Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74876 in Books
• Published on: 2000-07-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Some would say Clara (Jabba the) Hutt has achieved "the goal": husband, house and 2.4 children. She is a "smug married." However, there's always a downside and Clara's not-so-perfect life consists of carting her boys to and from school, giving her a chance to see how the truly flawless mothers exist; trying to decipher, after eight years of marriage, whether her mysterious husband actually exercises his bodily functions or not; and, of course, her eccentric family, which consists of a thin, beautiful, insane mother and a string of ex-step-daddies, plus ex-step-siblings. Added to the Clara cocktail are her swinging single friends, the perfect mothers who turn out to be Jezebels in M & S clothing, and the strange Irish dancer who she must interview, renamed by her five year old as "bloody Dunphy."

Hailed as the Bridget Jones of the 21st century, India Knight's first novel My Life on a Plate is a good giggle. If anything, it is the inverse of Bridget Jones since Clara Hutt starts with everything and heads in completely the opposite direction. Funny, warm and full of "does my bum look big in this?" sentiment, Clara ponders the question: "everyone wants to be married--don't they?" --Neena Dutta

Synopsis
Clara Hutt (known to herself as "Jabba the ...") is a size 16 with a secret liking for kitten heels and organza tops. Life isn't what it should be, her 6-year-old thinks he has nits, of all the mothers at the school gate, only Clara is in pyjama trousers - and - why is her husband so mysterious?

From the Publisher
Rave reviews for My Life on a Plate!
'My Life on a Plate...allows India Knight to lay about her with glorious elan. Clara Hutt could eat Bridget Jones for breakfast. Actually, she'd be looking around for seconds before she'd finished.' Evening Standard

'This witty writer has written a snappy account of modern marriage with an underlying seriousness.' Sunday Times

'Sunday Times columnist India Knight extends her empire to include this first sharp, witty novel...groundbreaking in current women's fiction in that it attempts to investigate modern marriage: what it does to women, to their sex drive and their sense of self.' Marie Claire

Customer Reviews

It may work for you - or not?
It didn't for me, certainly, though it was funny at times, I admit. The lack of dialogues was something I missed from the beginning, and then, I found it irritating how the couple simply didn't do anything to save their marriage (not even sex for god knows how many months?).
This was my first India Knight and didn't make me feel like wanting to read any more :(

Lost count of how many times I have re-read this!
This book is hilarious! Its the kind of book that actually manages to get me out of a bad mood - I have read it so many times it is falling to pieces. I absolutely love it! Would recommend to anyone!

Oh dear
I had high hopes for this book. I love India Knight's column in the Sunday Times, even if I don't always agree with her. I was so surprised she created a character like Clara. Clara annoyed me from start to finish and the references to "spastics" and "lezzos" had me cringing. I really hate to give this two stars because I do love her column and her diet book. Maybe her other novel(s) are better.