Charlotte Lawrence - mid thirties - returns from Brussels to her Cheshire roots a widow, her husband having been killed in a car crash the very day she told him she wanted a divorce. She didn't love him, but feels awful guilt that she mights have caused his death. Her interfering family naturally see her as the grieving widow, which she is, but not for the reasons they think. They decide to take her out of herself. The arrival of this very attractive woman in the village causes all sorts of ructions, and it is Charlotte's interaction with a varied and brilliantly drawn group of characters that make this novel the joy it is. Eventually she does fall in love again, having resisted for too long her drop-dead gorgeous neighbour Alex because of her guilt and the fear that she many be incapable of love. At once sparkling and poignant, occasionally sad, often funny and sometimes hilarious, A Breath of Fresh is a poised, enchanting first novel that marks the debut of an outstanding talent.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
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.
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
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Predictable,
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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.
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