Historical

Bournville

Bournville

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  • Create Date：2022-10-28 00:51:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jonathan Coe
  • ISBN：0241517389
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Summary

'A wickedly funny， clever， but also tender and lyrical novel about Britain and Britishness and what we have become' Rachel Joyce

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From the bestselling， award-winning author of Middle England comes a profoundly moving， brutally funny and brilliantly true portrait of Britain told through four generations of one family

In Bournville， a placid suburb of Birmingham， sits a famous chocolate factory。 For eleven-year-old Mary and her family in 1945， it's the centre of the world。 The reason their streets smell faintly of chocolate， the place where most of their friends and neighbours have worked for decades。 Mary will go on to live through the Coronation and the World Cup final， royal weddings and royal funerals， Brexit and Covid-19。 She'll have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren。 Parts of the chocolate factory will be transformed into a theme park， as modern life and the city crowd in on their peaceful enclave。

As we travel through seventy-five years of social change， from James Bond to Princess Diana， and from wartime nostalgia to the World Wide Web， one pressing question starts to emerge: will these changing times bring Mary's family - and their country - closer together， or leave them more adrift and divided than ever before？

Bournville is a rich and poignant new novel from the bestselling， Costa award-winning author of Middle England。 It is the story of a woman， of a nation's love affair with chocolate， of Britain itself。

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'It is miraculous how， in his new novel， Coe has created a social history of postwar Britain as we are still living it。 Bournville is a beautiful， and often very funny， tribute to an underexamined place and also a truly moving story of how a country discovered tolerance' Sathnam Sanghera， bestselling author of Empireland

'Epic in scope， but personal in resonance' Elizabeth Day

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Reviews

Katy Kelly ，

One ordinary family at key events in modern British history。This was fascinating。 I loved revisiting the Lambs over a 60year span as they aged， their family changed and grew， they argued and discussed the events going on around them。 We see events we've all either lived through or know about， almost by osmosis in some cases - the Coronation of Elizabeth II， the World Cup win， Diana's death， VE Day anniversary in the midst of COVID lockdowns。But now we see it， almost Gogglebox-like， from the pers One ordinary family at key events in modern British history。This was fascinating。 I loved revisiting the Lambs over a 60year span as they aged， their family changed and grew， they argued and discussed the events going on around them。 We see events we've all either lived through or know about， almost by osmosis in some cases - the Coronation of Elizabeth II， the World Cup win， Diana's death， VE Day anniversary in the midst of COVID lockdowns。But now we see it， almost Gogglebox-like， from the perspective of one multi-generational family。 As some of them age and a new generation take over， we get new views and insights and reminders of our own shared pasts and how we are all connected through them。Mary Lamb is key to the family， the matriarch， and it begins with her making decisions that will affect her whole life thereafter。 Though I was not there （by many decades）， I could picture the events of her youth， the coronation felt very well visually described， it felt well-researched with small details that made it realistic and easy to imagine。Her family grows to include key figures that exemplify issues regarding race and sexuality， we see snatches of love stories and marriages over time， aging， death， families and various occupations。 The Lambs from the middle of England could well be that typical British family of the era。Only a few of the family become our focus， our voices on the past。 A few times I got a little confused with names and had to work to remember the relationships and who people were to whom， but this usually became clear quite quickly， even when moving forward in time。 The story comes full swing with references at the end to events at the start of the story， and I found the whole thing nostalgic， moving and engrossing。Loved Middle England， and this is in a similar vein， will stir memories。With thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy。 。。。more

jean ，

I have very mixed feelings about this book， I enjoyed Jonathon Coe's writing and the characters who allowed the narrative to be told。 I think that was also the problem though in that， although it was an interesting social history of the last 80+ years of the UK， the author did seem to rely very heavily on printing verbatim speeches from relevant times eg Churchill and the coronation， and this felt a bit lazy and like reading a textbook。3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4Thank you to netgalley and Pengui I have very mixed feelings about this book， I enjoyed Jonathon Coe's writing and the characters who allowed the narrative to be told。 I think that was also the problem though in that， although it was an interesting social history of the last 80+ years of the UK， the author did seem to rely very heavily on printing verbatim speeches from relevant times eg Churchill and the coronation， and this felt a bit lazy and like reading a textbook。3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more

