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    A Tiny Bit Marvellous
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    A Tiny Bit Marvellous
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    A Tiny Bit Marvellous
    Audiobook8 hours

    A Tiny Bit Marvellous

    Published by Penguin UK Audio

    3/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A Tiny Bit Marvellous is comedian Dawn French's hilarious pageturner.

    Everyone hates the perfect family.
    So you'll love the Battles.

    Meet Mo Battle, about to turn 50 and mum to two helpless, hormonal teenagers. There's 17-year-old daughter Dora who blames Mo for, like, EVERYTHING and Peter who believes he's quite simply as darling and marvellous as his hero Oscar Wilde. Somewhere, keeping quiet, is Dad . . . who's just, well... Dad.

    However, Mo is having a crisis. She's about to do something unusually wild and selfish, which will leave the entire family teetering on the edge of a precipice. Will the family fall? Or will they, when it really matters, be there for each other?

    A Tiny Bit Marvellous is the number one bestselling novel from one of Britain's favourite comic writers.

    Praise for A Tiny Bit Marvellous:

    'Funny, really enjoyable, highly recommended. A wonderful writer - witty, wise, poignant' Wendy Holden

    'A fantastic slam-dunk pageturner. Funny, enriching . . . page after page I laughed out loud' Mail on Sunday

    'Beautifully observed. Makes you laugh on every page' The Times

    'A brilliantly observed, very funny novel of family life' Woman and Home

    Dawn French has been making people laugh for thirty years. On purpose. As a writer, comedian and actor, she has appeared in some of this country's most long running, cherished and celebrated shows, including French and Saunders, The Comic Strip Presents. . ., Murder Most Horrid, The Vicar of Dibley, Jam and Jerusalem, Lark Rise to Candleford, and more recently, Roger and Val Have Just Got In.

    Her bestselling memoir, Dear Fatty, was published to critical acclaim in 2008. Her first novel, A Tiny Bit Marvellous, was also a great success, going straight to No.1. Dawn's second novel, Oh Dear Silvia, is out now.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin UK Audio
    Release dateOct 28, 2010
    ISBN9780141964454
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for A Tiny Bit Marvellous

    3/5

    201 ratings34 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I was shocked at the bad language and thought until about chapter 2 or 3 why the hell am I reading this trash. However, I think it was most candidly written and so deserves merit for that. It made me laugh only once - it made me cry more than once at the duplicity and stupidity of the writers - still we're all human and have to deal with a lot of muck in our lives.Definitely not for children or vulnerable young people to read - too much homosexuality for that. Could possibly be adapted into a very funny play or something like that.
    • 2/5
      Interesting book with some funny bits but by the end, I was just done with this bizarre family. The daughter is beyond awful. If I treated my mother that way, I would have been disowned years ago. And dad is mentioned but has no voice (weird because this is supposed to be about a dysfunctional family of which he is a part of). I was expecting much more from this normally funny author.
    • 3/5
      A tale of a disfunctional modern British family. Mo, the mother, is a child psychologist having difficulty dealing with her own teenaged children and teetering on the edge of midlife. Dory is the seventeen year old daughter and Peter (who wants to be called Oscar) the younger son.
    • 5/5
      Loved the voices of the characters and the for real feeling of their life situations. Plus, it is howlingly hilarious with a touch of pathos. Wonderful.
    • 2/5
      This one is really a 2.5 star review....I was hoping for a bit more funny and a bit more roundedness of character. By the end of the book I felt a bit warmer towards Dora and Mo, but Oscar's annoying voice had me skipping his chapters.

      Good enough for when you don't have anything else and you're looking for a bit of a no-brain-activity-involved sort of a read.
    • 4/5
      The plot of this book was quite confusing at first as the story is told from the point of view of three different members of the Battle family who are all going through different things. Although it took a while to get into, I began to really like certain characters and look forward to their chapters over others. The plot itself was quite simple throughout, until the end, where I was genuinely surprised. Some reviews I have read have said that they found the ending predictable but I personally found it a perfect finish to this type of book. I don't usually get drawn to books like this, and other than John Green, I haven't really read any contemporary fiction, but knowing Dawn French from her comedy and television career, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of her as an author.

