I loved this funny, moving and beautifully written story of several characters of varying ages, whose lives eventually intersect and change each other for the better. It is a very relatable book especially for middle aged women and is clearly written from the heart.
With grateful thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

Compelling, warm and full of honesty.

A really accomplished novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

I loved the tone of this book which is thoughtful and layered. You follow the stories of different people, over several timeframes, and gradually decipher the connections between some of them. It does take some concentration, especially at the beginning, to differentiate between who is who and at one point, I considered drawing up a series of family trees to try to sort out who was connected to who. The feelings of the characters are nuanced and I found the characters all to be richly drawn.

There are several moments when I did find myself smiling at the reactions of some. Roger has to be the character you love to hate and you will Eleanor to assert herself. This is a novel which spans the generations and shows the dynamics within families and relationships. It certainly gives the reader plenty to think about, as it shows the damage which can be wrought. Parents, siblings, lovers, husbands and wives are all under the microscope.

In short: A thoughtful examination of relationships over time.
Thanks to the suthor for a copy of the book

A great read, really heart-warming. The way the characters developed throughout the book was beautiful
and the story was so lovely and left me with a smile on my face. I highly recommend this book.

Unfortunately, at this time I just couldn't get into the story. I will try it one more time a bit later, hopefully I would manage to finish it to write a decent review.

Growing up for beginners by Claire Calman

The story revolves around four completely different people who’s lives will change completely by the unknown connection they all have. Eleanor is middle aged suffering empty nest syndrome with a very overbearing controlling husband. Conrad a father she adores. Olivia who’s mother Cecellia is any eccentric mosaic artist who’s house backs onto Andrew’s mother’s.

The story is a slow burn and jumps about a bit through varying time lines while you learn about the characters and their past .

It does get a little repetitive at some parts but covers many emotions and twists. It is worth the effort to stick with it. Did enjoy it on the whole.

I throughly enjoyed this book. There were a lot of characters within their own units - Roger & Eleanore, unhappily married. Her dad Connor with his story of his lost love; Cecilia and her two daughters Maddy and Olivia; and Andrew who moved back home with his parents and begins to date Olivia. Andrew works with Conrad at the British Museum and towards the end of the tale unearths a link. I loved the way the story came together.

The lives of the characters, in their separate lives, weave together so nicely, it is a thoughtful story that flows along, taking you with it. The reader cares about the characters and what happens to them. We're rooting for Eleanor to take a stand against her domineering husband, for Andrew to get back on his feet and not drift into life in his parents' house (and some really funny bits here with his houseproud mum). Very entertaining, human and with the message "live your life for yourself" running through it. #netgalley #GrowingUpForBeginners

This book is such a poignant read. It beautiful interweaves the lives of the characters within its pages taking us on such an emotional journey with them.

The chapters in this book give us an insight into the childhoods, family life and deepest inner thoughts and feelings of the characters. The back and forth perspectives and time hopping not only brings humour to the story but some really deep emotional connections and understanding.

Claire Calman’s descriptive writing and rich characterisation is such a pleasure to read. This books brings so much depth and emotion as we learn more about the lives of Elenor, Conrad, Andrew and Cecilia and their family dynamics.

The issues that are addressed such as marital problems, family and depression are explored in such a sensitive and thought provoking way.

A rewarding read that will resonate with many readers.

A story of an ordinary family with various problems, trying to do their best. You need to stay focused as there are a lots of different threads. An enjoyable read.

Published June 4, 2020 Claire Calman astounds once again with her 5th novel GROWING UP FOR BEGINNERS.

Told from 4 different perspectives, we hear the tale of 4 totally different unrelated stories.  Eleanor, Conrad, Andrew and Cecilia all have different lives, they all have their own issues, be it relationships, families, mothers, husbands and children.  As you read this tale, you will find yourself wondering how any of these people have anything to do with each other, how do these stories intersect?  Trust me, they do, and Calman has done it so brilliantly that "truth be told" you never saw it coming.  It's a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of love and loss, family and drama that includes just enough snark to make you really feel in touch with the characters (and chuckle a bit too).   Please stay with this one when you start, remember that each story has a purpose, and you will "find out" in the end.  I promise you that when you finish you will end up giving this book 5 stars and recommending it to friends.  Truly a great book for discussion.  Highly recommend with advice to stick with it, this one is worth every page.

