One Day I Shall Astonish the World

by Stibbe Nina

From the prize-winning author of Reasons to be Cheerful comes a story about the ebb and flow of female friendship over half a lifetime

'A true gift of a novel, I utterly adored it. For as long as I could make it last, the world just felt a bit nicer' Meg Mason

'Stibbe turns out more perfect, sharp, unique sentences than anyone else' Caitlin Moran

'Stibbe has an extraordinary gift' Marian Keyes

'Nina Stibbe makes being funny look easy, but that's just because she's very, very good at it' Clare Chambers
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Susan and Norma have been best friends for years, at first thrust together by force of circumstance (a job at The Pin Cushion, a haberdashery shop in 1990s Leicestershire) and then by force of character (neither being particularly inclined to make friends with anyone else). But now, thirty years later, faced with a husband seeking immortality and Norma out of reach on a wave of professional glory, Susan begins to wonder whether she has made the right choices about life, love, work, and, most importantly, friendship.

Nina Stibbe's new novel is the story of the wonderful and sometimes surprising path of friendship: from its conspiratorial beginnings, along its irritating wrong turns, to its final gratifying destination.
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'Nina Stibbe's very funny novels are full of charm, and her latest brilliantly captures the mordant humour of British suburban life' Evening Standard

'I absolutely loved every single page of it! I honestly think it's the funniest thing she's ever written' Garth Jennings

'I'm not surprised to see that Stibbe's writing has been compared to Jane Austen's' Emma Healey

'I am already longing for Nina Stibbe's next book' Observer

'Stibbe is one of the all-time greats' Daisy Buchanan

'Clever and funny, it takes a sharp look at the intricacies of marriage, friendship, work and driving. As with all Stibbe's writing there is a pleasingly perfect balance of wisdom with jokes' Cathy Rentzenbrink

'Nina Stibbe is not just very funny but absolutely life-affirming' Jenny Colgan

'For beautifully funny and well-observed comic writing, Nina Stibbe is your go-to author. In her latest release, a tale of lifelong friendship between Susan and Norma, she explores the mistakes, rivalries and love we all experience in life' Stylist

'One of the great comic writers of our time' Irish Times

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Adult, British Literature, Realistic Fiction, Humor

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 3, 2022

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nina Stibbe's darkly humorous novel of friendship, and marriage through the decades is set in Leicestershire, and is densely written, capturing the everyday details and ordinariness of life from the 1990s right upto to Covid in the present. It begins with a prologue in which Susan, a PA to the Vice-Chancellor of Rutland University is putting together a newsletter, not easy given the paucity of news. Her husband, Roy, is intent on living forever, the only veg he will eat are baked beans and iceberg lettuce, and he is putting his fingers in his ears when Susan speaks, all of which speaks volumes of the state of her 28 year marriage, and her daughter, Honey, who has come back to live at home, wants her mother to meet with her counsellor. Susan reflects on how she got here, particularly focusing on the highs, lows and pain of her life defining friendship with Norma-Jean Pallou.

Coincidentally, she met Roy at the Two Swans Cafe, he works at the golf club, and Norma on the same day in the 1990s, Norma posing as the manager of The Pin Cushion, a haberdashery store that Susan, a Literature undergraduate, is working at for the summer. Norma has a science background, and is now seeking entry to a more literary university course, and Susan helps her prepare for this. We follow Susan becoming unexpectedly pregnant 7 months into her relationship with Roy, leading to her becoming married and dropping out of university, despite Norma's warnings. Unsurprisingly her relationship with Roy changes dramatically after giving birth, and we observe the various life events through the years, such as the out of blue surprising marriage of Norma to Hugo Pack-Allen, becoming parents, and raising children. Then there is a return to the present to see if Susan manages to make herself become more seen as a person than she has been so far.

Stibbe's novel will no doubt be loved by many, there will be readers who will love the opportunity to immerse themselves in 1990s nostalgia and the culture of the period. The character of Susan, her relationships and her life will resonate for some, and I can dispassionately see that much of the narrative is humorous. However, I failed to connect with any of the characters, and the humour does not work for me, it simply didn't appeal, which made this entertaining read that much more of a laboured experience. Do not let this review put you off reading this, please read other far more positive reviews before deciding whether to read this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

[Brittany (Britt's Book Blurbs)]

DNF @ 23%

The narrative is bogged down with details and isn't going anywhere fast. Stibbe's sense of humour has its moments ( "My husband Roy and I have been at odds, starting when I accidentally called out the VC's name during an unusually playful moment. All I can think is that I somehow got the names 'Roy' and 'Professor Willoughby' muddled." ) but was a lot more miss than hit. After asking myself if this was going anywhere for the third time, I knew it was time to give up.

