Under the Duvet [Paperback]

Marian Keyes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 2003

From the acclaimed bestselling author of Sushi for Beginners and Angels comes a collection of personal essays on shopping, writing, moviemaking, motherhood and all the assorted calamities involved in being a savvy woman in the new millennium.

Her novels are read and adored by millions around the world, and with Under the Duvet, Marian Keyes tackles the world of nonfiction. These are her collected pieces: regular bulletins from the woman writing under the covers.

Marian loves shoes and her LTFs (Long-Term Friends), hates realtors and lost luggage, and she once had a Christmas office party that involved roasting two sheep on a spit, Moroccan-style. She's just like you and me ...

Featuring a wide compilation of Marian's journalism from magazines and newspapers, plus some exclusive, previously unpublished material, Under the Duvet is bursting with funny stories: observations on life, in-laws, weight loss, parties and driving lessons that will keep you utterly gripped -- either wincing with recognition or roaring with laughter.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Romance writer Keyes reads these unpublished pieces and essays and articles from The Irish Tatler and other UK publications. The contents are often witty and almost confessional, ranging over dieting, house hunting, wedding plans, book tour escapades and tribulations, and other personal ruminations that give a good insight into the unglamorous life of the author. Keyes and her family, especially her husband, become endearing characters who transcend and explain their fictional counterparts. A highly entertaining alternative.
Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From Booklist

Best-selling Irish author Keyes is known for her sassy, warmhearted women's fiction (Sushi for Beginners [BKL Je 1 & 15 03]; Angels [My 15 02]). She is also a journalist, and this collection of 47 nonfiction pieces, most of which have been published previously in magazines and newspapers, sports her trademark irreverent spin on issues close to a woman's heart. The short articles are grouped into seven sections dealing with the writing life, personal possessions, friends and family, acting like an adult, holidays, Irishness, and travel abroad. Topics include women's obsession with shoes, the fitting-into-the-wedding-dress diet, buying a house, and Botox and other miracles. She is especially funny on the topic of marriage--after her husband requests her assistance in finding his cuff links at 7 a.m., she chants, "The womb is not a locating device." She is serious in spots, as when she discusses her alcoholism, and some of the pieces seem dated (most are from the late '90s). Still, her fans will want to get an up-close look at this wildly popular author. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Penguin Books (NZ) (May 29, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 0141015314
• ISBN-13: 978-0141015316
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Marian Keyes lived in London for ten years before returning to her native Dublin. After receiving a law degree and studying accounting, she began writing short stories in 1993. She is the author of three previous novels--Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, and Rachel's Holiday--all major bestsellers around the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Novelists Who Turn to Non-Fiction, April 10, 2004

By 

takingadayoff "takingadayoff" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Under the Duvet: Shoes, Reviews, Having the Blues, Builders, Babies, Families and Other Calamities (Paperback)

Under the Duvet is the latest of a small genre that consists of the short non-fiction works (columns, essays, random thoughts) of writers who are better-known for their novels. Alice Thomas Ellis, who is best-known for The Summer Trilogy novels, also wrote the Home Life series, a collection of columns about her everyday life in Wales. Sue Townsend wrote the Adrian Mole stories and recently published a collection of columns about her everyday life called The Public Confessions of a Middle-Aged Woman. Amy Tan collects her musings and thoughts in The Opposite of Fate. Writers who are successful in spinning good stories seem to be able to take mundane situations and turn them into good stories. This is a real treat for people like me who read very little fiction.

So how does Marian Keyes's new book measure up? Under the Duvet starts promisingly, with a short piece about her life as a not-so-glamorous novelist, and a previously unpublished essay about the eight months she wrote a cosmetics column for a magazine. These are probably the best bits in the book.

Maybe you do have to enjoy the fiction of the author to also enjoy their non-fiction. I confess I have not read any of Keyes's fiction. There's too much in Under the Duvet about shopping and shoes for my taste, but readers of Keyes's fiction might find that a plus.

Some of the pieces are on subjects that desperately need an original angle, but are not getting it here. For instance, on her trip to Los Angeles, Keyes predictably mentions the smog, silicone enhancements, and botox, and the fact that no one walks. I probably wouldn't have noticed her over-fondness for the word "eejit" (idiot) if I had read these pieces over time, rather than in two days.

Still, I enjoyed reading these essays and columns, and although they haven't inspired me to read Keyes's fiction, I will continue to hunt down books like this. Anyone know of any others?

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For hardcore Keyes fans only, January 9, 2004

By 

Kate (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under the Duvet: Shoes, Reviews, Having the Blues, Builders, Babies, Families and Other Calamities (Paperback)

Under the Duvet is a collection of essays by Keyes, most of which were previously published in Irish or British newpapers. It does give you a deeper look into the author's life, with chapters about moving back to Ireland, her past drinking problems (the inspiration for Watermelon), what a publicity tour is like, etc. There are also loads of columns about somewhat random things- shoes, soccer, mother's day, religon, and Irishness. Everything is well-written and most are funny, but I think they're more suited to newspaper features than a whole book.

Note: I have the Brit edition, so the American edition may be slightly different.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Marian Keyes Revealed In All Her Humorous Splendor, January 20, 2004

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Under the Duvet: Shoes, Reviews, Having the Blues, Builders, Babies, Families and Other Calamities (Paperback)

She's young. She's hip. She's Irish. And she has written some of the most entertaining and humorous novels I've had the pleasure of reading. So it is quite a treat for me to sit down and enjoy what our Irish cousins have already been treated to....a collection of many of her columns which have appeared in the Irish Times newspaper. This may be old hat to Dubliners, but it's a newfound treasure for most Americans.

The book is like a box of chocolates and each short read is a tasty little morsel to devour and enjoy. What a treat it is to get this inside look at one of my favorite authors and share in her musings on just about everything. How does it feel to see someone actually purchase your book? How did she get the background material for Sushi? What was the nicest time of her life? How did it feel to be at a book signing for Rachel's Holiday and have no one show up? What are her feelings on shoes, Catholicism, real estate agents, and a whole lot more.

My personal favorite was "Happy Christmas! Form An Orderly Queue" not only because I love to read any work set at Christmastime but because of the glimpse it gives us into Marian's family life which just had to have been the basis for the wild and whacky Walsh clan of many of her novels.

If you love Marian Keyes already or if you just like short humorous pieces to make you laugh out loud, I highly recommend this one.