Thank you so much to Claire Calman, Rachel Gilbey from Rachels Random Resources, and my friends at Boldwood Books for my gifted copy of this book for my honest and unbiased opinion.

If you like a slow-burn story with complex characters whose lives intersect and sometimes collide head-on, then this is the book for you.
What initially attracted me to ‘Growing up for beginners’ was the main character Eleanor who is an empty-nester, and I like reading about older female characters as they are more relatable than 20-something singletons. And Eleanor did not disappoint. As I slowly got to know about her and her marriage to the insufferable and pompous Roger, I found myself rooting for her and willing her on to pack her bags and escape. At times I was very frustrated by her inability to say no, but little by little as a reader we learn about Eleanor’s past and why taking that first step towards freedom is so very hard for her. Interwoven into Eleanor’s story is that of her father Conrad and his younger colleague Andrew who is lonely, lost and unlucky in love. We also meet the irascible artist Cecilia and her two adult daughters, and as we get to know this colourful cast of characters we discover their secrets and their stories of missed opportunities and regrets. But also that it is never too late and you are never too old for second chances and new beginnings if you only dare…
This is a really well-written book with relatable and likeable characters with a great storyline and also very funny. It is the first book of Claire Calman’s that I’ve read but it won’t be the last one. I very much enjoyed it and highly recommend. 5 stars from me.
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐
Reviewed 17/08/2020, eARC courtesy of NetGalley

This is an excerpt of the book review on my blog https://trails-of-tales.com/

......triggering. It definitely triggered me. To the extent that it was painful to read the story at times.

I like stories that have multiple protagonists in general. But in this story by Claire Calman, I was actually relieved that there were multiple protagonists because I needed to take frequent breaks from reading the parts that focused on Eleanor’s marriage.

With that said, I cannot emphasize enough how acutely detailed and realistic the description of the mental abuse is in ‘Growing Up for Beginners‘. It seems like the author put in extra care and sensitivity to bring that part of the book to life. And in doing so, she has shown compassion and respect to all who are going through such a situation.

The eloquence of the story struck me too. Claire Calman has been extremely attentive to using the power of words at the exact right places to create emphasis. Whether it was to draw attention to Eleanor’s self depreciating thought process or the growing disturbance in Andrew’s psyche......

......Insecurities of the characters have been written with so much depth that all of them are familiar to you. Either they are a part of you or they are of someone you know well.

‘Growing Up for Beginners‘ is a book that is too real with characters you just cannot ignore. I would say it is a must read even though it triggered me and made me uncomfortable at times.

Could not get into this book as the opening pages themselves were hard to read through, the cruelty of Roger being too much for me and I could not get past that to sit down and enjoy the read throughout

To start of with the greatest of apologies for this: the one day I chose to take off social media, was actually the day I should have been on, promoting this, he brilliant Growing UP For Beginners by Claire Calman. I have no excuse, except that for some reason I had the 5th June in my head (I’ve checked and my diary says the 4th). The greatest of apologies to both Ms. Calman and Boldwood Books and of course Rachel and thanks to all for the book in return for an honest review.

From the very beginning of this book I was mesmerised as it addressed an issue that many people possibly think nothing of, but was something I used to do a long time ago as a teenager, back when I read hugely different genres to those I read today. Whereas now I read pretty much solely rom coms and thrillers, back then I read ya, horror, thrillers, detectives, romance, romantic comedy, science fiction (I know, you can’t see it, can you? Also, yes, you are going to have to pull up a chair for this one!)

The issue we saw early on in the book was that of skipping to the last page before you’d read the book. I always always did this, possibly to see that the lead would still be there and alright, but I don’t totally know. Moving back to this, we meet Eleanor, who does the same thing, only her husband doesn’t agree with it. Yes, you’ll know how I feel about Roger, who played a prank on his honeymoon some twenty years before, and I was a bit shocked at how sad I was for Eleanor, that someone thought that something someone felt so strongly about could be made into a joke like that. And that was what this book does so well, the pure love/hate feelings that really grip you and then suddenly you feel for someone you didn’t expect to. There were many characters in this and the book went back in time to show us some family dynamics that I was absolutely glued to, trying to figure out who was related to who and how they impacted others! I was surprised as I willed someone on I hadn’t expected to and couldn’t wait to find out where it would all lead and in the end we got there, the satisfying end I wanted after a great read that had me gripped throughout. Very much recommended!

