I became captivated by Christopher and the characters in his life. His eccentric older brother Gerald, ex-wife Carol, The Goddards and Alex Canning. They are well written and believable in their own way. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review, with thanks to the publisher.

Clare began her career as a secretary at the publisher Andre Deutsch, when Diana Athill was still at the helm. They not only published her first novel, but made her type her own contract. In due course she went on to become a fiction and non-fiction editor there herself, until leaving to raise a family and concentrate on her own writing. Some of the experiences of working for an eccentric, independent publisher in the pre-digital era found their way into her novel The Editor's Wife (Century, 2007). When her three children were teenagers, inspired by their reading habits, she produced two YA novels, Bright Girls (HarperCollins 2009) and Burning Secrets (HarperCollins 2011).

About this book

This book is written with an air of something different. It's hard to explain, but it isn't the most dramatic book in the world, you aren't gripped by the hijinks of it all, more so the simple and almost airy way this book is written. It's beautiful, to the point and easy to follow. You really get a feel for these characters, their connections with one another and the impacts that their actions have on one another. Ultimately, my favourite dynamics ended up being the ones that should have been awkward, I loved seeing how Chris and Gerald interact. How they go from standoffish to actually kind of having a semblance of a brotherly relationship. I loved seeing Chris and Carol in their post-divorce unnatural friendship that worked in every way. I think this author writes about relationships very well. There's no sugarcoating to make them perfect, there are bumps and ugly parts, which ultimately makes it more relatable and easier to picture. Twenty years on Christopher meets a woman who is researching Owen Goddard and he is forced to face his past and the consequences of his actions. The Editor’s Wife by Clare Chambers Review: My Opinion When aspiring novelist Christopher Flinders drops out of university to write his masterpiece (in between shifts as a fish delivery man and builder's mate), his family is sceptical. The noteworthy feature here is the brilliant characterisation from Clare Chambers. Every character is well developed and their portrayal is vivid and easy to picture. Most are extremely likeable, even Gerald. You realise he is doing the best he can and I grew to like him as the tale progressed. The humour is good especially from Chris with his wry understatements. The Goddards, Owen and Diana liven up matters and the comedic aspects and complexity are well balanced. A perceptive, riveting, very worthy and satisfying read. Thomas Michael Henry Smith was born in Northampton on 29 April 1981, the son of high school science teachers Sylvia and John Smith. He grew up in Stroud, Gloucestershire, [1] where he attended Woodchester Endowed Primary School and learned to play the guitar under the guidance of the school's headmaster. [ citation needed] He then attended Archway School in Stroud, where his parents taught physics and chemistry. He later studied music technology at Staffordshire University and met his future Editors bandmates.

But when he is taken up by the London editor Owen Goddard and his charming wife Diana it seems success is just around the corner. Christopher's life has so far been rather short of charm - growing up in an unlovely suburb, with unambitious parents and a semi-vagrant brother - and he is captivated by his generous and cultured mentors. Smith lives in Stroud with his wife, Scottish radio DJ Edith Bowman, whom he began dating in 2005. They were married on 22 December 2013, [14] and have two sons named Rudy Brae Bowman Smith (born 10 June 2008) [15] and Spike Bowman Smith (born February 2013). The book is undoubtedly beautifully written. The prose flows nicely and is peppered with subtle humour and acute observations.Reminds us of the rare pleasure that an intelligent tale with a happy ending brings' The Sunday Times

Simpson, Dave (22 June 2007). "Violently happy". guardian.co.uk. The Guardian . Retrieved 23 June 2013. One of my favourite reads of last year was the novel “Small Pleasures” (2020) by Clare Chambers. I loved the careful, quiet details of the story, and I know it will be one I return to in the future. So I was delighted to find that this was the latest in a series of novels from the author, with “The Editor’s Wife” originally published in 2007, and now reissued with a beautiful new cover design. Chambers' eye for undemonstrative details achieves a Larkin-esque lucidity' Guardian on Small Pleasures Lyons, Beverley (26 December 2013). "Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman marries Editors frontman Tom Smith in secret festive ceremony". dailyrecord.co.uk. Daily Record . Retrieved 27 December 2013. I’m embarrassed to admit that this is my first Clare Chambers novel, but I’ve already fallen head over heels for her eloquent prose and languid storytelling and for her ability to fashion characters who are at once full and rich yet gently understated.

However, on the brink of realising his dream, Christopher makes a desperate misjudgement which results in disaster for all involved. Shattered, he withdraws from London and buries himself in rural Yorkshire, embracing a career and a private life marked by mediocrity.

The author creates a vivid picture of each of the characters in her story, which is beautifully written and by turns heart wrenching and hilarious — the exchanges between Chris and his hapless but somehow endearing brother Gerald in particular. The scene where Gerald thinks nothing of sprinting miles through the dark in the pouring rain to try and locate a phone signal, but baulks at the idea of actually using a mobile phone, sums up the strengths and flaws of his character perfectly. Musicians Andy Burrows and Tom Smith on their special relationship". Paste Magazine. 14 November 2014 . Retrieved 20 December 2014. The novel opens in a contemporary world in which Christopher is living a somewhat secluded life in a rural Yorkshire farmhouse – served by a single road and prone to infrequent but severe floods. He has been offered a voluntary redundancy from his job at the Inland Revenue, his parents have died, his brother is somewhat estranged, his marriage has broken down. He does seem a rather resilient fellow, taking all these vicissitudes in his strides – although some of them were some distance in the past, to be fair – and fills his days with walking, riding, fishing and entertaining his ex-wife with whom he has managed to maintain a close friendship. And it is apparent that Chambers is drawn to a certain theme: her characters here, as in Small Pleasures, fall in love with people they probably shouldn’t, relationships which conflict with their other personal and or professional ties. In Small Pleasures, Jean Swinney fell for the husband of a woman she was writing a newspaper article on; here, Christoper Flinders falls for the wife of the man whom he wants to publish his novel. Will the emotional depth and authenticity of that novel be repeated here? Twenty years on, a young academic researching into Owen Goddard seeks him out, and Christopher is forced to exhume his past, setting him on a path to a life-changing discovery.

Retailers:

From the highly-acclaimed author of SMALL PLEASURES – longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021 Clare began her career as a secretary at the publisher André Deutsch, when Diana Athill was still at the helm. They not only published her first novel, but made her type her own contract. In due course she went on to become a fiction and non-fiction editor there herself, until leaving to raise a family and concentrate on her own writing. Some of the experiences of working for an eccentric, independent publisher in the pre-digital era found their way into her novel The Editor’s Wife (Century, 2007). When her three children were teenagers, inspired by their reading habits, she produced two YA novels, Bright Girls (HarperCollins 2009) and Burning Secrets (HarperCollins 2011).