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The Dress Circle
Bobs and Ba live in happy prosperity. They have children, grandchildren and a chain of car repair yards. But on a Caribbean holiday to celebrate Bobs' fiftieth birthday, it becomes clear he is a man with things on his mind. As the gossip starts at the golf club and the kids stop calling, Ba's life is turned upside down. It takes events beyond their control to show Bobs and Ba just what their marriage is made of. That's the thing about courage. Sometimes it shows up in the funniest places.
- GenresFiction
232 pages, Hardcover
First published July 2, 1998
8 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Graham
40 books141 followersLaurie Graham was first published at the advanced age of 40. Gentle comedy is her style. She is the author of seventeen novels, including the best-selling The Future Homemakers of America and its sequel, The Early Birds
Mother of four, grandmother of many, Laurie is married to a New Yorker and lives in County Dublin, Ireland.
You can visit her website, read what she's up to and say hello at http://lauriegraham.com
Mother of four, grandmother of many, Laurie is married to a New Yorker and lives in County Dublin, Ireland.
You can visit her website, read what she's up to and say hello at http://lauriegraham.com
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 20, 2013
This is the first book I’ve read by Laurie Graham and I shall definitely be reading more by this author. Comedy and tragedy are well mixed in the story of Ba and Bobs and their family and friends. The story is narrated by Ba and some might find her ‘voice’ annoying but I found it really conveyed her thoughts and feelings very well.
Family life – red in tooth and claw – but still supportive of its member is brought to life through Ba’s eyes as she tries to grapple with some unexpected revelations about Bobs. I liked the characters in this story and the way their relationships wax and wane through all the things that life throws at them.
If a character speaking ungrammatically is going to grate on you then don’t read the book. Normally bad grammar would niggle me when reading but in this one it is so much Ba’s voice that after a few pages I just didn’t notice it.
Family life – red in tooth and claw – but still supportive of its member is brought to life through Ba’s eyes as she tries to grapple with some unexpected revelations about Bobs. I liked the characters in this story and the way their relationships wax and wane through all the things that life throws at them.
If a character speaking ungrammatically is going to grate on you then don’t read the book. Normally bad grammar would niggle me when reading but in this one it is so much Ba’s voice that after a few pages I just didn’t notice it.
July 17, 2015
4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars because the ending is a bit abrupt.
I have been trying new authors because like all avid readers, I am burned out on my usual reading material. I have been trying new authors from different genres in order to fill in the time before the release of Career of Evil. Laurie Graham is a breath of fresh ink! I love her story on the couple Bob and Ba, their family and friends. I am enthralled by her story writing, the narratives and dialogues. I laugh and I cry while reading this book. This is a really funny book with some serious undertones of marital and family crises. Even though the ending is a bit abrupt, and not everything is nicely wrapped up with a silver bow, I put down the book with a sense of optimism and a heartfelt desire to hug all my loved ones.
I have been trying new authors because like all avid readers, I am burned out on my usual reading material. I have been trying new authors from different genres in order to fill in the time before the release of Career of Evil. Laurie Graham is a breath of fresh ink! I love her story on the couple Bob and Ba, their family and friends. I am enthralled by her story writing, the narratives and dialogues. I laugh and I cry while reading this book. This is a really funny book with some serious undertones of marital and family crises. Even though the ending is a bit abrupt, and not everything is nicely wrapped up with a silver bow, I put down the book with a sense of optimism and a heartfelt desire to hug all my loved ones.
August 2, 2016
Laurie Graham takes a topic that could be tragic, could be sent up à la Les Dawson and treats it both compassionately and humorously. I found the story unsettling to read - just as Ba struggled to come to terms with a non-standard life - and flinched as Graham pulled out for courteous examination all my hidden prejudices - and made me smile (and re-assess things) as she did so.
I don't think I could easily read this again, but it is distinctly good.
I don't think I could easily read this again, but it is distinctly good.
December 16, 2013
I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book as much other Laurie Graham books I have read but the descriptions certainly didn't do it justice. A very moving book covering cross dressing, child leukaemia and growing old...emotionally perfect with some fantastic little insights into life.
July 17, 2016
I do love Laurie Graham's books and this is one of her early ones. A wonderful funny book but does have some sad bits.
