Life Skills (Charnwood Library) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Katie Fforde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001 | Series: Charnwood Library

Athletic, outdoor type, good cook, good with people, wanted for work on the canals....

Newly not engaged and suddenly out of work, Julia Fairfax needs a new direction. The classified ad that catches her eye sends her on a delightful, hilarious adventure along the English canals on a rickety old hotel boat. Among the twists and turns, Julia encounters
a passel of persnickety guests, an irritating ex-boyfriend, the challenges of cooking in a galley kitchen the size of a closet, and a whole lot of rattling tea cups. Add some frighteningly narrow bridges to steer through, and you've got the makings of an unforgettable journey.

Part romp, part romance, part step-by-step guide to how not to see England's scenic canals, Life Skills will delight fans of intelligent romantic comedy, as well as anyone looking for a few tips on staying afloat.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A seven-foot-wide, 70-foot-long hotel boat that cruises from London to Birmingham provides the off-beat setting for this breezy romantic novel by British author Fforde (Stately Pursuits). As the story opens, 34-year-old Julia Fairfax has just decided to change her life as radically as possible. She breaks up with her sexist upper-class fianc?, quits her job and answers an ad for a ship's cook on a 10-passenger barge-like boat She hits it off immediately with her new employer, flighty 24-year-old Suzy Boyd, a wayward daughter of bluebloods who's embarking on her first season of managing her uncle's boat. But when the only other crewman abruptly quits, Julia and Suzy are left disastrously shorthanded until help arrives in the form of Fergus Grindley, sent by Julia's nosy New Age mother. Suzy hires Fergus despite Julia's longtime grudge against him over a childhood prank, and readers will quickly recognize that her aversion falls into the clich?d category of hate-first, love later. When her ex-fianc? (with his mother and black Labrador puppies in tow) books a two-week passage to try to win Julia back, the complications increase. Julia has a satisfyingly dry wit, and she's believable as an everyday heroine, adamantly independent yet self-conscious about her single status. The engaging plot is fleshed out with a supporting cast of relatives, crew and boat passengers. When Julia finds herself pregnant, however, and landlocked, readers may feel as though two different stories have been uncomfortably spliced together. Still, Julia and Suzy are funny and appealing, and their boating adventures turn them into a nautical Thelma and Louise as they explore female friendship, the lure of hunky men and sexual crises of several kinds.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Fforde's third cute-and-quaint English romance (following Wild Designs and Stately Pursuits) takes us on a delightful journey and provides a happily predictable ending. Two young women, Suzy and Julia, decide to take on the task of managing a sort of floating bed-and-breakfast on a canal barge. Suzy is trying to gain a little confidence and independence from her overbearing and very rich father, while Julia is on the rebound from a broken engagement and a career setback. The two women are determined to make a success of their business venture despite a variety of frustrating but highly entertaining mishaps. A defecting crew member, well-meaning but interfering relatives, and an old childhood nemesis of Julia's offer some pretty funny and surprising complications. Fforde's writing blends just the right amounts of wit and wisdom to bring her characters and story line to life. This charming and captivating romantic summer read is recommended for all collections.AMargaret Ann Hanes, Sterling Heights P.L., MI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 440 pages
• Publisher: Charnwood Pub (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708992331
• ISBN-13: 978-0708992333
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,311,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, cosy, light romantic fiction, but not her best, July 10, 2000

By 

Carol S. (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Life Skills (Hardcover)

Katie Fforde does a great job of writing smart, funny yet sweet romantic fiction. "Life Skills" tells the story of Julia Fairfax, who makes some dramatic changes in her life -- quitting her job, dumping her fiance, subletting her house -- then takes an unusual job as a cook on a canal boat while she sorts things out. Too much canal boat lingo and too many technical details about boating threatened to overwhelm the story before it got going, but I persevered, and eventually got hooked. Although there's a lot to recommend this book if you're looking for a pleasant read that is romantic yet real and intelligent, it's not Katie Fforde's best. I found the characters a wee bit predictable (e.g. stuffy snobbish matron, dull conventional ex-fiance, daddy's little princess); and the plot meandering. Perhaps I've merely been spoiled by Ms. Fforde's earlier efforts, notably "Stately Pursuits" and "Wild Designs," and you might want to check them out first.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, December 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Life Skills (Hardcover)

I gave 5 stars to Ms. Fforde's 2 previous books, but only 4 to this one because I didn't like the main character. The story line was interesting, and I enjoyed learning about canal hotel-boating. It had her usual style of humor and many interesting characters.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Her Best, March 16, 2001

By 

Wendy Kaplan (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life Skills (Hardcover)

This is not a BAD book, and certainly worth reading, but I must admit I found it slow going. As another reviewer aptly observed, after "Stately Pursuits" and "Wild Designs," I was expecting something wonderful. "Life Skills" is not wonderful. Still, it is a sweet, albeit slow, story of a woman in transition from a job and a dull fiance to something she hopes is better. Julia is often hard to like, especially when she is constantly boorish to the potential love interest, Fergus. One wonders what he sees in her; she is not at all nice to him until pratically the last page of the book! I admit I was disappointed in "Life Skills," but not enough to put me off Fforde, and not enough to tell other readers not to try it themselves.