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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jun 2022, 352 pages
Paperback:
Aug 2023, 352 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Noshin Haque
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project comes an escapist read that will transport you, cheer you, and make you smile - and make you, too, wish you had Iona's gift for bringing out the best in everyone.
Nobody ever talks to strangers on the train. It's a rule. But what would happen if they did?
Every day Iona, a larger-than-life magazine advice columnist, travels the ten stops from Hampton Court to Waterloo Station by train, accompanied by her dog, Lulu. Every day she sees the same people, whom she knows only by nickname: Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm and Terribly-Lonely-Teenager. Of course, they never speak. Seasoned commuters never do.
Then one morning, the man she calls Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader chokes on a grape right in front of her. He'd have died were it not for the timely intervention of Sanjay, a nurse, who gives him the Heimlich maneuver.
This single event starts a chain reaction, and an eclectic group of people with almost nothing in common except their commute discover that a chance encounter can blossom into much more. It turns out that talking to strangers can teach you about the world around you--and even more about yourself.
Iona
08:05 Hampton Court to Waterloo
Until the point when a man started dying right in front of her on the 08:05, Iona's day had been just like any other.
She always left the house at half past seven. It took her an average of twenty minutes to walk to the station in heels, which meant she'd usually arrive fifteen minutes before her train left for Waterloo. Two minutes later if she was wearing the Louboutins.
Arriving in good time was crucial if she wanted to secure her usual seat in her usual carriage, which she did. While novelty was a wonderful thing when it came to fashion, or film, or even patisserie, it was not welcome on her daily commute.
Some time ago, Iona's editor had suggested that she start working from home. It was, he'd told her, all the rage, and her job could be done just as well remotely. He'd tried to cajole her out of her office space with sweet talk of an extra hour in bed and more flexibility, and, when that didn't work, had ...
The relationships and bonds formed throughout the book are one of its main highlights. In every pairing, an interesting dynamic arises, challenging our perceptions of the characters. Unconventional combos are formed, and the author guides readers into seeing the hidden treasures of these arrangements, even more so when all of them are put together, making for a perfect dissection of human interaction. There has been a recent wave of novels featuring characters finding solace in atypical groups of friends, such as The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. I'm certain Pooley's book will find a place amongst these and others in which readers encounter a sense of warmth...continued
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(Reviewed by Noshin Haque).
Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me More
Clare Pooley has found a delightful way to bring home the point that we need each other. Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of One Two Three
Pooley delivers not only acerbic, enchanting Iona but a compelling, tangled cast of quirky, complicated characters so engaging, it's enough to make you miss crowded commuter trains. Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics
Heartwarming, funny, a delicious dive into the profound and ridiculous modern world in which we live. Clare Pooley reminds us why we need each other.
Walk into any office and you'll likely find a mix of people at different points of their lives: Baby boomers, Generation Xers, millennials. And the presence of Generation Z continues to grow.
Iona, the main character in Clare Pooley's Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting, often experiences people judging her competencies based on her age. She's on the older side, some feel she's past her prime, and she tries desperately to prove them wrong. But what do generational identities say about our capabilities as workers? To tackle this question, we'll first have a look at the impact our generational differences have on us in the workplace, and then delve into the truth of the issue.
How do generational differences affect us in ...
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