Rating: 
Summary: satisfying read
Review: A thoroughly satisfying introduction to an author I intend to read further. Shades of Joanna Trollope in Fford's astute depictions of real families' ups and downs.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely book!!!!
Review: excellent holiday read, it can be read in a single day! I've read it three times so far, it's one of those books that you don't want to end! If you're a woman; read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Quick and Delightful to Read
Review: I finished this book in a day. It was entertaining and amusing, not requiring a lot of deep thought. I thought Fforde did a fairly good job of character development even if the plot was a tad predictable
I liked the way the family was presented with all of its faults: the disagreements, the messiness, the lack of planned meals. This was very realistic. I also liked the way Althea met her financial problems head-on and made the best of things.
The only false note was the way Althea treated Patrick....there were too many times when she decided to let him go and pushed him out of her life.
But overall, this was an enjoyable way to spend a day of reading.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Katie Fforde
Review: I found this Katie Fforde to be the second best of her works, full of enjoyable details about gardening in England and the Chelsea Flower Show, all expressed in Fforde's delightful, slangy modern British diction. Unfortunately, one soon tires of Fforde's self-centered and in this case unnecessarily martyered female characters and wonders why the men they keep pushing away come back for more. This results in predictable endings as well because one knows from the start that the women will come to their senses in the end and marry.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Katie Fforde
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Happy ending but tedious and too tidy
Review: INSPIRING. I LOOKED FORWARD TO DRIVING IN MY CAR SO THAT I COULD LISTEN TO THIS AWESOME STORY. IT MADE ME SAD AND HAPPY AT THE SAME TIME. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE THAT IS ABLE TO SPEND SOME TIME LISTENING TO THEIR AUDIOBOOKS BECAUSE YOU WON'T WANT TO STOP LISTENING.
Rating:
Summary: Katie Fforde produces a REAL PAGE TURNER...
Review: then, towards the end, you realize you've been racing through this story, and oh, no ... it's going to end soon, and you JUST DON'T WANT IT TO. Our heroine is NOT your typical mom; she's much too involved in her kids; perhaps that is why they're so likeable, and you wish they were your own? And the messes she gets herself into, couldn't possibly happen in real life; perhaps that's why you find yourself laughing out loud so often. A light hearted, fun, read-it-in-one day novel. Katie Fford is a new favorite author!
Rating:
Summary: original and cute - NOT chick-lit
Review: This is the first I have read of Fforde's work and I was very impressed. Althea is a 38-year-old single mother of 3 teenagers, and she has just been laid off from her teaching job. Coping with money problems while trying to hold on to the house (of which her philandering ex-husband owns a quarter-share, and she must legally give up if she ever remarries or has a live-in relationship), her only passion is gardening. She wins a chance to design a garden for the acclaimed Chelsea Flower Show. She has been storing her plants in the greenhouse of a neighboring house that has just been bought.Buoyed by her younger sister Juno's advice, she makes an appointment with the buyer, Patrick Donohough, to work out a deal to let her use the greenhouse while he renovates. There she meets an attractive nemesis in both him and his younger secretary/girlfriend Topaz. The story centers on how Althea is constantly walked on by everyone and has given up on love for her children's sake --- even when they like who she's dating. There is an interesting subplot when her ex-husband returns, but the character of Juno is pretty purposeless -- she has no real storyline, she is just around being nasty, and you wonder why Althea doesn't throw her out of the house. It's a good read though, and I look forward to reading more of Fforde's works!
Rating:
Summary: Charming Read!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Charming Read!
Review: 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.
|
