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lm_henderson's review against another edition
5.0
Totally brilliant,I always love her books but couldnt put this one down......now off to the library to get some more!!
jessthebookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Hattie is a single mom with an antique business and a much younger lover. Things seem to be going well for her, until one day she bumps into someone in the village that starts to force Hattie to go down memory lane. The only problem is, Hattie's version of the past that she has shared with everyone, and the way she lives her life now, is not exactly truthful.
This isn't usually my go-to genre of books, but was asked by my sister-in-law to read it to tell her if she'd like it.
It is well-written, but much too long in my opinion. There were a lot of skimmable sections, specifically about interior design. But I did enjoy it, specifically that there were a few surprises and twists in the tale. An enjoyable easy read.
This isn't usually my go-to genre of books, but was asked by my sister-in-law to read it to tell her if she'd like it.
It is well-written, but much too long in my opinion. There were a lot of skimmable sections, specifically about interior design. But I did enjoy it, specifically that there were a few surprises and twists in the tale. An enjoyable easy read.
kaleys23's review against another edition
4.0
One Day in May by Catherine Alliott may be one of my favourite chick lit reads of the year so far! I decided to read it for this month's Chick Lit Plus Challenge read because it's May and since the book has "May" in the title I found it fitting. It's been sitting on my shelf for awhile but I'm glad I finally got around to reading it because I really enjoyed it!
I'm a huge fan of British/Irish chick lit. I have some favourites - Matthews, O'Flanagan, Ahern - and I think Alliott may end up on this list as well. I read A Crowded Marriage ages ago and liked it. I recently reviewed Rural Affair over at Novel Escapes but unfortunately that one didn't do much for me (you can read the review here). I still wanted to give One Day in May a try (it was waiting patiently on my shelf, after all) and I found it to be Brit chick lit at it's finest. I'm not sure why I love these kinds of books so much. It could be because the setting and language is just a little bit different from what I know here in Canada. Some chick lit books are just so generic in their location so it's nice to be plopped in the English countryside and be able to take a quick jaunt over to France for a few scenes. It's something different than NYC or LA and I really appreciate that.
There was a lot going on in this novel but I never felt lost or that there was too much happening. There's a flashback portion at the beginning as we learn about how Hattie came to adopt Seffy and go into business with Maggie. And of course, we also learn the details of the very brief affair with Dominic. Everything was woven together well and even though my co-worker (who had borrowed my copy last month to read on vacay and loved it too) warned me that it started slow, I didn't find that to be the case.
There are many delightful characters in this novel. Hattie has a large but lovely family - son, parents, brother, sister, brother-in-law, two nieces, and a nephew. She also has Maggie, her slightly abrasive but well meaning BFF, long time friend Christian, and boy toy Ivan. It is so clear that Hattie cares deeply for everyone in her life and they, in turn, care for her. The family dynamic is so great in this novel and is one of my favourite parts of the book.
I'm usually able to figure out the end result of most chick lit novels but One Day in May totally threw me for a loop. There were a couple of things that I did NOT see coming at all and I loved that. And that's all you'll get out of me on that. No spoilers here! :)
I always know a book is really good when I HAVE to pass along the book to my mom as soon as I'm finished. Catherine Alliot's One Day in May is one of those books and it will be heading home with me for the long weekend. It was a fun, sweet, and moving story and I definitely recommend it to all chick lit lovers!
Happy reading :)
I'm a huge fan of British/Irish chick lit. I have some favourites - Matthews, O'Flanagan, Ahern - and I think Alliott may end up on this list as well. I read A Crowded Marriage ages ago and liked it. I recently reviewed Rural Affair over at Novel Escapes but unfortunately that one didn't do much for me (you can read the review here). I still wanted to give One Day in May a try (it was waiting patiently on my shelf, after all) and I found it to be Brit chick lit at it's finest. I'm not sure why I love these kinds of books so much. It could be because the setting and language is just a little bit different from what I know here in Canada. Some chick lit books are just so generic in their location so it's nice to be plopped in the English countryside and be able to take a quick jaunt over to France for a few scenes. It's something different than NYC or LA and I really appreciate that.
There was a lot going on in this novel but I never felt lost or that there was too much happening. There's a flashback portion at the beginning as we learn about how Hattie came to adopt Seffy and go into business with Maggie. And of course, we also learn the details of the very brief affair with Dominic. Everything was woven together well and even though my co-worker (who had borrowed my copy last month to read on vacay and loved it too) warned me that it started slow, I didn't find that to be the case.
