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62nd out of 380 books
—
141 voters
Dinner at Rose's
In the wake of an unfortunate best-friend-and-boyfriend-caught-having-sex-in-a-chair incident, Jo Donnelly flees her civilised city life to take up a temporary job at the physiotherapy clinic in her small home town.
Jo is ineptly assisted at work by a receptionist who divides her time between nail care and surfing the internet. Meanwhile, her new flatmate is a joyless couch...more
Jo is ineptly assisted at work by a receptionist who divides her time between nail care and surfing the internet. Meanwhile, her new flatmate is a joyless couch...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
May 1st 2012
by Allen & Unwin
(first published April 24th 2012)
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One of the best joys that I love about reading is not only getting the ability to discover brand new authors and their wonderful arrays of books but also the ability to discover new authors from my very own country of New Zealand.
With a break in writing from Michelle Holman as she is taking a sabbatical and its been a while since Sarah Kate-Lynch has released a novel as well as Kate Langdon, my New Zealand themed books were falling a bit short though of course I have had the wonderful Lee Murray...more
With a break in writing from Michelle Holman as she is taking a sabbatical and its been a while since Sarah Kate-Lynch has released a novel as well as Kate Langdon, my New Zealand themed books were falling a bit short though of course I have had the wonderful Lee Murray...more
Scene 1: I walk confidently into a local bookshop and ask for an amazing book I heard about on GR only to find it isn't available in NZ. I still need a book to read on the plane in the bits where they won't let you use a Kindle, so I buy a book by a Kiwi author which had good reviews somewhere and exit the shop feeling like I have contributed to the local economy.
Scene 2: After takeoff I discover it's chicklit (horrors),the humour consists entirely of exaggeration, and most of the characters ar...more
Scene 2: After takeoff I discover it's chicklit (horrors),the humour consists entirely of exaggeration, and most of the characters ar...more
Ganz positiv ist mir zunächst mal der Bucheinband, sowie der mit Rosen bedruckte Buchblock (ich glaube, dass das das richtige Wort ist - man sieht jedenfalls Rosen auf den Blättern wenn das Buch geschlossen ist). Diese machen das Buch zu einem richtigen Hingucker.
Vom Ínhalt her handelt es sich hier auf den ersten Blick auf eine Mischung zwischen Familien- und Liebesgeschichte, gewürzt mit einem ordentlichen Teil Drama und auch ganz viel Humor.
Die Hauptpersonen werden liebevoll geschildert, v.a....more
Vom Ínhalt her handelt es sich hier auf den ersten Blick auf eine Mischung zwischen Familien- und Liebesgeschichte, gewürzt mit einem ordentlichen Teil Drama und auch ganz viel Humor.
Die Hauptpersonen werden liebevoll geschildert, v.a....more
For those that are seeking a great New Zealand Chick-Lit, walk swiftly to your bookstore and ask for this book. What I can say - it was fun, flirty, humorous, some parts teary eyed, heart warming and a great easy read. If I read this book in the states it would be a good book but I read it while I live here in New Zealand. Because of this, I LOVED IT! I lived in a house just like Aunt Rose and a regions just like in the book.
The only problem is that there were a couple of minor charactors I fel...more
The only problem is that there were a couple of minor charactors I fel...more
This book grabbed me straight away, from the moment I opened the first page right up until the second I closed the book after finishing.
After discovering her long-term boyfriend having sex with her best friend, Jo leaves her life and returns to her little home town in New Zealand. Luckily, her aunt Rose loves nearby, who is eccentric and loves nothing more than a gossip. Rose’s nephew Matt is a frequent visitor, and as well as being Jo’s childhood friend, he was also her childhood crush too! As...more
After discovering her long-term boyfriend having sex with her best friend, Jo leaves her life and returns to her little home town in New Zealand. Luckily, her aunt Rose loves nearby, who is eccentric and loves nothing more than a gossip. Rose’s nephew Matt is a frequent visitor, and as well as being Jo’s childhood friend, he was also her childhood crush too! As...more
With warmth and humour, Danielle Hawkins explores family, friendship and love in rural New Zealand in this delightful debut novel. Dinner At Rose's fits right in with Allen & Unwin's current crop of rural lit in the Australian market, despite being set in New Zealand. The author herself was raised on a cattle and sheep farm and now works alongside her husband in their dairy farm while also working as a large animal vet.
