Man at the Helm - July book club

bumblebee

Most gracious thanks to Gransnet and Penguin Books for a copy of this book. I seem to have received it a lot later than everyone else, looking at the dates of the above posts. As a result, I still have a bit of a way to go to complete the book, but shaping up to be a good read so far.

I'd like to ask Nina a few general questions, if I may ......

QUESTION ONE:- Do you have a personal favourite out of the two books you've had published? And out of books published by other authors?

I love both books in different ways. I love the Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend.

bumblebee

QUESTION TWO:- What would be the first piece of advice you would give to anyone attempting to write fiction?

Write in your own voice.

bumblebee

QUESTION THREE:- Can I ask you about your writing process? How do you plot everything? What was the initial spark for 'Man at the Helm', and was it based on personal experiences, completely made-up, or a mixture of the two?

I don’t plan enough to begin with and just write and write and then try to impose order on top of the chaos. I wouldn’t recommend this approach though! The book is pretty autobiographical, not faithfully, but a mix of real and made up.

lettie

I would like to ask Nina about her reasons for including Lizzie's mother's play dialogue - it didn't seem to carry the plot any farther forward. Was it to inject some 'white space', or for another reason? And, without naming names, were any of the main characters (humans or animals) inspired by her own experiences.

Thanks Nina, and Gransnet, for a good read.

I included the plays because I thought they offered a bit of explanation as to what the mother character was thinking and feeling. Most of the animals and humans are based on real animals and humans… especially Maxwell (my pony).

Buddie

I agree with several others that the bad language used added nothing to the story and seemed outside of the supposed time scale, too. I would like to know if the author has personal experience of this period and if so whether it was spent in a rural location.

Yes to both. I was brought up in the 1970s in a village by a swearing upper-middle class drop out! Sorry about all the swearing but that’s just how it was.

kyalami

Has Nina got any other novels on the back burner?

Yes, there’s a new one coming in 2016. More Lizzie Vogel. x

trisher

Finished this. I have mixed feelings about it. It was sometimes funny but I thought some of the comedy was too manufactured. Some episodes were really successful- Maxwell the pony was one-but other situations felt forced.
I thought the ending was a bit contrived. I would like to ask Nina if she ever wrote or thought of writing an alternative ending?

I did try to think of an alternative ending but in the end I wrote what actually happened and it seemed right. The whole thing being so autobiographical. I wished I could have written that my mother took the helm but she didn’t and in the end I thought I should just write the truth. Sorry it didn’t ring true. That’s the thing about the truth, it can seem contrived!!

Lottie2tiger

I'm surprised at some of the comments about the beginning of this book as I found it easy to get I to and really wanted to get to the end to see what hapoened.
My question is: it made me smile a lot but also made me feel quite sad in parts. Was it deliberate to try to bring out both emotions in your readers?

Yes, I wanted the book to be funny and sad because that’s how life was and is. I look back at the absolutely hilarious things and then have a little cry at the awfulness.

gardener

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it amusing and fascinating from beginning to end ( though I have to admit I could have managed without the detailed description of the men's toilets !! )
I have read that it is a semi-autobiographical book - in that you moved with your family to a country village under similar circumstances .

This prompts the question :-
Is it easy / hard to start writing about your own childhood and then put in all these imaginary characters and events?

I love the idea of the "heavy pig" on page 278
Have you had many of these " weighty pig days " ?

I'm glad the mother found a "Man at the Helm " and I agree that she turned out to be a hero.
Thank you Nina and Gransnet......a brilliant book.

P.S. The last few sentences of the book are absolutely priceless !!!

I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. I have had very few pig days in my life… mainly because my mother told us to accept them (when they came) and take each day at a time. I’m glad you liked the last section. Mr Holt is very real and very much still our Man at the Helm!

dmET70

I was very pleased to be one of the people who was sent a copy of this book " Man at the Helm" and I must say it would not normally be one I would pick off the shelf. I found the first chapters a bit of a struggle and was tempted to give up, but as time went on I wanted to find out what happened next to this very exceptional family. I was surprised the author made the children so " street wise" but it all added to the plot of the book. The author must have either a good idea of children of that era or did she base it on any personal problems in her life? Sometimes I found it over descriptive at times and it was not for me the hilarious read it was advertised to be, but that does not mean it did not make me smile at times.
I will pass it on to one of my daughter-in-laws to see how she views he book as a younger person.

The book was pretty autobiographical. I only wrote what we actually did - or would have done or said. We were very mature in some ways and our mother was unusually frank with us on certain subjects.

annemac101

It did take me a while to get into this book but when I did I enjoyed it. It must be difficult to write from the point of view of a young girl but I think the tone was just right. I loved the children,wanted to give the mother a shake but she had depression and I suspect many children are in the same situation. They did what they had to do to get by and I'm glad of the happy ending. I would like to ask the author what made her decide to write from a child's prospective ? I' m on holiday in Turkey so I have left the book in the hotel's library for other people to enjoy and spread the author's name.

