Life in the Palace

by Carol Birch

Kinnaird Buildings, a tenement block in Waterloo, was once quality. Now ancient and blackened, it houses a fringe community of the feckless, the light-fingered, the addicted, who ignore the thuds and screams, and try to patch something together out of the rags and tatters of their lives. At the centre are Judy, resting from emotional entanglements with men, attempting to resist romantic, wayward Jimmy Raffo; and Loretta, fighting poverty and the brutality of her surroundings.

Genres: Fiction

228 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 1988

About the author

Carol Birch is the author of eleven previous novels, including Turn Again Home, which was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize, and Jamrach’s Menagerie, which was a Man Booker Prize finalist and long-listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction and the London Book Award.

Reviews

[Tom Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

a favorite author, this will be my sixth Carol Birch book, 4 stars is just a guess, at page 43 the read so far is excellent - / page 87 of 248, stopped reading, writing is above average but the story, about losers, is not keeping my interest, if the characters were people in my life I would be shutting them out, and so I am. Curious about her earliest effort as Carol Birch did become a complete writer. A for writing, D for story. Not a page turner.

[Firdos Alam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible—I literally cried when Loretta died. I had seen some really bad reviews before reading it, but let me tell you the truth: this book isn’t for everyone. It’s for those who are ready for a reality check, not for people who prefer living in delusion. If you can't accept harsh realities, don’t pick this up. But if you want an unflinching look at everyday people and the struggles of the poor—people with no direction or purpose—then this is for you.
Since smut seems to be more popular in this generation, I don’t think many are craving a reality check. To be honest, I hadn’t even heard of Carol Birch until I found this book at a thrift store in July 2024. And now, every single character is living in my head, rent-free. The writing was absolutely stunning, and the story? If I could give it infinity stars, I would.
After reading, I started worrying about the author’s mental health, wondering how she managed to capture human emotions in such a powerful, gut-wrenching way.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the writing but this is effectively misery from beginning to end so not really a book for an uplifting light hearted or entertaining read. There seemed to be something biographical about it, people and circumstances just a little too real to be entirely fictional. Mercifully Carol Birch kept the brilliant skills as a writer and moved on to other themes as this is definitely not subject matter to be explored in another tale. It reminded me a bit of Jon McGregor's 'Even the Dogs', another brilliant writer whose exploration of the reality of some people's lives is just a little too real to be comfortable. This was not a book that I enjoyed reading but the talent of the writer made it more than bearable.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty relentless tale of the underclasses, poor, uneducated, lacking role models, addicted (drink, drug, bad relationships) and lacking any real hope for an improved future - though that doesnt stop them dreaming! Not a lot of laughs here although I have seen it described as having dark humour. You kind of hope these people will turn things around but are not surprised when it doesnt work out.

[Christine Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Carol Birch but I didn't enjoy this one as much as her other novels. I think this one was a bit too much 'life in the raw' for me.
I had quite a bit of trouble keeping track of who was who and their interacting relationships