In Dinner at Rose's, the protagonist Jo Donnelly has returned to the sma...more
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laugh out loud funny, a little bit romanitic, and slightly teary in places! the perfect good quality easy read and one I can think of half a dozen friends i want to give this to! fantastic!
Loved it. Beautifully written with wit, humour, sensitivity and compassion. I reminisced, I chuckled, I laughed out loud and I shed a few tears. I even felt sorry for the dastardly ex who got what he thought he wanted. And Aunty Rose, her very nature refused to let the novel get too dark so it was a much lighter read than it might have otherwise been given the sensitivity of the subject. And her food concoctions I had difficulty reading about them let alone imagining them finding their way into...more
I did not realise that this book is set in New Zealand written by a New Zealand author when I picked it up. It was a pleasant surprise because it was "hardcase" reading all the "New Zillund" phraseology and relating completely to the lifestyle of the New Zealand farmer and New Zealanders in general. I guess it's basically a love story, written quite comically, with a bit of sadness thrown in. I did enjoy it and do recommend it but I thought it could have done with a little bit more drama - it ma...more
Well, this isn't going to win any literary awards. It's a bit predictable, could have done with some editing to trim it down a bit, and some of the characters are too good to be true (or too bad).
But I still loved it :) It's a feel good romance with some country characters who speak good old New Zild. When you come from an English speaking country of 4 million people, your media is dominated by American or English culture and language, so it's refreshing to hear Kiwi speech. It's a beach read, o...more
But I still loved it :) It's a feel good romance with some country characters who speak good old New Zild. When you come from an English speaking country of 4 million people, your media is dominated by American or English culture and language, so it's refreshing to hear Kiwi speech. It's a beach read, o...more
I just can't use the term "chick-lit", though undoubtedly that's how this book is classed. This book, however, is much more, and has to be the most satisfying in this genre that I've ever read. Not that I'm a great consumer of romance - I read a boyfriend's mother's library of Barbara Cartland and Georgette Heyer over a number of weekends some many, many years ago (the boyfriend was busy fixing up cars endlessly, so what else could I do?), and I've never even been a Jane Austen fan. I do like J....more
I read a wide range of books from biographies to historical fiction to young adult. Every so often I feel the need to pick up some chick-lit, purely for easy reading purposes - a chance to blob out with my reading. I initially spotted this book in some of the book shops around town. After adding it to my TBR list on Goodreads, I picked up the latest copy of NEXT magazine only to find it featured as Sarah-Kate Lynch's Book Club monthly pick (which reminds me, I must go back and read that feature)...more
I actually have the kindle format edition but since its not up on goodreads I had to choose the only one available - paperback. Also this is my first novel written by someone from my own home country, New Zealand.
If I had read this book anywhere else in the world i would've been homesick. It was well written and the warmth of the atmosphere in Aunt Roses house was ecstatic. A very nice romantic story. There was one thing odd in the book that i noticed and that was the spelling of 'lounge'.... it...more
If I had read this book anywhere else in the world i would've been homesick. It was well written and the warmth of the atmosphere in Aunt Roses house was ecstatic. A very nice romantic story. There was one thing odd in the book that i noticed and that was the spelling of 'lounge'.... it...more
It was page 4 when I saw this and knew it was going to be a good book : "You really should consider becoming an eccentric yourself. It makes life so much more interesting".
When I grow up I want to be like Aunt Rose.
This is such a beautiful story; it has laughs, tears and frustration of how life can be so unfair.
Keep this for a rainy weekend or a holiday because you won't be able to put it down.
When I grow up I want to be like Aunt Rose.
This is such a beautiful story; it has laughs, tears and frustration of how life can be so unfair.
Keep this for a rainy weekend or a holiday because you won't be able to put it down.
I was hovering over 3 or 4 stars. It's a well written book. I enjoyed the snappy, witty dialogue between the main players, and parts of the story were moving. Coming from NZ I found much of the novel heart-warmingly familiar. There were some minor downpoints but nothing that would stop me recommending this harmless, wry love story.
Found this hard to put down once i started it!
Rose was quite an amazing lady, despite being a wee bit eccentric.
The family became so involved in Rose's care aswell as continuing with their day jobs which i thought really special.Romance and various other challenges they encountered made it a real mix of emotion happy and sad, but ultimatlely an enjoyable read.
Rose was quite an amazing lady, despite being a wee bit eccentric.
The family became so involved in Rose's care aswell as continuing with their day jobs which i thought really special.Romance and various other challenges they encountered made it a real mix of emotion happy and sad, but ultimatlely an enjoyable read.
