A Breath of Fresh Air [Paperback]

Erica James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

Charlotte Lawrence, widowed at 34, decides to return to the village of her childhood. It means moving into Ivy Cottage, pretty if overgrown, and suffering the attentions of her interfering sister Hilary. Most of all, it means Alex, Ivy Cottage’s drop-dead gorgeous tenant.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An entertaining excursion to an English village of the 1990s, this first novel updates the traditional English cozy with a few contemporary bells and whistles. Mere hours after lonely, dissatisfied Charlotte Lawrence has finally requested a divorce from her husband, Peter, she receives word that he has died in a car crash. Departing Brussels, where one of Peter's frequent job transfers had landed them, she returns to her home village of Hulme Welford. But retired father who is obsessed with gardening and a mother just a few degrees warmer than Medea do little to improve Charlotte's spirits, and she doesn't share her feelings of guilt with anyone. Worse, her meddling younger sister, Hilary, throws a dinner party, hoping to fix up Charlotte with new man in town, Alex Hamilton. Less than two days after her return, Charlotte is accused in church of already having slept with two men. The pranks, while humorous, have a bit of an edge, as when the local philanderer switches the town prohibitionist's nonalcoholic vino with something stronger at a fork supper, prompting a rousing rendition of Sinatra tunes from the smashed teetotaler. And some supporting characters shine, particularly the teenaged babysitter Tiffany, who drills her charges in math and helps Charlotte hunt for a job. With puce-colored hair and a decidedly postfeminist attitude, she's the freshest breath of air in this sturdy little English diversion.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“An entertaining excursion to an English village of the 1990s that updates the traditional English cozy… a sturdy little diversion.” -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752843397
• ISBN-13: 978-0752843391
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,164,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Predictable, July 4, 2005

By 

Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Breath of Fresh Air (Paperback)

When Charlotte's husband, Peter is killed in a car crash in Brussels, where they were stationed with his company, she takes on a massive burden of guilt. Life with Peter has been cold and loveless as he married her, purely to spite his unforgiving parents. On the very morning of the accident, she had asked him for a divorce so that she might return to her family in England. He flatly refused, and set off on a car trip in an agitated state, leaving her with the guilt that she was the cause of his death. Returning to England, she buys a small cottage near her parents and sister and lets the attached Granny flat to an interesting man in his thirties. The remainder of the story is fairly predictable and includes an amiable vicar, the village gossip, the village sleaze, misunderstandings and happy endings. It's a pleasant story if a bit Mills and Boon.