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494th out of 1,795 books
—
4,041 voters
Restoring Grace
by
Katie Fforde
Grace Soudley's life is coming apart at the seams. Recently divorced, she is still living in the beautiful yet crumbling old house her godmother left her, but unless she can find a fortune, the house will disintegrate around her.
Artist Ellie Summers' life is unraveling too. She's pregnant, but her boyfriend is less than enthusiastic about parenthood, and her parents are n...more
Artist Ellie Summers' life is unraveling too. She's pregnant, but her boyfriend is less than enthusiastic about parenthood, and her parents are n...more
Hardcover, 338 pages
Published
May 30th 2006
by St. Martin's Press
(first published February 25th 2004)
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Please only read Katie Fforde in the summer and two years apart. She can write at a good pace, the plots are ok, the settings great - the Cotswolds. Some of the author's ethical decisions are admirable. In Grace the restoration of the gardens, the mockery of the millionaire and model terrific, the resolution just right -- but too much like a lemon souffle. I think there's an old word that applies 'air headed' -- Not terrrible, but surfacey. I'm not being crabby, I enjoyed Restoring Grace, just d...more
I feel bad doing it but I can't give this more than one star. I didn't enjoy anything about it. I gave it almost 150 pages before I started to speed read because I was terribly bored.
I tend to only speed read when something is just not working for me. If the writing is good, I savour it. If the book is entertaining, I take my time.
This will work for some people but didn't for me. The plot sounded promising enough but it didn't deliver. I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of chick lit but I'm open...more
I tend to only speed read when something is just not working for me. If the writing is good, I savour it. If the book is entertaining, I take my time.
This will work for some people but didn't for me. The plot sounded promising enough but it didn't deliver. I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of chick lit but I'm open...more
Oh dear, it appears I read this already back in 2007, probably when I bought it for my sister when she was about to spend months in hospital. I picked it up again at my sister's house, wanting an engaging, easy read for the long drive from BNE to MEL. I couldn't remember whether I'd read it and it all seemed familiar, but all KF's books follow the same pattern and I read, simultaneously enjoying and castigating myself, the ideas, the underlying assumptions, the clear link between relationships,...more
I have nearly read all of Katie Fforde's books. This one I did enjoy but not as much as some of her others.
Grace has just recently been divorced and lives in an old mansion that was left to her by her anut/godmother. She makes friends with Ellie who is an artist who paints buildings then trys to sell them to the own of the building. Ellie is pregent and has left her boyfriend and has nowhere to live so she moves on with Grace.
Grace holds a wine tasting evening and one of her guests she brings wi...more
Grace has just recently been divorced and lives in an old mansion that was left to her by her anut/godmother. She makes friends with Ellie who is an artist who paints buildings then trys to sell them to the own of the building. Ellie is pregent and has left her boyfriend and has nowhere to live so she moves on with Grace.
Grace holds a wine tasting evening and one of her guests she brings wi...more
One time is a plot, twice is coincidence, the third time would be a pattern. Thankfully Katie Fforde seems to change up the plot points somewhat In Restoring Grace. This time we have two females who have to get their lives back on track and seem to fall into each other to do just that. Grace inherited a house and much later lost her husband and has to find a way to fix up the house or at least keep some level of maintenance on it. Ellie has got her head on her shoulders, but she has a slacker, l...more
Restoring Grace was the first book by Katie Fforde that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ms. Fforde wrote a charming novel set in a quiet England village. Her main characters, Grace, Ellie & Remi are all charming, sweet characters that have noticeable personal growth. Some of the peripheral characters are written in such a way that I wanted to reach through the pages and kick her butt (Allegra, I *am* talking about you).
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Cute, light and funny. This one had a little of everything- romance, mystery, family drama, sex. I picked it up on a whim from the library while I was browsing the stacks one day. I recognized the author from another novel of hers that I wanted to read. The best part of this one was the setting the author created. I could sooooooo totally picture myself in that big, old romantic house. It's kind of the same reason why I read "Wuthering Heights" over and over again. I love to be taken back to Hea...more
I read this a year or two ago, but as Fforde's books are rather similar to each other, I didn't recognize it from the jacket blurb. However, I didn't mind re-reading it. What I like most about her books is that she catches her characters after they have made their big mistakes and are in the process of turning their lives around. There's something refreshing about following someone's healing road. I love her take on female friendship. A tea-drinking kind of book.
I liked this Katie Fforde much better than the one I just finished (which is newer), "Wedding Season." In this book, Fforde takes the time to flesh out her characters a bit and give them distinct personalities. Having read many Ffordes now, I have come to the reluctant conclusion that all of her male characters are pretty much interchangeable, but oh well. This was an enjoyable, light read, with a bit of a mystery included that helped to keep the plot interesting.
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One of the things I like most about this Fforde novel is that not all men are overbearing. Most of Fforde's men - the ones the women end up with - are older and dominant. I guess it's supposed to be in the same vein as Jane Eyre, but that's not a healthy love, IMO.
The character of Flynn Cormack, however, is kind, tender, and very supportive. Definitely a nice guy in a world where there aren't many of those around.
