Rating: 
Summary: Curious
Review: Yes, our Book Discussion Group all loved and were amazed by this fascinating and clever novel.
However, there was debate about who was the Father of Lil's son, Edmond?
"For a while Nel feared the baby would be born with thick black hair". This would have indicated that Jack was the Father.
"but it seemed so much worse somehow when he turned out to have golden curls like an angel and eyes the colour of forget-me -nots" Did this mean that Albert, Lil's brother was the Father?
It was not until near the end that Lil suggested to her granddaughter-in-law that she name the child after Edmond's Father. The Baby was subsequently called Jack.
Some of our group are convinced that Jack was Edmond's Father.
Others are convinced that Albert was the Father because of Edmond's golden girls, not black hair.
We would all be grateful if someone could reply to this query with a definitive answer.
Looking forward to some more Kate Atkinson intrigue and literary pleasures
Rating: 
Summary: Great read!!!!
Review: This is a book that I bought on the basis of the reviews I read. Actually, if it had not been for the great reviews,I probably would not have kept reading the book. I'm very glad I did. It is the story of Ruby Lennox, from conception in 1952 through her 40th year. Through footnotes in the form of chapters she takes you back to the turn of the century and the lives of her maternal family. Her grat-grandmother, Alice, grandmother, Nell, mother, Bunty and herself. Then there are all the sisters, cousins, aunts uncles, father and so on. There is a lot of story here. It is quite rewarding to read and funny, yet as the story moves on it is quite sad and disturbing. The author has a way of pulling you in to the life of Ruby Lennox. You won't be disappointed. Give this book a chance. It was great!!!! The only complaint I have is that I wish there had been a family tree to refer to at the beginning of the book. It became confusing keeping track of everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Murky Blue to Black
Review: This first novel by British author Kate Atkinson received many favorable reviews with its debut in 1995 and won the Whitbread Book of the Year. It is a story of a young girl's conception, birth, life, decline and death written in an extraordinarily imaginative style. The central character, Ruby Lennox, is conceived in a careless drunken sweaty moment of need on her father's part and disgust on her mother's. Ruby floats around in the womb for nine months privy to her mother's innermost thoughts and observing her family-to-be. When she is eventually ejected into the world, in the rooms above the family-owned pet shop, her journey into an bizarre, often amusing, but ultimately tragic life begins. A difficult task, Atkinson maintains this balance between dark humor and tragedy well until the end when, unfortunately, the suffering takes over.
Rating:
Summary: Takes some effort to keep track of all the characters.
Review: This is a witty, poignant, well written look into yet another generationally dysfunctional family. It's a wonder children ever grow up to be "normal" if people's lives mirror so many of the novels I've read lately(including this one). Ruby and her sisters try to make the most of their indifferent upbringing. This novel has a great deal of humor and a profound sense of sadness and loss on many levels. If you enjoy British authors and dysfunctional (albeit humorous) family scenarios, you will enjoy this novel. My only negative comment (if you could call it that), is that there are an awful lot of characters in this story, and you may often find yourself unable to keep track of who's related to who, who's sleeping with who, and who's fathered who's baby!
Rating:
Summary: A Gem of a Novel
Review: In an original novel about fictional Ruby Lennox that spans from her conception to adulthoood, Atkinson recounts family life in 1950's England. She brilliantly weaves family history as far back as 1915 into the novel through the use of footnotes.
Atkinson cleverly interjects the Lennox families history through the vignettes of past relatives featured in the footnotes that alternate with the narrative chapters. Altough at times somewhat confusing chronologicllay, it is enjoyable to read through these other people's voices. Through these stories the reader sees how descendents past actions have a direct influence on the present day. It is amazng that each of these footnotes so beautifully ties to the story and gradually unfolds to the reader as it concludes.
Atkinson uses cupboards as a metaphor to represent one's collective memory as well as the character Ruby's memory. It is particularly effective as Ruby searches her memory for the details of a traumatic event that changes her life.
At times exhilarating and at times profoundly sad, this novel of ordinary family life will touch everyone. We all have a past history that impacts us in a way we may not be aware of and Kate Atkinson has brilliantly woven this into a story that moves us.
Rating:
Summary: Can't stop thinking about this one
Review: I read this a few months ago and I think about it often. The voice is original, the characters real, the humor and sorrow touching. I think my favorite thing about this book is that family stories and secrets unfold like they do in real life, rather than lineally, which is the case in everything else I have read. This is by far the best book I've read this year.
Rating:
Summary: Bravura debut novel . . .
Review: Ruby Lennox tells the story of her own life, beginning with the moment of her conception in 1951 in York, largest city in the north of England, moving agilely from near-slapstick to sly wit to very dark humor indeed. Alternating with the present-day chapters as Ruby gets older are chapter-length "footnotes" that examine the lives and parallel experiences of her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and their siblings. In fact, there are numerous themes that develop here in parallel: What it means to be a mother, a sibling, a sister, what it means to leave everyone behind, what it means to grow up. An awful lot of people die in this book, but seldom in uninteresting ways, and often with a bit of waggish coincidence thrown in. Atkinson is very astute at portraying and developing her characters and possesses a nearly flawless sense of timing, although you may want to sketch out a pedigree chart to keep track of who's who and their relationships to everyone else; I had to keep turning back to check. The chapter on the Great War and its effects on the participants is especially moving. If you're thinking "chick book," just forget the labels. When you finish it, it'll be weeks before you find anything else that seems equally worth reading. This is an extraordinary piece of work for a first novel.
Rating:
Summary: Rewarding
Review: Well, this is my first book for Kate Atkinson. It was rather confusing for the first 50 pages or so, but as I always do I gave it the benefit of doubt. I'm glad I did. It became very interesting, very funny, especially when u reach Ruby the child. The lost star is for the too many characters that u need sometime -almost the whole book- to be able to recognize them.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult to Put Down
Review: I read this book very quickly and then picked it up and read it a second time right away. It's a "girl" book - perfect for reading on the beach. It will make you laugh and cry and feel good. I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Here's a tip:
Review: Yes, Behind the Scenes at the Museum is a fabulous book. It's unique and clever with a surprise at the end which you will never guess. But it is also a story about several generations of one family. The scenes from the First World War are very moving. I remember bursting into tears as I read to my husband while we were driving over the San Marcos Pass into Santa Barbara. Here's a tip: If you are going to read this book, jot down a family tree in the front of the book as the characters arrive on the scene. This will make it much easier in the long run to figure out who the father of the illegitimate war time baby is(probably not the person you think it is.) And it will help you keep all the names and relationships straight in your head. (<---Don't let that put you off reading this book please!) If you enjoy this book then you may want to read another Kate Atkinson book, Human Croquet which is also very good and has the requisite "Atkinson twist" that will have you scratching your head.
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