Hannah Hill ，

I love Jonathan Coe because he manages to transport you completely to a time and place， and do it so accurately。 When he writes about times I remember I read with delight at everything he manages to remind me of。 His skill is not to make his descriptions look like they are researched or shoehorned into the plot。 His books are time travel to interesting places。 His latest， Bourneville， is “a novel in seven occasions” seven memorable occasions， touchstones in modern British history。 He starts with I love Jonathan Coe because he manages to transport you completely to a time and place， and do it so accurately。 When he writes about times I remember I read with delight at everything he manages to remind me of。 His skill is not to make his descriptions look like they are researched or shoehorned into the plot。 His books are time travel to interesting places。 His latest， Bourneville， is “a novel in seven occasions” seven memorable occasions， touchstones in modern British history。 He starts with a prologue set in 2020 at that uncertain start to the pandemic when we didn’t quite comprehend what was happening and what was coming。 I’m not ready for a pandemic book yet， but the short chapter captured the atmosphere of March 2020 beautifully。 We then start the book on VE day seen through the eyes of eleven years old Mary。 The detail in every paragraph is rich， full technicolour surround sound cinematography。 Being taken back to times “before my time” and times I remember well was a true pleasure。 It’s really what books are for。 。。。more

Alyson ，

I was in two minds about this book。 On the one hand it is beautifully written with great detail about the each time period in which it is set， but on the other hand it seems to wander about without a real theme to draw it together。 The story begins in WW2 with Mary Lamb， an only child， being brought up in the area of Birmingham near the Cadbury's chocolate factory。 Coe then uses prominent events in history to hang the story of Mary's life on so we have stops at the Queen's coronation， the World I was in two minds about this book。 On the one hand it is beautifully written with great detail about the each time period in which it is set， but on the other hand it seems to wander about without a real theme to draw it together。 The story begins in WW2 with Mary Lamb， an only child， being brought up in the area of Birmingham near the Cadbury's chocolate factory。 Coe then uses prominent events in history to hang the story of Mary's life on so we have stops at the Queen's coronation， the World Cup Final in 1966， the investiture of Prince Charles， the wedding of Charles and Diana， the death of Dinah and finally the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020。 The monarch features quiet heavily in this novel， and the reactions of Mary's family reflect the mood of the nation at the time。 I found Mary a great character， full of life and vigour， and I did have to wonder why she settled for boring old Geoffrey and a rather sedate life， but it appears she was happy and a doting mother and grandmother。 I enjoyed the scenes that featured Mary particularly and actually didn't like some of the other members of her family and found their asides less interesting and less relevant and sometimes confusing as to who they actually were。Although beautifully told， a more defined plot would have given this novel five stars from me。 The author's note at the end is incredibly poignant and telling — reflecting of the feelings of a great many people in the UK， I think。 。。。more

Lesley N ，

I hadn't previously read anything by Jonathan Coe and chose this on the basis of the title and the description。 I too visited Bournville Village as part of a trip to Cadbury World and thought it looked a lovely place to live （apart from all the tourists！！）。I liked the way that the steps in the narrative were defined by national events such as VE Day， the Queen's Coronation and the wedding of Charles and Diana， amongst others。 These helped to highlight the social and political differences between I hadn't previously read anything by Jonathan Coe and chose this on the basis of the title and the description。 I too visited Bournville Village as part of a trip to Cadbury World and thought it looked a lovely place to live （apart from all the tourists！！）。I liked the way that the steps in the narrative were defined by national events such as VE Day， the Queen's Coronation and the wedding of Charles and Diana， amongst others。 These helped to highlight the social and political differences between the various characters。 Especially good was the insight in to the chocolate war - just the sort of thing to have made UK citizens vote to leave the EEC。 This is a really interesting and enjoyable read。Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book。 。。。more

