Paula Spencer has been through a lot but she's now living life on her own terms. Even COVID isn't going to knock her down. But when her daughter Nicola decides to throw over her marriage both women need to re-evaluate.
This is another warm novel from Doyle. He returns to his characters as though they are friends and the reader is just swept up in the minutiae of their lives. Masterful

I've been loving Roddy Doyle for ages and the novels featuring Paula Spences always move me to tears and give hope for the better.
This is another good one, another piece of Paula's life.
Roddy Doyle delivers a solid, emotionally charged, and compelling story. He's a master storyteller and his characters always remain with me
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

although my rating may make you think different, i did enjoy a lot of aspects of this book. i was really excited to read it as my dad hyped roddy doyle up a lot but unfortunately i felt that i ultimately didn’t relate to this book which made my experience reading it less enjoyable. firstly, i loved the female narrative surrounding the story. of course writing from the perspective of an older woman while not being one can be tricky & sometimes controversial but the way doyle explored the complicated relationships of her life felt refreshing. this is most prominent in the mother daughter relationship that is continuously discussed & developed throughout the story, showcasing the loneliness that captures older people & how the pandemic may have affected the older generation mentally. along with this comes a wholesome message that life is not lost in your older years, shown through a consistent reflection on life’s memories, making the mundane capacity of daily life just a little bit more interesting. however, i felt that-along with the chapters being a bit too long- the book is more suitable for an older audience who can relate with the deep reflection & may also be in a similar place as the protagonist.

Once again, Roddy Doyle's atmospheric and deceptively simple writing takes my breath away. The Women Behind the Door is, mostly, a huis clos; a middle-aged woman and her (almost) middle-aged daughter reconnecting when the daughter returns to her mother's house during the Covid lockdown. You can practically feel the claustrophobic weight of this small house -- too small for the depth of emotional bagage it contains -- and the weight of trauma bearing down on both women.

Doyle is a master of understatement, packing a huge range of emotions and communications into every halting, stilted conversation. He can make gestures as simple as lifting a cup of tea or dropping a gaze charged with unspoken meaning. He also wonderfully captures the at-once highly charged and intensely boring period that was the lockdown. It's a rough ride as it deals with some horrible topics - abuse, trauma, alcoholism... - but it's leavened by quite a lot of quiet humour.

I saw that this is the third novel with Paula Spencer. I have not read the first two. No matter; this one stands very well on its own. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates fine writing.

This was a marmite book for me in that it is one I really liked (in the most part) but disliked in other parts, and I think this will be a similar review when it is published. One thing I will say though is that there is no one who can capture some emotional moments in the way that Roddy Doyle does.

This is a tough one to review because I can't make my mind up whether I loved it or loathed it. It takes up the story of Paula, a character who Roddy Doye has previously written about. In the first book,, Paula is a battered wife and an alcoholic. Now, early thirty years later she has got her act together and is happy and sober at last. Her relationship with her children isn't all it should be however and when her daughter Nicola turns up, having left her family, Paula has to deal with many conflicting feelings.

What I liked about this book. Paula is a great character. She's resilient, tough and full of humour. As is her friend, Mary. I love the fact that RD has written about an older woman. Many issues are covered in the book, alcoholism, child abuse. domestic abuse, Covid, difficult parent child relationships and this is all done very sensitively.

What I wasn't sure about./didn't like. Although the stream of consciousness narrative allows us to get right into the head of Paula, I found it wearing at times. It's bad enough having to listen to your own thoughts without having access to someone else'e! It also meant that the story was quite repetitive and I'm afraid I became bored at times. The humour is very welcome but overall I found it a rather depressing read.

In summary, Roddy Doyle has built a lasting character in Paula but she's not someone I want to spend much time with. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a book which has been waiting to be written for rather a long time, almost 30 years in fact, 1996 having seen the publication of The Woman who Walked into Doors. What has happened to Paula Spencer, the main character of that Roddy Doyle novel? In The Women Behind the Door, we meet Paula again, now in her late 60s, living alone in the house she shared with her abusive husband Charlo in the first book. Her four children have left home and she now has four grandchildren. She has not drunk alcohol for several years; she has a job in the dry cleaners with her best friend Mary and she has a relationship of sorts with widowed Joe. This book starts during lockdown as Paula is about to go for her first Covid vaccination. Her thoughts and feelings about this resonated well with me and it is in the writing of the ordinary that I believe Roddy Doyle excels. The turning point of the novel, giving the book its title, is when Nicola, Paula's eldest daughter, unexpectedly comes to stay. Paula is somewhat in awe of Nicola who seems to have it all and succeed at everything she does. Their relationship has never been easy and Paula feels that Nicola is often the parent in their relationship having seen her through all the troubled times of the first book's abuse and alcoholism. She doesn't know why Nicola has turned up but decides to let everyone know that they both have Covid and have to stay quarantined in the house, hoping this will give them a chance to talk and to keep away anyogot.nkne Nicola may not wish to see. Their difficulties in communicating made for rather depressing reading and I felt some of the text was a bit too repetitive although I understand the circumstances would lead to this. As always Roddy Doyle has written his women characters really well and I was glad to find out that Paula has survived and to a large extent taken control of her life. However I was a little disappointed after a 30 year wait that this is all we got. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book

