Number Ten Book

I was sadly disappointed with this and didn't even finish it. Fortunately it was a freebie, a neighbour was moving and put a pile of books out for people to help themselves. :)

I loved the Adrian Mole series, or at least the earlier ones. I have to admit that I didn't read the later ones where Adrian has grown up. I also rather liked The Queen and I. But this novel didn't really seem to know what it was trying to say. Britain in 2003 wasn't such an awful place, not as far as I can remember, yet Sue Townsend seems determined to portray it at its worst. And I don't know what she was intending with Edward Clare's cross dressing. The idea of a ruler going out in disguise to see how things are in his kingdom is an old one and sending Blair, sorry Clare, on a tour of the country to reacquaint himself with how ordinary people live had a lot of potential for comedy and satire, but for me the book completely missed the mark. In particular I felt that the "comedy" arising from the fact that the PM is dressed as a woman and starting to enjoy wearing feminine clothes and makeup introduced some very problematical aspects. Another thing I particularly didn't like was Townsend's treatment of the Prime Minister's wife. Again Townsend was mocking things that, to me, aren't funny, namely things like mental illness and the problems of being an intelligent woman with confidence issues.