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48th out of 297 books
—
495 voters
A Year on Ladybug Farm (Ladybug Farm #1)
by
Donna Ball (Goodreads Author)
Their husbands were gone, their families were grown, and the future stretched out before them like an unfulfilled promise...
Tired of always dreaming and never doing, Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget make a life-altering decision. Uprooting themselves from their comfortable lives in the suburbs, the three friends buy a run-down mansion, nestled in the picturesque Shenandoah Vall...more
Tired of always dreaming and never doing, Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget make a life-altering decision. Uprooting themselves from their comfortable lives in the suburbs, the three friends buy a run-down mansion, nestled in the picturesque Shenandoah Vall...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
March 3rd 2009
by Berkley Trade
(first published January 17th 2009)
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Randomly picked this up at the library. It's the story of three 50ish women who leave their suburban lives to buy a money pit in the Virginia countryside. It was charming at times and the idea of living in an old country house seems fun for a while, although all the scenes of things needing renovated made me a little anxious as I thought about how much work our house needs! My biggest issue with the book was when I realized that (at least throughout this book, which is apparently the first in a...more
Ever wondered what life would be like if you one day packed up everything you ever knew and took a risk , something unknown and strange to you ?
For three best friends , all in their late fifties that's exactly what they did. Cici, Bridget and Lindsey have all had their fair share of troubles and triumphs but when Bridget's husband Jeff dies she is left wondering , is this is it ? What has she done with her life ?
Soon , the three friends are travelling and looking at houses in the middle of now...more
For three best friends , all in their late fifties that's exactly what they did. Cici, Bridget and Lindsey have all had their fair share of troubles and triumphs but when Bridget's husband Jeff dies she is left wondering , is this is it ? What has she done with her life ?
Soon , the three friends are travelling and looking at houses in the middle of now...more
As those who know me can attest, I am a house person. Love looking at them, imagining living in them, designing my dream one, and reading about them. A house can be a character in a book, have a personality, hide secrets, be an object of desire, a sheltering presence, a lurking evil. So I was drawn to this book because it is centered on three single women of a certain age buying and renovating a large well-constructed but dilapidated farm house in the Shenandoah Valley. I was a little skeptical...more
An Amazon reviewer said this is not "War and Peace" but it sure was totally enjoyable to read. I had never heard of this book or author until a friend who knows how I like to read about home renovation and cooking told me about it. I was hooked on the first page.
I loved the characters, their development, and the descriptions of all that these women did on the farm. I love how they met the challenges, many of which they had not expected to encounter. It is a story of resilience and most importan...more
I loved the characters, their development, and the descriptions of all that these women did on the farm. I love how they met the challenges, many of which they had not expected to encounter. It is a story of resilience and most importan...more
First thing: I liked that this book was about 3 fifty-something women, not the typical young, slender, beautiful, redhaired / curly brunette / blonde that seems so prevalent. Aside from one physical description at the very beginning, the looks of these women aren't really mentioned.
The story is a familiar one, nothing remarkable, and pretty much formulaic.
That said, I really liked this book. The short author bio at the back of the book says she's written something like 80 books under several ps...more
The story is a familiar one, nothing remarkable, and pretty much formulaic.
That said, I really liked this book. The short author bio at the back of the book says she's written something like 80 books under several ps...more
What to do when your life hits a crossroads? This is a wonderful fiction novel, the first in a series, which asks of three independent women, can we dare to live our dreams?
Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget have all been friends for two decades or more. In fact they have been neighbors and have laughed, cried, and grieved together. One discussion over wine leads the ladies to the question of dare we live our dreams?
Gradually, the idea becomes a reality, and the three women find themselves outside a bro...more
Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget have all been friends for two decades or more. In fact they have been neighbors and have laughed, cried, and grieved together. One discussion over wine leads the ladies to the question of dare we live our dreams?
Gradually, the idea becomes a reality, and the three women find themselves outside a bro...more
There is something satisfying about reading a book where the protagonists are repairing something hopelessly let gone to ruin. Why, in part, I love The Secret Garden, and definitely why I like this book. It's just so rewarding to reading about something being brought back to its original beauty and integrity. And, of course, such a plot line lends itself so obviously to character growth and growth of perception and maturity. Well, some things I don't like about the book--despite the wine swillin...more
As I was reading this book I kept thinking, "this is all kind of dopey"...the story of 3 women who through a variety of circumstances around mid life, end up selling everything, and purchasing an old farmhouse and attempting to restore it into a bed and breakfast. Their personalities and stories are revealed throughout the story, and the 3 women share a great friendship. Another trilogy that has sucked me in...when my daughter saw I had brought the second one home from the library, she said, "I...more
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Mar 20, 2009
Laura
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Ladies who love books about friendship, strength and preserverence
Recommended to Laura by:
I picked it up at work
This book has a lot to recommend HOWEVER, is in strong need of a sequel. The basic plot is three women in their fifties throw caution to the wind, seel their suburban houses and go in together to restore a farm/mansion. I like this book a lot as far as the women drank wine on the porch everynight, they were best friends and very self-sufficient and they followed a crazy dream to see where it would take them.
