Absolutely hilarious, I loved this! It was like reading The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, but with Sue Townsend as Adrian. Brilliant!

I just had to read this. It’s the diary of Nina Stibbe’s return to London, in her sixties’, for a year from April 2022 to March 2023, a year where we were still emerging from the shadow of Covid 19. It’s very funny, but it is also thought-provoking as the reason for the return to London is the break up for her marriage.

Nina is very good on the minutiae of life – what to cook for dinner, waiting for a handyman to come and fix something, cleaning up after the dog, but she writes very movingly about what it is like to be an older woman who still feels like a teenager – the menopause and HRT, worrying about your kids (who sound delightful), and how to deal with moustache hair.

I loved the descriptions of literary life in London, and the dropping of familiar names: Nick Hornby, Alan Bennett and Deborah Moggach, who became her landlady. It would make a fantastic film.

Thanks to Picador and Netgalley for the proof

Funny, touching and poignant account about everyday life, about failing and starting again, and about the power of friends and family. Nina Stibbe doesn't disappoint with this breathless tour of her year settling back into London life after years in Cornwall. Light-hearted but with a serious edge, it's a lovely account of modern day life and how it might affect us all.

I struggled to the end of this book, but frankly regretted it. I'm not sure that anyone other than the author would find it interesting, and I've read funnier bank statements. I couldn't be bothered to go back to the beginning to find out who everyone was; the book wasn't interesting enough for me to care. Endless tedious recitations of meals/coffees, bizarre Instagram posts, and an unending fascination with incontinence. I would find it hard to recommend this book to anyone.

The title drew me to request this book on Netgalley, as I was intrigued as to why the author went to London with her dog and what she planned to do there.

I confess I had not heard of Nina Stibbe when I started this book and, after doing some research, I found Love, Nina was available to me to watch, so I had an idea of her history and persona.

Unfortunately the diary style of this book did not appeal to me, or the mish-mash of random thoughts that she wrote down. I didn't have a clue about half the people she wrote about and ultimately didn't care about any of them, which sounds terrible, but she really is a stranger to me who writes about what she has to eat every day, what reels she has watched on Instagram and who has died recently.

There is some funny parts, which made me smile, but overall I found reading the book quite tedious and was glad when it was over.

I liked the synopsis of this and that's why I requested it.

But after starting to read it, I don't think it was right for me, I expected it to be a bit more than just a diary, as in some of the entries were just walking the dog, having a coffee, I thought it would be funnier based on reviews of her other work.

There were some bits that I liked, the Alan Bennett references were spot on and something that reminded me of how a friend and I used to tell stories in his style which always ended with the vicar having a custard cream.. There was an insight to book festivals, but overall I think i went in expecting something different, so not for me I'm afraid.

I will look out for her other work though as I know it gets great reviews.

I'm mildly disappointed by this book. I've never been a diary fan but I jumped at the chance if this because I fell in love with Nina Stibbe's Love Nina. It wasn't until I was a third through that I remembered I'd only watched the TV adaptation and not read the book. Mea culpa.

Anyway, the book centres on Nina's return to London as she comes to terms with divorce, being alone etc. She rents a room from fellow author Deborah Moggach who lives in Primrose Hill.

The following year details meetings with friends, trips to literary festivals/theatre/ballet/pub etc. Also there's a fearsome amount of name dropping but I guess when everyone except family are in the same business as you it's unavoidable.

I did get entirely lost at times as to who was who. Although there is a handy guide at the beginning I was too lazy to look at it on several occasions. Most of the famous people I've heard of/read however apart from Nick Hornby I'm not a fan of their work I'm afraid.

In general I preferred the longer diary entries that were more proselike in nature. I got very bored of reading the Twitter/Instagram snippets or the one liners about what people were doing or saying.

The book was okay but I think I'll stick to novels from now on no matter how much I like that author's work.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance review copy.

