Stately Pursuits [Paperback]

Katie Fforde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999

"You're not doing very much at the moment, darling. I don't suppose you'd care to house-sit for a while?"

Thus begins the irresistible story of two fixer-uppers-an old house and a young woman-and their efforts to recapture their true luster.

When Hetty Longden, freshly dumped and brokenhearted, agrees to look after her great-uncle's long-abandoned mansion in the British countryside, she's at something of a lifetime low. With no job, no lover, no prospects, and no particular talent for resuscitating crumbling estates, she hope for nothing more than some good old-fashioned escape. What she finds includes a cast of quirky an ever-present neighbors, a couple of SNAGs (Sensitive New Age Guys), some very humorless bank officials, two disarming little canines, one gracious, dilapidated, romantic old house, and, just maybe, enough elbow grease to polish everything up again.

A British bestseller that's as inviting as an elegant old house full of unexplored rooms (after a good scrubbing-down, of course), Stately Pursuits is the funniest, smartest, and warmest read of the season.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cheery, good-natured and predictable, British writer Fforde's latest stylish romance (after Wild Designs) relates the story of a young, freshly jilted and heartbroken protagonist, Hetty Longden, who gets more than she bargained for when she agrees to house-sit for her ailing elderly uncle Samuel while he is hospitalized. Hetty finds Courtbridge, Samuel's stately manor home, in desperate need of renovation; moreover, Samuel is deeply in debt. Even more threatening than loan officers, though, is Connor Barrabin, Samuel's gruff and irascible heir (known as "Conan the Barbarian" to locals), who intends to raze the house and erect a theme park on the property as soon as Courtbridge comes into his possession. Hetty, like the other residents of the small English village, is horrified by the potential loss of this piece of their national heritage and is determined instead to fix up the stately home and open it to the paying public for tours and parties. Rallying the help of the multitalented townsfolk and the local Brownie troop, plucky Hetty gets the house in shape, meanwhile managing to rebuild her shattered confidence and make some wonderful new friends. Also, not surprisingly, Hetty finds a sensitive and loving man beneath Connor's abrasive exterior, and the two fall in love despite their opposing views about the fate of the house. Although the plot isn't terribly imaginative, the novel has a warm and fuzzy charm, some nice comic scenes and the usual romantic contretemps.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Hetty has taken a job house-sitting a 600-year-old place named Courtbridge, which proves to be in dire need of renovations and extensive repairs. She agrees to tackle the assignment because, reeling from a rather humiliating romantic break-up, it seems like a good hideaway in which to mend her heart and ponder her future. Unknown to Hetty, the hospitalized owner, Samuel, has sent his rather beefy but handsome nephew Connor to keep an eye on her as well as his crumbling ancestral home. Hetty hatches a scheme to restore the old home to all its former stateliness by opening the mansion and charging for tours, weddings, and other social occasions. However, Connor would prefer to tear the old thing down, sell the property, pay off some old loans, and be done with the architectural dinosaur. Needless to say, these two opinionated and obstinate people discover in spite of their different views a remarkable attraction to each other. A satisfying although somewhat anticipated conclusion bodes well for the house, the couple, and even the cat, Clovis. Library patrons who enjoy the romantic novels of Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts will find a similar story here but with a delightful British accent; from the author of The Rose Revived (St. Martin's, 1996).AMargaret Ann Hanes, Sterling Hts. P.L., MI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312206763
• ISBN-13: 978-0312206765
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #431,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars English writer Katie Fforde writes brilliantly!, February 5, 2001

By 

Ruth A. Caldwell "Highland Princess Mum" (Walnut Creek, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stately Pursuits (Paperback)

She comes up with the most enjoyable story lines, and then goes a step further, and keeps you in suspense quite to the end. I couldn't wait for the story to end, yet hated to have it end. I positively hate bodice ripper novels, and Ms.Fforde manages to move us through the necessary romance parts of the story with dignity and still, my heart went pitty-pat. The cast of characters are remarkable, yet it's your usual butinsky Mother, pushy know-it-all neighbor, brilliant, funny and slightly naughty new best friend and a couple of prospective guys all joining in to make our heroine, Hetty wish she NEVER agreed to "house-sit". So the old house gets a much needed polish, as does Hetty's heart. Excellent; I don't know if I enjoyed this or Fforde's "Wild Designs" as a favorite!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Predictable but a Total Delight Nonetheless, August 24, 2005

By 

butterfly (wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stately Pursuits (Paperback)

This book is vastly similar to Highland Fling, except that instead of a sweater company it's a falling down, ancient estate in Courtbridge. And instead of quaint small town Scotland, it's quaint small town England. And again Katie Fforde has a lovely way of describing the characters with just enough bad qualities that they seem real to the reader. This formula of the sweet female lead taking charge and bringing back to life a forgotten old thing and the grumbling, irritable yet somehow sexy male totally works for me! I loved it!!!

This time, Hetty Longden is nursing back to life a broken heart and housesitting for an uncle (who rivals the estate in age & is having vital surgery). She makes friends with all the disparate townspeople and takes up their cause of keeping the old crumbling estate going and prepares to show it. However, the uncle's closest and only heir, civil engineer Connor Barrabin, aka Conan the Barbarian to the townspeople, returns to see how things are going and he has other, more devious plans for the beloved old shack. The sparks that obviously will fly between Connor and Hetty are hot and tangible. The way things progress is quite predictable, with just a few surprises put in the way, but still a completely satisfying delight to witness either way.

Katie Fforde is good at creating down on their luck heroines that you can't help but sympathize with and cheer on, a side cast with fully developed personalities, and a smart and sexy "Alpha-male" to keep things just tantalizing enough that we are totally driven to turn every page without distraction.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Contact, June 26, 2003

By 

LRS (WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stately Pursuits (Hardcover)

This Was the first book I had ever read from Fforde. I was working in a bookstore at the time and glanced at the cover while dusting the shelves. Since then Katie Fforde has become one of my favorite authors of this genre. Hettie is timid and sweet, Conner definately lives up to his nickname "Conan the Barbarian". While you know immediately the outcome for these two from practically the moment you open the book. You'll enjoy their path getting there in a beat up (but beautiful) old car.