[Breige · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Day I Shall Astonish the World has Nina Stibbe's trademark writing style all over it: female main character living in the Midlands, full of sharp and witty observations about her ordinary life. The preface of the book starts in November 2019, setting the scene of Susan trying to write the newsletter for her university job, a strained relationship with her husband Roy and her daughter's counsellor wanting to talk to her. The book goes back to 1990, when Susan meets Roy for the first time when she arrives at work to find the door locked and she goes to the cafe instead. When work reopens, she also meets Norma, the haberdashery's owner's daughter, for the first time. The story works it way up to the preface and past it into 2020, charting Susan's relationships with Norma and Roy over the years.

If you like books with big plots and action, this will not be one for you! It spans 30 years and Susan leads a very quiet life. What this mainly focuses on is observations on life and the relationships between the characters, particularly Susan and Norma. They go from very close friends to hardly talking on a personal level, there's some undercurrents of frenemies at times. Norma is almost like a mirror to what Susan's life could have been if marriage and children hadn't haltered her education and career. At times I felt so sorry for Susan, aching for recognition but at times she is very frustrating, especially when she doesn't stand up for herself with Norma.

The pacing was a bit off towards the end, it didn't match the rest of the book, it seemed rushed. I found my interesting waning at times, if the book was slightly shorter I think it would have packed a bigger punch. Overall I did enjoy it, the humour is so uniquely Nina Stibbe and it made me laugh several times. But not as much as some of her other books

[Heather Adores Books]

Audiobook review

The story begins in 1990 and ends in 2020 and follows the 30 year friendship of Susan and Norma.

Although the writing was good, this one wasn't really for me. I chose to stick with it because Joanna Scanlan did a great job narrating and I follow through on my commitments.

I think this will appeal more for those that enjoy reading stories about years long, unlikely friendships. There is covid talk, as well, and I don't care for that since we're still living it.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and the author for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

More reviews here ➡ Heather Adores Books

[Maine Colonial · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of humor in this book if you are into that wry, understated British style. For me, it definitely had its entertaining quirky moments, but they fought with the frustration I felt over Susan allowing Norma (and others) walk all over her for decades.

Norma comes across as a quintessential user, and someone who can’t stand to have her supposed friend, Susan, achieve anything of her own. But Susan ever-so-slowly finds her strength and moves out of Norma’s shadow, with Norma subtly acknowledging Susan’s claim to independence.

I’ve been tempted to read Nina Stibbe before, but this turned out to be my first. I liked it, but its extremely low-key style and pace made me wish I’d tried one of her earlier books first.

[ace :] · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way that Nina Stibbe wrote this book was wonderful. I greatly enjoyed the actual writing, and found the book to be funnier than I originally expected.

Unfortunately, as far as stories go, I found this one to be quite bland. It is, indeed, about the protagonists unlikely friendship with the daughter of her employer, and how their friendship grows and changes.

But I found it to be a story not worth reading. I got half-way through before I realised that I didn't care for any of the characters in anyway shape or form, and certainly not enough to trudge through the rest of the book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK for providing me with an ARC

[Laura McNeal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norma is a terrible friend. And yet Susan cannot stop missing her, competing with her, confiding in her, or forgiving her. That was the most compelling thing about the book for me—the comic treatment of a friendship that starts before marriage and careers and persists almost beyond belief, and yet that also felt true, psychologically—you are never free of those early ties and must grapple with them in some fashion forever.

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Hilarious and full of her usual quips, but with a dark undertone.

[Liv (livreads_) · Rating 2 out of 5]

One Day I Shall Astonish the World begins in the 90s with the story of Susan and her best friend, Norma. It then skips forward to 2020 and we start to learn about Susan’s life now with her husband, Roy, and their daughter, Honey. The story then jumps between past and present day, exploring all the relationships within Susan’s life.

This is definitely a character driven novel, with focus on friendships, relationships and the dynamics within them, so don’t expect to get much of a plot line. Some people really enjoy this kind of novel, however for me I found it really hard to get into and follow properly. I sadly didn’t really connect to any of the characters and the humour that runs throughout wasn’t my kind of vibe.

It reminded me a bit of Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth, so if you enjoyed that or something similar then this one might be for you!

Thank you to @vikingbooksuk for the gifted hardback copy of this book!🤍

[Katy O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

(free review copy) The book showed up in my mailbox from the publisher and although I knew nothing about it, I loved the cover so much that I started reading it immediately. And I have such mixed feeling about it. I almost stopped reading several times because it was unlikeable at that moment, or because the setting and cultural references were so foreign to me despite me having read hundreds of books set in England. But, I kept reading. I kept wanting to know more about Susan (not Norma - I hated Norma) and I really did love her commentary on life and society.

