Review: The Casson Family series by Hilary McKay

(Image credit to Julia Denos)

I can't remember how this happened, but I recently remembered this series that I randomly found at the library one day when I was...ten? (I miss randomly finding things at the library! When will they open again??). Anyway, I decided to give them a try again, to see if they were as good as I remembered. And reader--they were.

Worldbuilding/Writing Style
The worldbuilding (a town in England) was really fascinating--I've never been to England, and a lot of books tend to focus on the extraordinary, so to see the everyday life was lovely. And the writing style! The writing style! Don't get me started on the writing style! The author is so very British, and writes in such a way, but she also has hilarious interjections of dialogue into descriptions, and a habit of describing off-screen events in an off-hand but uproariously funny way, as well as a delightful irony that runs throughout.
Example of everything that's fantastic about Hilary McKay:
Alison had been whisked off at dawn ("We don't want him to think we're hippies") for a Saturday drive with a bag on her head. "I suppose you would like me to put a bag on my head!" she had snarled at her father, and he, equally unpleasantly, had snapped back, "Yes, I would!" and regretted it later when the police pulled him over. (But by then, as Alison's mother said jubilantly, nothing mattered).
AND NOTHING MORE IS SAID ABOUT THE WHOLE INCIDENT! 

Her dialogue is also flawless, and will make you laugh so hard you can't read aloud the section you want to read to your family to make them laugh, and they will think you are crazy. Ask me how I know.

Plot
The overall story of the series is the growing up of a family (especially if you read Caddy's World first) told largely through the growing up of the youngest member, Permanent Rose. Each book has its own (uproariously funny and absurd, but completely realistic at the same time) problems that are resolved in creative but wonderful ways. There are big problems (what is up with Saffy's family?) and little ones (what happened to the hamsters?). Even though some of the big problems touch on adult subjects, they are handled with grace and aplomb, and younger readers might not even notice they're there.

Characters
The Cassons! I love them forever! Flighty Caddy, Glamourous and Fantastic Saffy, Quiet and Introspective Indigo, and Wonderful Rose. Can't forget Perfect Eve, Horrible Bill, and Darling Michael! As well as Sassy Sarah, Excellent Tom, and Dopey David! All the characters are so unique and fun to follow, and they are each drawn so, so realistically, and they are all different! McKay obviously understands how humans work! Part of the genius of the characters is that they're all complex--even the irritating and sometimes slightly immoral ones *cough*Bill*coughcough* have motivation, and are sympathetic at least some of the time. Rose is, of course, my favorite, with Saffy as a close second--Rose is so smart and yet oblivious, young and yet old-souled, and her narration of her books is just *chef's kiss*. The whole Casson family's "vibe" is just so hilarious--their house, Eve gasping at the need to buy food for all love, people everywhere, coming in and out...Tom perhaps describes it best in Indigo's Star:

[Tom] immediately discovered that being a member of the family was very different from being a welcome friend. If you were a Casson family member, for example, and Eve drifted in from the shed asking, "Food? Any ideas? Or shall we not bother?" then you either joined in the search of the kitchen cupboards or counted the money in the housekeeping jam jar and calculated how many pizzas you could afford. Also, if you were a family member you took care of Rose, helped with homework (Saffron and Sarah were very strict about homework), unloaded the washing machine, learned to fold up Sarah's wheelchair, hunted for car keys, and kept up the hopeful theory that in the event of a crisis Bill Casson would disengage himself form his artistic life in London and rush home to help.

Romance
There's a bit--Caddy and her various boyfriends--but it's all handled tastefully, although there is a bit of implication *spoiler* a baby, lol *end spoiler* that they're not *ahem* dating in a Catholic way (I mean, they're not really Catholic, but that was the best way to put it imo), but it's really only implied in the one place. And it's rather sweet, but really not a huge part of the books.

Content
Some implication of various immoral things (unfaithfulness, mainly), some British swearing (e.g. bl***y). 

Overall Rating (Reread)
4 stars! Love these books.

Reminds me of...
Hmmm...why am I doing this again? It's hard. Well, the cottage-y feel reminds me of the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, and the overall family chaos/love of each other/sisters feeling reminds me of The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (although the Cassons are MUCH more chaotic than the Penderwicks).

Do you like stories about chaotic families? Do you have any recommendations for more current British literature that I might enjoy? What did you think of the excerpts?