      The characters were all very compelling and I think that telling a story from all these different perspectives would attract different types of reader. All of the characters were very caricatured but I think that this was necessary for this kind of novel.

      Mo did not interest me at all at first. I found her to be quite boring and dull and just the run-of-the-mill mother in this book, but then I realised that this is why her storyline became so interesting. I began to gradually look forward to her chapters and was genuinely interested in her story.

      Dora was hilarious but slightly annoying. I found the swearing and the ridiculous insults that she came out with really funny but overall, I think she acted and sounded a lot younger than seventeen throughout this book. However, I did really like Dora and I like that she was the typical angsty teenager.

      Oscar/Peter was an interesting character, mostly because I didn't really understand his character until about half way through the book, where he became much more rounded as a person rather than just a flamboyant accessory to the rest of the story.

      Husband, to me was a really interesting character. This is mostly because you don't even know his name until literally the last word of the book and he is a mystery even though you know certain things about him from the other characters. I think that overall he was the most well rounded character even though he is only ever addressed as Husband, and even in the one chapter written from his point of view, he is called Dad, which I thought was really appropriate for the content and events that take place in that particular chapter.

      Pamela was also interesting, if not unusual for a grandmother. She was very down to earth and liked baking cakes, and her nursing background was evident throughout the novel.

      The writing in this book was really interesting. Each of the main characters, Mo, Dora and Oscar, spoke in a completely different fashion; Dora was erratic with her language, speaking with a lot of swearing and slang, with some sections being scripts of instant messaging, Mo was more correct but still a believable character, and Oscar, through his obsession with Oscar Wilde and his flamboyancy, spoke in a more poetic way. I think that this helped differentiate between the characters and helped you, as the reader, to not confuse them at all.

      Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars as I think it was a very interesting read but it took me a while to get into. I really loved the ending and the way that it was written, paired with the bright characters.
    • 5/5
      I am a fan of Dawn French, the comedian. When I saw her on the Graham Norton show promoting this book, I couldn't wait to read it expecting it to be hilarious.