Rating: 4.5/5

There was a good exploration of several different relationships relating to the 4 main characters of this book. So much so that I just had to keep reading to find out their deep buried secrets. Took a while to get into it at first but overall not a bad read. Having just turned 40 myself I was first intrigued by the title and so did relate to the main protagonists of this book.

Claire Calman writes wonderfully involving, brilliantly engrossing and incisive tales about modern life and Growing Up for Beginners marks a welcome return for this talented writer who has been missing from our bookshelves for far too long.

Eleanor’s life hasn’t exactly panned out as she thought it would. While her daughter is off on a gap year and to a whole host of exciting adventures and to new beginnings, Eleanor feels as if her life has never even got started. Stuck in a marriage with a domineering husband, Eleanor feels as if she has spent her entire life putting everyone else first and herself last. She cannot help but wonder whether all she has to look forward to is a lifetime of regret and disappointment. With only her clever but judgemental father Conrad in her corner, will Eleanor continue to be constrained by the weight of other people’s needs and expectations? Or is there light at the end of the tunnel she has been trapped in for so long?

Being a grown-up isn’t exactly working out well for Andrew either. When he finds his belongings thrown in bin bags and chucked out on the driveway, Andrew realises that he has nowhere else to go, so he moves back in with his parents as he tries to figure out what he is going to do next. Meanwhile, artist Cecelia might be in her sixties, but she also finds herself acting like a teenager as she spends her days thinking about former lovers and wading through the clutter of her life.

As long-buried secrets come to light forcing all these people together, they realise that facing up to the past and growing up is the only option available to them, if they ever want to shake off the constricting shackles that are preventing them from moving forward.

Claire Calman’s Growing Up For Beginners is an astute, entertaining and brilliantly written slice of contemporary life readers will relate to and engage with. Full of wonderfully realised characters, believable scenarios, humour, drama and heart, Growing Up For Beginners is a fantastic book to curl up with and one which readers are sure to enjoy.

Uplifting, life-affirming and enjoyable, Claire Calman’s Growing Up For Beginners is a fabulous tale fans of Marian Keyes and Jane Fallon will not want to miss.

I was so excited to receive this book as an ARC thanks to Netgalley. This book had a lot of good parts but it was incredibly slow moving and honestly could have been about 50 pages shorter. I was rooting for Eleanor (I won’t give any spoilers) and I did enjoy how all the main characters had stories intertwined. In the end it was a cute book and I do hope to try more from this author.

One often imagines that by a certain age, one should have mastered being a ‘grown up’ … that it somehow miraculously happens, perhaps overnight? Maybe you look at others and feel that they seem to have grasped the concept of being ‘adult’ whereas you’re not quite sure you’re there yet. But what is being a grown up, really? When does one move from being a child into being an adult, and when do we change roles between being parents to our children to becoming their confidantes and companions; do we ever?

The story here revolves around Eleanor (and as we learned in the extract above, her awful husband Roger), her father Conrad, his former colleague, turned friend Andrew, and Cecelia who lives in the house behind Andrew’s parents. Four rather different individuals who find themselves at differing stages of their lives but due to circumstances are suddenly drawn together.

Long-kept secrets are divulged and lives that have been lived, often in a state of mindless plodding and aimless day-to-day drudgery purely for the sake of keeping the peace, rather than for one’s own happiness begin to unravel as it becomes clear that it’s impossible to live indefinitely for the sake of others. There has to come a time when you start living and doing for yourself.

In a story told from varying points of view, through a variety of characters, the plight that is brought about through sacrifices that parents make for their children and partners, becomes apparent in so many different ways. How far should we go? When should we stop … how do we know when to stop? Must we wait for tragedy to strike?

I did find it difficult to keep up with all the different characters here, and the way the story jumped between past and present. And I found the story ultimately to be rather a sad one, which left me feeling less uplifted than I would have liked. But then, does every story have to have a happy ending? I’m not sure it does really … life isn’t like that, so I’d say that this is more realistic than I realised.

This is another great family drama book and I couldn’t imagine having to live with her husband. It’s extremely fast paced and you don’t get confused by the different characters.