I don’t know anyone I would specifically recommend this book to, but I’m happy I read it and will carry the university setting and Susan’s viewpoints (especially re motherhood) with me for a long time.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. It made me laugh a couple of times and I enjoyed some of the very specific descriptions and observations, but thought it was trying a bit too hard to be a modern-day Barbara Pym.

[Lisa Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I should have read the blurb better for this book, as with the title I was expecting either some coming of age story, or for someone to tire of their dull existence and overhaul their whole life. I'd also seen lots of quotes about how funny this was and was really looking forward to it.

Instead, I listened to the ramblings of a middle aged woman who had made bad choices and ended up with an indifferent husband and a 'best friend' who epitomises the term 'frenemies'. I'd go as far as to say she is emotionally abusive and I hated Sue for putting up with it.

The only interesting character is Honey, and although everyone talks about how wonderful she is, they don't actually seem to understand or like her very much.

I kept waiting for Sue to get a back bone and stand up for herself, do something worthwhile to legitimise the title, but in the end fate takes over and the book splutters to an end. It almost feels as though the author is searching for how to end it, then real life world affairs kick in and give her an out.

It was dull and had I not been reading it to review for Netgalley, I probably would have DNF.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Nina Stibbe’s debut novel, Man at the Helm, laugh-out-loud hilarious all the way through, so I’ve approached her every novel (and the non-fiction) since then with hopes of a repeat experience. Alas, none of her subsequent books has, for me, approached the giddy heights of her first, and this is the most recent in the string of disappointments. I guess I could qualify that a little. While not a laugh-fest, this is a wry and mildly amusing story of a middle-aged woman who has been questioning her life choices, especially when comparing the path her life has taken to that of her friend’s—a “friend” who has always been completely selfish and taken terrible advantage—until a crisis gives her a chance to shine and to reassess how she feels about, well, pretty much everything.

[Sigrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Het eerste boek dat me zo vaak hardop heeft doen lachen.

[Beth Bonini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m such a big fan of Nina Stibbe’s memoir Love, Nina, but for some unexamined reason I had never read any of her fiction. There is the same warm voice in this book - narrated by a middle-aged female protagonist of middle age, presumably not so different from the author herself - and the same appreciation for life’s absurdities, but somehow it just wasn’t as successful at winning me over.

You could say that this is a book about toxic female friendship, but Stibbe is just too good-natured (and in some ways, too superficial in her character development) to make that description stick. When I try to summarise the plot - the complexities of female friendship; two women whose life paths diverge - it gives the book a solidity that it somehow lacks in the experience of reading it.

From the beginning, our narrator Susan and her ‘friend’ Norma are an unlikely pair of besties. Susan is hired to work as an assistant at the Pin Cushion, an old-fashioned haberdashery shop owned by the Pavlous, and she is near to the same age as their daughter Norma. Norma and Susan are both university students, but Norma is considered too special and brilliant to be spending her time selling cloth and buttons; later, with no experience whatsoever, she becomes the shop’s manageress. When they first meet, Norma is studying geology, but she later changes to literature - which happens to be Susan’s area of interest. (There is a good bit of literary banter in this book.) Susan is chatty and friendly, and Norma is aloof and rather haughty. They never particularly hit it off, but somehow they evolve into being “friends” - at least from Susan’s point of view. We never really learn Norma’s point of view, but from her behaviour - which varies between intolerance, dismissiveness and downright unkindness - it seems a dubious sort of friendship. Quite early on, when Susan is feeling abandoned by Norma, her husband Roy states that she doesn’t miss Norma herself, but just the idea of her.

’Norma’s just an illusion.’
I had never known him so perceptive and haven’t since.

Susan marries young, after becoming pregnant with her daughter Honey, and drops out of university in order to become a wife and mother. Norma becomes a professor, and despite marrying more than once is determinedly childless. Both women end up working at the University of Rutland, and when Susan becomes the assistant to the Vice-Chancellor, Norma tops that by marrying him. There is definitely a two-way channel of competitiveness between the two women, and yet Norma is just so opaque in terms of characterisation that she seems like more of a minor character than a major one.

It occurred to me, as I read this book, that I don’t often read comic writers. Stibbe can be very funny, and she always has a light, self-deprecating touch, but despite the charms which are all too often described as “quirky”, there was something about this book that failed to grab me.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the start, I felt the humour was forced, too many scenes where the author was trying to make the reader laugh. But I did warm to Susan and I laughed out loud a few times once we got going, and welled up once.