There are many delightful characters in this novel. Hattie has a large but lovely family - son, parents, brother, sister, brother-in-law, two nieces, and a nephew. She also has Maggie, her slightly abrasive but well meaning BFF, long time friend Christian, and boy toy Ivan. It is so clear that Hattie cares deeply for everyone in her life and they, in turn, care for her. The family dynamic is so great in this novel and is one of my favourite parts of the book.
I'm usually able to figure out the end result of most chick lit novels but One Day in May totally threw me for a loop. There were a couple of things that I did NOT see coming at all and I loved that. And that's all you'll get out of me on that. No spoilers here! :)
I always know a book is really good when I HAVE to pass along the book to my mom as soon as I'm finished. Catherine Alliot's One Day in May is one of those books and it will be heading home with me for the long weekend. It was a fun, sweet, and moving story and I definitely recommend it to all chick lit lovers!
Happy reading :)
dlperin's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
caz241153's review against another edition
2.0
This has got to be one of the most boring books I have read in a long, long time. Unfortunately, it is also the first of Catherine Alliott's books that I have ever read and I promise you that I will not be reaching for another one in a hurry. This was a book club choice, so I had to finish it, otherwise I probably wouldn't have bothered. A very predictible storyline, no great surprises at all.
leahmichelle_13's review
4.0
I absolutely love Catherine Alliott’s books and have read the majority of those she’s had published so far. She has a quirky kind of writing style and although some of her plots are a little bit odd (see Rosie Meadows Regrets to know what I mean), her books are ultimately enjoyable. Therefore I was thrilled to see Catherine was back after a two-year absence with a new book (The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton) and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. The fact it’s still sitting on my shelf is irrelevant! I was then sent One Day In May to read and have only just gotten around to it as I knew it would take me a few days to read as it’s quite a large book!
The book, as I mentioned, is rather large and the trade paperback (the only version of the book available – the paperback is out in 2011) comes in at just over 450 pages. It makes a change to read something a bit meatier and I couldn’t wait to get sucked in. The book easily sucked me in, as I expected, and I managed to finish the book a mere 48 hours after starting it. For such a long book, I was incredibly worried that it might lag in places but it never really does. Catherine has always written relatively long books so I always know what to expect and I found One Day In May a very absorbing and fantastic tale.
While the main plot at the beginning of the review may well be about Hattie bumping into the widow of her first love, Dominic, there is actually so much more going on in the book. There’s the fact Hattie and her partner Maggie are co-re-decorating Laura and Hugh’s, Hattie’s sister and brother-in-law, house along with a completely different designer Ralph De Grandville which causes much consternation between all parties concerned. Hattie’s relationship with Ivan, her younger boyfriend, is also a bit of a talking point throughout the book. But my favourite sub-plot to the book was learning all about the younger Hattie and how she came to fall in love with Dominic, a married politician. I found that part of the book entirely absorbing although I was constantly telling Hattie not to go there or do that! Another fantastic part of the entire story was Hattie’s visit to Bosnia where she joins her brother Kit who was working with the International Red Cross during the war there. Catherine must have really had to do her research about that and it sounded like such terrible things happened there. The terror and sense of not knowing what may happen to you was palpable and it was really gripping.
As far as characters go, One Day In May had plenty of fantastic characters. I must of course mention Hattie first as she’s not only our main character but the book is also told entirely from her point of view. Hattie was immensely likeable and although some of her decisions may have been questionable, I could completely understand everything she did. I absolutely loved Seffy, Hattie’s son. He was a typical teenager but he definitely had some hidden depths which are revealed as the book progresses. I also really loved Maggie, Hattie’s best friend and business partner. She was very forthright and vocal and was completely unafraid to voice her opinion, no matter who it offended. The sparring between herself and Ralph De Grandville (the other interior designer) was legendary. The rest of Hattie’s family were great, too, and they sound like a family anyone would be proud to call family. I couldn’t mention the characters without mentioning Letty, Dominic’s widow, and Hal, Dominic’s brother. We didn’t really see much of Letty, though, but I really liked Hal. I also must mention Ivan, Hattie’s young boyfriend. We don’t actually see much of him but he is quite an important character. To be honest, we see so little of him that I still don’t really know what I thought of him!
