Tangled Web UK Review May 2000
Alice Little and the Big Girl's Blouse by
Maggie Gibson
pbk out March 01
(Orion)
at £5.99
Alice Little has been sacked from her trendy fashion job and thrown out of
her shared house. Homeless and unemployed she tries in vain to get a job in
Dublin's thriving Celtic Tiger economy. In desperation she accepts an
offer from her best friend, Connor - the big girl's blouse - to move into
the Samovar, a cafe which Connor runs with his Ukrainian boyfriend Hector.
Hector is an illegal immigrant and when the authorities catch up with him
Alice agrees to a marry him, for her friend Connor's sake but mainly for a
fifty percent share in the Samovar.
Before long the success of the cafe leads to the unwelcome attention of
local gangster Jesse James and his hitman Joxer Boxer who deals in
"insurance". The Samovar are forced to pay weekly amounts to Joxer. When
Hector does a runner with all the money they have raised for expansion and
Connor falls to bits it is up to Alice to try and save the day. With help
from Dominatrix, Madame Maxine, who rents rooms above the Samovar and a lot
of grief and confusion along the way the future of the Samovar (and Alice)
is secured.
A hilarious romp of a book. Gibson has a wonderfully quirky voice, a great
ear for dialogue and a sure comic touch. The roller-coaster farce of the
story unfolds with wit and style. A pleasure to read.
M.E.N. 21.4.2000
(
Cath Staincliffe
)
