Rating: 3/5
Natalie, Lydia, and Christopher Hilliard are torn apart from happy, family life by their parents’ divorce. Miranda and Daniel have a habit of being childish and spiteful; they have not grown up from toddlers, and they fire useless arguments at each other that only make their children cry and get angry. Eventually, Daniel, sick and tired of only getting the odd weekend with his children, overhears Miranda saying that she needs a cross between a “babysitter”, a “housekeeper”, and a “nanny”. Daniel rushes towards the opportunity of seeing his children more by dressing up as an old lady who goes by the name of Madame Doubtfire.
Anne Fine realises, though, that it is unlikely that a couple who have been apart for a long time will get back together again, and Daniel and Miranda remain divorced. However, they soon begin to see the point in each other’s arguments, and they become much more friendlier towards each other. Daniel gets much more time with his children, and Miranda gets much more time to herself as well as with them.
The way the author writes the book is funny and gripping as well as realistic, even during the most serious and silly scenarios. However, I think the age group for this book was a little below mine!