Hi everyone, this week I’m giving you a review of an amazing book I read last year that still warms my heart and leaves me in tears! If I said the one thing I liked about this without reading the story was the vibrant cover, I wouldn’t be lying!! Now, if that has given you a reason to find out more… Please press the button below to check it all out…
Title: Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting: A Novel
Author: Clare Pooley
Genre: Fiction – Contemporary
Publication details: Pamela Dorman Books; USA, 2022
ISBN: 9781984878649 (Hardcover)
What this book is about: Every day Iona Iverson, a stylish, opinionated, larger-than-life magazine advice columnist, rides the train to work in London with her dog, Lulu. She sees the same people everyday but only knows them by the nicknames she’s given them like Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm and Mr-Too-good-to-be-True. Of course, they never speak. Seasoned commuters never do. Then one morning, the man she calls Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader chokes on a grape right in front of her. The timely intervention of Sanjay, a nurse, who gives him the Heimlich maneuver, saves his life. This single event brings an eclectic group of people together. They discover that talking to strangers can teach you quite a bit about the world around you – and even more about yourself.
My review: To say I laughed would be an understatement: I cackled, giggled and snorted deliriously at every other page!! Although each chapter is about a different person, this read feels more like a daily sitcom, one that has that cackle of audience laughter after each scene. I fell head over heels in love with Iona and loved how she built many friendships with those young people!! Her character was something I thought of as a version of yourself than you always imagine: you know, opinionated, slightly bossy, but filled with life and warmth. Piers, Martha the student, Emmi and Sanjay, David and the rest of the train carriage felt like family. Even Sanjay’s overbearing but kind mother Meera was a lively addition to the many layers that Clare Pooley created in this story! It’s stories like these that I wished I had taken a train to work in my youth!! An awesome read!!
My rating: 5 ⭐
Quotes I liked:
“The only way to be guaranteed of failure, dear boy, is not to try,” said Iona. “Love is the greatest risk of all, but a life without it is meaningless.”
“That’s really poetic, Iona,” said Martha.
“Who said that?”
“I did, dear girl,” replied Iona. “Just now.” – Iona to Sanjay and Martha.
“Good God. Since when have you wanted to fit in?” said Iona. “I can’t think of anything worse. My wife, Bea, says the whole point of life is to stand out, not to fit in.” – Iona to Martha
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 