I loved this intelligently written novel. Fantastic humour and I felt a real empathy for the main character Josie. A real heartwarming story despite some truly heartbreaking moments. My only criticism would be that some dialogue went on a little, especially when the outcome was obvious. A perfect read for a long weekend.h
Heartfelt and sweet without being annoyingly so. Giving it 3.5 stars for all the likable, decently developed characters (cheers for strong female characters!), the sarcastic and witty banter, and all the weird New Zealand-isms which remind me of my time in London.
I really liked this book, it was well written chick-lit with a sentimental twist. It felt much more real than other books of its genre, maybe because it is the first novel by Danielle Hawkins, a New Zealand author. I ended up reading most of it in one day because I couldn't put it down!
This was such an easy read. It has been perfect for me at the moment. There's been a lot going on and I was able to bury myself in this delightful novel.
Not a Mills and Boon but a romantic comedy I would say.
Harry and Sally. Sleepless in Seattle.
Not a Mills and Boon but a romantic comedy I would say.
Harry and Sally. Sleepless in Seattle.
It was one of those romances where everyone kept telling the two main characters that they were in love with each other and meant to be together, etc., but I could never quite figure out why (other than the obvious cliche of childhood friendship).
Oh, and of course someone has cancer.
Oh, and of course someone has cancer.
Wow! I loved this book! Wonderful, quirky characters you just have to love (and one to despise as well!) I started out laughing out loud at all the quick and witty dialogue and had to explain and read out lots of bits to anyone who would listen. However, as the story progressed it became a tiny bit more serious and a little hard to read as I remembered caring for my mum during her illness as Jo, Matt and Kim cared for Aunty Rose. Fabulous Aunty Rose was such a trooper though and still managed to...more
Loved this book. So relatable with it's Kiwi references. Adored Rose ....... Such a wonderful character. I would love to be just like her as an older woman
Great NZ read...so many New Zealand-isms, reminds me a lot of growing up on a farm in NZ. Very real. Enjoyable story, some laugh out loud moments too.
I LOVED this book and devoured it quickly. It's beautifully written and engaged me from the opening page. I'll be reading it again in time.
Couldn't put it down. Delightful story by NZ author set in eastern Waikato farmland. Just a really easy read, funny and easy to relate to.
Loved every word on every page. Wonderful characterisation. Cared instantly about the characters and didn't want it to end.
An easy fun read. A good chick book that is humorous. Nice to read a book set in NZ, full of NZ-isms.
Really enjoyed this book ..love, friendship and family..great first book by this author.
A light read, started off well but fell into the world of "predictability".
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Book Loving Kiwis: Dinner at Rose's | 25 | 22 | Sep 07, 2012 02:25pm |
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“I woke up horribly early the next morning to the sound of some sadistic bastard operating an electric hedge-trimmer just outside the window. I lay for a while hoping this prat would be struck by lightning or washed away in a bizarre flash flood. Neither happened, so I groaned and rolled out of bed.
My skull had shrunk so that my brain was in imminent danger of being squeezed out of my ears, my teeth seemed to be covered in wool and my tongue was far too big for my mouth.”
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2 people liked it
My skull had shrunk so that my brain was in imminent danger of being squeezed out of my ears, my teeth seemed to be covered in wool and my tongue was far too big for my mouth.”
“He really is a first-class waste of space, isn't he ?"
"Thank you" I said. It's nice when the people you love share your opinions.
"You're welcome," Dad said. "And the cartwheels would seem to imply that the new model's a good thing ?"
I looked at him with something close to shock. My father and I have a very satisfactory system in place, based on the unspoken agreement that I won't tell him about my love life and he won't ask. All that sort of carry-on is Mum's department, and she advises Dad on a need-to-know basis. "Um, yes," I said.
"Very good," said Dad and, clearly appalled at having strayed so far into this emotional minefield, he began to brush his teeth with most unnecessary vigour.”
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1 person liked it
More quotes…
"Thank you" I said. It's nice when the people you love share your opinions.
"You're welcome," Dad said. "And the cartwheels would seem to imply that the new model's a good thing ?"
I looked at him with something close to shock. My father and I have a very satisfactory system in place, based on the unspoken agreement that I won't tell him about my love life and he won't ask. All that sort of carry-on is Mum's department, and she advises Dad on a need-to-know basis. "Um, yes," I said.
"Very good," said Dad and, clearly appalled at having strayed so far into this emotional minefield, he began to brush his teeth with most unnecessary vigour.”