Back Cover Blurb:
Bobs and Ba live in happy prosperity. They have children, grandchildren and a chain of car repair yards. But on a Caribbean holiday to celebrate Bob's fiftieth birthday it becomes clear he is a man with things on his mind. Has he found a younger woman? Has he bought another useless race horse? And whats the terrible secret in the cupboard behind his pool table?
As the gossip starts at the golf club and the kids stop calling, Ba's life is turned upside down. It takes events beyond their control to show Bobs and Ba just what their marriage is made of. That's the thing about courage. Sometimes it shows up in the funniest places.
Back Cover Blurb:
Bobs and Ba live in happy prosperity. They have children, grandchildren and a chain of car repair yards. But on a Caribbean holiday to celebrate Bob's fiftieth birthday it becomes clear he is a man with things on his mind. Has he found a younger woman? Has he bought another useless race horse? And whats the terrible secret in the cupboard behind his pool table?
As the gossip starts at the golf club and the kids stop calling, Ba's life is turned upside down. It takes events beyond their control to show Bobs and Ba just what their marriage is made of. That's the thing about courage. Sometimes it shows up in the funniest places.
July 29, 2015
The quote by Wendy Holden on the back of this book says "The kind of book you stay awake far later than you should do reading, only to wake bleary-eyed the next day thinking of the time when you can pick it up again" and I think this is very true.
This is my first Laurie Graham book and will definitely be going back for more. I felt within a few pages I knew the characters and had known them for years. The way it is written makes you feel like you are there living the events, highs and lows of family life with them! This book takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions just like life whilst letting you escape into somebody else's life.
This is my first Laurie Graham book and will definitely be going back for more. I felt within a few pages I knew the characters and had known them for years. The way it is written makes you feel like you are there living the events, highs and lows of family life with them! This book takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions just like life whilst letting you escape into somebody else's life.
November 12, 2018
A book that explores the complexity of family interactions with brutal frankness and outcomes. It challenges the role of each person in a close relationship and exposes their individual secrets and the value placed on them. While at the same time showing how shallow human relationships can be once the secret is exposed. So that despite have been aware of her husbands transvestism for many years her fidelity to him is tested and smashed when the secret is made known. The narrative does not pretend to be other than it is a simple story of betrayal and loss, using the vehicles of marriage, transvestism, children's expectations of their parents and lost friendships.
November 14, 2012
Whenever I see a book by Laurie Graham I pounce on it as I know from past reading experiences that I will thoroughly enjoy it and the Dress Circle is no exception. It is a fun book with some serious undertones about Ba and Bobs facing up to getting older, a seriously ill grandchild and mostly how to handle the huge issue of a husband who reveals a big secret that he has been harbouring for years. A recommended read.
February 16, 2015
It took a page or to to get into as I had expected something on the lines of theatre or opera and it was a complete surprise! It's a quirky very English story, and I felt really drawn in to the lives of the characters and was sorry when I reached the end.
Laurie Graham has a great skill in how she ends a book, an area which many authors seem to struggle with. It is clearly the end of that story but she leaves enough leeway that you can, if you care to, imagine another chapter or two.
Laurie Graham has a great skill in how she ends a book, an area which many authors seem to struggle with. It is clearly the end of that story but she leaves enough leeway that you can, if you care to, imagine another chapter or two.
October 6, 2014
Another wonderful little book by Laurie Graham. Like Dog Days, it's really a character study first and foremost, and once again that character jumps straight off the page.
I wasn't sure if I liked Ba at first, but I warmed to her as I continued reading. I can't talk about the story without giving the game away, but it was a great read.
I wasn't sure if I liked Ba at first, but I warmed to her as I continued reading. I can't talk about the story without giving the game away, but it was a great read.
August 22, 2013
One of my favourite ever books, and I have read a few over the years. Laurie Graham never disappoints me and I love this story in particular.
January 7, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyed
March 20, 2015
Bliss. Always a pleasure. A too quick and easy read but packed full of life and love.
January 24, 2025
Bobs and Ba live in happy prosperity. They began with nothing, but now they have a successful chain of car repair yards. Bobs has even bought a racehorse! But on a Caribbean holiday to celebrate Bobs' fiftieth birthday, it becomes clear he is a man with things on his mind.
