Quite Contrary

by Suzannah Dunn

Elizabeth, a young, overworked hospital doctor, gets a phone call from her father late on a Friday night telling her that her mother is dangerously ill. Over the course of the weekend that follows, Elizabeth, on duty as ever and confronting the barely controlled chaos of a busy casualty ward, finds moments to reminisce about her childhood, its joys and its miseries. Past and present are interwoven in a series of vivid tableaux, drawing the reader into an intimate understanding of Elizabeth's life as a whole.

Genres: Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 1991

About the author

Suzannah Dunn was born in London, and grew up in the village of Northaw in Hertfordshire (for Tudor ‘fans’: Northaw Manor was the first married home of Bess Hardwick, in the late 1540s). Having lived in Brighton for nineteen years, she now lives in Shropshire. Her novel about Anne Boleyn (The Queen of Subtleties) was followed by The Sixth Wife, on Katherine Parr, and The Queen's Sorrow, set during the reign of Mary Tudor, ‘Bloody Mary’, England’s first ruling queen. Her forthcoming novel – to be published in hardback in May 2010 – is The Confession of Katherine Howard. Prior to writing about the Tudors, she published five contemporary-set novels and two collections of stories. She has enjoyed many years of giving talks and teaching creative writing (from six weeks as ‘writer in residence’ on the Richard and Judy show, to seven years as Programme Director of Manchester University’s MA in Novel Writing).

Reviews

[Bachyboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is now 18 years old, it hasn't dated and I enjoyed Elizabeth's story. Now a doctor, she looks back on her life as her mother lies seriously ill. There is a freshness to the way she writes; an observant, almost poetic style.

[Annalisa Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stark, sad, lingering story of family relationships and memories. It's a short poetic novel, rich in observation and minutiae. I've returned to this book several times over the years.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much may happen but it was still a really endearing book and an easy in between read

[Sheilina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this short book. With glimpses into the life of a young woman and some of the challenges she faces, both as a daughter and doctor. I enjoyed the writing style immensely. Ms Dunn has a way of engaging the reader with both wit and memorabilia. I look forward to reading further books by her.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this book at a church book sale recently just because it was Suzannah Dunn. I loved Tenterhooks, her beautifully sweet book of short stories, but sadly her full length novel was just not as strong.

It's essentially the story of Elizabeth (who is referred to throughout the novel by a huge array of abbreviations: Betsy, Betty, Lizzie, Lizbeth, Libby etc!) a doctor who is told her mother is sick. That is an accurate description, but it conjures up the wrong image of the book, somehow. It's really the story of four days - Friday to Monday - in Elizabeth's life and a constant stream of remembrances and interjections about her life, her family and her two younger sisters.

There is, well, not a twist exactly, but a moment of surprise at the very end of the novel, but it is one that has been beautifully crafted and aimed towards and is not shocking, but settling, in fact. It underlines the rest of the book and leaves it on a poignant note.

I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this, but if you like contemporary women's fiction, you could do worse. Start with Tenterhooks, though!

[Jayden · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is no doubt the worst book I have ever read in my entire life. I read this 6 years years ago and honestly since then have never encountered a book so bad as this one.
Even to this day I still remember feeling thoroughly cheated by having wasted time enduring reading this book. Time that could have been used on the toilet,watching paint dry or something else 1000 x more constructive.
Some people should just be banned from even writing on paper - to safe the human population

[Tamara Epps · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in an interesting style but didn't seem to have any plot so was easy to get lost in what was actually happening especially as the writing dipped in and out of the past in present tense.

[Drew Pyke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading other reviews of this book comforts me as I thought I was missing something. This is the worst book I have read because of style (difficult to follow) and plot (nothing memorable happens).

[Mew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly good considering the front cover. Moving without being soppy.