Tolerable debut novel, it could be better but could be far worse.
I struggled through the first few chapters before resigning it to the bookshelf once more. Why? The 'heroine' is twenty-eight going on eighteen and as usual, the publishers make a hash of the British English to American English translations (please make up your mind Mr Publisher, stick with either Anglicizing or Americanizing text).
New England winters are long and cold so, The English American made a come back to my reading list. I'm glad I finished it and if the truth be told, even enjoyed it but my opinion of Pippa Dunn didn't change - childish, insufferable and a quite probably barking mad...I can only hope that this is not an accurate reflection of Ms Larkin's own personality.
Why it is necessary to portray the token Scot as criminally insane though, I will never work out...
I struggled through the first few chapters before resigning it to the bookshelf once more. Why? The 'heroine' is twenty-eight going on eighteen and as usual, the publishers make a hash of the British English to American English translations (please make up your mind Mr Publisher, stick with either Anglicizing or Americanizing text).
New England winters are long and cold so, The English American made a come back to my reading list. I'm glad I finished it and if the truth be told, even enjoyed it but my opinion of Pippa Dunn didn't change - childish, insufferable and a quite probably barking mad...I can only hope that this is not an accurate reflection of Ms Larkin's own personality.
Why it is necessary to portray the token Scot as criminally insane though, I will never work out...
Helpful Score: 2
Had this book on my wish list, but it was going to take forever to get, so I checked it out from the library. After reading it, I'm glad I didn't use a credit on it.
I was hoping this book was going to be good, but by the end, I didn't really think it was a great book. I found Pippa to be a bit of a push over and her birth mother, extremely annoying. The first half of the book didn't seem all that realistic because the characters just seemed too positive about things. I kept thinking "This wouldn't happen in real life. It's not this black and white." Things begin to unravel eventually, but I wasn't that impressed with the book.
I was hoping this book was going to be good, but by the end, I didn't really think it was a great book. I found Pippa to be a bit of a push over and her birth mother, extremely annoying. The first half of the book didn't seem all that realistic because the characters just seemed too positive about things. I kept thinking "This wouldn't happen in real life. It's not this black and white." Things begin to unravel eventually, but I wasn't that impressed with the book.
Helpful Score: 1
The author's unique comedic voice never fails from beginning to end. Looking back, it would be easy enough to say that the book is typically structured as a romance. However, holding on to the uniqueness of such a delightfully humorous voice through the ups and downs of the main character's life, truly rates plaudits for delivering a romantic comedy of the highest order.
Although I don't think I'd ever read it again, I haven to admit I could not put it down once I had been captured by the first two sentences!
Although I don't think I'd ever read it again, I haven to admit I could not put it down once I had been captured by the first two sentences!