Des ，

Via seven major real national events in post-WW2 England， Jonathan Coe weaves a wonderful fictional narrative。 At times bitingly funny， but always beautifully written， Coe ruminates on the state of modern England。 But underlying it all， is Coe's deep affection for his notion of England， perhaps best highlighted through the running theme that 'everything changes， and everything stays the same'。 Despite Coe's gentle soothing writing style， he provokes readers to reflect on the most critical social Via seven major real national events in post-WW2 England， Jonathan Coe weaves a wonderful fictional narrative。 At times bitingly funny， but always beautifully written， Coe ruminates on the state of modern England。 But underlying it all， is Coe's deep affection for his notion of England， perhaps best highlighted through the running theme that 'everything changes， and everything stays the same'。 Despite Coe's gentle soothing writing style， he provokes readers to reflect on the most critical social issues of our times。 This is a great read from an excellent writer。 Highly recommended。 Special thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for an advance copy in return for a no obligation honest review。 。。。more

Carol ，

Very mixed feelings about this one。 Coe writes wonderful ‘state of the nation’ novels but this， I feel is a rushed and diluted version。 Structured around momentous events of the past 80 years: VE Day， Coronation of Elizabeth II， 1966 World Cup， Charles and Diana， Brexit and Covid， there’s not much we haven’t read before。Mary， mother of the family is the constant， and we see her life from a child to grandmother， and we see her family growing up， moving on and away from Bournville， that idyllic vi Very mixed feelings about this one。 Coe writes wonderful ‘state of the nation’ novels but this， I feel is a rushed and diluted version。 Structured around momentous events of the past 80 years: VE Day， Coronation of Elizabeth II， 1966 World Cup， Charles and Diana， Brexit and Covid， there’s not much we haven’t read before。Mary， mother of the family is the constant， and we see her life from a child to grandmother， and we see her family growing up， moving on and away from Bournville， that idyllic village created by the Cadbury family to provide workers with decent housing and surroundings （but no pubs！）。There are some very touching moments， fascinating characters and relationships， and very angry moments， but diversions into eg rules and reg of The Chocolate War and Lockdown， left me wondering where the soul of the story had gone。 Thank you to #NetGalley and #Penguin for my pre-release download 。。。more

Andy Marr ，

Just as he did in his Middle England trilogy， Coe here has given so much space to describing events of the period in question that it often reads as much like a short history of modern Britain as a novel。 It's a frustrating habit of Coe's， but I nevertheless adore his books。 His writing is wonderful， his stories are clever and deep， and his left-wing politics are always spot on。 Although this was by no means my favourite of his novels - The Rotters Club and What A Carve Up！ share that particular Just as he did in his Middle England trilogy， Coe here has given so much space to describing events of the period in question that it often reads as much like a short history of modern Britain as a novel。 It's a frustrating habit of Coe's， but I nevertheless adore his books。 His writing is wonderful， his stories are clever and deep， and his left-wing politics are always spot on。 Although this was by no means my favourite of his novels - The Rotters Club and What A Carve Up！ share that particular crown - it was a consistently good one， and it wins bonus points for ridiculing that awful， awful arserag， Boris Johnson。 。。。more

