Title: Mary, Mary

By:  Lesley Crewe

ISBN: 9781771084536 (ISBN10: 1771084537)

ASIN: 1771084537

Website: http://www.lesleycrewe.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra                   

Summary:

In a Cape Breton family of black sheep, Mary is pure as the driven snow. She is patient and kind with her alcoholic grandmother and volatile mother, loyal and attentive to her spoiled cousin, and pleasant and polite all day as a grocery cashier. Her well off aunt, the only other normal person in the family, wants to help her more, but Mary’s mother is too prickly and proud. So Mary goes to work, comes home, takes care of her family, and wonders if there’ll ever be more to life. 

When a young couple moves into the apartment upstairs, it sparks a series of changes that leads to major family revelations, and Mary discovers that sometimes doing the wrong thing is the exact right thing to do. (Goodreads)

Review:

Mary, Mary was chosen as a read for our book club for 2026. I had previously read one book by Lesley Crewe (The Spoon Stealers) and quite enjoyed her writing style and storytelling capabilities. It is with hope that I would find Mary, Mary enjoyable as well.

Mary, Mary is a story about a very dysfunctional family that is just trying to get by. Mary lives with her mother Carole and her alcoholic grandmother, Ethel and does her best to keep peace between them. Mary works as a cashier in a grocery story while her mother runs a hairdressing salon out of their home.

I could tell that this dysfunctional family really was trying and that it was a surprise that Mary turned out so “normal” given her upbringing. Mary’s evolution was enjoyable to experience. 

The family lives in a duplex with an upstairs apartment they rent to tenants and when a young man and his girlfriend move in, things definitely begin to change. First and foremost – there was an immediate attraction between Mary and Daniel (the young man). Soon the girlfriend moves out and the potential relationship between Mary and Daniel blossoms into a real relationship. Mary (and her pet cat) eventually move upstairs.

At one point – Carole decides that since her daughter has moved out, she will get a pet. And boy does she – 3 rescue dogs. Loved that she chose to take in these dogs in need of a loving home. And surprisingly, this endeavour lead to some interesting personal growth for Carole.

There is a great bit one could write about with respect to the other family members, but I leave that for any future reader to discover for themselves ☺

I enjoyed Ms. Crewe’s ability to interject a number of ‘Laugh Out Loud’ moments throughout the book. She made the characters real with all their foibles and all. I also get a wee bit weepy in parts – it was just that emotional of a journey!At the crux of it all, the story is just a tale of a family and how they survive the ups and downs of daily living interjected with the realities of that life, love and death. Mary, Mary was an easy to read book with engaging characters (including all of the pets!), a telling of a life’s journey (or at least a segment) of Mary’s life.