Completing the Ruth Jones trifecta

I enjoyed Welsh author Ruth Jones's first novel, Never greener. Jones's first foray into fiction was published in 2018 following a successful television career as the co-creator of British comedy, Gavin & Stacey. I was keen to complete the trifecta by reading the other two books that Jones has written to date.

I vehemently dislike the 'women's fiction' or 'chick lit' labels. Ruth Jones's books seem to be tagged with these classifications. I don't think the labels are accurate as her stories are heavy on characterisation and are authentic tales of people being people. That sometimes means doing s***y or illogical things, both of which make for captivating reading.

Us three | Published April 2020 | Read December 2023

Us three is a mediocre read and my least favourite of the Jones trifecta. I've seen the book described as a warm and uplifting story of true friendship but I didn't find it to be any of those things. I respect Jones as a writer and I am engaged with her writing style. That said, Us three is pretty depressing on the friendship front and in terms of the lives of the three friends in the novel, Lana, Judith, and Catrin. I didn't find any of the women likeable or relatable, partly because they aren't intricately woven characters whom I could care about.

The book spans a 40 year period but I found it hard to be invested in the outcome for any of the trio. In particular, the falling out between two of the friends is odd and doesn't ring true. The friendships formed as teenagers did not seem destined to last and I kept wondering why they even bothered well into adulthood. Jones seems to miss the mark here, if she is trying to paint a picture of the enduring nature of friendship and the bonds that last a lifetime that doesn't feel genuine or well crafted.

Rating: ⭐⭐

Love untold | Published September 2022 | Read December 2023

Love untold is a much better book than Us three. It is a story of mother-daughter relationships, played out in a cross-generational family in a fictional small Welsh town. Grace, approaching ninety, is estranged from flighty daughter, Alys, now in her seventies. Aly's daughter, Elin, in her fifties, has also not seen her mother for years but she has a close relationship with her grandmother, Grace. Elin's daughter, Becca, is navigating her teenage years and has her own stuff to deal with, remaining largely oblivious to the rift between Alys and her mother and daughter.

I found Love untold rather moving. Alys is a completely selfish and unlikeable character, but I enjoyed reading about the mending of fences and the progression of the relationships between the four generations of women. The characters are beautifully drawn, complex, and authentic, although there is a lot to keep up with through the alternating timelines and multiple narrator voices.

The different perspectives on love and how our histories define us frame the novel and they make for a heartbreaking and poignant story that kept me engaged from start to finish. There's a key element to Grace and Becca's romantic relationships that I found interesting and beautifully and sensitively handled, creating a captivating added dimension to the overall story.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