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Jane Riley

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The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock Kindle Edition

by Jane Riley (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 14,391 ratings

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His life is perfectly regimented. Is there really room for something as unpredictable as love?

Oliver Clock has everything arranged just so. A steady job running the family funeral parlour. A fridge stocked with ready meals. A drawer full of colour-coded socks. A plan (of sorts) to stay trim enough for a standard-sized coffin. And in florist Marie, he’s even found the love of his life—not that she’s aware of it.

When a terrible tragedy takes Marie out of his life but leaves him with her private journal, he discovers too late that she secretly loved him back. Faced now with an empty love life, a family funeral business in trouble, a fast-approaching fortieth birthday and a notebook of resolutions he’s never achieved, Oliver resolves to open himself up to love—and all the mess that comes along with it.

But, with a habit of burying his feelings, can he learn to embrace his lovability and find the woman who will make him feel whole?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A heart-warming, charming tale of love.” —Daily Mirror

“Must Read of the Week” —Saturday Express

“If you’re looking for a feel-good read, this is it.” —Take a Break

“A charming and quirky tale.” —People’s Friend

“Shy, self-deprecating Oliver is an unlikely hero, but I defy anyone not to warm instantly to his charm.” —My Weekly

“Oliver is a fascinating character and this book is perfect for making you think about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone…It’s the perfect #UpLit start to 2020.” —19 Degrees Magazine

From the Publisher

When this book first landed on my desk, I knew that I had found something very special. Quirky and uplifting, both laugh-out-loud funny and intensely poignant. I was enchanted by Oliver Clock and defy you to not be blown over by him too!

Oliver Clock has constructed a carefully organized world for himself, which is perhaps just a little OCD. He’s lonely, desperate for love, and having just inherited his family’s funeral home business, not the most attractive prospect. But his secret is that he has been in love with Marie, the funeral florist, for fifteen years. He’s never been able to tell her how he feels, and when she suddenly passes away, his opportunity is lost. Devastated by her death, Oliver is given Marie’s diary and discovers that she had secretly harbored a love for him too. This brings on a realization from Oliver that perhaps he is worthy of a happy relationship after all.

This book’s sparkly wit and charm had me from the first chapter. Author Jane Riley has a way of bringing rays of light into the most bittersweet of situations and conjuring up characters who are unforgettable. A truly joyful read!

- Sammia Hamer, Editor

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07SDRG638
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing (February 1, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 1, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3449 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 317 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 154200814X

Best Sellers Rank: #180,670 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #411 in Dark Humor
- #1,102 in Women's Literary Fiction
- #1,134 in General Humorous Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.1 14,391 ratings

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Jane Riley

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Jane Riley began her career in public relations before moving into publishing and later launching an online e-commerce business. She has freelanced as a writer and editor and wrote a design blog interviewing makers and creators. She volunteers as an English language tutor for the Adult Migrant English Program in Sydney. The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock is her first novel.

You can find her on Twitter @JaneRileyAuthor

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Goth Gone Grey

Perfect first book of the year and decade

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2020

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FirstReads can be hit or miss; let's cautiously crack this one open and see what it has to offer:

"They say old habits die hard, which is true, but I also think that new habits are born easily when you live on your own. Like talking to yourself. Ordering pantry items in alphabetical order. Storing balled-up socks in colour-coordinated rows in a drawer. Buying microwave meals for one when you should be cooking from scratch, because you really do love to cook. And fantasising – writing lists of things you’d like to do, imagining a life that isn’t yours, all from the comfort of your sofa."

I'm intruiged. Into the breach we go!

The first 10%? Slow, introspective - painfully so. I debated continuing, In fear the rest of the book would be the neat freak lead character caught in his own cycle of destructive thoughts.

Then, the turning point, the plot point that unlocked the rest of the story. While the rest of the novel is still introspective, more internal dialogue than discussions, it became more real, nuanced, and engaging. With all Oliver's talk of gourmet cooking while consuming microwave meals, and self medicating with wine and carbs, and disappearing into thoughts of what might have been, and so much more. He is us, for all the good and bad, self-pity, doubt, and false starts to a better self.

This is an ideal first book of the year. It encompasses a spectrum of emotions beautifully: grief, depression, hope, and the stoppered up feeling of trying so hard to not feel anything. The lead character is sympathetic - after the last page I hope he finds his happiness - and the secondary characters distinctive.

