Eileen Wharton

Daily life in the bowels of a Newcastle sink estate is related with verve and humour by the main character Rose Starling. Trying to provide for her three youngsters, she cannons between the DSS and the black economy, a hypocritical, religion-obsessed parent, spiteful in-laws, and the tyranny of the estate's female bruisers determined to set her up as a patsy for their crimes because of her links to her murdered ex-husband.

The subtext of corruption and violence permeating from playground to big business, reminiscent of any despotic third world country, is deftly handled and never overwhelms the humour which becomes more brittle as Rose grows increasingly desperate to hang on to her sanity and do right by her offspring in the face of unremitting pressure.

Yes, you can read this novel for its laughs, and there is plenty to make you smile, but it isn't a caper or a thriller. It is social comment on life for many trapped in a maze where every attempt to escape is blocked by a glass wall, and where the owning of a Prada handbag or a pair of Jimmy Choos is both a salve and a mirage of upward mobility. Watch this author. Her star will rise.

I totally adored this book, it's Catherine Cookson meets Viz! It was written in the local dialect, the characters were believable and you quickly warmed to them. The wit was razor sharp, and I smiled and laughed my way through every page. My Friend Billy has never read a book in his life and he downloaded it last night and read 17% of the book, smirking,snorting and laughing out loud sat on my sofa with a cup of tea. Everyone should buy this book, it's brilliant.

Cal Hillier

A brilliant story and how I really felt the emotions within each and every character. I laughed out loud, I cried and cringed in places as I could only imagine some of the scenes of hardship, hurt, sadness and joy. So well written and you became the character as you read their lines, imagined the scenes, the other brutality of estate and the enviroment....it felt so real and life like. I can still still the characters, the homes, the lives they lived in my imagination. A brilliant read and another one of those books you just cannot put down. Well done Eileen!!

Linda Acaster