The Peacock Emporium

First of all, don't be taken in by the cover illustration, which is totally wrong for the book. It gives the impression that this is lighthearted, quirky 'chick-lit', which it certainly isn't. That doesn't make it a bad book, just don't read it if you want an easy read which will cheer you up. The same goes for the lighthearted title. Although there are some laugh out loud moments, this is a fairly uncomfortable read.Even a 'lesser' JoJo Moyes book is better than most others' best efforts, so in a way it is difficult to criticise. It is intelligently written and like most of her other books is complex and multi-layered, requiring total concentration from the reader and even going back and re-reading bits to make sure you didn't miss something somewhere. The main problem is that most of the characters, with the exception of Vivi and to some extent Jessie, are so unlikeable and dysfunctional that you want to slap them. Vivi you want to shake rather than slap, but at least you have some sympathy for her. By the end of the book and following the arc of development of the characters, you can understand why they are like they are, but it means a long wait and a lot of annoyance and exasperation on the part of the reader before you come to this understanding, and I'm not sure if it's worth the hours spent disliking almost everybody just to get to the end. Having said that, it must take a good deal of talent and confidence to write a book where the characters are mostly so unlikeable and annoying that there's a fair chance of alienating most of your readers. I can't say I enjoyed the book exactly, but I recognise that Ms Moyes is a very good writer. On balance I would rather have a book that is well written to the point where it makes me genuinely dislike most of the characters, than one where they are one dimensional and shallow and the writing is poor. But it is rather heavy going.PS Edit. Thinking about it, there are some minor characters who are rather poignant and even likeable. The writer does poignant very well and it would have been good to hear more about those characters.

I have read many JoJo Moyes books all completely different, I really did not like the main character Suzanna in this book, she had no redeeming feature at all, in fact the whole story was rather strange!

I bought a few Jo Jo Moyes books to see me through lockdown. I love them all.They've kept me sane!

I normally like JM's books but she must have been having an off day when she wrote this one. The story is basically boring, the characterisation unsuccessful, it is hugely confusing to start with and the 'telling' voice jumps around with no apparent purpose. I had to push myself to finish it.

I have read all her books now, excellelnt.