      Although the book does have some quite funny parts to it, I was very pleasantly surprised to find I was wrong about it. This book, instead, gives us touchingly real portraits of a woman nearing 50, her teen-aged children, and family relationships. Aggravating, amusing, and in the end, poignant, I am so glad I read this book.
    • 2/5
      I gave up and this doesnt happen very often but as the saying goes "life is short" I found that I just couldn't give an iota about the characters in this book.
    • 4/5
      The mother-teenage daughter relationship is captured perfectly, and Peter/Oscar is a wonderful character, so well written. A funny, heartfelt book.
    • 4/5
      Worth reading for all parents who are soon to have hormonal teenagers. The whole family is in a state of hormonal change, Mo turning 50, Dora turning 18, Peter 16 fixated with Oscar Wild, good old Dad and Grandmother keep the family sane, with the sage advice and loyalty.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to read this book for such a long time! And I was not disappointed at all. It is a very readable, gripping and funny book. I got what I wanted.
    • 3/5
      The story of the Battle family, Mo, Dad, Dora and Peter.I found it very hard to get into, very bitty at the begining with very short diary style entries. The book, for me, improved as those entries got longer. Some parts were hilarious, some sad, so I suppose it had all the right elements. It was very difficult to not read Mo as Dawn French, but that's no bad thing!
    • 4/5
      Each chapter is told by one of the members of the family at the heart of this story. The husband has one chapter, so the remaining three have the rest. It's a bit of a shock to the system to have a mind-meld with these three different characters. Once you get over that though, it's a good ride through the events of their life.I thought, "she makes a good author as well as an actress", but of course she's been writing for years. The ending is quite satisfying, so well worth reading through for. I wonder if part of the book is a bit autobiographical - it will be interesting to see how the next one comes out.
    • 5/5
      The kind of book you're not sure whether you're going to like, but you can't put it down. You laugh out loud & can relate to some of the characters. Loved it! :)
    • 5/5
      Being a life long (well since she appeared on TV) Dawn French fan I knew I would love this book. The diary genre is one of my favourite styles and Dawn did it beautifully. I laughed and cried (the result of having teenage children and being able to realte to Dora and Oscar). I could see the whole family in my minds eye (even 'Husband' who you do not hear from until almost the end). The characters were capture entirely and I could hear their voices from page one. The topic was cleverly gathered up in the minutiae of everyday life with a sting in the tail at the end. Sublime! Cannot wait until her second novel.
    • 1/5
      I had great hopes for this book, to start with it gave me a few laugh out loud moments, but the more I read the more down hill it went. Have to admit I didn't even get half way through before abandoning it, and struggled to get that far.
    • 1/5
      Shouldn't even give this book a half star rating, I didn't even finish to the end of page 2, just not one for me!
    • 2/5
      I like stories about families, the more dysfunctional the more entertaining. This book didn't lack in either of those departments.Mo, the mom and main narrator of the book, is one of those women you can't decide if you love or hate her. Her daughter, Dora, is a cheeky flake that you adore. Peter, her son, is a mess and possibly sick in the head. And lastly the hubby, whose name you learn at the very end of the book, is almost invisible yet strikingly prominent all at once!So many emotions, and yet I'm left feeling just okay about it all. I can't put my finger on anything I hated about the book, but the best part for me was the puppy being named Elvis, so what does that tell you?! It didn't go immensely far. It just was.2.5/5
    • 4/5
      Mo, a child psychologist, is going through a bit of a mid-life crisis whilst trying to cope with a teeneage daughter who hates her and a son who is channelling Oscar Wilde. Mo, Dora and Oscar all contribute chapters and all have their own authentic voice. This is a light-hearted read that tackles real issues.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this. I'm the same age as Mo and I have a 17 year old daughter, and perhaps even a "long suffering" husband! The dialogue is sharp and funny, if a little more colourful than I think most families would use at each other. The love/hate relationships between them all was perfectly balanced and truely endering. The ending was a tad predictable, but in context and therefore I didn't mind whatsoever. An excellent read
    • 3/5
