Our Doris by Charles Heathcote Review copy supplied by author.
Our Doris should come with a warning to avoid food and drink while reading, because if you ‘get it’, this book is sprinkled with moments that might literally choke you with laughter.
Written as a series of monologues, it introduces Our Doris, a character somewhat reminiscent of Hyacinth Bucket of the British sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances, perhaps a distant cousin. Our Doris is spawned with the same devilishly-haughty mix of faux-superiority and the assumption of perfect manners, a blend which transforms an ordinary high maintenance woman into walking purgatory. The tale is told in the voice of Doris’ husband, Our Harold, a paragon of forbearance not without his own quirks. The elderly pair have been married for more than fifty years, and in a different reality, you might picture Harold as being perfectly justified in calmly and honestly stating, “And that Your Honor, is why I killed her.”
Our Doris is obsessed with her garden and its upcoming placement in the local garden safari, a neighborhood affair more important than national defense. Doris will go to any lengths to showcase herself as a “horticulturist visionary” and end up the winner. Naturally, she views her competition, the members of the local ladies group, as wholly unworthy of comparison with her skills, and she’s not shy about jockeying her way through the minefield of British propriety with insults and blackmail to maintain her advantage. Throughout, the saintly-patient Our Harold grudgingly assists, deftly avoids, or unashamedly warns the local lads about Doris’ manic and maniacal plans. And of course, lifelong marriage has also shown him the definitive advantages of escape through heavy drinking.
The Good: The authentic feel of this slice of British life is truly marvelous, and the laughs are genuine and liberally supplied.
The Bad: There is no correct answer when an author attempts to balance authenticity against readability for a broad audience. Our Doris is likely a fast and wonderfully easy read in Great Britain, but ‘across the pond,’ it may take a bit of googling to understand the British slang, colloquialisms, etc. that have no common reference. Naturally, some of the humor is dependent on such understanding; for example, one reference to Ben Nevis, which is a mountain, not a person. Ergo, this is not an effortless read for the author’s American cousins, but even with this caveat on readability, if you love British humor as I do, Our Doris is ‘simply lovely.’
Rating: Four Stars, and I almost feel guilty deducting one for readability.
Review copy supplied by author.
Our Doris should come with a warning to avoid food and drink while reading, because if you ‘get it’, this book is sprinkled with moments that might literally choke you with laughter.
Written as a series of monologues, it introduces Our Doris, a character somewhat reminiscent of Hyacinth Bucket of the British sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances, perhaps a distant cousin. Our Doris is spawned with the same devilishly-haughty mix of faux-superiority and the assumption of perfect manners, a blend which transforms an ordinary high maintenance woman into walking purgatory. The tale is told in the voice of Doris’ husband, Our Harold, a paragon of forbearance not without his own quirks. The elderly pair have been married for more than fifty years, and in a different reality, you might picture Harold as being perfectly justified in calmly and honestly stating, “And that Your Honor, is why I killed her.”
Our Doris is obsessed with her garden and its upcoming placement in the local garden safari, a neighborhood affair more important than national defense. Doris will go to any lengths to showcase herself as a “horticulturist visionary” and end up the winner. Naturally, she views her competition, the members of the local ladies group, as wholly unworthy of comparison with her skills, and she’s not shy about jockeying her way through the minefield of British propriety with insults and blackmail to maintain her advantage. Throughout, the saintly-patient Our Harold grudgingly assists, deftly avoids, or unashamedly warns the local lads about Doris’ manic and maniacal plans. And of course, lifelong marriage has also shown him the definitive advantages of escape through heavy drinking.
The Good: The authentic feel of this slice of British life is truly marvelous, and the laughs are genuine and liberally supplied.
The Bad: There is no correct answer when an author attempts to balance authenticity against readability for a broad audience. Our Doris is likely a fast and wonderfully easy read in Great Britain, but ‘across the pond,’ it may take a bit of googling to understand the British slang, colloquialisms, etc. that have no common reference. Naturally, some of the humor is dependent on such understanding; for example, one reference to Ben Nevis, which is a mountain, not a person. Ergo, this is not an effortless read for the author’s American cousins, but even with this caveat on readability, if you love British humor as I do, Our Doris is ‘simply lovely.’
Rating: Four Stars, and I almost feel guilty deducting one for readability.