Wild Designs: A Novel By The Author of Stately Pursuits [Paperback]

Katie Fforde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1998

Althea Farraday is a thirty-eight-year-old divorced mother of three who's got a teenage son who's a Buddhist, a hypercritical sister who knows how to push all her buttons, a job on the endangered species list, and a love life to match. Just as she's settling in to a comfortable level of chaos, a near-perfect man enters her life. Equipped to steal her heart and help turn her passion for designing gardens into a new career, Patrick Donahugh may be too good to be true. Amid wild roses, California poppies, scarlet flax, sweet rocket, love-in-mist, and, of course, plenty of dirt, Wild Designs is a refreshingly honest and funny read that celebrates the almost-ready-to-bloom aspect of all our lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is a Cinderella story that says even if you're 40 with three messy kids, you can find happiness with a millionaire Prince Charming. Althea Farraday, a passionate gardener, meets Patrick Donahue, a lovely man who is involved with very young and beautiful Topaz of the perfect physique. He also owns a boarded-up mansion with a large greenhouse. Althea's adventures in attaining her heart's desires?Patrick, a new place to live, a greenhouse, and a career?make for a delightful romp through the English Cotswolds. Throw in a smarmy ex-husband, a controlling mother, a sister just like Mom, and a new niece, and the story becomes even more spicy. There are a few Briticisms to puzzle out, but that just adds to the fun. An essential purchase; from the English author of The Rose Revived (St. Martin's, 1996).?Dawn L. Anderson, N. Richland Hills P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The appealing British heroine of this delicious romantic romp is Althea, who loves her house, her three rambunctious teenagers, her dog, and her garden. At 38, she loses her job, faces the return of her disagreeable ex-husband, and tries to cope with her impossible younger sister. Always a bit distracted by the pressures of daily life, she doesn't welcome the arrival of the architect who buys a nearby mill in whose greenhouse Althea has been surreptitiously raising plants. Patrick is rich, extremely attractive, and attached to the perfect musculature of a woman named Topaz. Althea, who hopes that winning a gardening competition will enable her to do something she loves and still keep her family financially intact, rings such glorious changes on the themes of motherhood, the bliss of gardening, friendship, and sibling relationships that we almost forgive her for wildly missing the cues of Patrick's interest and for her knee-jerk response to putting what she thinks are the children's interests first. In the end, she gets to keep home, garden, and love interest, although not in ways she might have expected. As pretty a piece of wish fulfillment as can be imagined; enchanting withal. GraceAnne A. DeCandido --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (April 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312190328
• ISBN-13: 978-0312190323
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming light romance with some untraditional twists, November 12, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wild Designs: A Novel By The Author of Stately Pursuits (Paperback)

Having enjoyed "Stately Pursuits," I wasn't disappointed with "Wild Designs." That the heroine has some "unromantic" traits from a traditional standpoint -- she is slightly older, divorced, with 3 teenaged kids, no job and major money woes -- only made the story more enjoyable. Occasionally the British slang escaped me (e.g. what does it mean to be "Pommish"?) and I thought Althea did altogether too much sighing and bursting into tears when people left the room (the constant self-denial for the sake of the children routine made her a bit too martyrish) but overall a fun, funny, enjoyable book for those who are sick of Oprah-book-club angst.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Katie Fforde, February 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wild Designs: A Novel By The Author of Stately Pursuits (Paperback)

I've read all of Katie Fforde's books and Wild Designs is the best yet. I guess I identify more with Althea. She may be pushing 40 and devoted to her kids, but she still has a wonderful sense of humor and is such a "real" person. Fforde writes with such wit and gentle concern for people, you really come to care about the characters. The love story between Patrick and Althea seems genuine and you come away believing that they will live happily every after. The supporting characters are, as always with Fforde, strong and really make the book. Is this deep, heavy literature? No. But it's not all fluff either, and Fforde truly writes well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming Read!, June 17, 2001

By 

Tracy Clark (Tacoma, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wild Designs: A Novel By The Author of Stately Pursuits (Paperback)

This was my first experience reading anything author, Katie Fforde has written. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Laugh at loud funny and a real page turner. The main character, Althea is so likable you find yourself really cheering her on. I would have liked to have read about Patrick's life a bit more. I felt there were aspects of his character that could have been explored further, but it doesn't take away from the story at all. I'm definately going to read some more of this author's books.