      Told in journal form by three characters – a mother and her two adolescent children, this book is quite funny. Take one child psychologist going through a mid-life crisis and who can’t see the forest for the trees, a seventeen year old daughter who is as confused and suffering as much teenage angst as would fill a girls-only prep school and a sixteen year old, self-assured, articulate son and you get one funny book.Despite the humour however, some of the topics touched on are quite serious: low self esteem in women, food issues and cyber-stalking. I found the girl’s character, Dora, to be pathetic but endearing at the same time. I think the author may have drawn personalities into her characters that stretched normal human boundaries. Dora didn’t just get frustrated at her mother, but yelled at her using the worst language possible. The mother’s response was to escape to work or her den to work on her book (Teenagers’s: The Manual), frustrated herself about why her daughter won’t listen to her advice. I know if my daughter furiously called me those names I would be blind-sided and very hurt. Dora’s mother saw hurling insults as a normal (albeit difficult) stage of adolescence to go through.My favourite character was the son. He’s smart and wickedly funny. I pictured the character from Glee (Kurt) whenever I read his sections of the book. It was as if those parts were written with that television character in mind and I think the author did a great job with it.The father, referred to as Husband or Dad, is mostly in the background but shines through occasionally. Even at that, he’s much more likeable than the mother who seems to be going through her own adolescence all over again. The husband/father is the most ‘normal’ character in the whole bunch, but overall (minus some of the more extreme characterizations) this is a dysfunctional family story but delivered with a lot of sly wit thrown in.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book. It was a really light read, with very short chapters and not much substance - just what I needed after the holidays. It is told from three perspectives - Mom (the character most similar to me), teenage daughter, and teenage son. If you enjoy page-turners, this book might not be for you. However, if you don't mind a somewhat predicable and light plot, with lots of laugh-out-loud moments, you'll love it. It will also help if you enjoy British humour and don't mind some rather colourful language. I enjoyed it enough to want to read more from/about the author, apparently a well-known comedienne from the U.K.. The best part? "Hearing" all of that naughty British slang. I'm just not sure that I'll be able to control myself - may end up calling my dear hubby a "wanker" the next time I'm feeling tee-ed off.
    • 4/5
      This was another ebook that I read on my Sony ereader. I was pleased by the end of this book that I’d paid barely half the price of a paper book. You’re probably thinking now that I hated this book, right? Well, no. It’s just that I got to the end and didn’t really see the point of it!A Tiny Bit Marvellous is told from the first person narrative of Mo (the mother), Dora (17 going on 18 year old daughter) and Oscar (son, real name Peter). They are all moving on their own trajectory within the family, only meeting up (and arguing) where necessary. Mo is having a personal crisis but can’t turn to anyone. Dora is trying to make her own way, in between dodgy boyfriends, turncoat best friends and exams. Oscar wants to be a man in true Oscar Wilde fashion (including the clothes) and is experiencing his first real crush.Perhaps the point of this book is that families work better together rather than as separate individuals. Dora regularly complains that Mo is never there for her, while her Dad lurks in the background (we don’t even find out his name until the end) helping out selflessly. Whatever it was, I did enjoy the ride.Dawn French has created characters each with a very clear style of language. Oscar speaks like a classic (love to see her turn her hand to a Pride and Prejudice style romp!), Dora speaks like, whatever and Mo speaks, well, like my mother. The children will have you sniggering with their antics. The chapters are short and numerous, so you can quickly find out what’s been happening with your favourite character (for me it was Oscar). The recipes at the end I didn’t feel were necessary, but I wouldn’t mind having a go at the pineapple upside down cake.A very good first effort that I enjoyed. It’s not roll around the floor funny, but it shows a real talent for written fiction.
    • 1/5
      I couldn’t finish this book. I think I made it to chapter 4 before finally giving up on this book. The style of writing didn’t capture my interest. Definitely a book I wouldn’t recommend.
    • 1/5
      I had to read this book in order to review it for a publisher, but I couldn't finish it. I got within 100 pages of the end and I had to shut it and put it out of my mind. I am not usually interested in books in the comedy genre, although I do enjoy human interest stories. Well this book was far from human interest. i couldn't stand the people and please-Dora is almost 18? She acts more like 12. I'm all for showing human foibles and family missteps, but this book went far beyond what I sincerely hope is the norm for modern family life. Sorry this book is just not for me, but I honestly hated it.
    • 4/5
      I have loved actress and comedienne Dawn French for years. (The Vicar of Dibley still makes me laugh) I was curious to see if her wonderful sense of humour translated to the written page. No worries - it did... and more.In A Tiny Bit Marvellous we meet the Battles. And the name is somewhat apropos as battles seem to be the order of the day for this family. Mom Mo is an almost 50 child psychologist. She and daughter Dora (17) can't seem to speak to each other without a war of words igniting. Peter(16) prefers to be known as Oscar, as in Oscar Wilde, who he emulates in both style and syntax. Dad - well he's just Dad. Oh, and the dog - Poo.Each chapter is told in first person through the eyes of each character. The same event (or affront) is told in their voice and viewpoint, often varying wildly. Each Battle is sorting through their own issues. French had me laughing from the first few pages. She has captured the voices of these characters perfectly. The language, the tone, the scenarios - all were spot on. Oscar's voice was my favourite. I reread many of his sentences as I enjoyed them so much. But as the book continues, additional layers are added to the narratives, with deeper subjects explored - homosexuality, bullying, infidelity and more. All are handled with wit, candor and a deft touch. I was drawn into each member's narrative, quickly turning pages so I could find out what happened next in each of their spheres.At first I identified with Mo and empathize with her restlessness. Perhaps because we're of similar age. However by the end of the book, I still respected her decisions, but wasn't overly enthralled with her. Instead it was Oscar who I fell in love with. His unfaltering sense of direction, his heart and his caring endeared him to me. There are two 'quiet' characters that we don't hear much from, but they both have a profound impact on everyone's lives. The first is Dad. The second is Grandmama - her unerring directness and intuition added much to the novel.French's first novel is an absolute gem. Lots of laughter and real life. It's much more than a tiny bit marvellous!
    • 4/5
      Three members of the dysfunctional Battle family: child psychologist mother Mo, almost 18 year old cranky Dora, and 16 year old Peter, who prefers to go by Oscar as he is channeling Oscar Wilde, narrate the story. Husband is never named, but is the glue with which the family sticks together. Oscar is hilarious, and I never got tired of hearing his part of the story. A wonderful character who dreams of owning his own smoking jacket. The main story revolves around the intern at Mo's office, Noel. Oscar develops a crush on Noel, who develops a crush on Mo. Dora narrates a large chunk of the story, and she is a very immature teenager, which a huge attitude and potty mouth, but since I spend my days in a high school, she is much more realistic than many would like to believe. And as selfish as she is, she is very much like Mo, and I'd say it's a family trait. Mo's mother Pamela appeared to be the voice of reason for all the characters, except Mo, who shouldn't be so surprised when her own daughter is so frustrated with her. Mo and Dora repeat practically the same complaints about their mothers. The book flowed along very nicely with a bit of a story. All the strands came together nicely at the end. There were sections where I laughed out loud in spite of myself. Oscar trying to buy his smoking jacket and Mo realizing how she has aged, were two particularly funny sections. I am not familiar with Dawn French, but I understand she is a British comic actress; this is her first novel. I would certainly read another book by her (her memoir, Dear Fatty).A very enjoyable book.
    • 3/5
      The Good StuffBloody hilarious and witty at times. You gotta love the English, they have such a way with wordsOscar and Pam were my favorite characters. Would have liked to have some of book written from Pam's voiceSome lovely wise and very real moments about living with ones familyThe sheer audacity of Mo's inner dialogue is wonderfulMade me LMAO on many occasions -- note to self mus learn to stop snorting out loud in public places -- people tend to stareThe scene between Dora and her grandma Pam about sex is delightful. My god I wish Pam was my grandmaThe opening chapter is extremely funnyYou will fall in love with Oscar. His way of speaking comes straight out of an Oscar Wilde storyA lot more dysfunctional than most families, but there is still the echo of truth about family life and the misunderstanding and judgement between different generationsThe Not so Good StuffVery slow in the middle, might have deleted 50 pages or soDora is an annoying selfish little git and I disliked the chapters written by her. I honestly wanted to slap her upside the head on many occasionsFavorite Quotes/Passages"What would be a good title for a self-help book for parents of teenagers? Two possible ideas at the moment under consideration: 1. Whatever and 2. Teenagers: The Manual. Hmm. Think the exclamation mark on the 1st suggestion might preclude it from being a serious contender.""Her name is Pamela. I ask you, how was she ever supposed to make anyting of herself with that ghastly moniker as her albatross?""Oddly, it is Veronica that I find most disappointing. George is just behaving like the reactive Pavlov’s dog with many cocks that he is. Has always been. It’s a given with him, mandatory, if there’s a pretty girl and she shows any interest at all in him, he is helpless. Ring the bell, the dog salivates. He’s not even choosy, really anyone will do, and they do do. Often"What I Learnedtons of english slangDamn, I am a really good momWho should/shouldn't readThose who like English HumourNot for the prudish - as the dialogue is quite salty at times3.5 Dewey's
    • 2/5
      this was quite a funny book a nice light hearted read
    • 3/5
      This is a book about the Battle family; Mo the 49 year old mother, Oscar the 16 year old son who's real name is Perter, Dora the 18 year old daughter and Dad. You hear from each of these characters throughout the book about what is going on in their collective lives. It is so realistic at times (it is almost scary) right down to the fact that you rarely hear from the father/husband figure. Dawn French's references are obviously UK terms at times and I find this not only informative but refreshing to hear a different slang for a change. As the story unravels you sometimes wonder what it is all leading up to because it isn't an obvious plot like solving a crime, however as you near the end of the book you see how she has wrapped everything up and how it becomes " a tiny bit marvelous!"