Catherine’s writing is as fantastic as ever. She seems to have a similar writing style to Katie Fforde, whom I adore. I hate to tag the style as old-fashioned as it’s not really old-fashioned but it’s different to the younger chick lit generation. More mature, perhaps. It’s a hugely enjoyable writing style though and I hugely enjoy reading it. As it usual with a Catherine Alliott book there are plenty of twists and turns. I actually thought I had the ending all sussed out but no, Catherine came up with another twist! We also find out just why the book is titled One Day In May – I got about halfway through the book and I was wondering where the title had come from! I suppose the only downside for me was the ending. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good ending but I just wasn’t expecting it and it kind of felt a bit rushed.
Overall One Day In May is another fantastic read from Catherine Alliott. I, for one, am thrilled she’s back and I really missed her books in her two year absence. Here’s to many more fab Catherine Alliott books. One Day In May is a fine read and I look forward to getting stuck into The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton! Hugely recommended!
The book, as I mentioned, is rather large and the trade paperback (the only version of the book available – the paperback is out in 2011) comes in at just over 450 pages. It makes a change to read something a bit meatier and I couldn’t wait to get sucked in. The book easily sucked me in, as I expected, and I managed to finish the book a mere 48 hours after starting it. For such a long book, I was incredibly worried that it might lag in places but it never really does. Catherine has always written relatively long books so I always know what to expect and I found One Day In May a very absorbing and fantastic tale.
While the main plot at the beginning of the review may well be about Hattie bumping into the widow of her first love, Dominic, there is actually so much more going on in the book. There’s the fact Hattie and her partner Maggie are co-re-decorating Laura and Hugh’s, Hattie’s sister and brother-in-law, house along with a completely different designer Ralph De Grandville which causes much consternation between all parties concerned. Hattie’s relationship with Ivan, her younger boyfriend, is also a bit of a talking point throughout the book. But my favourite sub-plot to the book was learning all about the younger Hattie and how she came to fall in love with Dominic, a married politician. I found that part of the book entirely absorbing although I was constantly telling Hattie not to go there or do that! Another fantastic part of the entire story was Hattie’s visit to Bosnia where she joins her brother Kit who was working with the International Red Cross during the war there. Catherine must have really had to do her research about that and it sounded like such terrible things happened there. The terror and sense of not knowing what may happen to you was palpable and it was really gripping.
As far as characters go, One Day In May had plenty of fantastic characters. I must of course mention Hattie first as she’s not only our main character but the book is also told entirely from her point of view. Hattie was immensely likeable and although some of her decisions may have been questionable, I could completely understand everything she did. I absolutely loved Seffy, Hattie’s son. He was a typical teenager but he definitely had some hidden depths which are revealed as the book progresses. I also really loved Maggie, Hattie’s best friend and business partner. She was very forthright and vocal and was completely unafraid to voice her opinion, no matter who it offended. The sparring between herself and Ralph De Grandville (the other interior designer) was legendary. The rest of Hattie’s family were great, too, and they sound like a family anyone would be proud to call family. I couldn’t mention the characters without mentioning Letty, Dominic’s widow, and Hal, Dominic’s brother. We didn’t really see much of Letty, though, but I really liked Hal. I also must mention Ivan, Hattie’s young boyfriend. We don’t actually see much of him but he is quite an important character. To be honest, we see so little of him that I still don’t really know what I thought of him!
Catherine’s writing is as fantastic as ever. She seems to have a similar writing style to Katie Fforde, whom I adore. I hate to tag the style as old-fashioned as it’s not really old-fashioned but it’s different to the younger chick lit generation. More mature, perhaps. It’s a hugely enjoyable writing style though and I hugely enjoy reading it. As it usual with a Catherine Alliott book there are plenty of twists and turns. I actually thought I had the ending all sussed out but no, Catherine came up with another twist! We also find out just why the book is titled One Day In May – I got about halfway through the book and I was wondering where the title had come from! I suppose the only downside for me was the ending. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good ending but I just wasn’t expecting it and it kind of felt a bit rushed.
Overall One Day In May is another fantastic read from Catherine Alliott. I, for one, am thrilled she’s back and I really missed her books in her two year absence. Here’s to many more fab Catherine Alliott books. One Day In May is a fine read and I look forward to getting stuck into The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton! Hugely recommended!
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