My Review
Fresh Eggs and Dog Beds is the story of how
one man and his family make the decision to relocate from Essex to rural
Ireland. The novel begins with Nick, our narrator, being told he must alter his
life and reduce his stress, else his heart could give up. Then, as if fate
heard the Dr, he’s made redundant from his retail management position, and due
to the sensitive nature of his job, he’s promptly put on garden leave with full
pay. Now, without a job, and Drs orders to relax, Nick and his family decide it’s
time to seek new ventures, and Ireland is the destination they select. This
book, the first in three, details Nick’s journey from that beginning, through a
family holiday, and then follows himself and his wife, Leslie, as they house
hunt.
I received an audible copy of this novel and
am thankful I did. Nick’s writing lends itself to the spoken word, as he weaves
a tale full of little details and interactions that should be heard, as to read
it would feel longwinded, rather than charming. There’s a scene somewhere in
the middle of the novel where Nick and Leslie are trying to find a house,
they’ve organised to view but have no phone number or clue where to go. This
sees them meeting a crazy lady with holy water on her dashboard and going to
the postmasters building to have around eight people pipe in trying to work out
where they need to go. Listening to this, I was enthralled. The image is
painted to be hilarious, but in the way of a tale being told in a pub, or on
the phone as you catch up with someone. That scene, and many others,
encapsulate the entire tone of this story, but I’m not convinced it works as
successfully in written form. I’m reminded of David Sedaris’ work, whom if
you’re new here, I adore, where I devourer his novels in audiobook form, but the
charm is lost for me when I read his work. I need to hear his voice to feel the
fluctuations of tone, and the small added jokes, as well as the gravitas of the
entire work. Fresh Eggs and Dog Beds isn’t dissimilar for me. For comparison, I
downloaded the sample and the first few pages felt long, and no where near as
charismatic as they had been when I heard them, but overall, I must still say,
it’s a wonderful story, even if you read it. I would say though that I highly
recommend you get this in audiobook form, sit with a cup of tea, or do whatever
you like to do while listening to something, and enjoy this. The narrator is
charming, with different pitches and mild changes to his voice for different
characters, and overall is a wonderfully compelling storyteller. Would I have
personally preferred the author’s voice? Yes, as that’s something I truly enjoy
in my true stories, but Andy Stevenson has a skill, and I enjoyed listening to
him.
Plot wise, I enjoyed the mosey of the pace.
I’ve gone against my usual self and checked out some reviews, and noticed a few
people felt this took too long to get to where it wanted to be. They expected
what they saw as superfluous scenes to be cut to a line, or ignored completely,
and that this and the second book should be edited down to one novel… now,
again, I listened to this, so there is a difference in intake, but I truly
loved the meander, and the gentle stroll to the finish. I loved the not
immediately obvious important scenes, and the way everything eventually wrapped
up, or made sense. Fresh Eggs takes its time, explaining things when and as
needed, and takes us along on this journey without much worry about how long
we’ll be. I’m thankful every scene is there, and will happily listen to the
second and third, but this does go to show how different formats can cause
different reactions.
Something I’d like to talk about, moving away
from formats and whatnot, is the way the author portrays his characters.
There’s a lot of love in this story, as well as an eye for small, relatable
details. Leslie kicking Nick’s cold feet away or getting out of the car to
scold two wayward dogs, or even struggling to have a private wee behind a bush,
portrayed fondness, and devotion. She’s hilarious, and tangibly real, but also
kind, and no hits have been taken to exaggerate her simply for fiction. The
same goes for strangers, and people we don’t even interact with, but a fleeting
line tells us they existed. Nothing’s been pushed over the top for laughs, or
to create ugly characters, and overall this creates a warm, well natured story.
My favourite probably is the side surfing puppy though, and I’ll be damned if
anyone tries to say she can’t be my favourite character.
All in all, I recommend this for anyone who
enjoys true stories with handfuls of comedy, fun, and light heartedness. It’s
one for the whole family, and something I’ll be keeping handy for a rainy day.
I urge you to check this out in audiobook form if you enjoy listening to
stories, and if you’re unsure whether audiobooks are for you, this would be one
I’d recommend trying with, as it lends itself so naturally to spoken form.
However you decide to check though out though, I hope you do, and it’s top
marks from me.
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