A review by sarah1984
The Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge

3.0

23/2 - I don’t really know what to make of this book. It was a quick read, it only took me a few hours to read. I found both main characters completely unsympathetic – Brenda was weak, lazy and seemed completely unable to find any joy or happiness in her life. Freda was cold and unsympathetic towards Brenda, often mocking her and calling her a victim, she is also prone to odd fits of laughing or unnecessary violence. I don’t think I really understood the deeper themes of the book, as I know from reading the Amazon website reviews that other readers give it five stars and call it a “delicious black comedy” and an “excellent portrayal o f the down side of life”. I did not get any sense of humour from it, in fact I had no idea until I read the reviews that it was meant to be comedic at all.