Books
by Nina Stibbe
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Love, Nina |
This very entertaining book is an account of the years Nina Stibbe spent working as a nanny to a publisher's family. Set in North London in the 1980s, the material for the book came directly from letters she wrote to her sister who discovered them in a box during a house move years later. Many well-known literary names make appearances - Alan Bennett is a neighbour and regular supper visitor - conversations round the table hilarious, characters delightful.
(Mary Standing - bwl 72 Spring 2014) |
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Man at the Helm |
The younger of two sisters searching for a partner for their mother narrates their efforts. Both knowing and naïve, as children are, she shows you not only the often hilarious situations which arise but also village life. You enjoy seeing what she and her sister see - and more. The narrator's adult perspective sometimes gives a sadder, more serious edge to things but this is essentially a highly individual and very funny novel which keeps you reading.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 79 Winter 2016) |
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Went to London, Took the Dog: The Diary of a 60-Year-Old Runaway |
Having enjoyed 'Love Nina', her first book, I was looking forward to this diary account of a year in the life of Stibbe, but I was disappointed. Returning to London after 20 years from her home in Cornwall, she rents a room in the home of fellow writer Deborah Moggach. Now divorced and her children both students in London, Nina needs a change of scene to write. The resulting diary (though often funny) felt contrived and just didn't work for me.
(Mary Standing - bwl 112 Spring 2024) |
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