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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
3.5
Took a while to get going and I almost dropped it. Things finally did sort of happen. But of course these books are mostly read for the characters’ musings.
Took a while to get going and I almost dropped it. Things finally did sort of happen. But of course these books are mostly read for the characters’ musings.
General info
Paul is a successful food writer who struggles with a little bit of a writer’s blog. Then cousin Chloe comes into the picture and offers him a chance to spend some time in the French countryside to try and get past the writer’s blog. This is the start of an interesting, a little bit funny and a very heartfelt story.
Things I liked
It was an interesting story as a whole but there are certain aspects that are especially to my liking. I especially like the people living in the village. I also really like Chloe’s character. She is a very interesting woman and she makes the story more interesting really.
Things I did not like
The beginning in my opinion is a bit slow and I was a bit doubtful if I would actually enjoy the book. It turns out it gets a lot better as the story goes on. Another part was the ending. To me it felt like it ended a little bit too soon but maybe there’s going to be another book soon that continues this book.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this book. It is interesting an interesting story and it lifted my spirits whenever I was reading it. It has a happy ending and all in all it’s a very heartfelt story.
* ARC received from the publisher through First to Read
Paul is a successful food writer who struggles with a little bit of a writer’s blog. Then cousin Chloe comes into the picture and offers him a chance to spend some time in the French countryside to try and get past the writer’s blog. This is the start of an interesting, a little bit funny and a very heartfelt story.
Things I liked
It was an interesting story as a whole but there are certain aspects that are especially to my liking. I especially like the people living in the village. I also really like Chloe’s character. She is a very interesting woman and she makes the story more interesting really.
Things I did not like
The beginning in my opinion is a bit slow and I was a bit doubtful if I would actually enjoy the book. It turns out it gets a lot better as the story goes on. Another part was the ending. To me it felt like it ended a little bit too soon but maybe there’s going to be another book soon that continues this book.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this book. It is interesting an interesting story and it lifted my spirits whenever I was reading it. It has a happy ending and all in all it’s a very heartfelt story.
* ARC received from the publisher through First to Read
It's got the same style as the first in the series, [b:My Italian Bulldozer|30236772|My Italian Bulldozer|Alexander McCall Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463698885l/30236772._SY75_.jpg|50698640], and some of the same characters, but I didn't quite like this as much. The story didn't feel as strong, to my way of thinking - it meandered along and took a while to get to the point.
There was a lot about cats in the beginning, and they didn't ultimately have anything to do with the rest of the story. I can see why they were there, but I thought the amount of time devoted to them as disproportionate.
But despite its shortcomings, it was still an enjoyable read. And great as an audiobook - Sir Timothy Ackroyd does a great job!
There was a lot about cats in the beginning, and they didn't ultimately have anything to do with the rest of the story. I can see why they were there, but I thought the amount of time devoted to them as disproportionate.
But despite its shortcomings, it was still an enjoyable read. And great as an audiobook - Sir Timothy Ackroyd does a great job!
I find books by Alexander McCall Smith to be like literary candy - or something similar. I am a slow reader, but these are among the very few books that i read without becoming distracted by some other books, from start to finish. I read this in three days! (I am a very slow reader . . . )
I liked the bulldozer book that was the first book in this series, even if the notion of travel by bulldozer around Italy was absurd. This book also the odd notion/conceit in the title of "the second worst restaurant in France" and McCall Smith does a better job this time of making that work as something to build the story around.
I only regret that I read them so fast. Oh well.
I liked the bulldozer book that was the first book in this series, even if the notion of travel by bulldozer around Italy was absurd. This book also the odd notion/conceit in the title of "the second worst restaurant in France" and McCall Smith does a better job this time of making that work as something to build the story around.
I only regret that I read them so fast. Oh well.
Not quite as charming as the first one, but still a delightful weekend romp in the French countryside