" GO AHEAD, LAUGH ! " BY JUDE GOODWIN : A BOOK REVIEW BY BRIDGEMEISTER GIBSON

One of the great things about bridge is the comedy element that exists within the overall experience we have all encountered. The larger-than-life characters, humorous banter, the comic mishaps in both the bidding and the play, the crazy situations that take everyone by surprise, the pantomime, and the random absurdities...... all help to make great memories, not to mention superb material for highly entertaining stories for years to come.

Everyone needs to look back at even their bad days at the tables, when nothing seemed to be going right, and still be able to raise a smile about what took place. We all need to laugh at ourselves from time to time, and see the funny side of things. This book more than any other will bring a smile to your face in times of such need. Jude Goodwin's cartoons, which comically depict both characters and situations we are all so familiar with, enables the book to become a mirror of your bridge life. Not only will you recognise yourself, but also all the people you have partnered, and encountered in the past. The illustrations are wonderful, with all the emotions, feelings, and inner thoughts of the characters cleverly revealed with just a subtle stroke and squiggle of the pen. The dialogue is frighteningly real but extremely revealing. The cartoons tell us all about our own failings and shortcomings, alongside those we so often associate with others.

I love this book immensely, because I appreciate what the author has skillfully observed, and I fully understand with what she is trying to say about how truly " bizarre " the world of bridge really is.