Every Woman for Herself [Hardcover]

Trisha Ashley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2003

Charlotte—Charlie—Rhymer’s husband wants a divorce. Charlie isn’t sure what she wants, but after the incident with the frying pan, even she has to concede that their differences may be irreconcilable after all. Returning home to her native Yorkshire and the bosom of her family seemed like a good idea at the time. Even if Charlie’s father has never quite forgiven Charlie or her siblings (Anne, Emily and Branwell) for failing to live up to their more literary (as in Bronte) namesakes.

Upvale Parsonage, the family home to which Charlie has retreated, is presided over by her sister Em. Em’s hobbies are composing inspirational verses, dabbling in the Ancient Black Arts, and fighting off the incursions of Father’s latest mistress. When the current mistress actually moves in, family loyalties are sorely tried. Still, Charlie is determined to bounce back from disaster and strike a blow for deserted older wives everywhere. But when she meets brooding actor Mace North, she realizes that when it comes to dating for the over-forty crowd, female solidarity be damned—it’s every woman for herself!

Sure to delight both Bronte fans and readers who like a good laugh with their romance, Trisha Ashley’s first book to be published in the United States is a welcome treat.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

On the surface, the plot of Ashley's quirky contribution to the divorcee-starting-life-over-again genre should be straightforward, but it's not, and neither are the characters in this uproarious coming-of-middle-age novel. While packing up the detritus of her 20-year marriage, Charlotte inadvertently whacks her neighbor's lecherous husband over the head with some cookware, and though his death is ruled accidental, his widow, Angie, doesn't agree. With shouts of "murderess!" ringing in her ears, Charlotte returns to the bosom of her loving, if loony, family and promptly jumps from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak. In this sleepy Yorkshire village, Charlotte's sister keeps company with a coven of would-be witches and her father with a dimwitted mistress, but it is a local celebrity, hunky actor Mace North, who has the potential to turn Charlotte's world upside-down, or right-side up, depending on your perspective. Giggles, guffaws, chortles, and chuckles abound in Ashley's cleverly satirical send-up of upper-class British snobbery and soap-opera stardom that is truly laugh-out-loud funny. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Shrewd but gentle satire of various contemporary British types that never misses a beat. And it's wonderfully funny to boot." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Giggles, guffaws, chortles, and chuckles abound in Ashley's cleverly satirical send-up of upper-class British snobbery and soap-opear stardom that is truly laught-out-loud funny." --Booklist

"Trisha Ashley writes with remarkable wit and originality and has created a deliciously acerbic heroine... One of the best writers around!" --Katie Fforde, author of Highland Fling

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (June 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312313721
• ISBN-13: 978-0312313722
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

UK Trisha Ashley is the author of ten contemporary romantic comedies, with her latest one, Chocolate Wishes, being the hundredth book to be published by the Avon UK imprint of HarperCollins. A Winter's Tale was shortlisted for the Melissa Nathan award for Romantic Comedy in 2009. She is from St Helens, and believes her typically dark Lancashire sense of humour, crossed with a good dose of Celtic creativity from her Welsh grandmother, have made her what she is today...whatever that is. Four of her novels are set in rural West Lancashire and three in Wales. They frequently explore aspects of the three F's that are a constant in her own life: Food, Flowers and Friends.
She has a website at www.trishaashley.com where you can find out more, sign the guestbook, or join the newsletter group.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely wonderful, November 8, 2004

By 

Liza Gilbert "Bilingual Youth Services Librarian" (Wichita, KS USA/EEUU) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Every Woman for Herself (Hardcover)

This is the kind of book that makes you want to faithfully read everything else an author will ever write. While the ending was perhaps a bit pat and cheerful compared to the rest of the book, Ashley is worth the read just for the colorful characters and the articles the women create. Just beautiful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining little Piece, March 17, 2005

By 

E. Harker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Woman for Herself (Hardcover)

I didn't like this book when I first picked it up. I found that the writing style seemed forced somehow. It's as if the author was trying -too- hard to make us laugh. I should have put it down. It would have been just like me to put it down--but I didn't. I can't explain why, exactly, but something hooked me and reeled me in. I think, in part, it has to do with the fact that these characters are just very amusing. For what the story lacks in parts, these people make up for it in full. I particularly like Charlie's sisters Em and Anne. They're a couple of rowdy no nonsense types. THey are (like nearly everyone in that family with Charlie being the notable exception) big and imposing, but just as gentle and fiercely loyal. Jessica, the dreadful new mistress, was actually another of my favorite characters. For all of her flamboyance and saucy airs, she really was a good sport in enduring everyone's constant harrassment...especially Em's. Oddly, I did not care as much for Charlie and _especially_ not Mace. I felt annoyed with the two of them and I couldn't quite understand where their romance came from but that may have more to do with my personal taste than any problem in the writing. I simply didn't care for Mace an felt annoyed that Charlie would fall for him--smoldering good looks or not. The fact that he was dishy did not, in my opinion, make up for his behaving like a spoiled child much of the time. That and his overconfidence irritated me. On the other hand, he inspired SOMETHING in me so obviously he's not completely forgettable. That is why I say it is probably more of a question of taste than anything having to do with the actual composition of the novel. I _do_ think the book is very good. There is plenty there that will hold a reader's interest. The quirky characters and pacing really help to keep the reader's interest for just one more page....and another and another. Even if I didn't really WANT to know as much about Charlie an Mace...I did. I recommend this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Fun, October 12, 2005

By 

Word Lover (New England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Every Woman for Herself (Hardcover)

Ashley uses language beautifully. Her characters are fun and enrich the reader's life just for the brief visit of reading about them. This is very much a win/win book and wonderful fun to read.