Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Queenie

by Candice Carty-Williams


THE NUMBER TWO SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Hilarious, compelling, painful, enlightening, honest. I loved it.' - Dolly Alderton
'Brilliant, timely, funny, heartbreaking' - Jojo Moyes
'A vital, often very funny novel' - The Sunday Times
'Inspirational, funny and wise' - Kit de Waal
'Perfect for anyone who loves Fleabag' - Mail on Sunday


Queenie Jenkins can't cut a break. Well, apart from the one from her long term boyfriend, Tom. That's definitely just a break though. Definitely not a break up. Then there's her boss who doesn't seem to see her and her Caribbean family who don't seem to listen (if it's not Jesus or water rates, they're not interested). She's trying to fit in two worlds that don't really understand her. It's no wonder she's struggling.

She was named to be queen of everything. So why is she finding it so hard to rule her own life?

A darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on life, love, race and family, QUEENIE will have you nodding in recognition, crying in solidarity, and rooting for this unforgettable character every step of the way.

Perfect for fans of Dolly Alderton, Elizabeth Day, Sally Rooney and Diana Evans, and anyone who loved Fleabag.

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Praise for QUEENIE:

'I was engrossed and loved Queenie - her humour, her pain, her politics, her friends, her family.' - Diana Evans

'Candice gives so generously with her joy, pain and humour, that we cannot help but become fully immersed in the life of Queenie - a beautiful and compelling book.' - Afua Hirsch

*This book has been printed with three different colour cover designs. We are unable to accept requests for a specific cover. The different covers will be assigned to orders at random*

Reviewed by nannah on

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DNF @ 46%.

Well, here’s me again whining about how I wish books had trigger warnings listed somewhere before the actual chapters. Other media contain trigger warnings (even video games!); what reasons could publishers possibly have against doing the same?

From what I read so far, these were the content warnings I noticed:
- nonconsensual (and violent!!) sex
- abuse (domestic -- but I think there will also be child abuse as well later on)
- racism
- fetishization
- antisemitic stereotypes (not in-book; this was done by the author)

Representation:
- Queenie and her family are Jamaican Brits
- a secondary protagonist is Jewish, but she’s more of a stereotype than an example of good representation
- another secondary protagonist is Ugandan and British
- there are many other minor characters of marginalized groups

There’s no way I can finish this. I was already on shaky ground after all the really brutal and detailed sex scenes that Queenie, the protagonist, kept insisting were consensual. Then came a scene that was so like what I experienced myself, and I got a severe panic attack.

Quite frankly, Queenie (the book and the character) is a mess. I’m aware that’s probably the point, and that it’s okay to have characters that are unlikable and who make absolutely stupid decisions that aren’t great for their own well being, but this book never gave the reader a break.

Then there’s also the secondary characters who are basically stereotypes: the feminine, condescending gay man, the Jewish friend who lended the protag money in almost every single scene she was in and who was rich (of course), etc.

All of this combined is enough for me to be okay stopping here. I did look ahead to find out that Queenie is STILL mooning over Tom which … is disappointing. But while looking ahead I also saw that Queenie will be getting the help she needs, thank god! I’m sure this is something many people relate to … I’m just not sure it had to be told quite like this and with so much awful detail.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 November, 2021: Finished reading
  • 6 November, 2021: Reviewed