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Paperback: 410 pages
Genre: Humorous Romantic Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Books 2007
Source: Charity Bookshop in UK in 2008.
First Sentence: 'The bedroom was dark,lit only by a sliver of brightness from the wall light in the basement well outside edging its way round the sides of the blind.'
Favourite Quote: 'It was an irrefutable truth that if no woman ever went with a married man, then no wife would ever have to endure the heartbreak of finding out that her life as she understood it was a sham.
Review Quote: 'This witty first novel is a complete winner. It's comic, touching and the narrative races along at breakneck speed' Daily Express
My Opinion: As it has turned out I am now wishing I had read this ages ago!
It has taken me four years to pick this title from our bookshelves to read and then only because I needed a title beginning with G for the A - Z Book Challenge, hardly a great reason. I was unable to even recall why I wanted to read this title in the first place. Something must have piqued my interest in this book originally, the first of Jane Fallon's now four published novels. Having studied her author profile, read this and done some research I would now like to read her other novels if I get the opportunity.
As it has turned out I am now wishing I had read this ages ago! The theme of a married man having a long term affair with a single woman might not be a new one or to everyone's taste. Getting Rid of Matthew though has a twist in the tale, the clue is of course already there for you in the title. I surprised myself enjoying it as much as I did, not great literature but not trying to be and for that reason it makes a realistic and witty read within this genre.
Affairs are destructive and they do cause hurt, we all know that even Helen, the other woman in this triangle that she has lived with for four years. After all this time and being unable to persuade Matthew to leave his wife and daughters for her Helen is coming to her senses. Life is passing her by and she needs to sort her life out, things turn out not be that simple though! As the title tells us without any spoilers it is obvious that the novel is about freeing herself from Matthew so that she can become an independent young woman once again. The moral of this light but readable novel is definitely be careful of what you ask for, as escape from such a tangled web just might not be easy either.
Author Profile
Her books have sold over 650,000 copies in the UK and have been translated into over 20 languages.
Getting Rid of Matthew (2007), Got You Back (2008), Foursome (2010) and The Ugly Sister (2011)
The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites.
Amazon Author Profile, Jane Fallon - Wikipedia, Goodreads - Author Profile
I have chosen to read this title as the letter G for The A - Z Book Challenge which I have decided to attempt to achieve in alphabetical order. I have a good selection of titles to choose from our bookshelves, it will be interesting to see how far I can get before I get stuck. You can follow my progress here.
Oooh this sounds quite good, thanks for reviewing
ReplyDeleteLainy http://www.alwaysreading.net
It is, I just wish I had read it before now, must now catch up with this authors other novels.
DeleteHi Linda,
ReplyDeleteI have books on my shelves which have been there for many years and I almost feel guilty about reading and reviewing them, as most bloggers seem to be reviewing and discussing the latest releases.
'Getting Rid Of Matthew' sounds like a great read and just goes to show that 'the grass isn't always greener in someone else's garden'.
I like the way that the next two books from Jane seem to hang together with this one, as a great series of titles ... well it made me smile when I read them anyway.
This is another 'maybe' author to add to my list, although of course, if I see any of the books going cheap in a charity shop, then I shall snap them up!
Thanks for sharing and glad that you enjoyed the read.
Yvonne
Yvonne, I do not think it matters if we review older books at least I feel when I do so it is something different. Sometimes it feels that everyone is reviewing the same book and it is hard to write a post that will attract readers when they have so much choice! Do you know I had not even noticed how the titles read as a series until you mentioned it.
DeleteHi Linda,
DeleteI know what you mean, there are so many books on 'blog-tour' out there, that everyone seems to be commenting on the same thing at the same time.
That is partly why I tend to try and accept review requests from authors rather than publishers. I seem to have ended up with a much more diverse range of books to read and I come across very few of them on other blogs.
I much prefer to read a blog that has a diverse range and I am also looking for quality of posts not quantity so I hope you do not give up your blog Yvonne which you mentioned in another comment. Find a balance that works for you but please keep writing.
DeleteI bought this book for a friend, but I haven't read it. I'm going to have to do so now, it sounds too good to ignore.
ReplyDeleteIt is too good to ignore, I wish I had selected it to read before now.
DeleteSounds really interesting Lindy. Haven't read any romantic fiction in a while.
ReplyDeleteIt was so much more than I expected it to be Vibha.
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