The Other Woman - Jane Green

Growing up without a mother of her own, Ellie has always dreamed of being part of a big and loving family. When she meets Dan and the rest of the Cooper family, her dreams seem to come true. They are everything she could have ever dreamed of and Dan's mother, Linda, welcomes Ellie into her family as if she was her own daughter. When Ellie and Dan begin to plan their wedding, Linda generously offers a helping hand. But, soon enough, a small and quiet affair in the local register's office turns into the wedding of the year inclusive of tiny fiddly portions of god knows what as a main meal, outrageous decorations covering every wall and surface, as well as ...  Read the complete review

I picked up a copy of this book in my local library and have just finished it. I've read other books by Jane Green in the past (Bookends immediately springs to mind) and wasn't overly impressed, but this looked interesting judging from the blurb on the back cover so I took it out anyway. After all, I wasn't buying it so what harm could it do? The Plot Ellie is about to get married to Dan. Having experienced a somewhat difficult childhood in which her mother died when she was young and her father was a very distant parent, she is thrilled to have been unconditionally accepted into his seemingly perfect family set-up, especially as she never had that ...  Read the complete review

Dan is everything that Ellie has ever wanted, even though they're complete opposites. They have a whirlwind romance and soon it's time to 'meet the parents'. Ellie's not had an easy childhood. Her mother, an alcoholic, died when she was young and with only her father at hand, she rebelled. Now she's in her thirties, she's going to become part of the Cooper clan and have a real family at last. Something she has always dreamed of. Only there's a problem. Dan's mum, the chic Linda. At first she's loving and generous, plying Ellie with gifts. But once the wedding plans start to take shape, she becomes the mother in law from hell ... * What I liked ...  Read the complete review

This is a rather light weight book however it is chick lit so I guess that is just about acceptable in this genre. It is quite a funny read in places as well and that is what makes it worth checking out in my opinion. The two mai characters are Ellie and Dan, they are completeopposites but Ellie falls madly in love with him, she has had a tough upbringing, her mother died when Ellie was young primarily from alcohol abuse and Ellie rebelled against the authority of her father in her teen years, now she is set to meet Dan family and she hopes that this will offer the structure that was lacking in her childhood. The problem is that in Linda, Dans ...  Read the complete review

Jane Green is one of the 'queens' of chick-lit and this book is one of her best. The story is told from Ellie's point of view, Ellie is a thirty three your old successful career girl who meets the man of her dreams, Dan. Growing up, we learn that Ellie's mother was an alcoholic and was killed whilst drink driving when Ellie was young. Her distance from her father and no other siblings meant that Ellie has always longed for a big close family. so she is delighted when she meets Dan's family - its like the ready made closeness she has always dreamed of. At first his mother Linda, and her get on famously, its only when Dan and Ellie announce their ...  Read the complete review