Has he found a younger woman? The receipt in his pocket from Sasha Lingerie is pretty damning. And what's the terrible secret in the cupboard behind his pool table?
As the gossip starts at the golf club and the kids stop calling, Ba's life is turned upside down. What's more, her daughter Melody is getting married and everyone's nerves are in shreds. It takes events beyond their control to show Bobs and Ba just what their marriage is made of.
My Thoughts:
This is the second time I have read this book, both times being for book group. I found this book really funny just as funny second time around as I did the first. It does have serious undertones along with the laughs.
The story is told from the narrative of Barbara. I found her very chatty and felt like I was right next to her in the kitchen having a cuppa and a biscuit. She has a lot going on in her normal everyday life. Suddenly her grand daughter is struck ill with leukaemia and then to top it all off she finds out her husband Bobs is a cross dresser.
This book for me was about putting things in priority. Barbara seemed to cope very well and did put her grand daughter first and worried about Bobs later. I personally don’t know what I would have done if it had been my husband.
The book I felt was very down to earth with realistic characters. It also had a local interest for me as it was set in the West Midlands with places mentioned which I know very well.
A very pleasing read and I would recommend it for a laugh, but it does have some sad moments.
Has he found a younger woman? The receipt in his pocket from Sasha Lingerie is pretty damning. And what's the terrible secret in the cupboard behind his pool table?
As the gossip starts at the golf club and the kids stop calling, Ba's life is turned upside down. What's more, her daughter Melody is getting married and everyone's nerves are in shreds. It takes events beyond their control to show Bobs and Ba just what their marriage is made of.
My Thoughts:
This is the second time I have read this book, both times being for book group. I found this book really funny just as funny second time around as I did the first. It does have serious undertones along with the laughs.
The story is told from the narrative of Barbara. I found her very chatty and felt like I was right next to her in the kitchen having a cuppa and a biscuit. She has a lot going on in her normal everyday life. Suddenly her grand daughter is struck ill with leukaemia and then to top it all off she finds out her husband Bobs is a cross dresser.
This book for me was about putting things in priority. Barbara seemed to cope very well and did put her grand daughter first and worried about Bobs later. I personally don’t know what I would have done if it had been my husband.
The book I felt was very down to earth with realistic characters. It also had a local interest for me as it was set in the West Midlands with places mentioned which I know very well.
A very pleasing read and I would recommend it for a laugh, but it does have some sad moments.
November 5, 2023
First time reading this author's very unusual style. Amusing to me as I'm from Birmingham and could hear, imagine quite a lot of it perhaps back in the 80's!
I wouldn't say I loved it but it was quirky and whilst filling a gap as I waited for a reservation from the library I would try another by Laurie Graham in the future
I wouldn't say I loved it but it was quirky and whilst filling a gap as I waited for a reservation from the library I would try another by Laurie Graham in the future
February 11, 2022
I've liked Laurie Graham books previously, but haven't read one for ages. This story has family relationships, childhood illness and cross dressing as the main themes. It's an interesting read, moving in places and comic in others.
February 15, 2022
Personally, not the best of this authors in my mind
October 3, 2009
Bob is 50, a sucessful businessman but has a secret. I loved this book, cared for the characters and could picture the events as they were desctibed so well. An added bonus are references to the Midlands (Rowley Warley and Birmingham).
We haved the thrill of the races, the humour of cross dressing and the heartache of illness.
Ultimately this is an uplifting book of moving on and coming to terms with change. Deals with the fall out and reactions of family and friends in a honest and humerous way.
An easy read not too demanding
We haved the thrill of the races, the humour of cross dressing and the heartache of illness.
Ultimately this is an uplifting book of moving on and coming to terms with change. Deals with the fall out and reactions of family and friends in a honest and humerous way.
An easy read not too demanding
Want to read
December 26, 2010Was given this book twice in the same year as a fun read, so it should be good??
August 4, 2011
This book is fantastic. Touching and amusing.
September 8, 2012
short and sweet but enjoyable
April 30, 2015
Possibly counts as a funny book - bits were very funny but bits were also sad / moving.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews