Bournville by Jonathan Coe

I bought Bournville by Jonathan Coe in the Waterstones half price hardback sale over Christmas. I chose it because I like Jonathan Coe and also because it’s set in my new favourite place (because my son is at university there) – Birmingham.

I read What a Carve Up! and The Rotters’ Club by Coe a really long time ago and Middle England more recently. They were all really good reads, but Bournville feels like a step up. It’s a really special book. Just as Kate Atkinson has loads of brilliant books, but Life After Life is next level.

Bournville is the story of the life of Mary Lamb, living in the quiet Birmingham suburb of Bournville, where nearly everyone works in the chocolate factory. At the start of the book, in 1945, Mary is 11. The story is set against key events in 20th and 21st century British history (many of them involving the royal family) right up to Covid and the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Rather than go through her entire life, it focuses in on these events, so we follow Mary’s life from a girl to a young woman and eventually an elderly lady.

Mary isn’t the central character of every chapter. Different chapters focus on her parents, her three sons, her grandchildren and, randomly, her cousin’s son. Although it turns out her cousin’s family appear in other books by Coe. The family also seem to be distantly related to the Trotter family, the central characters in The Rotters’ Club and Middle England.

The story covers a long period of social change and the range of characters means there are left wing views and right wing views. There is a lot of talk of the EU (or EEC). There is racism and a journalist who tells a lot of lies and makes up stories to suit himself.

And there is chocolate.

Bournville is a brilliant and beautiful novel. It is moving and gently humorous. I can’t recommend it highly enough.