Customer Reviews

French Relations

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I got into Fiona Walker after reading Jilly Cooper (another English author). I had bought all of Jilly's book and was hoping to find another Brit author as good as Jilly and Amazon recommended Fiona Walker.

I then went on a shopping spree and bought most of Fiona's book. I started with French Relations since it was her first book. At first I was disappointed because it did not "suck" me in like Jilly's book but I perservered and struggled throught the first chapter. I don't know what happened but once I got into reading the book, I could not stop.

The book is about a girl named Tash who is asked to spend the summer with her family in a French chateau. She really doesn't want to spend the summer with her neurotic family but decides to do it when she breaks up with her boyfriend.

You then move on to the Chateau where you will meet her family, friends and foe. The main characters in this book are Tash, a dashing actor named Niall and a gorgeous sportsman named Hugo. I won't give the plot away only to say that Tash is torn between these two men.

This book is different because Tash is unlike most heroine. She is not described as beautiful, graceful or feminine. She is actually klutzy, shy, tomboyish and thinks of herself as a freak because she has different colored eyes. I like the fact that the author has made a heroine that we could relate to. The fact that she has such a dysfunctional family and is so unsure of herself makes me root for Tash.

Buy this book and read it along with Well Groomed. You will thoroughly enjoy Tash and her family and you will get a taste of Fiona Walker. I love her......

French Relations is Fiona Walker at her best. The title of this book refers to two things: Tash French, the novel's heroine, and the fact that she spends her summer in France at her family's beautiful, but slightly run-down, mansion.

Fiona Walker's writing shines because of her characters, and Tash French is a great, well-rounded heroine. Tash is incredibly shy, insecure, and overweight; yet through the summer she's able to find her own type of strength. The heroes are equally likeable: Hugo, a rich, smug playboy who treats Tash (and all other women he comes across) horribly, and Niall, a heartbroken, drug-addicted Irish actor, who's almost as insecure as Tash. You're bound to find yourself rooting for Tash to get together with one of these men.

The book has an incredibly large cast of supporting characters, which can make it hard to follow. At the same time, the large, zany group of people staying at the French mansion gives the book much of its charm. There's Alexandra, Tash's well-meaning but somewhat oblivious mother, Sophia, Tash's beautiful, disapproving stepsister, a randy Australian with an enormous dog, and several others.

Keep in mind that this is really only half a book. You may think the story has ended, but you need to buy Well Groomed to see how things really turn out. Buy this book, you'll read it over and over again.

Reading this book isn't going to solve the world's problems; but it will make you forget about them for a few days. At 800 pages, it can look daunting, but you won't want it to end. Tash French is a great heroine, not beautiful, not perfect, not trying to be. The whole cast of characters is really well defined. The book takes you through a summer holiday in France with the French family and miscellaneous friends, and all of the wacky things that happen to them. It was just plain fun to read. I liked it so much, I ordered all of Fiona Walker's books - she has a really good sense of humor. There are certain scenes that had me laughing out loud because you could visualize them happening, they were written so well. I highly recommend and have passed my copy on to friends.

Tash has lost a boyfriend, needs a job and decides that now is the best time to accept her mother's office to spend a month with family in a chateau in Paris.

Once she arrives, Tash decides that maybe she made a big mistake in coming. After all she is trying to mend a broken heart and along comes Hugo, her childhood crush. As if that is not bad enough, it seems that Nials, an Irish actor might be interested in her or does she have it all wrong. As if having two gorgeous men after her is not enough, guess who shows up? Yes, her ex-boyfriend Max.

This story was great because here you have a shy, insecure girl like Tash who manages to snag the attention of the most attractive men there. Not only that but you get to meet her adorable mother, her drunk stepfather, her bitchy glamorous sister and her liberal, right wing, brother. Along with the family you meet other wacky friends and foe.

I really enjoyed this book enormously except for the fact that the two people who are destined to end up together (I won't spoil the surprise) do not get a chance to actually say I love you. I guess this is the sign of a good book and story line when you are racing through the pages in order to hear the main character say..."you are the one that I have been waiting for!"

I can't wait to read the sequel "Well Groomed" to find out how what happens to Tash and the rest of her family. Excellent book.

I guess this is 1990s British chick lit but the romances here are less fairy tale and more real than I'm used to in chick lit. Since I've enjoyed a Sophie Kinsella or two, ditto Katie Fforde, Amazon computer-recommended Fiona Walker to me. Walker's book is less romantic chick lit than it is a 1990s comedy of manners. We have really, really imperfect characters (mostly of the upper-middle and upper class) who spend a lot of time drinking or nursing hangovers, breaking hearts or nursing a broken heart, having sex or thinking about it, doing drugs accidentally or on purpose, and nobody in the whole book seems to be making any worthwhile, useful contribution to the world.