Good question! It felt real to me. I have a very good memory of being a 9/10 year old and it just felt right to use that voice. I think pre-teens are very wise and not too self-conscious. I was also helped by the fact that I had 10 and 12 year-old kids when I was writing it and their language and thought processes were constantly around.. sort of corroborating my memories.

rocketstop

Hello Nina,
First of all , I'd like to thank you for such a brilliant read.It was different from anything I've read before.I have to confess that I haven't read 'Love, Nina' So I didn't know anything about you prior to reading this book.

I loved all the characters, the flawed Mother who you couldn't help but like.The feisty elder sister, Lizzie who narrates and little Jack who may even be a shred Autistic.I could see them all ! You not only made the main suitors real, but brought to life the neighbours and shopkeepers.

I grew up in a village, and in it's early days, it was just like the village you have crafted, so I really could relate to some of the insular behaviour of it's inhabitants since I wasn't actually born there.

Did you grow up in a village ? I feel you must have, if not you have been extraordinarily clever in reproducing that feel here.I don't want to say too much about the story here in case some people haven't finished reading it yet.
Have you another book in the pipeline ? I hope you do, I shall buy it, and am now off to look for 'Love Nina'.

This would make a fantastic stage play, I bet you get approached about it !
Good luck to you and thanks for a superb read.

Hello! Thank you for this lovely review. I’m so glad you liked it.

Yes, I did grow up in a village. Yes, they were bl**dy horrible to my poor mum! I’m writing more about Lizzie Vogel as she grows up. I like her voice and her take on the world.

granh1

I found the book full of humour, the world seen by a 9 year old girl, Lizzie. She and her siblings are trying to find a man for their newly abandoned mother, to cheer her up and make them more socially acceptable. The children are a mixture of precociousness and innocence. The plot is unrealistic, verging on farcical, so we know we are not to take it too seriously.
A question - Will we have a sequel titled Woman at the Helm?
My daughter found she was an abandoned mother, and went through the tears, drink and pills phase quite quickly and moved on to a confident Woman at the Helm, steering her young family through new ventures and experiences! She did have family and friends though, who would not let her deviated from the course of independence!!

I’m so pleased to hear your daughter’s story. I think times have changed and women aren’t treated quite so badly when they find themselves alone. I’m not planning another book that’s so focused on the mother, but am writing more of Lizzie and we will see how sorted her mother has become.

nonnanna

Thank you for my copy of 'Man at the Helm'. I have started it but we are going away for a while and I shall take it with me to finish. As there will be no internet access I need to post a question for Nina now.

Nina, I'm enjoying your book so far but why so much use of brackets? (Like this!) It's taking me a while to get used to your style (of brackets that is) I'm a little confused please enlighten me (if possible) Thank you, Nina.

I don’t know why I do that. I’m an over-explainer, which is a sign of anxiety, and I think that’s why. I do it when I’m talking too. Keep going back to make sure the person I’m talking to knows what I’m talking about and is still ‘with me’. A lot of people have mentioned it (the brackets). I’m trying to have the confidence to stop. x

revstuart

I would be interested to read the same story from the mother's point of view

Very interesting. Me too. I will tell my mother. Thanks. x

mtp123

I would like to ask if she has any other books in the pipeline? Did she find it difficult to start the book and if so what made her "go for it".

I ‘went for it’ because I had the confidence (to write in my own voice) after my book of letters was a success. I think feeling confident to use your own voice is a huge thing and makes writing possible.

louella

As someone else has said - interesting to see so many differing view on the same book. I loved it.

I understand that it is semi autobiographical and having read that Nina has children of her own would like to ask whether he own childhood experiences have shaped the way she has been as a mother?

Yes, very much! I know how important it is to feel your mother is OK. I worried a lot that my mum was sad and lonely. I make sure my kids never have to worry too much about their parents (yet!)

Nana3

Finished Man at the Helm today and found it a page turner. I agree with Maggiemaybe's review very much especially the bitter/sweet. Life is hard in many ways for many children, sadly. From my own childhood experiences your way of life is all you know and it is very normal to you. Everyone has different standards and priorities and even with the children's problems they were not horribly mistreated were they? They were loved, going to school regularly, had food if not the best and beds to sleep on and much more. I think Nina Stibbe is a talented writer and I will read 'Love, Nina' and look forward to her future work.

Thank you for this. I agree wholeheartedly with what you say and I’m glad you felt this. We did have a tough time, but not that tough compared to others around us. We were loved and, though our mother had difficulties, she cared for us and did her best. We were surrounded by books and culture and, apart from worrying about our mother, were actually pretty happy!

Gagagran

I think that Nina has captured the voice of a 9-year old in the 1970s perfectly and she has an excellent ear for the absurd. The jokey style hides some truthful and honest observations which jumped out at me . I enjoyed this book as much as her first one.

I would like to ask Nina if she based Lizzie on herself or her sister or on a mix of them both?

Thank you! Yes, Lizzie is very like me (or me her!) and my sister in real life is very like Lizzie’s sister.