TULLY – PAULLINA SIMONS

Tully Makker is a young woman from the wrong side of the tracks. But if Tully gives friendship and loyalty, she gives them for good.
As Tully and her two school friends from very different backgrounds, Jennifer and Julie, grow into the world of the seventies and eighties, the lives of the three friends are changed forever by two men and a tragedy which engulfs them all. Against the odds, Tully emerges into womanhood, marriage and a career. And then life strikes back in the most unexpected way of all...

I am actually sorry to say that I really didn’t enjoy this book – every page making me want to give up entirely on the story.  I don’t think I’ve ever rolled my eyes or scoffed in disgust so much in any book before.

The story follows Tully Makker, a wild young woman, as she navigates a life filled with tragedy and hardship.  The painfully drawn out plot takes readers through Tully’s teen years, where she throws herself into a life of parties, sex and alcohol in the hopes of avoiding her abusive mother all the while isolating herself from her two best friends, Jennifer and Julie.  But a loss, one which Tully carries long into her adulthood, determines the tone of her future.  Stupid decision after stupid decision, man after man and drink after drink, Tully’s life returns to the cycle of isolation, cheating and meaninglessness which had dominated the teen years she worked so hard to put behind her.  

This book should have been split into at least three separate books - it moved through Tully’s life slowly, never focusing on interesting or important events but spending a full two pages describing how she danced on a random guy that she never knew.  Any time I found myself approaching what could have been a pivotal moment in the story, it was completely swept under a rug by the sorry combination of poor writing and a lack of emphasis on the moment.  The story just moved on like nothing at all happened and so any emotion I felt was just washed away.  It was the most disappointing thing to deal with.

And our main character didn’t help all that much either.  I have no problem with saying I absolutely hated her.  Tully was rude and cold to anyone who tried to show care or affection to her and refused to let anyone in, to let anyone know her.  She constantly complained about people not loving her for her but, who is she?  Not even I know!  Tully spent the entirety of the novel leading on two men, who had fallen deeply in love with her, and complaining about it.  She would say no to one but wind up in his bed by the end of the night.



As for the supporting characters, they were equally shallow with equally disinteresting character arcs and I struggled to find anything vaguely admirable about the lot of them.  No one liked their lives, everyone settled unhappily and broke their promises, none were loyal to their partners and it was really fucking annoying.  

An entire story that tries to make me sympathise with a woman who got into her situation from making stupid decisions and being inconstant and then blaming everyone else for her regrets.  I wouldn’t recommend Tully to anyone but I found myself constantly surprised by the number of people who actually loved reading it – I can’t say I understand why but, who knows, you might like it…

Rating: 1/5


If you really want to do this, you can get a copy from Amazon or Book Depository...

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