The Weekend (Wood) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Wood has several surprises up her sleeve; her characters have loved often, lived large and taken plenty of risks, which makes for quick, Liane Moriarty-esque reading. She also has an eye for the little moments that link us, sometimes past the point of reason, to people whose histories we share.
New York Times


[A] dark, smart comedy of manners…. For a reader in or facing the demographic of Wood’s three friends, The Weekend is both fascinating and chilling. Not just the question of superannuated friendships, but also past-prime careers, aging bodies, senior finances and calcifying personality traits are all fairly coldly examined here.
Minneapolis Star Tribune


Old age is a state of mutiny rather than stasis in this glorious, forthright tale of female friendship.… What gives the book its glorious, refreshing, forthright spine is that each woman is still adamantly (often disastrously) alive, and still less afraid of death than irrelevance.
Guardian (UK)


The Weekend captivated me from the excellent opening chapter…. The three main characters—Jude, Adele and Wendy—are superbly drawn.… [T]his wise, funny novel will help you understand yourself—and it may scare the s*** out of anyone brave enough to confront the truths within its masterful pages.
Independent (UK)
 

Wood finds a beautiful balance between her three women…. The gaps between how a character sees themselves and how their friends see them are astutely drawn, both painfully comic and frequently heartbreaking.… Wood is to be praised for taking female friendship seriously and for being caustically honest.
Observer (UK)


A darkly funny, truthful novel…. There is endless pleasure to be found in the candour and compassion Wood brings to bear on femininity and female friendship.
Metro (UK)


A lovely, insightful exploration of aging, regrets and rebirth.
People


If you've ever thought to yourself, I wish there were a beach read kind of like the movie Book Club, but more emotionally complex—look no further.
Entertainment Weekly

 
Capture summer (even if you can't leave your house) with a tender read dripping in easy nostalgia.
Marie Claire


Three 70-something women spend Christmas together and find new tensions in their long friendship. With the lightest of touches, this big-hearted, insightful read tackles friendship, ambition, ageing and death.
Good Housekeeping
 

[S]harp…. Wood explores myriad possibilities of success, failure, philosophy, psychic ailments, and forms of melancholy that a 70-something woman might experience.… Baby boomers and Wood’s fans will best appreciate this astringent story.
Publishers Weekly


The novel displays wit, insight, and some astute social commentary, especially on the topic of age, but offers little in the way of engagement or surprises.…. A neatly observed, tightly circumscribed journey into predictable territory.
Kirkus Reviews