I chose to read Playing With The Grown-Ups after finishing To The Lighthouse as a bit of light(er) relief from long, intricate prose.
The book has been described by some as a modern "I Capture The Castle" - one of my favourite books but this comparison meant it had big shoes to live up to for me. The novel is the coming of age story of Kitty Larson, eldest daughter of Marina - a woman portrayed as a loving and creative mother on one hand but also a lost, searching soul on the other. Kitty's life starts off with her mother and beloved grandparents in rural England, Marina goes on to have two more children (twins, Sam and Violet) and the family spend their lives moving between England and New York as Marina's painting career and whims carry them along. Interspersed with the story of growing up are scenes set in current time where an adult and newly pregnant Kitty is living in New York with her husband when she is called by her younger sister in London to say that something has happened to their mother.
Overall I did enjoy this book and Dahl's writing had depth and yet was easy to read. I did like the first half of the book more so than the second where I thought a lot of things went unexplored and I would have liked more resolution from the ending as well. This is not usually a big thing for me in my reading but for some reason (maybe my connection with the character of Kitty??) I was left wanting just a little bit more of the story fed to me. Loved Dahl's writing though and would definitely go back for more of her work.