Stephen Dilley ，

Bournville is another enjoyable family saga and state of the nation novel from Jonathan Coe which follows the lives of one family over 75 years from V。 E。 Day to the Covid-19 pandemic。 We first meet Mary Lamb in March 2020 aged 86 when the first lockdown is on the horizon before travelling back to 1945 where eleven-year-old Mary and her parents are celebrating the end of the Second World War in the Bournville village which gives the novel its name。 We rejoin Mary， her children and grandchildren Bournville is another enjoyable family saga and state of the nation novel from Jonathan Coe which follows the lives of one family over 75 years from V。 E。 Day to the Covid-19 pandemic。 We first meet Mary Lamb in March 2020 aged 86 when the first lockdown is on the horizon before travelling back to 1945 where eleven-year-old Mary and her parents are celebrating the end of the Second World War in the Bournville village which gives the novel its name。 We rejoin Mary， her children and grandchildren at other landmark moments of British history such as the Coronation， the 1966 World Cup and the death of Princess Diana。 This format allows us to examine a variety of national issues through the prism of one family and to chart shifting attitudes towards politics， the royal family and Europe。 The Birmingham setting is familiar territory to readers of Coe's other novels， but here the focus on the Bournville factory adds an interesting dimension - particularly entertaining is Mary's son Martin's involvement in the EU 'chocolate wars' of the 1990s。 Changing attitudes towards race and sexuality are also explored rather poignantly - one of Mary's sons is gay and one of her daughters-in-law is Black but neither are fully accepted。 The novel is at its most moving in the final section when presenting the pain caused by the pandemic， especially for those of Mary's generation。 As in other novels， Coe plays with structure and perspective to good effect - most sections are narrated in third person but this broken up at points with diary entries and other documents。 There is a pleasing erudition about Coe's writing but he wears this very lightly - I can think of no other novelist whose work would make repeated reference to the 1953 comedy film Genevieve and also to Oliver Messiaen's 'Quartet for the End of Time'， but no prior knowledge is required to enjoy these。 Familiar faces from other novels pop up， including Paul Trotter MP and the Foley family as well as a young， scruffy， reckless journalist in Brussels called Boris。。。 Overall， this is a leisurely and insightful reflection on post-war British history - thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC to review。 。。。more

Kerry ，

This is my neck of the woods， place-wise， as it is Coe's， so I was very keen to get my hands on this novel。 From a personal point of view， I love a novel with a sense of place， so I was keen to see how this was going to pan out。 What I think we have in 'Bournville' is an epic novel， yes， but also an example， in many ways， of how we're living in a time of phenomenally speedy change， and I think what Coe has produced is， in fact， more than a work of fiction。 The novel itself focuses on history， bo This is my neck of the woods， place-wise， as it is Coe's， so I was very keen to get my hands on this novel。 From a personal point of view， I love a novel with a sense of place， so I was keen to see how this was going to pan out。 What I think we have in 'Bournville' is an epic novel， yes， but also an example， in many ways， of how we're living in a time of phenomenally speedy change， and I think what Coe has produced is， in fact， more than a work of fiction。 The novel itself focuses on history， both of Bournville and the surrounds， and the UK generally。 Personally， I like the way Coe， here， uses fiction to convey non-fiction， covering significant events in an intelligent and relevant way。 The characters live through these events and so， effectively， UK history is conveyed through the medium of fiction， but also， the history of 'place' is also laid out in a highly entertaining and readable way。 This is very clever and particularly apt。 Brilliant。 More of this， please。 My grateful thanks to the publishers， and to NetGalley for the early copy。 。。。more

