On The Up, Alice OKeeffe
On The Up, Alice OKeeffe
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On The Up
The perfect read for parents

Author: Alice O'Keeffe

Narrator: Imogen Church

Unabridged: 8 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Coronet

Published: 11/14/2019

Categories: Fiction, Urban, Women


Synopsis

'Funny and well observed, this timely novel explores the isolation of new motherhood O'Keeffe examines themes of class, race, privilege and gender with a deft touch which will speak loudly to a certain generation. I loved this book.' CLOVER STROUD, AUTHOR OF MY WILD AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

'A warm-hearted and entertaining debut' HANNAH BECKERMAN, OBSERVER

'A poignant tale of modern family life' WOMAN & HOME

'On the Up is a gem of a novel that holds up a mirror to the way we live now.' RED

'Funny and compassionate' NEW STATESMAN

'Funny and real, this is a blast of fresh air.' FABULOUS

'An uplifting debut.' HELLO

'I love the way this book makes the domestic political, and vice versa' POLLY SAMSON

'An intimate exploration of womanhood and the idea of home and belonging. Funny, melancholic, and full of warmth' XIAOLU GUO

'[Alice writes] really well about the frustrations of not having much money in a culture that is geared towards those that have it all. It's not a topic we see a lot of in contemporary fiction and I found it very refreshing to see it tackled here.' LAURA BARNETT author of The Versions of Us

'I love this book. Funny, heart-felt and poignant. It reflects perfectly the experiences of a generation that doesn't ever seem to have as much time, or money, as our parents had.' TOBIAS JONES

'an uplifting book about persevering through the tough times ... an amazing debut.' YAHOO

By reading Style magazine, I was training myself not to want things. It was going quite well. I had already found that I did not want a pair of Yves Saint Laurent mules, a chandelier made from plastic antlers, or a diamond-encrusted necklace in the shape of a pineapple. I was still working on not wanting a fitted farmhouse kitchen in warm wood.

Sylvia lives in a flat on a council estate with her not-quite-husband Obe and their two young children. She dreams of buying a house on a leafy street like the one she grew up in. If she closes her eyes, she can see it all so clearly: the stripped floorboards, the wisteria growing around the door...

It's not ideal that she's about to be made redundant, or that Obe, a playworker, is never going to earn more than the minimum wage. As sleep deprivation sets in, and the RnB downstairs gets ever louder, Sylvia's life starts to unravel.

But when the estate is earmarked for redevelopment, the threat to her community gives Sylvia a renewed sense of purpose. With a bit of help from her activist sister, and her film-maker friend Frankie, she's ready to take a stand for what she believes in.

Warm, witty and brilliantly observed, On the Up is about relationships and community, finding a way through the tough times, and figuring out what's really worth fighting for.

(P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

About Alice O'Keeffe

Alice O'Keeffe is a writer, editor and journalist, whose work has appeared in the Guardian, Observer and New Statesman. Her first novel, On The Up, came out in 2019. She lives in Brighton with her husband and two children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Whispering on November 23, 2019

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com Sylvia lives in a flat in London with her two little sons and her partner, Obe. She grew up in the leafy suburbs and that’s where her friends live, but with Obe not wanting to further his prospects, preferring to be a spoken poet, and having two little child......more

Goodreads review by Ceecee on November 14, 2019

This is the story of Sylvia, her nearly husband Obe and their two children- Larkin who is like Tigger, and That Baby Elliot. They live in Priory Court in London which are 70’s flats which need serious refurbishment. They are constantly disturbed by their anti social downstairs neighbour Dawn, with l......more

Goodreads review by Louise on November 15, 2019

Sylvia and Obe live I a council estate flat with their two children. She yearns to own her own home. But her dream is cut short when she is made redundant. They are constantly annoyed by the loud music that their neigh our below them plays. Sylvia is keeping a noise diary for Bill Barker, the counci......more

Goodreads review by Renita on January 20, 2022

Wonderful......more

Goodreads review by Agi on November 19, 2019

Sylvia and her nearly husband Obe live in a council estate flat with their two young children - toddler Larkin and a few months old That Baby (also known as Elliot). She dreams of owning her own home, with a garden for the children, but they will never be able to buy it. Or maybe they will? Is this......more