What I was not happy about was how a ton of the book is about the women fixing up the ho...more
What I was not happy about was how a ton of the book is about the women fixing up the ho...more
I think I have found another book in the league with the Jan Karon Mitford books! This is the story of three friends who find themselves at a crossroads in their lives. One has just lost her husband in death, one has been divorced and a child off to college and one is a retiring school teacher. Best friends for years and ready for a change, they decide to purchase an old house in Virginia and undertake redoing it as they redo their lives as well. As they discover all the history and problems of...more
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I don't use the word 'chick-lit' because I find it condescending and dismissive of books that women may like to read. (After all, there is no universal, slightly derogatory slang term for books that men might be drawn towards.) I may, occasionally, call a book "fluffy" if I feel it doesn't have much literary, educational, or mental weight to it, but I could call a story about women "fluffy" or a spy novel. Gender appeal doesn't play into it. And may I say for the record that I am a giant fan of...more
I enjoyed this feel-good book; and at times smiled, giggled, and laughed out loud as I was reading it. Three women in their fifties from the Suburbs of Baltimore; Bridget (cook), Lindsey (artist), and Cici (handyman with tools) buy a run-down Victorian farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. They under-estimated the amount they would need to renovate everything; because as we all know, one thing always leads to another major problem when renovating. They encounter disaster after disaster...more
Not bad. I liked the idea behind the book--three women who find themselves middle-aged, single, and with means and few obligations buy a run-down farm together and spend a year fixing it up. And the plotline was written pretty well. Predictable, but a decent arc.
I do have some hangups with the way the author characterized her women, though, and the way she seemed to need to end each chapter with a trite quip. It's OK to let your reader just "get" some things without being told. (I call that "Ja...more
I do have some hangups with the way the author characterized her women, though, and the way she seemed to need to end each chapter with a trite quip. It's OK to let your reader just "get" some things without being told. (I call that "Ja...more
So boring! I thought this book was over the top!
When three women decide to buy a house together they learn very early that things aren't as they seem. It reminded me of “The Money Pit” (great movie by the way!). The story takes us through the trials the three women go through trying to fix up the large house/farm they purchased and after awhile, or really page 138, I just rolled my eyes and skimmed. Everything you could think of goes wrong with the house and more. Ugh! It was annoying!
I wanted t...more
When three women decide to buy a house together they learn very early that things aren't as they seem. It reminded me of “The Money Pit” (great movie by the way!). The story takes us through the trials the three women go through trying to fix up the large house/farm they purchased and after awhile, or really page 138, I just rolled my eyes and skimmed. Everything you could think of goes wrong with the house and more. Ugh! It was annoying!
I wanted t...more
Given to me by a co-worker, I was interested in discovering a new author. I was pleasantly surprised! The premise of the story is 3 middle-aged single women who are best friends and sell their homes and leave their suburban lives behind to invest in a large old home out in the middle of nowhere...somewhere in Virginia. The books is of their adventure...good and bad. The author had a way pulling you in with her descriptive narratives. It made me want to grab 2 great friends, sell everything I hav...more
Although the descriptions of food, gardens and decorating sometimes made this book seem like Country Living magazine without the advertising, it was still quite enjoyable. The most unusual thing, and kudos to the author for it, is that the three heroines are all single (two long-divorced, one recently widowed) at the beginning of the book, and they are all still single at the end of the book. In between, they sell their houses in the Baltimore suburbs and buy a decrepit mansion/farm in Virginia,...more
Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved and enjoyed this book. This book goes right up there with The Help and Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I started reading it at work and could not put it down. I finished it in a 7 hr span. A Year on Ladybug Farm is about 3 close women who decide it's time to put their dreams to the test. They pool their money and resources together and buy a decrepit old house that they fell in l...more
I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved and enjoyed this book. This book goes right up there with The Help and Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I started reading it at work and could not put it down. I finished it in a 7 hr span. A Year on Ladybug Farm is about 3 close women who decide it's time to put their dreams to the test. They pool their money and resources together and buy a decrepit old house that they fell in l...more
Such a fun book! I lived vicariously through these 3 friends who leave their suburban life and buy a 100 year old Victorian house with 16 acres of fruit trees, vines, barns...even sheep....attached. Out in the middle of No-Where, Virginia, these 3 friends grow and change like they never imagined they would. Through tears, laughter, anger and terror, they made it! Or did they?? Read it and find out :o)
GoodReads should add another selection to their "Date I finished this book..." "What time was it...more
GoodReads should add another selection to their "Date I finished this book..." "What time was it...more
A very easy read revolving around three women in thier fiftys who go on vacation after the death of one of the friends husbands and decide to buy a farm. They sell thier homes and decide to embark on this new time in their lives pursuing their long forgotten dreams. Although all the predictible mishaps happen when they try to restore the farm I still enjoyed reading it. What I liked most was that these women were not pathetic. They were not seeking to find themselves. They already knew who they...more
Aug 16, 2010
Anne
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who want to read about women but who are tired of chick-lit
I chose this book because it seemed like it would avoid the pitfalls of most stories about women (that they spend all of their time either worrying about how to get a man or worrying about how to keep a man). While the story of Bridget, Lindsey, and Cici moving from comfortable suburban Baltimore to the wilds of central Virginia and a 100+ year old farmhouse lived up to that book jacket promise, it wasn't all I had hoped. My major complaint is that our three main characters just sounded too much...more
Loved it, loved it, loved it!!! Ok its not a gripping tale but oh so nice. Three middle-aged women who decide to change their lives and buy a huge run-down old house on a small farm and face all the events that this brings into their lives. They learn to let go of the unimportant things, focus on their attributes and let their adult children make their own decisions. It is a combination of outright fun and occasional pain for them all. Despite all the negative remarks from their friends, familie...more
LOVED THIS BOOK. I was a little skeptical when my friend suggested this book but I am soooo glad I bought it. I needed to read something refreshing and positive. This is a very light read and very easy to follow.