Having said that, I must confess that I very much enjoyed the 800-page trainwreck/multicar pileup of a story that Walker provides and, as with a wreck or crash, I couldn't seem to look away or stop reading. I would have, however, cut out some of the bits about one of the families (that of Cass, our heroine's aunt, and her husband and sons) or reduced the word count in those parts. They were the least interesting or appealing of the characters and although some of their actions are necessary to advance the plot, this could have been done in fewer pages. The bits in particular about son Marcus and his stoner friends were overdrawn and became annoying.

Nobody in the book is super-likeable. Even the heroine Tash is, most of the time, too insecure and wishy-washy. Her love interests (and there are three of them, folks) are all extremely flawed, each in different ways. When we finally get to the book's conclusion, we do know who she ends up with, but we may or may not be happy with her decision. So, as I say, this isn't fairy-tale chick lit. It's more like real life where your HEA is not always a sure thing. But it's a fun ride and Walker writes well and wittily. And, let me tell you, you certainly get a lot of book and entertainment for your bucks. I think my copy cost 39 cents with no shipping and handling because it was included with a super-saver order from Amazon.

This book is fun. It involves a young twenty-something, Tash French, who has lost her job and her boyfriend and is on her way to her mother's mansion in France to spend the summer with her eccentric family. There are days by the pool, trips to the farmer's market, and a raucious party that make for a fun summer read. Along the way, Tash is romanced by multiple suitors, some of whom are less than ideal.

Tash French is a likable character, if a bit wishy washy. She can't seem to make up her mind about who and what she wants. In spite of this, I found myself rooting for her to get it together.

I love makeover stories, and this book had a bit of that element to it. However, it was way too long. At 800 pages, the book could have been cut in half and still made a formidable read. There were too many characters and plot points, and I found myself skipping the sections which revolved around Tash's annoying raver cousin, Marcus. There is a lot of exposition (including far too many dream sequences). After all of the (looong) build-up, you'd expect to get a more satisfying ending. However, it seems to end abruptly without a lot of insight into the happily-ever-after that I tend to expect from chick lit such as this.

Despite these foibles, the scenes of French life and lazy days in a chateau in France really made for an escapist read. I recommend the book, but don't expect to devour it in one sitting!

A great read with Tash (our heroine) going to France to visit her mother and quirky stepfather. The entire family with a few mismatched add-ons ends up summering at this chateau. Hilarious antics result -- you will laugh out loud. Reminiscent of Jilly Cooper, with all the different characters, but DON"T MISS THIS ONE!!!!!

Before I read this book I was quite excited by the prospect of tackling a book that was over my normal 350 page novel. Finally a book that would take me more than a day to read! Little did I know that it was going to be stubborn determination that got me through this lengthy long winded, boring novel.

Meet Tash, she's not the prettiest girl, not the most confident, and has been pining away for her childhood crush Hugo for what seems like forever. Upon a split with her boyfriend she goes to vacation with her family and oh does the love chaos ensue. Hugo, her crush is there and true to form he is the biggest egocentric jerk I've ever had the misfortune to read about. He feels the need to treat Tash like dirt for most of the novel and for the most part she just takes it lying down. Nials, a friend of Tash's brother also joins the family on holiday and while trying to get over his ex-wife falls into a drunken drug-induced stupor for most of the novel. While he's sorting through his enormous amount of emotional baggage he finds comfort in the warm awkward heart of Tash. There's some other subplots in here too, but there were just way too many to mention. Keep in mind that this is all happening over 800 some pages so there is a lot of needless blathering that could have been eliminated.

This book was just way too long. What had at first made me excited to read it made me want to poke my eyes out about halfway through. I just couldn't like Tash's complete lack of self worth and ability to always let everyone walk all over her. There were too many characters involved, maybe its my terrible American attention span but I felt my mind wandering more often than not while reading this novel.

I had hoped to find that Fiona Walker was another Jilly Cooper (author of the fabulous Riders), but I am sad to say that this is not the case.

From the first page on this book will give you a headache. It's mainly arch irritating dialogue trying frantically to be clever, with a thin meandering plot and no character building at all.

The plot is very fragmented and peopled with a multitude of very distasteful characters/caricatures who come and go in matter of pages. I frequently was filled with the desire to reach into the book and slap someone, especially the main character.

It would have benefitted greatly from a good editor and a reduction of about 75% in the number of pages.

Read Jilly Cooper instead.