I groaned towards the end when I realised the time period the novel was going to cover. I’m not ready for covid books yet. The pace of the story really changed, sped up, turning into a day by day diary. It felt a bit rushed towards a witty conclusion, but my annoyance at this is probably just a reflection that I could have happily stayed with Susan for many more pages reading about the mundanities of her life, particularly the interactions with her colleagues.

Not that Susan is altogether likeable. I definitely wanted to throttle her at times, when she needed to grow a backbone. And give Norma a thump. (Although most of Norma’s ‘thumpable’ behaviours are just because we don’t expect woman to behave like that… a bloke behaving that way wouldn’t have been notable).

Enjoyable, bordering on farce at times, but sweet. I’ll happily read another Nina Stibbes.

Thank you Netgalley for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Day I Shall Astonish the World is an extremely amusing novel providing plenty of laughs as it leads through reader through marriage and friendships. This was my first read by Nina Stibbe and I will be making an effort to look out for her stories in future. In this novel Susan and Norma have been best friends for years, meeting in the 1990s at The Pin Cushion, a haberdashery shop in Leicestershire. Now, Susan has been married to Roy Warren for 28 years, and Norma-Jean Pavlou married Hugo Pack-Allen out of the blue, way back. The author's sharp wit and observations make this story for me and she has perfected the balance of humour and heartbreak. Brilliantly crafted and very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin General UK, Viking via NetGalley, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Ritu Bhathal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about a woman, Susan, who works with, and ends up best friends with her employer's daughter Norma.
We are privy to the way their relationship develops, from one of colleagues, to best friends, then colleagues again, with less friendship.
The book is set over several decades, and details the changes in their lives, as their own relationship morphs, ending with the horror of COVID-19.
I want to have liked this more, but unfortunately for me, it was a hard read. I was unable to really get into the swing of the book, and found there was not a proper story arc to it, a definite beginning. middle or end...

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an ARC n exchange for an honest review.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nina Stibbe specializes in quiet, weird characters. This was funny and odd with some pretty sad parts mixed in. It took me a while to get through; it's not the kind of book you're just dying to get back to, but it is a nice tea-and-biscuits kind of novel. The inside flap makes it sound like generic chick lit, which it isn't. It's hard to capture what her deal is exactly, but I like it.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story of an uneven friendship crosses decades as the main character, Susan, reflects on her friend Norma’s success, her own dismal marriage and her relationship with her daughter, and the ups and downs of her own work life. It offers flawed characters, dark humor, and a slowly simmering tale of a woman who is not doing herself any favors by accepting less than she ought. I was often frustrated and made uncomfortable by this main character but felt compelled to keep reading nonetheless, and appreciated the writing and the lessons learned.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of two women. On one hand we have Susan, the dishwater dull protagonist who shows early academic and intellectual promise that she fails to live up to. On the other hand we have Norma, an almost sociopathically independent woman who excels at everything she touches. These two friends meet in their youth when Susan takes a job in the fabric shop owned by Norma's parents. Despite Susan's technical seniority, Norma is made manageress (Susan's/Stibbe's word, not mine) because of her family connection, and this sets the stage for the entirety of their relationship for the next two decades.

It's light, and it's clever, and I think it does a great job of presenting the perceived dichotomy of female choices in an older generation (eg. you can have the baby or the career), and contrasting it with the much more open, not-bound-by-gender nature of the younger generation.

Highlight: the misunderstanding about the name of the turtle leading to a dramatic reveal of parentage that literally no one engages with.
Lowlight: Covid as deus ex machina that finally shakes up the dynamic in Norma and Susan's friendship.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Hachette for the ARC.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Day I Shall Astonish the World is a book that took me a while to get into. We chart the main character Susan’s life in the 1990s through to the present day, as an older woman. We experience alongside her an array of key milestones such as meeting her husband Roy, forming key friendships, and having her first child.

It’s a fairly slow burner of a novel, with humorous parts present – I always think Nina Stibbe’s writing is funny, whatever the subject – but for the first third or so I wasn’t sure whether to continue reading as the story wasn’t grabbing me. However, the more I got to know Susan, the more I wanted to read about her despite not necessarily connecting with her. She is not surrounded by particularly nice people - or perhaps I should say, not the right people for her. Her ‘best friend’ Norma in particular is a tricky character and her husband Roy, though lovely to start with, changes significantly after they have their first child. Though I liked Susan, I didn’t care for most of the other characters.

I found the book a bit poignant and sad at times, as I’m sure is intended. I really like Nina’s writing in general so I continued with this novel and overall I am glad I did, but I much preferred other books I’ve read by this author.

