can say, forget them. The book is very good, the characters all different When I got this book I was not sure what to expect. I loved the cover and the synopsis but was also worried that it was written by a comedienne known for her strong, fiesty, opinionated persona. No criticism intended here by the way, I'm a bit like that myself, I just wasn't sure what sort of characters I'd be meeting in the book and how well she writes as opposed to performs. Well for anyone with similar concerns I can say, forget them. The book is very good, the characters all different (though not necessarily likeable) and I soon stopped thinking about Jenny Eclair and got on with enjoying the book.

The first character we meet is Edwina and she is a delight - I warmed to her straight away. Now elderly and living alone she decides to sell the family home and gets in an estate agent to market the house. As he arrives and go through the house for the first time, Edwina starts to reveal snippets of her life, room by room as the different memories and stories resurface. What we never find out from Edwina is why she has lost contact with her family and what happened in the past that clearly resulted in her current situation.

We gradually discover the secrets of the past and how things changed for Edwina and her family through the stories that follow of parties that were either directly or indirectly involved. These are Fern, Edwina's son's (secret) girlfriend whose story is told in the past and Lucas her godson who tells his story in the present looking back at the past. Fern's is the longer section as her story is contemporary to the main incident in the book that is the catalyst for what happens after. She also has links to all the main characters, though not always in a obvious way.

I really enjoyed the way the book was set up, so that the reveal is spread gradually over the book as the characters reveal their story. The use of different voices means that we see the actions of the other participants from different points of view so our perceptions and views are constantly changing. Especially with the characters who never get to directly speak for themselves. On the surface the story is one of hedonistic rich kids, that one has little sympathy for, yet underneath it is one of growing up, of discovering ones self, of love and ultimately loss. As one might expect from Jenny she pulls no punches with her language at times and can be quite hard hitting but everything was in character and in context so I had no problem with that.

This book is emotional, engaging and absorbing - I happily recommend it.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review. ...more

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May 01, 2016 Jackie Watts rated it really liked it

When I read Life, Death and Vanilla Slices I had no idea what to expect from Jenny Eclair and - although I probably should have realised that a comedienne needs a reasonable degree of insight into the way human beings work - her ability to bring people to life on the page caught me by surprise. This time I was more prepared but I am still impressed by the apparently effortless way she manages to combine humour and tragedy in just the right proportions to make her characters and story utterly ...more

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Jan 05, 2016 Kerrie rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 02, 2019 Mrs. Moira McGeough rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fortunately I didn't know Jenny Eclair is something of a celebrity as it might have put me off . As it is I really enjoyed this book and felt very drawn to Edwina, the character who opens the book. She knows she must leave the large, crumbling house in which she has lived with two husbands and her twin son and daughter. As the memories come flooding back we learn about her life, the tragedies, the joys, the achievements and the failures. It is very easy to relate to Edwina, (especially at my ...more

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Jun 30, 2015 Irene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Book provided by Netgalley and publisher for review. Once again another hit from the wonderful Jenny Eclair! She has such a gift for the spoken word, humorous - well that's a given but she also makes you feel empathy too for even the nastiest of her characters and not many people can do that. So we meet Edwina who has come to the conclusion she can no longer live in her huge house now she's on her own. As she shows the estate agent round the rooms we hear about her life - the sad times and the ...more

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Feb 22, 2019 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-bookshelf

This is the first book I have read by Jenny Eclair ... I’m interested now in reading more! What started as one story with what I thought was the main character ended up going off on a tangent with another.... I didn’t see that coming... but an intriguing story which weaves together the characters. Only thing I didn’t like was that two of the characters had similar names (doesn’t take much to confuse me!) and I felt there was a few loose ends.

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Jan 27, 2018 Margaret Bamford rated it really liked it

A sad novel in places but plenty of laughs. The characters are well written and the story unfolds gradually. A very enjoyable read.

