Product Description

Ruby Lennox was conceived grudgingly by Bunty and born while her father, George, was in the Dog and Hare in Doncaster telling a woman in an emerald dress and a D-cup that he wasn't married. Bunty had never wanted to marry George, but here she was, stuck in a flat above the pet shop in an ancient street beneath York Minster, with sensible and sardonic Patrica aged five, greedy cross-patch Gillian who refused to be ignored, and Ruby...Ruby tells the story of The Family, from the day at the end of the nineteenth century when a travelling French photographer catches frail beautiful Alice and her children, like flowers in amber, to the startling, witty, and memorable events of Ruby's own life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2098 in Books
• Published on: 1996
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

The Times
'An astounding book…without doubt one of the finest novels I have read for years'

The Sunday Times
'Enchanting. It hops with sprightly omniscience from past to future and back again'

Daily Mail
‘Little short of a masterpiece…Fizzing with wit and energy, Kate Atkinson’s hilarious novel made me laugh and cry’

Customer Reviews

One of the gems in recent years
This book has to be one of my favourite books of recent years. It was just such a pleasure to read from beginning to end, that like most good books you just don't want it to end.

The characters were beautifully written, the plot even better, and there was such genuine wit and humour that it was very easy to laugh and cry at the same time.

The plot centres around the life of Ruby. Right from her conception we follow her in her life with her very disfunctional family.

If there's one book you're going to buy today then make it this one. You won't regeret it, and if for some reason you don't buy it today then make sure you do at some point, otherwise you'll be missing out something quite special.

An Absolute Gem!
I picked this book up as part of a 3 for 2 offer in a bookshop when I had already chosen my first two and was in a rush - I didn't even read the blurb on the back, I just vaguely remembered someone telling me how good it was.

What an absolute treat then to find that this ended up being the best of the lot - infact I can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed a book so much in a long time (and I read alot). From the very first paragraph I knew I was going to enjoy Behind the Scenes at the Museum; this book made me laugh and cry. The characters were all so real that I was desperate to know more about them, and I just love the way that the book jumps from present day to another time in the past of this strange but wonderfully fascinating family.

The story starts with the conception of Ruby Lennox in a drunken fumble with her parents in their House Above the Shop in York. Ruby narrates even before her birth and sets the scene with her family - a very disfunctional one at that. The second chapter then goes back in time to Ruby's Great-Grandmother, Alice and her 5 children and from here on in we flit back and forth between Ruby's life and those of her ancestors. All the characters in this book are so 3 dimensional it made me greedy to find out more about them and I found myself thinking about them even when I wasn't reading at the time.

I'm so glad I picked this book up and I am now desperate to read Kate Atkinson's other books. I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book and can't recommend it highly enough.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Simply outstanding - WORTH EVERY MINUTE
"Behind The Scenes At The Museum" has to be the best book I have read in the last 10 years. As a young child I greatly enjoyed books but could not find a book which inspired me in the same way. I was ready to give up on books, and so I was thrilled when a teacher recommended it to me.

Kate Atkinson's opening to the book, "I exist!" tempted me to read on... and I'm so glad I did. The main character, Ruby explores relationships and thought processes of people in her family, exposing her family history. She takes on a super-intelligence as she talks the reader through her conception, childhood and later consequences in life. Her perception of her mother, "Bunty" as an overworked, neglected housewife is a great focus, providing some very funny moments.

The language is witty and charming, forming an instant affinity and friendly nature with the reader.

The narrative form of this book makes an easy and very pleasant read, and Atkinson's intervening comic remarks and observations made me laugh at loud! I would definitely recommend this book to a friend who enjoys an outstanding read, and it is well worth the time and money spared to read it.

Tina Gordon