| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well done Katie!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Restoring Grace (Hardcover)
Much of life is unreliable and disappointing - but Katie Fforde books don't fall into this category. Katie does have somewhat of a regular format - protagonists that seem ill-suited, but turn out to be perfect. And there's never any London glamour and glitz. But another always-present element of the Fforde formula is sold writing, great plot lines, witty (yet believable) dialog. Restoring Grace is no exception - in fact, its one of the best of her books, certainly the best one of recent years. That's not to say that Paradise Fields or Highland Fling weren't good, they were - but Restoring Grace is fabulous. So, what's it about? Grace has been left at odds - her ex-husband has left her with a nice bed, great linens, and a historical house that's rotting away, requiring repairs far beyond her marriage settlement or her meager earnings as a wine writer. Ellie is an artist with a handsome, charismatic boyfriend - who has no interest in becoming a father. Which is problematic, since Ellie is pregnant and determined to have the baby. Ellie and Grace fall together and discover some potentially valuable paintings in Grace's rotting home. Along the way, they also discover a surly-on-the-outside, solid-gold-at-heart local land developer and a prickly-on-the-outside but (yes, here it comes) solid-gold-at-heart art restoration expert - and you know where this is going, but the fun is all in getting there. Add in Grace's horrid siblings, very weird ex-husband (what DID she see in him), ex-husband's first wife, ex-step-daughter - well, a cast of characters that goes on and adds to the humor of the story. And as the extra icing on the cake - Flynn (surly land developer) is really the best "leading man" Fforde's written in years. His character (and attractiveness) just leap off the page. A must read, whether you're a long-time Fforde fan or just discovering her for the first time.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet,
By
This review is from: Restoring Grace (Paperback)
I had only read Paradise Fields by the author when I found this title at the library. I enjoyed PF so much that I knew I was going to get lucky with this one and I certainly did. I loved the way Ellie and Grace became fast friends, and I loved how honorable Grace was without coming across as pious. Certainly the plot was fairly predictable, but I had such a good time reading it that it didn't matter. For "chick lit", Fforde's characters were fleshed-out just enough for me to feel like I "knew" them. The secondary characters were a little two-dimensional (Allegra and Hermia), but everything else about the book was so charming that again, it didn't make a difference. I've got two more of Fforde's titles to read next and I am really looking forward to it. I know they will be a pleasant diversion.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Tedious reading,
By
This review is from: Restoring Grace (Hardcover)
I was in the middle of a nice European cruise and wanted some light reading for those down times one finds on a cruise. "Restoring Grace" was in the ship's library and the cover looked nice, so even though I'd never read any of Fforde's books, I'd give it a try.I almost never stop reading a book in the middle, but I can't tell you how many times I almost did with this one. If I hadn't been nearing the end of the cruise without time to start a new book, I would have chucked it after about 5 chapters. The story is a good one, but the characters drove me around the bend having the same conversations over and over and over. I like seeing a nice balance between narration/exposition and conversation. I even like it a little heavy on the conversation, if it makes sense. But these girls went round and round... Grace should get a boyfriend, Grace is/is not still in love with Edward, it's too soon for a boyfriend, etc... Over and over. And over. It sounds like many readers have enjoyed Fforde's other books, so I might give her another try. But based on this novel, I don't think I'm going to be a fan.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
See all 9 books this book cites
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
|
|