Paromjit ，

Jonathan Coe writes a gripping and beguiling novel， the remarkable social and political history of Britain， 75 years of political turbulence， changing social norms and attitudes， seen through Mary Lamb and her family， 4 generations captured through time， with Mary feeling near the end of her life as if she is inhabiting the past， present and future。 Everything changing， yet nothing changes， and it begins with Lorna， Mary's granddaughter， in Vienna on a musical tour at the start of the pandemic， Jonathan Coe writes a gripping and beguiling novel， the remarkable social and political history of Britain， 75 years of political turbulence， changing social norms and attitudes， seen through Mary Lamb and her family， 4 generations captured through time， with Mary feeling near the end of her life as if she is inhabiting the past， present and future。 Everything changing， yet nothing changes， and it begins with Lorna， Mary's granddaughter， in Vienna on a musical tour at the start of the pandemic， being asked how Britain got where it is， with Brexit and Boris， by Ludwig。 We then tune into 11 year old Mary， celebrating the end of WW2， living in the quiet Birmingham suburb of Bournville， the chocolate village and factory， employing family members through the decades until it is closed down and is turned into a theme park。The narrative jumps through the years， catching up with family members and their history， anchored by national events， such as the coronation of young Queen Elizabeth II in 1953， the triumph of the 1966 World Cup win by England over Germany， the investiture of Charles as the Prince of Wales， the loss of the British Empire but spawning a new national self confidence arising through a cultural renaissance， with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones， culminating in the swinging 60s。 It then picks up again in 1981 with the spectacle of Charles and Diana's wedding taking place amidst the background of social unrest with the riots， moving to 1997 with the death and funeral of Princess Diana， and the grief and mourning of a nation， the divisions created by Brexit， right up to the horrors of Covid 19。 This history of Britain is writ large in Mary， and her family， she marries Geoffrey， knowing who he is and his problematic attitudes， she has 3 sons， Jack， Martin and Peter， becoming a grandmother and a great-grandmother。 She is obsessed by sports and becomes a PE teacher and is particularly close to her musician son， Peter。 The family mirrors the nation's culture， attitudes， political conflicts and divisions， and developments on issues such as race， sexual orientation， the position of women， incorporating both pro and anti-royalist feelings， and the bitterness of the sharp Brexit divisions。 This is a a superb and engaging family drama， of our love of chocolate， and British history， a tender， smart， witty， astute and sharply observed state of the nation novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers。 Highly recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more

Cathy ，

I was approved for an ARC of Bournville by Jonathan Coe。 I haven't read any other books by this author， but living in the West Midlands and having done so all my life， the title appealed to me。 The story follows four generations of the same family， over a period of 75 years。 I found it to be an enjoyable story， and sad in parts。 The story covers memorable moments in time， and how the family reacted to those。 I would have liked there to be more references to the Midlands， and perhaps more insight I was approved for an ARC of Bournville by Jonathan Coe。 I haven't read any other books by this author， but living in the West Midlands and having done so all my life， the title appealed to me。 The story follows four generations of the same family， over a period of 75 years。 I found it to be an enjoyable story， and sad in parts。 The story covers memorable moments in time， and how the family reacted to those。 I would have liked there to be more references to the Midlands， and perhaps more insight into the factory life， but overall I enjoyed the book#bournville #jonathancoe #netgalley 。。。more

Greville Waterman ，

This family saga over 75 years set in Cadbury Village Bournville， a suburb of Birmingham is an interesting and powerful and emotive which I thoroughly enjoyed。 We follow all the characters through post war history and big and small events。 Some characters are better drawn and more realistic than others but the story came together well and it well up to the standard of this excellent author。

Sarah ，

plus ça change， plus c'est la même chose。。。I've only read one other Coe novel - Middle England - and from that limited experience it seems that Coe has a tried-and-tested formula: state of the nation novels focusing on a specific （or a number of specific） events in recent（ish） history， and a tight cast of characters who spend a fair chunk of the narrative ruminating on politics and current affairs in said moment in history。Coe's latest offering heads back to an area he knows well: the West Midla plus ça change， plus c'est la même chose。。。I've only read one other Coe novel - Middle England - and from that limited experience it seems that Coe has a tried-and-tested formula: state of the nation novels focusing on a specific （or a number of specific） events in recent（ish） history， and a tight cast of characters who spend a fair chunk of the narrative ruminating on politics and current affairs in said moment in history。Coe's latest offering heads back to an area he knows well: the West Midlands。 Educated in Edgbaston， one gathers from the epilogue that many of the locales featured in Bournville are/were familiar to him in his younger years。 Currently living in the West Midlands myself I was interested in a novel which featured the area so prominently， but I think the book was a bit of a letdown in that regard - the sections on the history of Bournville were interesting though。Now the author was not to know that since his epilogue was written a mere 5 months ago in April 2022 that a） the Queen would have passed away and， b） Boris Johnson would no longer be in power and the UK would be in an even worse state of affairs。 The news in the UK is totally saturated by these topics right now - understandably - so perhaps for me personally this was not a good moment to read a novel that featured these two themes so prominently when I am reading a novel to relax and escape from constant discussion and rumination on such topics。 If you're a fan of zeitgeist-y reads then maybe this will all work better for you。 Don't get me wrong: these are important topics， and there are many thought-provoking and interesting things that could be said about them/ways they could be included in a novel， but here they felt almost ancillary to the story the author was trying to tell and like they had been shoehorned in。 Several big milestone events for the monarchy in the 20th century - the Queen's coronation， Charles and Diana's wedding， Diana's death - are titles of sections of the book and feature quite heavily， and I get that Coe was trying to say that whilst the lives of the characters moved on and these big events happened things didn't really change that much for the lives of ordinary people of the UK。。。 but somehow it didn't make for an engaging or particularly entertaining read for me。 I didn't care about anything that happened to any of the characters。 It felt like a checklist of topics one would associate with the mid to late-20th century arbitrarily cobbled together。Disappointing stuff。 I think this novel was trying to do way too much and as a result didn't end up achieving any of it。Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK for the advance copy， which was provided in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Peter Willoughby ，