The Women Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle is a powerful and moving exploration of the lives of women who have been hidden, overlooked, or silenced. Doyle’s evocative writing brings their stories to the forefront, delving into themes of identity, resilience, and the quiet strength required to face societal and personal challenges. The narrative captures the nuances of the characters' emotions and experiences, drawing readers into their world with empathy and honesty. Through a blend of raw moments and tender reflections, The Women Behind the Door provides an intimate portrayal of the complexities of womanhood. It's a compelling read that resonates deeply, shining a light on the courage found in confronting what lies behind closed doors.

Dazzling portrait of a woman in her time

There are characters that are synonymous with their authors, and Paula Spencer is Roddy Doyle's Galatea, a woman who, by this third book, has lived many lives and is more than ready to relax into the person she has finally become comfortable with. But when her daughter returns to the nest, leaving her own life and family behind, the ghosts of the past and the pains of the present come forcefully to confront the little world that Paula has so carefully constructed around herself. Will Paula be able to look beyond her past choices, or will she always be the mistakes she made?

Doyle returns with a new novel that looks at Paula from all sides, and gives no tight, trite ending. I felt perched on Paula's shoulder, aware of her uncertainties, her reliance on detail to keep her on the straight and narrow, her over-thinking of what others might think of her. The narrative skips around in time, perhaps in a reflection of Paula's own loose relationship with her history and her present, and showing that there are no simple causes and effects in life. In the end, whatever Paula chose or faced in the past are not the only ways and means for her to live in her present; and that age does finally bring wisdom, no matter how hard earned.

A book to read between the lines: four stars.

The Women Behind The Door follows Paula, a sober woman in her sixties, living alone and working in a dry cleaner during the challenging times of COVID-19 lockdowns in Dublin. As she begins to find stability in her life, her eldest daughter, Nicola, unexpectedly arrives at her doorstep after leaving her husband and children.

The narrative delves into complex emotional themes, exploring the family's troubled past with the abusive Charlo, Paula's quest for forgiveness, and the evolving dynamics of mothering between Paula and Nicola. It also highlights Paula's relationships with her other children and grandchildren, her burgeoning romance with Joe, a man in his seventies, and her deepening friendship with Mary.

What sets this book apart are the poignant conversations between Paula and her friends and family. Roddy Doyle masterfully captures the nuances of Paula's fraught relationship with Nicola, portraying the delicate balance of love and tension that often characterizes mother-daughter bonds.

With a blend of humour and heartbreak, The Women Behind The Door is an exceptional read that resonates on multiple levels. Highly recommended for its sensitive portrayal of family dynamics and personal growth.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

Nobody writes like Roddy Doyle and it was lovely to return to his writing and to Paula Spencer in particular. In The Women Behind the Door, Paula is now in her late 60s, I felt quite deflated reading the beginning of this book for Paula , as even as she is heading into older age , life still isn’t always easy for her.

I didn’t realised before reading that this novel was set during the pandemic , I don’t know if I would have read it had I known. I think down the line novels set during this time will be an easier read but it’s still so recent and especially because it’s set in Dublin, I found it upsetting to read in parts.

Doyle writes with his usual mix of pathos and humour but I felt the characters were held , slightly at a remove, it felt harder to connect with them than in his previous novels.

Overall absolutely worth reading but it felt a little uneven or unsettling a read for me.

3.5

An interesting read. I hadn’t read the previous books in this series but I watched The Family which was shown on TV a good few years ago. As it was set during Covid it brought back memories of how our life was only a few years ago.

At sixty-six, Paula Spencer – mother, grandmother, widow, addict, survivor – is finally living her life. A job at the dry cleaners she enjoys, a man – Joe – with whom she shares what she wants, friends who see her for who she is, and four grown children, now with families and petty dramas the likes of which Paula could only have hoped for. Despite its ghosts, Paula has started to push her past aside.
That is until Paula’s eldest, Nicola, turns up on her doorstep. Independent, affluent, a loving wife and mother, “a success” – Nicola is suddenly determined to leave it all behind. Over the next few days, as Nicola gradually confides in Paula the secret that unleashed this moment of crisis, mother and daughter find themselves untangling anecdotes, jokes, memory and revelation to confront the bruised but beautiful symmetry of what each means to the other.
Oh my word so good… Had me actually gasping out loud… Brilliant…

I haven't read Roddy Doyle before, so this was my first book by him.
I really appreciate how well he writes female characters, which is quite rare!
This book has everything and more!

