Death & Other Inconveniences

Thank you to Vagrant Press/Nimbus Publishing and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this book.

What begins as something of a farce becomes a humor-filled and generous story of grown-ups finally growing up.

Margo, 62, newly widowed by the inelegant death of her second husband (her first left her for another man), is petite, pretty, and a wizard with beauty products. She also is indecisive and dependent on others for everything from finances to remote controls. And she has to deal with her late husband’s embittered first wife and daughter. Fortunately, she has close, mostly sweet, relationships with her grown children and grandchildren, her first husband and his partner, and her much older sister and brother.

As she learns to live on her own, return to work, and make decisions, those around her also move forward with their lives. This quirky coming-of-age story is both delightful and insightful, and can be appreciated by adults at any stage of growing up.

4.5

This was a fast, enjoyable, farcical look at a particular family in New Brunswick, Canada. Well, as the synopsis says, "Dick dead." He choked on a ham sandwich. And the cleaning up of his various messes falls on his wife. However, this is not a good thing, considering she is fairly incompetent and hasn't quite grown into her adult responsibilities. I mean, remote controls confuse her. Although I do have to admit I can't get the hang of them anymore myself!

But Margo is going to learn—oh yes, she is. Over the next year, she will learn how to do things like stick up for herself, live alone, and even calmly help bring a new life into the world.

It is a sweet read perfect for the beach or poolside, filled with character growth and plenty of chuckles.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Nimbus Publishing/Vagrant Press, the author, and NetGalley.

“Death & Other Inconveniences” by Lesley Crew, is NOT, like the title and cover suggest, a cozy mystery. There’s no whodunit in this story, although it starts off with a death. From the very first page, Dick’s Obituary, readers know they are in for a different sort of ride. Luckily Julia rewrote the obituary her mother Margo first made for her husband. While it’s true that Dick the butcher did choke to death while eating a ham sandwich and that Dick’s first wife and daughter are insufferable (although she did say long-suffering), it wouldn’t be quite right to print all that.

It is true that Dick’s death caused all sorts of inconveniences, namely his penchant for gambling left his rather incompetent Margo penniless. For the first time in her sixty-four years, she needs to develop strength to be an adult. Which means becoming less dependent on her children and first husband and getting a job.

This was a fun read that is set in New Brunswick, Canada. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. My opinions are my own.

This was such a fun read even though the first thing that happens to Margo is her husband’s death – Sounds weird right? But after her husband dies, Margo finally comes into her own…in her fifties. Go, Margo! Margo can finally get her act together with the help of her children, their spouses, her older siblings, her ex and his new spouse, and a couple of friends. She is very fortunate to have this family, and I loved them warts and all. I especially loved the way the author wrote Margo’s granddaughters. I was killing myself laughing, especially when they repeated words they shouldn’t have heard in the first place.

This is an ordinary story about an ordinary woman’s ordinary life but to me, it was extraordinary in the mundane. Lesley Crewe’s writing is superb. It is profound, wise, mysterious and thought-provoking. Death & Other Inconveniences is different from any book I have ever read. I highly recommend you pick up this or any other book (my favourite is The Spoon Stealer ) by Crewe, you won’t be disappointed.

Mundane, fun, sharp, and so so so funny.

Margo is a 62 year old widow. Her husband, Dick -perfect name-, dies from choking on a ham sandwich. This spirals into Margo having to uproot her life and deal with the consequences of his mistakes.
There is family drama, family love, constant use of the word, “fuck” - which I am a huge fan of. This story really is just jammed packed with everything you’d need while reading on the beach or at the pool on a warm summer day.
We follow Margo as she transitions and blossoms into becoming the badass older woman that she was always meant to be. It might take a year to get there, but her growth is so beautiful and real. The tight knit family and support that she has around her will get her through.
I loved every single character, even the shitty ones. Everyone had their own story, their own lives, their own voices. Even the animal companions came to life! (Oh, and speaking of animals, Olenka provided the most wonderful and weird facts, bless her.)
A book with heart, humor, dealing with a death in the family and how those around us help to heal and mend us - a heartwarming story with the best characters. Would it be selfish of me to want a sequel? Please????

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

Yes, death can be very inconvenient. It is especially inconvenient when your husband The Dick (I mean named “Dick”) dies and his gambling debts leave you with nothing. The widow's family can be named The Quirkiest Family in the Land, and there's a donkey named Fred who plays with a yoga ball and farts.

We learn how inconvenient death can be from Margo, Dick's widow. She has to figure out how to put her life back together at the age of 62. Margo is a sweetheart, but she's also an airhead!

All this makes it sound like a plot that is way over the top. But, anyone who has read Ms. Crewe's books knows that her characters are anything but “normal”. And, if there is anyone who has not read her books, it's time to start!

The story makes me laugh in places but it also makes my heart proud to watch Margo evolve from the airhead who needs taking care of into a strong woman, ready to take on the world. She has a lot of support of her family through the transformation.

Every character in the story is interesting. They get introduced fairly quickly at the beginning but it doesn’t take long to figure out the family structure and their outside world.

Ms Crewe has a unique writing style that is hard to describe. All her storylines are a little over the top, as are her characters. But, they are all heartwarming. I'm always smiling when I finish one of her books. She's an automatic read for me, without even reading the blurbs or synopses. And, because she is Canadian, from Cape Breton, most of her books are set on the East Coast, an area I am very familiar with. It’s always fun to have a vision of the setting in my mind which might be close to the actual thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Not my usual read but I read through this book so fast I absolutely loved it. So well written, Such heavy topics made light and readable. I really really enjoyed this book and highly recommend.

I ADORE Margo! She's a great character and I loved that this book stayed fairly light while in heavy topics. This was a quick read that left me wanting more from Margo because I just adored her so much.