100 people found this helpful

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Sara

A Meandering, Delightful Little Book

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2020

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I liked it. The setting made me think a little of the quaint TV show, Pushing Daisies. Of course, rather than a pie maker, the Oliver is a funeral director. And while that sounds like a boring book, his quirks made it cute and fun. Oliver is in love with a coworker who is married and who dies shortly into the story. Oliver is a constant list maker who never seems to follow through on his resolutions. Oliver is a neat freak with a wild imagination. I mean, seriously, who steams their underwear? But he was a darling man. Loyal to a fault, accused of being too nice, often a pit of a pushover, yet the sort of person any of us would be lucky to have as a friend.

Marie, the soon-to-be deceased, unreachable love interest was also a very lovely person. Stuck in a marriage with an alcoholic husband, she threw herself into her work as the funeral florist, caring enough to customize her floral offerings to fit the person and occasion.

Andy, Oliver's best friend and polar opposite, was also a great person. The type of friend who would drop anything if you needed him, he cared enough about Oliver to call him out when he was wallowing or about to make a bad decision. He also threw great parties.

Edie was a surprising character. I think we might have been friends in real life. As a chemist, she wanted to make a difference in the world, so she developed the idea of creating candles that could invoke the memory or scent of a person. As she intersected with this story, she proposed the idea of crafting candles with scents that would provide comfort to the families of the deceased.

I didn't love everyone though. Caroline always grated me the wrong way. While I liked the idea of someone pulling Oliver from his rut, she was a bit too forceful and selfish in her attentions toward him. Similarly, although Oliver's mom's attitude toward change makes sense, it also seems like it inadvertantly prevented him from fully growing up. That's a bit problematic when the person is nearly forty.

The charm of the book was in its characters and the way the story meandered through life along with those characters. Yes, it was the story of an old, traditional funeral home struggling with the inevitable changing times. But it was also a very human story in which Oliver has to struggle the meaning of the loss of his true love and how his memory of her affects his present and future. Oliver grows up in this story. Sure, it may come a little late, but we all grow at different paces. And maybe he will even stop making lists and act on them. Hopefully sooner than later, lest he miss another chance at true love.

One person found this helpful

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Jeeves Reads Romance

Serious with shots of humor

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2020

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Last year, I read a book called How Not to Die Alone, and I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to it while reading this. Both feature lonely, middle-aged guys working in industries that deal with death, who develop feelings for married women, and make the realization that they need to make some changes if they don’t want to, well, die alone. In a lot of ways, the comparisons end there, but the tones of the book remain similar - as serious and dark as they are funny and poignant.

This story follows Oliver, a 39-year-old funeral director who has had feelings for a woman for years. He waited too long to make his move, and she ended up marrying someone else. When that relationship shows signs of tension, Oliver wonders if he might be getting another chance with the girl... until life takes that option away from him. He resolves to be better, make changes in his life and hopes that might lead him to a future he can look forward to, but there are plenty of stumbles along the way.

The blurb may have led you to believe that this is a romance; it’s much more a story about self-improvement. Yes, there are some romantic elements to the story but you’ll be sorely disappointed is that’s what you’re hoping the focus is. I did really enjoy the humor in the book; it’s understated and the tone is often serious, but there are definitely lighter moments to be found. The writing itself is solid and easy to read (though decidedly British, I believe), and the story is original and interesting throughout. I found it to be a little dry and not as relationship-focused as I was hoping, but there’s certainly a lot to like about the book.

438 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Kie

Glad I stepped out of my comfort zone

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2020

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One of my reading goals for 2020 has been to broaded my reading (away from Thrillers/Historical) and I kept circling back to this one. To be honest as a 36 year old man, I was a bit worried that this might be too much of 'chick lit' (not trying to sound like a snob). However I loved this book.

Oliver Clock is a 3rd generation undertaker, quickly approaching his 40th birthday. Held back by his past, his life is very organised and dull, however he has dreams of greater things, makes resolutions but fails to follow through. Then all of a sudden his life is turned upside down...

I loved Oliver from the very beginning, a character that we can all relate to some extent. His view of life and others is perfectly bitter sweet, and some of the comedic timing made me smile and feel warm inside. The cast of characters is perfect, filled with very strong women, who all have an impact one way or another on Oliver.