I really liked this book by Jonathan Coe。 I liked the way that he told the story of four generations ofa family over 75 years or more。His use of events in the memories of everyone alive at the time underpinning the storyline was an excellent mechanism for moving the story along。As usual his sense of humour shines through the book。I haven't read the other books in this series， perhaps that is an aspiration for the near future。As with other up-to-date books， he has utilised the covid epidemic， and I really liked this book by Jonathan Coe。 I liked the way that he told the story of four generations ofa family over 75 years or more。His use of events in the memories of everyone alive at the time underpinning the storyline was an excellent mechanism for moving the story along。As usual his sense of humour shines through the book。I haven't read the other books in this series， perhaps that is an aspiration for the near future。As with other up-to-date books， he has utilised the covid epidemic， and modern beliefs to interest the full spectrum of readers。Thank you for a wonderful read， and lots of memories。Thanks to the author and the publisher for an advanced copy for an honest review。 。。。more

Lucy Hampton ，

I've never ready any Jonathan Coe novels， so I was coming to this with no expectations， and I really enjoyed it。 I've seen other reviewers say that nothing much happens， but that is the joy of this book。 The core of the plot centres around the life of Mary Lamb from when she is a child on VE Day， right through to her experiences of the pandemic in 2020， and branches out to include her family members which are introduced along the way。 My favourite part of the book was the nation's reaction to th I've never ready any Jonathan Coe novels， so I was coming to this with no expectations， and I really enjoyed it。 I've seen other reviewers say that nothing much happens， but that is the joy of this book。 The core of the plot centres around the life of Mary Lamb from when she is a child on VE Day， right through to her experiences of the pandemic in 2020， and branches out to include her family members which are introduced along the way。 My favourite part of the book was the nation's reaction to the royal family; from the King's speech in 1945 to an address by Queen Elizabeth to celebrate the 75th anniversary of that date， It would have been interesting to see what Coe would have made of the reaction to the Queen's funeral。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Another wonderfully engaging portrait of England from Jonathon Coe， this time running from the end of WW2 to the Covid 19 pandemic。 Focusing on families originally living on the much-admired Bournville estate， built from the Quaker Cadbury family’s desire to give their chocolate factory workers pleasant facilities in which to live and work， the author takes us through the decades by way of memorable historical events such as VE Day， the coronation of Elizabeth II， the funeral of Princess Diana a Another wonderfully engaging portrait of England from Jonathon Coe， this time running from the end of WW2 to the Covid 19 pandemic。 Focusing on families originally living on the much-admired Bournville estate， built from the Quaker Cadbury family’s desire to give their chocolate factory workers pleasant facilities in which to live and work， the author takes us through the decades by way of memorable historical events such as VE Day， the coronation of Elizabeth II， the funeral of Princess Diana and the 75th anniversary of VE Day。At the centre of the story is Mary， her introvert husband and their three sons。 Through them， the grandparents， close friends and， in time， the sons’ partners and children， Coe shows us how and why this country has changed， and not always for the better。 In 2020 Mary’s granddaughter’s European colleague criticises Brexit openly: ‘…you’ve done this thing that to us， as far as we can tell， diminishes you， makes you look weaker and more isolated， and yet you seem really pleased with yourselves about it。 And then you put this buffoon in charge。 What’s going on？’ And reflecting on the way that she has been treated throughout her life， Bridget， Mary’s Black daughter-in-law announces， ‘…these days I don’t think you can be neutral for ever， that’s the thing。 There comes a time when everyone has to pick a side。’And yet， if this sounds at best sombre， the reader can always rely on Coe to use plenty of humour in his latest state-of-the-nation narrative。 He also creates thoroughly empathetic credible individuals who can be both wonderfully generous or thoughtful and extremely irritating or selfish， just as in life。 No wonder we become engrossed in the story as we grow every more curious about， and attached to， the characters。Momentous events happen and people are affected but some things remain the same no matter who you are。 Decades apart， at the outset and the end of this story， two women pause to relish hearing their children in the playground during school break just as they love the ‘habitual resonant silence’ of their street。 The novel concludes with the mantra: ‘Everything changes， and everything stays the same。’ Moving， thought-provoking and wise， this is Coe at his best。My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK – Fig Tree for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more