The Woman Behind the Door is the latest episode in the life of Paula Spencer wonderfully written by Roddy Doyle. Paula is in the later years of her life; her children are all adults most with family of their own. Paula is content living alone, but her glamorous forty-something self-employed daughter Nicola comes around to stay for a few days and Paula finds herself revisiting events of her past with a fresh perspective.

The story documents some aspects of pandemic life but is given the Roddy Doyle treatment which makes them ridiculous and amusing at the same time.

This is a powerful story told brilliantly with humour but heartbreaking emotion. The dialogue is sharp and witty; the cast of characters are larger than life. The Woman Behind the Door is a great book that will please all readers of Roddy Doyle and many who aren't yet in that group.

This is the third book featuring Paula Spencer. I read both many years ago and have scant memory of the details. So I guess you could read this as a stand alone. Obviously if you want the full experience, you could go back and play catch up. I would have liked the time to do that myself, but... too many books!
So, Paula, now at the ripe old age of 66 is all set. She has a job, a person to share her life with and friends. She also has grown up children, the eldest of which Nicola is having her turn at a life-crisis. It appeared on the surface that Nicola is a successful wife and mother, but as we all know, what we show other people is rarely the truth of what we really feel inside.
Set in the relatively early days of covid, we first catch up with Paula as she, along with her best friend, is on the cusp of getting her first vaccine. It's a bit all spelled out and dragged out, that bit, it's still a bit too soon for me. But soon enough, our story really gets going when Nicola turns up at Paula's door having left her family. What follows then is a warts and all, frank mother and daughter series of conversations about growing up, the bad and the occasional good. The suffering and damage that Nicola experienced due to Paula's addictions and Charlo's abuse... The scars that never healed.
But I will leave you to read all about that. I will advise tissues and occasional breaks as it is all a bit heavy at times. Interspersed with lighter, funnier moments for balance though. It's totally character driven and the characters are all brilliantly created and develop as the book progresses. As well as covid, we also skirt round the cost of living crisis and trying to make ends meet.
Personally, I had a bad relationship with my mother. We never did the mother-daughter things that other did. I think we were too alike to be able to communicate properly. This book also did make me think about my own stuff. And that's not necessarily a bad thing...
All in all, a book that I will probably need to re-read to get the very best from it. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Paula, the woman who walked into doors, is back. She's sixty-six now, sober, a grandmother, a survivor, though still battling her past too.
As always with Dolye the writing style is direct, conversational, the less said delivering more,
While dealing with serious issues this is also a brilliant look at Dublin, the walk up Talbot Street, The Spire, the Deliveroo cyclist nearly knocking you on your arse!
Not the easiest read but an important one nonetheless and it reasserts Doyle’s dominance as one of the great Irish writers.

Paula Spencer and Roddy Doyle are back.

The Women Behind the Door is a strong read about an older woman, Paula, revisiting her past in her thoughts as well as dealing with the pressures of the present. Covid is at the backdrop. Paula’s oldest daughter, Nicola, an epitome of the perfect, comes to live with her, and Paula’s conscience takes us on an emotional rollercoaster. There are serious and sensitive topics covered. The humour, wit, tenderness and wackiness are always present too. l like Paula Spencer and Roddy Doyle.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Plot 3
Characterisation 4
Prose 3.5

The Woman Being the Door
By Roddy Doyle

I was a huge fan in the late 80s when Doyle first held up a big mirror and made all us Dubs laugh at ourselves, but at some point I grew bored with the schtick and stopped reading him.

I wish I had read the Paula Spencer series from the beginning because, although I never felt lost in this story, I never quite felt any connection to Paula and didn't actually find the humour funny.

There are themes of mother daughter relationships, domestic and sexual abuse, addiction and living on the bread line that get bogged down by the exhaustive details that litter the text, unnecessary pages upon pages of cleaning of lap trays, opening nets of satsumas, to have or not have tea along with step by step instructions of how to make the tea. It's like Mr Doyle was so fixated on word count that he included any improbable notion that entered his own head.

This was a miss for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for the eGalley, these are my honest opinions

Publishes 12th September 2024

This was ok, but I didn't really connect with the characters and felt like it rambled on a bit at points. You got little snippets of Paula's backstory, but I hadn't read the previous two books featuring her, which I think might have connected me with the characters. Also, I wasn't keen on revisiting the COVID period, but that's just my personal feelings.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.