We Are All Made of Glue - Softcover

Lewycka, Marina

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1905490232 ISBN 13: 9781905490233

Publisher: Fig Tree (an Imprint of Penguin Books), 2009

Synopsis

Georgie Sinclair’s husband has walked out; her sixteen-year-old son is busy surfing born-again websites; and all those overdue articles for Adhesives in the Modern World are getting her down. So when Georgie spots Mrs Shapiro, an eccentric old Jewish émigré neighbour with an eye for a bargain, rummaging through her skip in the middle of the night, it’s just the distraction she needs. When Mrs Shapiro is admitted to hospital, Georgie discovers, much to her surprise, that she is named next of kin. But sorting out Mrs Shapiro’s semi-derelict mansion in Highbury is no easy job. From stinky cats with their own agendas to slimy estate agents trying to trick Mrs Shapiro into selling her rickety old house, Georgie must step in to help her new friend. But as she becomes more involved, she finds herself unravelling a mystery which takes her from Highbury to wartime Europe to the Middle East, and learning a bit about DIY along the way.

About this title

About the Author

MARINA LEWYCKA was born in Kiel, Germany, at the end of the war and grew up in England. She is married with a grown-up daughter and lives in Sheffield. Her two previous novels, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian and Strawberry Fields, are available in paperback from Penguin.

Review

“Lewycka’s much-lauded strong point is her ability to take a slightly wonky look at something and make it funny.... [Her] narrators ring true.... We don’t necessarily recognize ourselves in their situations, but their self-doubt, tentative relationships and tendency to hold two incompatible opinions or ideals while trying to work out why we are all here make them seem familiar.” - The Globe and Mail

“Marina Lewycka is an instantly likeable writer, funny, intelligent and refreshingly generous in her assessments of people and their motivations.... We Are All Made of Glue is an extremely enjoyable read.... [I]t is underpinned by such a fundamentally good-natured and humorous outlook.” - New Statesman

“Uplifting. Lewycka’s style is so appealing, so friendly ... A warm, humane writer, determined to see the best in us all.” - Sunday Times

“Vibrant dialogue, a family in meltdown, a clash of cultures and wonderful cast of expertly observed characters. Pure laugh-out-loud social comedy.” - Daily Mail

“Georgie is a lively, intensely sympathetic narrator...brimming with warmth and busyness.” - The Guardian

“The author gives readers much bang for their buck, jamming her story with on-point yet irresistible characters.” - Georgia Straight

“A big-hearted confection of the comic and the poignant...hilarious, neatly constructed...Lewycka’s success as a comic writer lies in her warmth; while making us laugh at her characters’ peculiarities she also allows them dignity and pathos. Her dialogue is a delight.” - Literary Review

“Naomi Shapiro is a fantastically well executed comic creation.” - Time Out

“An exuberantly comic writer whose work is characterised by both great humanity and unusual charm.” - Evening Standard

“A witty, touching story about an unlikely friendship.” - Sunday Express

“A very funny and touching story of a friendship and a mystery unravelled.” - Woman & Home

“Lewycka knows how to write a rollicking yarn.... We Are All Made of Glue is totally entertaining.” - NOW magazine

“Lewycka is a good, serious writer with a strong, original voice.” - Sunday Telegraph

“Sharp and funny.” - Daily Express

“Laced with the same breezy charm as A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.” - Financial Times

“Lewycka writes entertainingly enough to keep the show on the road.” - Daily Telegraph

“Gorgeously funny.” - Independent

“Had me crying with laughter.” - Daily Telegraph

Edition details

• Publisher: Fig Tree (an Imprint of Penguin Books)
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1905490232
• ISBN 13: 9781905490233
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1