Tom Mooney ，

3。5。 Everything changes and everything stays the same。。。Bournville is an enjoyable family saga， centred on the memorable Mary - inspired by Jonathan Coe's own mother - whom we first meet in her little village on VE Day。 Then an 11-year-old growing up in the literal shadow of the Cadbury's factory， and the metaphorical shadow of WW2， we follow Mary as she grows up， finds love and work and has a relatively normal British life。 A life full of dreams connections， happiness， the odd regret。We drop in 3。5。 Everything changes and everything stays the same。。。Bournville is an enjoyable family saga， centred on the memorable Mary - inspired by Jonathan Coe's own mother - whom we first meet in her little village on VE Day。 Then an 11-year-old growing up in the literal shadow of the Cadbury's factory， and the metaphorical shadow of WW2， we follow Mary as she grows up， finds love and work and has a relatively normal British life。 A life full of dreams connections， happiness， the odd regret。We drop in on her every 10 years or so， at the big moments in the British century; The Queen's coronation， the '66 World Cup final， Diana's marriage and death。 As well as Mary， we get to see her family and the country as a whole change。 Or not。 Concluding with the recent （current？） pandemic， Bournville paints a picture of a Britain surging with progress， leaning from optimism to pessimism， from acceptance to rejection。 The characters are believable and well drawn， the premise is tantalising and skillfully constructed。 But it is a bit light and sentimental for my taste， and the politics is way too on the nose。 Still， an enjoyable read and one I'm sure will do well。 。。。more

Kevin ，

Two reasons I knew I would love this book。 1。 I love books which follow an individual/family throughout their lives or throughout a significant period of time。 2。 I love writers who can capture the essence of everyday， family life and very few do it better than Jonathan Coe。 I loved Middle England and if you did too， you will love Bournville。Here we follow Mary and her family from the War through to the pandemic and everything in between。 We experience Coronations， World Cup wins and Brexit （boo Two reasons I knew I would love this book。 1。 I love books which follow an individual/family throughout their lives or throughout a significant period of time。 2。 I love writers who can capture the essence of everyday， family life and very few do it better than Jonathan Coe。 I loved Middle England and if you did too， you will love Bournville。Here we follow Mary and her family from the War through to the pandemic and everything in between。 We experience Coronations， World Cup wins and Brexit （boo！） all told through the lens of an everyday family with Coe's state of the nation perspective upon it。A brilliant warm， funny and， in parts， sad novel and highly recommended。Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK， Viking for an ARC in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Saffy ，