Nina is disillusioned with life in general, aging, with grown up children, menopausal issues and a troubled marriage she heads off to London to lodge in another writers spare room, whilst she takes a year out to find herself, write and experience London living again as a mature women.
Written in diary entries which if I’m being honest I found rather repetitive and quite often just a list of names that didn’t mean anything to myself or the locations that the regular lunches, drinks,gatherings etc took place.
Issues such as menopause incontinence, dirty London pavements, female friendships and relationships with adult children are all discussed at length.
A different read that I didn’t enjoy as much as previous books from this author.
Thank you NetGalley for this early read.

I really enjoyed this book. Nina a 60 year old decided to return back to London,
She describes it as a sabbatical, her marriage certainly isn't happy, her children have flown the nest and she finds herself at a different stage in her life. She takes herself off to London and begins writing a diary about her experience of the Menopause, her hilarious relationship with her grown up children and her social relationships she's made in London.
It highlights that life isn't over no matter what age you are if you want to change the path you wish to take. I loved this book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for a free copy in return for an honest review.

Nina heads to London, a place she hasn't lived in for 20 years, for a year long sabbatical, she takes her dog Peggy with her. She rents a room from 'Debby' (author Deborah Moggach) who she doesn't know. She has separated from her husband, this subject is barely touched on, seems to be just an aside?

I didn't find the book as funny as some of the observations on the front suggested I would do, maybe a wry smile?

There is an awful lot of name-dropping, which if this isn't your thing, best to move on.

Some good observations on the issues of menopause and women, plus social commentary.

On the whole a book to dip in and out of.

This is a follow-up to ‘Love, Nina’ which was a successful debut novel cum diary about life as an innocent nanny in a London street full of literary luvvies. However, it has been a long time coming and Nina is now sixty and returning to London for a year following a divorce – which barely gets a mention. Continuing the literary theme, her stay is hosted by fellow novelist Debbie Moggach.

As in the first novel, there are lots of sideways glances at local literary celebrities. Alan Bennett just about gets a look in, Nick Hornby features, and Cathy Rentzenbrink and Rachel Dearborn help make up the cast list. What is significantly different is that we all know that Nina Stibbe is a successful novelist and no longer the innocent abroad.

Does it work? It will for the real fans and, at times, it does manage to be contemporary and comic. But, and it’s a big one, there’s an awful lot about the preoccupations of postmenopausal literary ladies who lunch, revolving round varieties of hormone placement therapy, Twitter (X) jokes with a limited shelflife, Waitrose macaroni cheese, the men in their lives (or sometimes not) and their children. And, then there’s stress incontinence as well!

Long-term fans will enjoy it, and review it ecstatically, but, although it’s an easy read, I’m not sure it really works and, hopefully, Rachel Dearborn will not be consulting lawyers!

This is a really, interesting, funny and emotional diary read which I would recommend. It's a diary of a middle aged lady, moving back to London from Cornwall. I did enjoy some parts, others not so much but it's well worth reading, although I still don't know what happened to her husband. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was a terrific read so much so I have ordered a hard copy. I would highly recommend to others whether you are a dog lover/owner or not.

I really like Nina Stibbe's writing, both the fiction and non-fiction. Here, we see a return to the non-fiction first seen in 'Love Nina'. However, this book isn't a collection of letters but a diary written during her year's sabbatical in London.

Stibbe leaves Cornwall after her marriage breaks down and resides in Deborah (Debby) Moggagh's home in London - clearly, she has literary links, and this is evident throughout, particularly with references to Cathy Rentzenbrink and, less frequent, Nick Hornby. Both of Stibbe's children are at university in London, too, and throughout the book (from April 2022 through to March 2023) Stibbe is living in London, writing her novel, and the diary, enjoying life (and reminiscing, not always happily) with Peggy, her dog.