The only issue I found with this book was some of the Americanisations i.e. apartment, suburb etc. This is a beautiful Brittish book, be proud of that, don't chase the sales.

20% in I expected Oliver to sell up, change his life and find real happiness. However, the take away I have was that just stepping out of your comfort zone might just be what you need.

2 people found this helpful

Jack from Sydney

Anal retentives will love Oliver's story

Reviewed in Australia on July 19, 2020

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A truly heartwarming story written by an intuitive author.
Our protagonist is one of us, he has a range of foibles every reader can relate to. He has an overbearing mother, a family business he inherited (whether he wanted or not) and a range of self doubts that we all have.

Beautifully written and engaging, I thoroughly enjoyed Oliver's story and am happy to recommend it.

One person found this helpful

Midgebear

AKA It's Time to Grow

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2020

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I really enjoyed this book. It helped that the author had done her research on what life behind the scenes is like in a Funeral Parlour. She almost got it right, what she missed was the very overdeveloped sense of the absurd that everyone I ever worked with had; trust me it takes a certain kind of person to work in a Funeral Parlour and a pre-requisite for a coping mechanism seems to be a sense of humour that borders on deranged. There are a lot of emotions flying around and those family meetings can be really something and she captured this exquisitely, even if Mr Clock did feel a little obsequious at times. I wasn't sure about "The Folder" but it was great to see Oliver step away from the formula and try and treat each visitor through the doors as individual stories because that really is how it works.

The only real let down for me was how much of a mess Oliver was away from Clock & Sons. The dichotomy between work Oliver and home Oliver was so great that it just didn't ring true and spoilt it just a teeny, tiny bit for me. I get the whole frustrated relationship thing but he just felt like so much of a mess when away from work and almost devoid of any personality that I did wonder where it was going. Strangely, the book is saved by his almost complete breakdown when someone close to him dies and he struggles to get past it. I loved how the grief was allowed to filter through all aspects of his life and that it was shown to be completely devastating, even though Oliver was doing his best to minimise his outward show.

The nuances of emotion in the book are, on the whole, really beautifully handled. Occasionally the author whacks you round the head with a point but these were mercifully few and far between. I think the most frustrating thing for me was that in his search for an Adult Relationship Oliver misses what is clearly under his nose. The fact that it was so obvious that these two were perfect for each other felt like overkill and over-signposted in the book; especially as they frequently followed or proceeded some half-hearted encounter with the woman he'd found himself with.

Throw in a lot of almost Catholic Guilt about changing the way that Clock & Son operates and there is a lot going on here. I did really enjoy it though and was pleased that it tackled some difficult subjects in an accessible way, including making those who deal with people at their absolute lowest point come across as completely and utterly human.

3 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

An unexpected story with a satisfying ending...

Reviewed in Australia on August 15, 2023

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I'd heard several people say great things about this book, so I read it with little idea about it (other than it would hopefully be good!) and enjoyed Oliver Clock's tale.

If Oliver were a woman, this book would've been a bullseye for women's fiction. I appreciated how the novel was an all-encompassing story about every area of Oliver's life, with a lot of "the bad" shared, not a sterilised version of him. He had many endearing qualities, but he had some glaring faults too. Several times I wanted to whack him upside the head to ignite his backbone. 😉

A read worth treading some slower sections to reach the conclusion.

Book Monitor

The inner thoughts of a man with lots of resolutions and no gumption.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2020

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I chose this as an Amazon First Read. This is a book for those who like to read about introspection. The main Character Oliver Clock is a man who frequently makes resolutions, but doesn't really follow through, until he decides to do just that. However something unexpected stops him and the story goes on.
For me the book was very slow and at times repetitive, but not without interest and I was involved enough to want to finish it. The ideas of reinvention, of taking control and moving on are apt for the time of year and I did rather like Edie and Andy, although I didn't warm to Oliver, Caroline or Mrs Clock. I also found the setting in a funeral home interesting and the candle idea was quite intriguing. I also felt it was missing the mark in terms of humour and wit too although it sits in the humorous fiction genre but that might just be me. Overall I'm sure others will find it more rewarding than I did but for me a 3 star read.

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