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Nov 18, 2018 Gareth Foy rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I should leave this review a few days - but I always prefer my instant impression. There will be spoilers.

Firstly, I have given it 4 stars largely because I couldn't wait to get back to the book after each session. Even though I pretty much guessed what was going to happen, mostly and broadly, I really wanted to hear it as soon as possible. I'll discuss why I think the author achieved this for me, later.

Secondly, because I'm a long time fan of Eclair the comedienne. I have not read her other ...more

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Jul 26, 2019 Gisela Hafezparast rated it really liked it

Very interesting book by Jenny Éclair, very much around class, women's (especially upper middle class women) place in society, patch-work families and relationship between husband and wife, mother and children and step-children.

I looked Jenny Éclair up as I so far, apart from her first book, only knew her as a British comedian. Turns out she knows what she is talking about as she has a very similar parentage and upbringing as her main character and therefore knows the upper middle class world ...more

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Feb 15, 2016 Sandra rated it really liked it

One of the things really like about this novel, is that one of the key characters, Edwina is in her late seventies. It all starts with Edwina's decision to sell her big crumbling house; as she takes the estate agent to each room, the history of her family (two marriages, twins and a stepson) unfolds. The focus of the third person narrative is split between Edwina, Fern one of her children's contemporaries, and Lucas, her overweight stepson. There is a strong sense of how chance events can have a ...more

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Jul 18, 2019 Elizabeth rated it liked it

Saw this recommended and enjoy JE’s journalist articles. Nicely written, good characters, some of their stories and the ending felt a bit rushed.

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Mar 23, 2016 Lisa Williams rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016

Double meaning of the title didn't strike me until I was quite near the end (opens as Estate Agent looks around a family home)

The story is in three main sections and I loved the first more than the others.

I do find her v readable. Initially picked up expecting comedic romp- I really should read blurbs, not just author names.

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Jan 06, 2016 Sarah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Book club read, I really loved Edwina and fell into the story easily. I was a little disappointed when the book went into Fern's section it seemed to drag a little so I was pleased when it got to the section on Lucas who we'd already had hints on being the twist in the story. Overall good book but could just as easily read a whole book from Edwina's perspective

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Jul 07, 2016 Vivienne rated it really liked it

The story Of Edwina who has lived in her house for over 50 years, but now its too big and old she needs to sell. As she sorts through things she is taken back. so are we to the 60s and all the family dynamics that happened. The characters draw you in and I found it very hard to put down. highly recommend

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Sep 24, 2017 Julie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, humour

As Jenny Eclair is a comedienne I expected this to be a light hearted comedy type novel. Although there are a lot of great funny descriptions the story itself is about a family with lots of troubles and secrets.
I really enjoyed the story and the style of writing. I will definitely be reading her other books.

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Nov 13, 2017 Michael Barnett/Juliet Barnett rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book . It was a good study of characters, relationships and secrets and consequences of people's actions. It was also a trip down memory lane for me as I was at Manchester University from 1979 to 1982 and lived in Lansdowne Road in Didsbury in my second year - the same year that Fern and Charlie were there!

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Jun 18, 2019 Julie Round rated it really liked it

An engrossing family story which was almost two halves. I was involved with Edwina for the first half and did not really connect with Fern and Lucas in the second. The characters were well portrayed with a fascinating contrast between the different classes.

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Feb 09, 2017 Elaine Higgins rated it it was amazing

Brilliant I really enjoyed this. Written from very different perspectives, it's funny and sad a real page turner. I don't particularly find Jenny Eclair funny as a comedian but will definitely read her other books

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About Jenny Eclair

Jenny Eclair

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Jenny Eclair is an English comedian, author and actor. She has appeared on numerous tv shows, most notably Grumpy Old Women, and Loose Women, performed on stage and hosted her own radio shows. She continues to tour her one woman stand up shows throughout the UK and was the first female comic to win The Edinburgh Fringe Perrier Award, in 1995.
She has written three novels, as well as contributed to ...more