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Mums on the Run #1
Mums on the Run
MUMS ON THE RUN tells the often hilarious story of two middle-aged women, Pat and Sam, intent on fleeing hearth and home for a blissful, family-free fortnight of drawing and cooking classes – only to end up at leaky old Hartley House. There the ever-resourceful Aunt Biddy is struggling to get her nephew Tom's life back on track by opening his only asset as an idyllic country retreat. Throw in a Polish butler in a Dad's Army uniform, a lovelorn artist, and a succession of oddball guests – and the Mums intent on their run certainly get more than the change they had bargained for!
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2010
About the author
Charlotte Bingham
76 books78 followersThe Honourable Charlotte Mary Thérèse Bingham was born on 29 June 1942 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, England, UK. Her father, John Bingham, the 7th Baron Clanmorris, wrote detective stories and was a secret member of MI5. Her mother, Madeleine Bingham, née Madeleine Mary Ebel, was a playwright. Charlotte first attended a school in London, but from the age of seven to 16, she went to the Priory of Our Lady's Good Counsel school in Haywards Heath. After she left school, she went to stay in Paris with some French aristocrats with the intention of learning French. She had written since she was 10 years old and her first piece of work was a thriller called Death's Ticket. She wrote her humorous autobiography, called Coronet Among the Weeds, when she was 19, and not long before her twentieth birthday a literary agent discovered her celebrating at the Ritz. He was a friend of her parents and he took off the finished manuscript of her autobiography. In 1963, this was published by Heinemanns and was a best seller.
In 1966, Charlotte Bingham's first novel, called Lucinda, was published. This was later adapted into a TV screenplay. In 1972, Coronet Among the Grass, her second autobiography, was published. This talked about the first ten years of her marriage to fellow writer Terence Brady. They couple, who have two children, later adapted Coronet Among the Grass and Coronet Among the Weeds, into the TV sitcom No, Honestly. She and her husband, Terence Brady, wrote three early episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs together, Board Wages, I Dies from Love and Out of the Everywhere. They later wrote an accompanying book called Rose's Story. They also wrote the episodes of Take Three Girls featuring Victoria (Liza Goddard). In the 1970s Brady and Bingham wrote episodes for the TV series Play for Today, Three Comedies of Marriage, Yes, Honestly and Robin's Nest. During the 1980s and 1990s they continued to write for the occasional TV series, and in 1993 adapted Jilly Cooper's novel Riders for the small screen. Since the 1980s she has become a romance novelist. In 1996 she won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.
In 1966, Charlotte Bingham's first novel, called Lucinda, was published. This was later adapted into a TV screenplay. In 1972, Coronet Among the Grass, her second autobiography, was published. This talked about the first ten years of her marriage to fellow writer Terence Brady. They couple, who have two children, later adapted Coronet Among the Grass and Coronet Among the Weeds, into the TV sitcom No, Honestly. She and her husband, Terence Brady, wrote three early episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs together, Board Wages, I Dies from Love and Out of the Everywhere. They later wrote an accompanying book called Rose's Story. They also wrote the episodes of Take Three Girls featuring Victoria (Liza Goddard). In the 1970s Brady and Bingham wrote episodes for the TV series Play for Today, Three Comedies of Marriage, Yes, Honestly and Robin's Nest. During the 1980s and 1990s they continued to write for the occasional TV series, and in 1993 adapted Jilly Cooper's novel Riders for the small screen. Since the 1980s she has become a romance novelist. In 1996 she won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 13, 2021
When Biddy is stuck looking after her 20 year old nephew Tom, she can't wait to get back to her own house in Deeping-on-Sea. But, she can't do that until Hartly House is repaired and her nephew can look after himself.
Seeing an opportunity to put Hartley house on the map as a guest house; the first guests are Sam, a lonely housewife, and Pat, a struggling actress who had just won the lottery.
While Hartley House invites those who seem to need fixing, including the artist Portman Armstrong, they all come away healed in different ways.
Although this was a sweet narrative I felt it was a little slow as well as slightly jumbled. I like the character of Boris but towards the end he simply became annoying.
I was pleased for the characters of Pat and Sam, as they seemed to be prominent at the start but then weakened as characters; as the novel went on.
Overall it was an okay read but probably not a novel I would read again.
Seeing an opportunity to put Hartley house on the map as a guest house; the first guests are Sam, a lonely housewife, and Pat, a struggling actress who had just won the lottery.
While Hartley House invites those who seem to need fixing, including the artist Portman Armstrong, they all come away healed in different ways.
Although this was a sweet narrative I felt it was a little slow as well as slightly jumbled. I like the character of Boris but towards the end he simply became annoying.
I was pleased for the characters of Pat and Sam, as they seemed to be prominent at the start but then weakened as characters; as the novel went on.
Overall it was an okay read but probably not a novel I would read again.
March 26, 2023
Vad är det här? Den handlar inte direkt om mammorna i titeln - mer om en moster och hennes systersons hus. Konstiga människor men utan att sidohistorierna får något djup - nej, den här hade jag kunnat leva utan.
September 21, 2023
Cover misleading, only finished it cos on hols
April 12, 2014
Some of this book was interesting and quite funny but I found a lot of it a bit dull and repetitive. And Boris was really annoying - not least because he kept saying "Da" all the time when he was supposed to be Polish, not Russian!
May 25, 2013
Just ok not great had audio version unsure if I would have read the book. Fairly gently book no great surprises
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews