The Miseducation of Evie Epworth: The Bestselling Richard & Judy Book Club Pick

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The most wonderful thing about this book is Evie's voice. Written by an adult male, I am in awe of how well he made me believe that I was reading the thoughts and words of a adolescent girl. On top of that, Evie is hilarious. She is sweet and caring but oh so very naive, yet weirdly astute despite her naivety. She cares deeply for her next door neighbour Mrs Scott-Pym, and as the book progresses she meets an array of characters who help her to figure out her identity, and the kind of woman she wants to grow up to be. Tight, clever and riddled with wit. Like discovering Adrian Mole or Bridget Jones for the first time.’ Joanna Nadin, author of The Queen of Bloody Everything Evie’s first-person narrative is punctuated by short excerpts from the past (entitled interlude) which tell the story of not only Evie’s parents marriage and move to the farm but her mother’s friendship with Mrs Scott-Pym and in turn her fraught relationship with Caroline. Weaving past and present together adds depth to the story and keeps Evie’s mother, who died when she was one, ever present in the story. Alongside Evie’s own journey the major subplot centres on Mrs Scott-Pym coming to terms with, and accepting, her own daughter’s life choices and this was both subtly handled and an entirely unexpected source of joy. When a certain nasty accident brings Caroline Scott-Pym home to their Yorkshire village, they discover an instant rapport, and Evie has an ally in her campaign to see off the cheating, lying gold-digger.

Evie, our "heroine", is a 16 year old (who comes across as a 10 year old), the daughter of a farm owner, or "the naive father", who seemed besotted by a 22 year old, or "the evil step mother". The "perfect mother" died when Evie was just a baby and nobody ever told her anything about this maternal figure. As I read the book sometimes I had the feeling that the characters (family members, neighbours...) had just met!! And I could go on and on... There are some funny situations described, but overall they don't contribute to the plot or the main storyline.I found myself intrigued by Evie's obsession about the kind of Woman she'd become. On observing two older women - one lean, the other overweight - she wonders "How many different versions of Woman can there be? (And, even more importantly, which version will I be?)" p 29 We first meet Evie in 1962, "as old as the hills (16 and a half), as tall as a tree (5ft 11) and as wise as time (perhaps)", just after completing her O-levels and suffering her first hangover, as she races through the countryside in her father's (Off-Limits) MG roadster delivering milk in the Yorkshire countryside. "Soaring and plunging, I am unstoppable. A force of nature. A wild wind-faerie. Will becoming a Woman always feel like this?" Warm, witty and wise - a coming-of-age story featuring a truly inimitable Yorkshire heroine in Evie. I read via Pigeonhole and it was wonderful to have Matson so involved, giving us insights into his research and talking about 1960's Yorkshire.

Sixteen-year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she become? The humour was spot on, the descriptions were so detailed, the dialogue was wonderful and I couldn’t put this book down. It’s a guaranteed feel good book and I would 100% recommend to everyone who loves character driven books. Aptly named ‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth’ I just wish I’d had the experiences Evie did at her age with such wonderland and warm people - not Christine though - the buxom, pink babydoll wearing step mother to be! There were some really moving moments which made me shed a little tear, especially when concerning her beloved dead mother, her father who is obviously in over his head with the gold-digging revolting Christine, and her unconditional friendship with Mrs Scott-Pym who treats Evie like a daughter.It is the summer of 1962 and sixteen-year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she be? It hasn’t helped my phobia, but it made me laugh and I know I won’t forget “that scene” in a long time. Moving, inventive and achingly funny, with an all-star cast of bold-as-brass characters, The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is a perfectly pitched modern fairytale about love, friendship and following your dreams while having a lot of fun along the way. Up until now, Evie's life has been nothing special: a patchwork of school, Guides, cows, lost mothers, lacrosse and village fetes. But, inspired by her idols (Charlotte Bronte, Shirley MacLaine, the Queen), she dreams of a world far away from rural East Yorkshire, a world of glamour lived under the bright lights of London (or Leeds). Standing in the way of these dreams, though, is Christine, Evie's soon-to-be stepmother, a manipulative and money-grubbing schemer who is lining Evie up for a life of shampoo-and-set drudgery at the stinky local salon. An absolutely stunning, first class debut - please please Matson Taylor let us know how Evie gets on in her new chapter of her life, she now feels like a lifelong friend (I’m already missing her) and with gorgeous Caroline by her side, the world is her oyster!

The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is the first novel by British author, Matson Taylor. At sixteen and a half, Evie Epworth is faced with a decision: what to do with the rest of her life. There are plenty of suggestions (marry a farmer [Dad], do her A levels [best friend Margaret], work in a hair salon [Christine], marry a doctor [Mrs Swithenbank]). This is where she so misses having a mum. A great, pacy coming of age novel set in Yorkshire in the early 60s. Brilliant plot charts the ups and downs of the journey of a young girl from childhood to womenhood with a few twists and turns, lots of comedy and a plenty of drama thrown in. A really enjoyable read but also a serious exploration of the role of women in families and the workplace.” What a charming, delightful, gem of a read! I loved Evie and everything about her. From the witty sarcasm to the kindest heart it is hard not to fall in love with our young protagonist. As she’s about to embark on womanhood and figuring out what to do with her life her world is turned upside down by the arrival of Christine.

Comments

The book was selected with the help of a panel of library staff from across the UK. Our readers loved The Miseducation of Evie Epworth – here are some of their comments: I loved the layout of the story with chapters interspersed with memories of Evie’s dad Arthur, meeting her mam and how she came to die, along with neighbour Mrs Scott-Pym and her fraught relationship with her daughter Caroline. By the end I had tears of joy weeping down my face. To see all the women of the community gathered together for Evie was heart warming to say the least. Whilst she may not of had her mother there to support her she had every female role model possible to help guide and shape her into the woman she would become. The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is one of the funniest most enjoyable books that I have read. Author Matson Taylor has got the balance just right of a comical story all about Evie Epworth. This is a light hearted story with hilarious moments to make you laugh. What Evie sees to make her crash her car is something bizarre.

Matson Taylor has crafted a wonderful set of characters and placed them around an incredibly likeable narrator, who needs to understand her past before she can progress to the future. As well as Evie herself, I loved Christine, Vera (Christine's mum) who were the comedy baddies, and elderly neighbour, Mrs Scott-Pym and her daughter Caroline. Evie had a special relationship with the Scott-Pyms, and Evie's influence on helping to mend bridges whist building her own was really rewarding. There was so much to adore in The Miseducation of Evie Epworth - it had warmth at its heart and the those witty and comical, side-splitting moments kept on coming.I read this via The Pigeonhole over the course of ten days and in ten daily installments. Every day I finished one stave I wanted more and more. I was also approved for a copy via Netgalley, but managed to control my impulse to rush on ahead as the community reading on The Pigeonhole is such a great experience. If Evie can rescue her bereaved father, Arthur, from Christine’s pink and over-perfumed clutches, and save the farmhouse from being sold off then maybe she can move on with her own life and finally work out exactly who it is she is meant to be. Selection panel review The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is set in Yorkshire in the early 1960’s and centres around 16 year old Evie Epworth who lives with her father, Arthur and his live-in housekeeper/fiance Christine on the family farm. Evie’s on the cusp of womanhood and doesn’t quite know what kind of woman she will be. Her mother died when she was a baby and the only female role models in her life are her wonderful elderly next door neighbour Mrs Scott-Pym and the utterly despicable soon to be stepmother Christine.