Pastures Nouveaux [Paperback]

Wendy Holden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2001

Cash-strapped Rosie and her boyfriend Mark are city folk longing for a country cottage. Rampantly nouveaux-riches Samantha and Guy are also searching for rustic bliss - a mansion complete with mile-long drive and hot and cold running gardeners. The village of Eight Mile Bottom seems quiet enough, despite a nosy postman, a reclusive rock star, a glamorous Bond Girl and a ghost with a knife in its back. But there are unexpected thrills in the hills. The local siren seduces Guy while mysterious millionaire makes Rosie an offer she can't refuse. But should she?

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Pacy pastiche of city dwellers "gone country"...packed with puns... Holden has produced an entertaining novel, bursting with a large cast of Diblyesque characters, which will no doubt delight fans of her two previous books' -- Daily Mail 'Clever, naughty and basically affectionate and good-natured... a comic romp engineered with aplomb and dash... will have fans glued' -- Sunday Times 'A very modern romantic comedy... her cultural references are spot-on... an amusing romp through village life' -- Mail on Sunday 'On days of gloom Wendy Holden's novels should be handed round like aspirin. Her new book, Pastures Nouveaux, is guaranteed to bring a smile even to the baddest of moods... Discover the hills are alive with the sound of high jinks in this laugh-a-minute romp' B magazine 'A pun-packed romp' Eve --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Wendy Holden was a journalist on The Sunday Times, Tatler and The Mail on Sunday before becoming a full-time author. She has published six novels, all Top Ten bestsellers, and is married with two young children. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Headline Paperbacks; First Edition edition (July 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9999984134
• ISBN-13: 978-9999984133
• ASIN: 0747266166
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,808,200 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars The city folk are coming......., March 28, 2007

By 

Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pastures Nouveaux (Paperback)

This is a delightfully witty commentary on city folk who chuck it all in to dwell in rustic splendor in the idyllic countryside around Eight Mile Bottom, but who get a lot more than they bargained for.

If you liked Bridget Jones's Diary or appreciate British humor, you'll enjoy the resulting calamities, confusion, misunderstandings and slapstick comedy that ensue when Rosie and Mark and Samantha and Guy make the big move to their respective dream country dwellings.

Full of local color, scandalous gossip, and a wide range of eccentric (or just plain strange) characters, the author regales us with the trials of the decidedly not well-to-do Rosie and her writer boyfriend Mark, and the misery of everybody else having the bad luck to encounter the filthy rich Samantha.

A hunky farmer, a reclusive pop star and a houseful of ghosts round out the story, which is recommended if you're looking for an extremely light tension-relieving read.

Amanda Richards, March 28, 2007

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "...and the church bells struck sixteen...", April 21, 2007

By 

Kona (Emerald City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Pastures Nouveaux (Paperback)

Artist Rosie hates the noise, crowds, and pressure of living in her cramped London flat, and longs to live in a cozy old cottage nestled in a picturesque village, full of quaint, friendly folk. Her city-loving boyfriend finally agrees to move to the country, and they settle in the town of Eight-Mile Bottom, where a handsome farmer, a reclusive rock star, and some comic locals will change her life forever.

Told from Rosie's point of view, the story is very funny and at times, quite touching. It's easy to identify with her longing for love and fulfillment, as she charges full-steam ahead in pursuit of her dreams. Sometimes we wish Rosie made better choices, but it's a journey that will put a smile on your face. The story proceeds at a leisurely pace, with plenty of time to get to know all the fascinating characters that live in the village, from the nosy mailman to the hippie family next door. The narrative is full of British idioms and references that add flavor and humor; an audio book would definitely be fun to listen to, and, I think it would make a great movie.

"Pastures Nouveaux" is a witty, hip, gossipy fish-out-of-water story that you won't want to put down. Highly recommended.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars it is so damn boring, July 22, 2006

By 

seek - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pastures Nouveaux (Paragon Softcover Large Print Books) (Paperback)

and the characters are strange, to say the least. A farmer who gives a speech about "walkers" who are a "nightmare" because they are there in summer, asking for directions and never there when " a sick cow needs help" is out if his rocker. Why walkers must help sick cows? Shouldn't vets do it? And so on.