On the cover:
A rural idyll: that’s what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cevennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start and to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you’re no longer here on holiday. There is a French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that’s before the arrival of Catherine’s sister Bryony…
What I thought:
When Rosy Thornton contacted me via my blog to ask if I’d like to review her book, I wasn’t sure whether to accept at first. This is not the kind of novel that I usually read and to be honest I probably wouldn’t have picked this up in a bookstore, but I decided to give it a chance because I do like reading about other countries and it has had some great reviews. Having read it, it’s clear that I need to re-think how I choose my books in bookstores because I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Catherine was an instantly likeable character. She’s incredibly strong willed yet down-to-earth and simply refuses to let anything bring her down. Throughout the book there are a number of occuring problems that would cause a lesser person to become self-pitying but this is never the case with Catherine and I loved her for it. Despite the fact that Catherine is much older than me, I was still able to relate to her and I felt a real affinity for her need to escape and to experience a different way of life. I also grew to really like the supporting characters in the book, especially Monsieur and Madame Bouschet. I loved the way that they took Catherine under their wing and it was nice to see the relationship build between the three. Patrick was an interesting character and it took me longer to warm to him, but I did eventually and it was interesting to see Catherine’s relationship with him develop also.
The plot is brilliant in it’s simplicity. It’s simply a tale of life. There is no mystery, there is no huge twist and there are no vampires, but it’s a compelling read. Everytime I picked this book up, I lost myself in the French way of life and I really didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay in the gorgeous French countryside, the slow, relaxed way of life and the sense of belonging and community that comes with living in such a small village. The images painted throughout the book of the mountains and the surrounding area just made me want to get on a plane as soon as possible – the authors use of description is just enough to make you feel like you’re there, but not too much that it overshadows the rest of the book.
This book is just beautiful. I could have easily read another 300 pages without becoming bored. I will definitely be looking into Rosy Thornton’s previous works.
Source: Review copy from the author
Publisher: Headline Review, 2010
Pages: 406
My rating: 5 stars