I have been a huge fan of Jonathan Coe since reading What a Carve Up around three decades ago and so was excited to read the synopsis of Bourneville and for the author to be back in the territory I love best- chronicling a family through history。 Bourneville tracks Mary's family from VE day when Mary was 10， through to the Covid pandemic， via significant events such as the World cup in 1966 and the funeral of Princess Diana。 The relationships within Mary's family reflect those of many families e I have been a huge fan of Jonathan Coe since reading What a Carve Up around three decades ago and so was excited to read the synopsis of Bourneville and for the author to be back in the territory I love best- chronicling a family through history。 Bourneville tracks Mary's family from VE day when Mary was 10， through to the Covid pandemic， via significant events such as the World cup in 1966 and the funeral of Princess Diana。 The relationships within Mary's family reflect those of many families especially around the divisions caused by Brexit。Coe is an absolute master at this genre of novel and for me the words just flew off the page。 He writes about his characters with real depth， understanding and empathy。 I found this to be a hugely emotional novel and the author's note at the end was particularly moving。A wonderful novel that I would highly recommend。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Bourneville。 。。。more

Louise ，

The story of one family ， set against historic days in British history is a clever idea。We've all heard of most of these days， or indeed lived through them。A nice normal family， full of characters ， the sort of which you just might know。There was a few I very much warmed to。Coe is an excellent storyteller， and I very much enjoyed this tale。 I found myself smiling or nodding along in agreement at some of it。In years to come， it's going to be a good dramatic telling of the pandemic。All set to a ba The story of one family ， set against historic days in British history is a clever idea。We've all heard of most of these days， or indeed lived through them。A nice normal family， full of characters ， the sort of which you just might know。There was a few I very much warmed to。Coe is an excellent storyteller， and I very much enjoyed this tale。 I found myself smiling or nodding along in agreement at some of it。In years to come， it's going to be a good dramatic telling of the pandemic。All set to a backdrop of chocolate。Really， what's not to like？ 。。。more

Chris Chanona ，

Bournville is ‘A Novel in Seven Occasions’。 It is funny， astute， engaging， nostalgic and sad。 It tells the story of a family whose mother， Mary， has lived in Bourneville throughout WWII until she leaves to marry。 It is a story of people living through big events， like the Coronation， the World Cup win， Diana’s wedding and death and the covid pandemic （‘ a couple of years we’ll be wondering what all the fuss was about’ ） when， really， it is the small everyday business of life and relationships th Bournville is ‘A Novel in Seven Occasions’。 It is funny， astute， engaging， nostalgic and sad。 It tells the story of a family whose mother， Mary， has lived in Bourneville throughout WWII until she leaves to marry。 It is a story of people living through big events， like the Coronation， the World Cup win， Diana’s wedding and death and the covid pandemic （‘ a couple of years we’ll be wondering what all the fuss was about’ ） when， really， it is the small everyday business of life and relationships that is more important。Coe writes fluently about these historic events and makes them engaging by showing how different family members react。 There is the almost reverence shown for Diana once she has died and the mass over the top mourning which is described very well。 Especially the consequences for those not quite as avid as others。 On royalty， who feature in several of the historic events， I was amused by Mary’s 80 years old father Sam who bemoans:‘Another bloody royal ceremony。 The Coronation was bad enough， but this one， hell’s teeth！ She loves it， though: the one thing I was never able to change Doll’s mind about， she loves the royals。 Don’t ask me why。 I suppose I could understand it when we were young but now， after all this time， I really thought people would have seen through this shower of spongers。’Coe has a way of gently giving spot on reactions to events for each of his characters and， cleverly， as these are different personalities I always found a viewpoint with which I， as a reader， could empathise; on Brexit for example。 But it is the interlocking relationships of Mary’s family that drives the narrative。 Her youngest son Peter has a good plot line。 And there is chocolate， lots of chocolate。 ‘The air did not smell of chocolate， but chocolate was in the air。’And it is Mary herself whom I found most interesting and most moving， especially through the pandemic section。 Not surprising since she， and her long life， is at the heart of this novel。I thoroughly recommend this novel。 I read a copy provided by NetGalley and Viking but as a confirmed fan of all Jonathan Coe’s previous work I can attest that my opinions are my own。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bournville

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bournville&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bournville&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0