Scan barcode
sksrenninger's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet, British and rom-com-y, like if Notting Hill was a book.
sophiemay27's review against another edition
2.0
Tbh I was not a fan. Part of it may have been that I’m not Scottish, so I didn’t understand any of the cultural references. Also, it annoyed me how bad the main character was at her job. How did she not realize that the rug was valuable?! She also just seemed to never work. And she also wasn’t able to tell if the table was real or a copy.
emerygirl's review against another edition
2.0
I almost gave up on this book. I just wasn’t feeling it. But I stuck it out a little longer and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. A love story that includes Scottish castles and bagpipes.
I give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.
I give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.
jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
A slow start and a one-note main character made it difficult to get into this light romance, but about a third of the way in, Browne started creating some emotion to grab hold of. Sweet and enjoyable, if not all that memorable.
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
3.0
A very sweet story. I really liked Evie and her love of all things Edwardian!
Catriona was a total villain to me... just the thought of what Robert’s cottage kitchen must look like made me twitchy. There are an alarming amount of people who renovate and modernize the charm right out of period homes and it’s almost always to the detriment of the home.
Catriona was a total villain to me... just the thought of what Robert’s cottage kitchen must look like made me twitchy. There are an alarming amount of people who renovate and modernize the charm right out of period homes and it’s almost always to the detriment of the home.
amotisse's review against another edition
5.0
Fun, cute and entertaining. Lovely day dreamy chick lit.
lucyhargrave's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Time to let you all in on a little secret, I heavily dislike chick lit, and I hope i’m not the only romance reader to think this. It isn’t that chick lit is bad (although really can we pick a less insipid name) it just isn’t my cup of tea and I dislike how romance and chick lit are often paired together, as if the two genres are interchangeable, when as any reader of either genre will know they have subtle but significant differences. In many ways, The Vintage Girl leans slightly more towards chick lit than I would usually be comfortable with, and if it had been a book rather than an audiobook probably wouldn’t have brought it.
Oh, what a book I would have missed out on.
From the very beginning, I enjoyed Cathleen McCarron’s narration of this truly funny book. Evie is perhaps one of my favourite heroines ever, and not only because we share of love of all things old. I too am a collector of the lost and forgotten ‘treasures’ from ages past and as I look around my room I can see an old measuring tape, a suitcase full of football programmes from the 1960s and a box of stuff from my grandmother's attic, namely kitchen appliances from the 1950s. I never admitted to being normal. Like Evie I can’t look at an object without imagining its history, always romanticised of course. Some of my fondest memories are from visiting old stately homes from across the United Kingdom. Evie was my sort of heroine, she wasn’t sure of herself, she didn’t always have the right answer and people sometimes found her a little strange.
From the very beginning, I enjoyed Cathleen McCarron’s narration of this truly funny book. Evie is perhaps one of my favourite heroines ever, and not only because we share of love of all things old. I too am a collector of the lost and forgotten ‘treasures’ from ages past and as I look around my room I can see an old measuring tape, a suitcase full of football programmes from the 1960s and a box of stuff from my grandmother's attic, namely kitchen appliances from the 1950s. I never admitted to being normal. Like Evie I can’t look at an object without imagining its history, always romanticised of course. Some of my fondest memories are from visiting old stately homes from across the United Kingdom. Evie was my sort of heroine, she wasn’t sure of herself, she didn’t always have the right answer and people sometimes found her a little strange.
Returning to my previous comment about chick lit being different from romance, for me one of the crucial differences is that in chick lit the focus is much more centred on the female protagonist. Rather than following the journey of a couple, it tends to follow the self-discovery or growth of one female lead and in many ways, The Vintage Girl is about Evie’s personal development rather than her relationship with Robert. Although this book is light-hearted and caused me to laugh out loud a fair few times, it was also about Evie’s growth both professionally and personally. At the beginning of the book, she has a rather, in my opinion, inappropriate infatuation with her sister’s boyfriend Fraser. To her, Fraser represents the ideal gentleman, and she spends considerable time picturing him astride a horse in regency clothing.
I’ll be honest I didn’t like the fact that Evie had feelings for Fraser, no matter how harmless they were. Crushing on your sister’s boyfriend is a big no-no in my book, however, I can see why Hester Browne chose to do this as by the end of the book it becomes clear that her feelings for Fraser are part of a larger pattern. It was also what made her feelings for Robert that much more real and important. Robert wasn’t Evie’s usual type, he was urban, extremely modern and dismissive of his ancestral past, which Evie became fascinated with. Yet it was clear that Robert and Evie meant something to each other because they allowed the other to see life from a different perspective. This isn’t a romance with a passionate love affair but instead is a wonderful slow-burn romance.
This is a book I could talk about for a long, long time, however, I don’t want to ruin the plot further by saying what happens and how it happens. Instead, I will merely encourage you to read or listen to this book yourself. The narration is extremely good and I loved the emotion Cathleen McCarron put into the story, even if the Scottish accents were a little bit questionable at times. A great feel-good book that had me in a good mood for days, hence why I couldn’t help but share it with you!
dirtdiva's review against another edition
3.0
Another fun, easy read from this Author with hilarious characters!
amavelle's review against another edition
4.0
Characters who change, have depth and a house with so much depth the owners are practically swimming in old armaments and side tables. Tradition with a modern spin, in a book that updates the classic girl meets boy love story.
tobinopteryx's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very good for what it was: a wonderful little escape into the (aristocratic) Scottish countryside. I had read one of Browne's books before, and I was hesitant to read this one, because I felt the ending was rushed on the other. However, Swept Off Her Feet didn't have that issue at all - it was well paced and thoroughly satisfying.
My only complaint? The cover art does not to the book any justice at all. Looking at it, you'd never know it was about a girl who lives for antiques, that it takes place mostly in a dusty Scottish castle, or that it features quite a bit of reeling, but no other dances. I would never have picked this up if it hadn't been recommended to me.
My only complaint? The cover art does not to the book any justice at all. Looking at it, you'd never know it was about a girl who lives for antiques, that it takes place mostly in a dusty Scottish castle, or that it features quite a bit of reeling, but no other dances. I would never have picked this up if it hadn't been recommended to me.