Most of the book is thought-provoking, often amusing - and largely this is to do with the witty observations Stibbe makes. Sometimes, though, particularly comments about an Instagram feed, or an advert for something, the book loses its way. It comes across as a lazy way of 'filling in' - but this is, sort of, what a diary does. It doesn't seem as if it has been edited closely but I guess this would detract from what a diary does.;

'Went to London, Took the Dog: A Diary' has references to Stibbe's marriage break-up but she doesn't dig deep in terms of what happened - not that she should, as it's personal. Clearly, it has saddened her, and this is understandable, but her inimitable style is still present throughout. At the end, she returns to live in Cornwall, resigning herself to the fact that London isn't for her - for different reasons. It seems like her year in the capital served her well but it was time to move back to the country at the end of it.

I hadn't read any of Nina Stibbe's work before this but will definitely try other books now. This diary is a well written , gossipy, funny read, as well as being moving and thought-provoking about getting older and adapting to big life changes.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

Nina Stibbe is returning to London for a sabbatical after being away for twenty years. She's been at Victoria's smallholding in Leicestershire which isn't all that conducive to writing, as there's always something smallholding happening - as you might expect. The other side of the decision was sealed when a room became available (courtesy of Deborah Moggach) at a very reasonable rent.

I was tempted into reading Went to London... after reading Bookbag's review of Love, Nina. I knew that Nina could not be sixty as only a few moments ago, she was just twenty and fresh in London. In fairness, I'm not the only person with this view, as confirmed by Nina herself. It might be that she's ageless or that I've lost track of time. Either is completely possible. The style is very similar to the first book - irreverent, funny, unusual and prone to reminiscing about bladder issues, the various strengths of Tena pads and Charlie Bingham's fish pies. I don't think that there's any connection between the first two and the third. If you're a menopausal woman, it's fascinating stuff. If you're past that point, you quickly conclude that there are some things you'd rather forget. That doesn't apply to the Charlie Bingham fish pies, by the way.

Underneath all this frippery there's a vulnerability as Nina's at the end of a long-standing relationship and learning to live on her own (unless you count Peggy the dog - and how could you not?) for the first time. She has support from family and friends - she's the sort of person who gathers support as she moves through life - but it's still a big move to make. If you're considering making changes then you might well find the book inspirational. In places, it's also riotously funny.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to settle for a quieter, more peaceful life then you might find the stories about eating out, going to the pub, eating out, well, just a little repetitious. I'm afraid that I did. I enjoyed the book, I'm glad to have read it and I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

I hadn't read any of Nina Stibbe's work before this but will certainly seek it out now - this diary is hilarious, gossipy to the point of indiscreet and moving and thoughtful about getting older and adapting to big life changes. Literary diaries are a favourite of mine anyway but this one is really peopled with some extraordinary and interesting writers, actors and artists, some very famous and some not. It was a perfect holiday read and I highly recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

If you are a fan of Nina Stibbe you were always going to like this book – and were probably hoping it was going to be Love, Nina Part Two.

Well, you’re going to be a little bit disappointed. As this isn’t a series of letters, it is a journal, you do not get the singularity of voice that was such a treat in Love, Nina.

That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable, it is, but you can’t help thinking that the atmosphere of sharing youthful confidences is sadly missing here.

I am interested to see if there some preamble in the printed book that explains the reason for the move to London (it’s the breakdown of her marriage), however this is only ever hinted at particularly early on and you are left wondering what’s going on.

Whilst I enjoyed Went to London, and there are some bits which was very funny, I did find the endless descriptions of going out to eat and the pub a little bit wearing.

I think I was expecting more from a book about a woman facing a change at 60 years of age and I was left shrugging a bit…

As a Truronian also, I feel a bit of a traitor to say that this wasnt a book that I could finish. It is a very funny and well written book, but entirely too busy for me. Maybe I'm just too old!
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review the book.

Laugh out loud funny, gossipy, informative (who knew Tenas came in different strengths) and a genuine peek into family life and relationships. I didn’t realise that Nina is now in her sixties as she writes with youth and vigour and like all her previous books, I loved this.