The character of Flynn Cormack, however, is kind, tender, and very supportive. Definitely a nice guy in a world where there aren't many of those around.
I have to say after having read a few of Katie Fforde's books, this was nothing out of the ordinary. However, it was quite a nice book to read when looking for nothing too serious to take on holiday with you. The female characters were well-developed and although there was the slight feel that everything worked out too easily in the end, this was still a nice, not-too-demanding novel to read.
OK so here's another book that was supposed to be a fun, trashy read and wound up DRIVING ME CRAZY. I can't even go into all the reasons I hated this but in a nutshell the main character is a complete moron, who does one moronic thing after another, all of which is supposed to be charming. I could go on and on but don't want to get all worked up...
Grace is newly divorced, living in an old house in England, she inherited the house from an Aunt, and this upsets her sister and brother, who only got the furniture.
Grace holds wine tasting, and writes for wine magazines,
she gains two roommates, and when the drapes in the dining room come crashing to the floor they make quite the discovery.
Grace holds wine tasting, and writes for wine magazines,
she gains two roommates, and when the drapes in the dining room come crashing to the floor they make quite the discovery.
Nice, light tale of two women, each in need of a good girlfriend and a better boyfriend. Restoring art, a house, and a stepdaughter play into the plot as well. Not much depth to the female characters, and none to the male, but if you can plug your life into the characters' lives, Fforde can be satisfying.
I enjoy Katie Fforde, but after awhile it feels like watching a favorite movie, just with different characters. Fun and comfortable and predictable. Jilted woman, usually with a giant crumbling manor or other project she tries to save while being romanced by a gruff but lovable man. Not life-changing, but still a pleasant diversion.
This book was okay -- depending what you are looking for. Very quick and easy to read, an enjoyable storyline if all you want is a cute romance. (What one of my friends would call a "cotton candy" book -- no substance.) One plus: it's clean (even if the moral standards aren't too high.)
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In parts very funny and very witty, I think this book is a good read if you are looking for something light to read...
However, if you are looking for something a little deep and with point-making capacity, stay as far away from this one as possible!
However, if you are looking for something a little deep and with point-making capacity, stay as far away from this one as possible!
I picked up this book looking for a classic Brit chick lit, but I'm quite disappointed: the plot was not so bad, but I found the writing really boring :(
I read so much about Katie Fforde's good books, maybe I had too high expectations?!
I read so much about Katie Fforde's good books, maybe I had too high expectations?!
This book had too much english slang that I wasn't familiar with. Though I did care about the main chacters, I felt the plot moved slowly and I lost interest. Removed another book from the same author off my "to read" list.
Quite enjoyed this until the end when everything was left very up in the air apart from the fact the paintings were valuable, as we knew all along. So I was a bit disappointed but I still enjoyed it.
Nov 14, 2010
Margherita Dolcevita
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
chick-lit-women
Mi duole dirlo ma l'ho trovato meno emozionante e avvincente dei precedenti. Mi ha preso decisamente meno, è risultato nel complesso molto meccanico e poco naturale e spontaneo, mi ha un po' deluso. In particolare ho trovato estremamente automatica la scintilla che scocca per lei da lui e anche la fine un po' troppo sospesa che lascia adito a un seguito, di solito non è da lei. E dire che contavo moltissimo su questo romanzo, lo attendevo con ansia e aspettative spropositate. Mi dispiace che non...more
It was hard for me to connect with the title character. She just seemed like a doormat, all her problems were because she let everyone just walk all over her.
I really enjoy Katie Fforde's books. She writes about quirky yet lovable, intelligent women. They are endearing, sometimes prickly, sometimes exasperating, but they all fit together in the plot of the stories. The women characters usually have some personal trials to overcome, finally able to see themselves as the confident, capable individuals they are...the men are not portrayed as buffoons or idiots, but their less than spectacular qualities are clearly shown. Somehow, she manages to get the...more
The book had a cute story to it, but I often found myself getting annoyed by the exaggerated personality traits of the characters. It was a fun read though and great for a lazy afternoon.
A fun book that while arguably a romance, focuses more on the female relationships with each other and development of selves. A sweet read.
Witty & heart warming female friendship at it,s best, this is a good holiday read. Grace recently divorced & living in a run down house left to her by her Godmother. Ellie,s pregnant & her sexy but lazy boyfriend is not interested so she needs a place to stay now!!! When Grace & Ellie meet two very different women find they can help each other out.
This was a fun, light, chick-lit book. I've read a few of her other books, but like this one the best. It's a great vacation or beach book.
Easy to read romance. A lot of characters, and the book was long enough so these characters had a chance of coming to life.
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Catherine Rose Gordon-Cumming was born 27 September 1952 in England, UK, the daughter of Shirley Barbara Laub and Michael Willoughby Gordon-Cumming. Her grandfather was Sir William Gordon-Cumming. Her sister is fellow writer Jane Gordon-Cumming. Katie married with Desmond Fforde, cousin of the also writer Jasper Fforde. She had three children: Guy, Francis and Briony and didn't start writing befor...more
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Sep 10, 2009 11:11am