I was constantly picturing myself in my 50's hanging out on a farm with my bestest friends in the whole wide world. I absolutely adore my friends and would not be able to live life without them.
I found myself giggling out loud in some parts of the book and that is very rare for me.
This b...more
I was constantly picturing myself in my 50's hanging out on a farm with my bestest friends in the whole wide world. I absolutely adore my friends and would not be able to live life without them.
I found myself giggling out loud in some parts of the book and that is very rare for me.
This b...more
Sep 17, 2009
Dona
added it
i really really liked this book. i could relate to best friends getting together on a fun "project" - but i sure got tired reading about how hard they worked!!! made me feel so lazy just sitting there reading. liked
"damn right you'll take care of me, missy. when i'm old and sick and too tired to feed myself and too weak to dress myself, you'll do it for me just like i did for you. you'll tie my shoes and wipe the drool off my chin and change my diapers just like i did for you about a hundren and...more
"damn right you'll take care of me, missy. when i'm old and sick and too tired to feed myself and too weak to dress myself, you'll do it for me just like i did for you. you'll tie my shoes and wipe the drool off my chin and change my diapers just like i did for you about a hundren and...more
If you are looking for a solid novel with substance, this book isn't for you. It’s written in a formulaic structure with a predictable plot and equally unsurprising ending. It reads like a romance novel, and though I don’t know this for a fact, I suspect the author is a seasoned romance writer since the book jacket says she has written over eighty novels under her name and 5 other pseudonyms. If you are looking for a light, feel-good read about the strength and courage of middle-aged women and t...more
This was a very relaxing and enjoyable read. I loved the concept that three women near retirement age decide to sell everything and embark on a new adventure. They throw away all their fears and took on the challenge of moving out of the city to a rural town, bought a historical farm and decided to renovate it and make it their new life. The courage it took for these women to leave their comfortable and predictable lives is extraordinary. Along the way they make new friends, discover a ghost and...more
Three women. On the older side of middle age. Grown children. Divorced or dead husbands. Best friends. This is the premise for this first book in the trilogy about Ladybug Farm. These three women decide to leave their comfortable lifes behind and together, buy a farm in Virginia. The twists and turns and unexpected things that happen to them during the course of their first year caused me to laugh out loud a few times. But through the course of it all, they realize what is most important and tha...more
Jan 15, 2011
Karen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Karen by:
Linda
Shelves:
natalie-s-book-club-list-swap
There are things I loved about this book, mostly the idea of it. Three women moving somewhere totally new, trying out a different life, and sharing it with the ones closest to them. But other things, like the fact that I kept mixing up the women and that most of the other characters just seemed a little flat - were not as great. Also, the men in their lives were all quite forgettable - where were the good strong wonderful men? Sometimes too it seemed the simplest solution to their problems never...more
Some books are just fun to read and this is one of them. You sit back and are grateful that you aren't one of these 3 ladies doing all this work to restore this old mansion they've taken on. And it is exhausting to read about the overwhelming amount of work to do to get this huge place in shape...but it is a fun book to read and they deserve every glass of wine they drink on the porch in the evenings!
You don't have to think about anything or figure any plot out, just read and enjoy it. Light a...more
You don't have to think about anything or figure any plot out, just read and enjoy it. Light a...more
At my reading core, I'm a romance reader but every now and again I like to read chick lit books. This isn't a chick lit but a women's fiction that surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. This book is so different from anything that I would have thought I'd like and there really isn't much to this story but I really did enjoy the story.
This story is about three women who have carved their lives in the suburbs and are now trying to make a go of it in the country. They bought a big sprawling estat...more
This story is about three women who have carved their lives in the suburbs and are now trying to make a go of it in the country. They bought a big sprawling estat...more
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“You’re not born with a walk like that. You have to earn it.”
—
5 people liked it
“All my life, I thought I was this independent woman. I was on all the right committees, made speeches for all the right causes, traveled all over the world. I had my little part-time job, I made all my own decisions, but . . . there was always someone there to fall back on when things went bad. Funny, how after so many years of marriage you don’t think about how much you depend on the other person until . . . well, until they’re gone. And then of course there’s just the whole system in the city. Your doctor, your pharmacist, your plumber, your vet . . . there’s always someone there. You never have to find out . . . how much you can’t do.”
—
4 people liked it
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