[Sian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did indeed ‘Love Nina’ and also ‘Man at the Helm’ with their laugh-out-loud sharp and witty quips about ordinary life. Sad to say I was not astonished by this novel at all though I recognise that the ‘world’ seems to have rated it far higher than I have. It occasionally drew a small smile but the wry humour I was expecting was not here. I didn’t engage with the main character and found the story of her rather empty life, dull and depressing.

[Ian Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an advance proof link on this title and couldn’t wait to see what Nina was going to do next. It’s quite the departure from her last books and whilst it has her trademark humour and irony, it has a darker, more subversive undertone throughout which I loved. The relationship between the two main characters is key and for anyone with a friendship that has lasted decades it has a lot of recognisable issues which make you laugh and cry.
I don’t want to go into too much detail here because I don’t want to spoil the thrill that everyone else will have when getting their hands on it. I’ll definitely be purchasing, as on first read I wanted to have a highlight pen to mark all the best points and discuss them with friends once I’ve encouraged them to read it too!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I would have DNFed this book about a 30 year old "friendship". None of the characters were likable and it's beyond me why Susan considered Norma a friend. With friendship like this, Susan should have been friendless or attempted to make other friends. The ending was rushed and the ending really wasn't an ending. Do yourself a favor and skip reading this book.

[Matilda Burn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mum palmed this off on me and I read it in a day at the spa. Kind of depressing, kind of funny? Found it fine to read, but the protagonist needs a good slap, as does everyone in the book and I feel like I've read too many "female suburbanite needs a slap" books recently.

Also Marian Keyes loved this book, so really that should tell you everything you need to know!

[Juliette K · Rating 2 out of 5]

My God, another terrible read! This is a prime example of never judge a book by its cover/blurb. On paper, it sounds like it would be a touching and deep exploration of female friendship. And I've heard good things about Nina Stibbe. But it's just so shallow. And pretty depressing. The characters are both unlikable and dull, the worst combination ever. I found the characterisation of Honey cringy and forced, as I felt like Stibbe was trying to push very dry/quirky humour onto the character which fell flat for me. Susan has very depressing and empty relationships with almost everyone in her life. It never felt to me that Norma cared very much for Susan at all. Conflict is inevitable in every close relationship, but Norma and Susan felt very apathetic towards each other. The only positive things I can say is that there a few times I chuckled very lightly and the ending set in the Covid outbreak had some heartwarming moments. It seems many readers share similar feelings to me.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF this book starts out being set in the 1990s but sounds more like the 1950s. Seriously? Were people still routinely buying fabric and making their own clothes in the UK in the 1990s? I just couldn't get past some of the details like that. It just didn't seem believable.

[Christine Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wry humour

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this wasn't exactly a shark-jumping exercise, but it was neither a step in the right direction for this fine comedic author nor a continuation of what's gone before. It's not cheapness nor the Leicester connection that has linked Ms Stibbe with the spirit of Sue Townsend, for there clearly has been a kindred spirit, creating social comedies out of the English Midlands and being hugely successful with it. Here, though, the author seems intent on recreating something a bit more, well, Alan Bennett. Leicester takes a back-seat as a lot of the story is set next door, in and around a town housing a fictional University of Rutland, and whatever real-life moments have inspired this story, there are sections here that want to cram in as many social tics, product references and remembrances as possible. And all to nothing like the comedic effect of before.

The story is also a slightly woolly one, with the narrator discussing both her sort-of best friend and her husband, and how over the decades the two never really gelled, and how she seems slightly besotted with, smitten by and perhaps lusting for her boss at the Uni. (Although to reference a further Leicester author, this is nothing like the Malcolm Bradbury and David Lodge-era campus comedies.) Groan at the references to home-made dresses of the vintage as her Saturday job in a fabric store becomes more important than intended; witness how easy it is for a man to progress through the ranks at the gold club he works at, compared to a woman getting anything like the career and life and friends she wants; read with wonderment at dogging coming to Rutland. Yes, there are some very unusual decisions made by our author here, and I longed for the disguised autobiographies of old. The children might be Stibbe's own here, albeit one is of the wrong gender, but there was a definite lack of the spark seen beforehand in the deep dive into her life and times. When we do find why the book has the title it has, we can only respond to it, in the case of this volume, in the negative. Unlike her other books, this was most unextraordinary, and when it is kind of forced to catch up with modern times at the close (again, to little effect), we are aware again that in her prime Townsend would have nailed the whole topic and diary format with so much more purpose, oomph and brevity.

Barely ever better than a disappointment.