The Real Thing

by Catherine Alliott

Book by Catherine Alliott

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Love

480 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 1996

About the author

Catherine has sold over 3 million bestselling novels worldwide and is translated into eighteen languages.

The first of these novels Catherine started under the desk when she worked as an advertising copywriter. She was duly fired. With time on her hands, she persevered with the novels, which happily flourished.

In the early days she produced a baby with each book - but after three - stuck to the writing as it was less painful.

She writes with her favorite pen in note books, either in the garden or on a sofa.

Home is a rural spot on the Hertfordshire border, which she shares with her family and a menagerie of horses, cows, chickens, and dogs, which at the last count totaled eighty-seven beating hearts, including her husband. Some of her household have walk-on parts in her novels, but only the chickens would probably recognize themselves.

All her novels are published by Penguin Random House internationally, and by No Shooz Publishing in America and will be available in the US in the Fall of 2017.

Reviews

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that this book will p*** off many readers - modern readers, that is. The main character is hard to like, "cheating" is sort of involved, everything is mad and chaotic and it's like being on a rollercoaster you can't get off.
BUT - reading it for what it is, I think it's full of charm, wit and sharply observed characters and situations. It's just that these days readers have a thing about heroines like Tessa and she's far less acceptable now than in 1996 when the book was written.
I really liked it. I did NOT like the end but even that is because the ending I wanted, is an ending appropriate to this day and not twenty years ago. Tessa is infuriating, crazy, opinionated, awkward, a bad and good person at the same time. All sorts of misunderstandings abound and having reread this book for the third time, I enjoyed it just as much as the first. BUT with the proviso that I think it's of its time and should be judged for that and not alongside more current offerings.

[Susan Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instead of being in for a treat as per the front of the book I found myself mostly cringing and, not that I am a violent person, wanting to slap the main character.

[Lauren Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Laughing one minute, crying the next! Love an author who can make you feel so many emotions in their stories.. only gave it 4 ⭐️ because sometimes I wanted to smack Tess 😂 loved it though!

[Nina Draganova · Rating 5 out of 5]

08.10.2016
Смях с глас и сълзи , това предизвика тази книга отново.
Да,на места е малко поостаряла и доскучава, но въпреки това ми достави истинско удоволствие .
Наистина ненадминат разказвач. Фин, интелигентен и остроумен.
Не ми омръзва.

[Margaret Haigh]

I didn’t finish this book, I read about a third of it and realised I really didn’t care if she left her husband and went off with her first love or if an asteroid strike wiped them all out. I won’t be putting this in my stats.

[Sreevidya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always considered books as travel. Some books are all about the destination. Those that you read to know what happens next or how it ends. Some on the other hand are just about the journey. About enjoying the sceneries on the way.This book definitely was the later to me.

Story moves through the perspective of a middle aged woman, a mother of two, who is not mildly annoyed by her husband ogling thier young and pretty nanny. Clearly falling out of love. Barely living. Untill she runs into her childhood sweetheart, rekindles feelings, dreams about all the alternatives where she could be with him.

About half or more of the book is a turmoil of emotions she goes through...of love, lust, jealousy, guilt, despair. After about 300 pages or so suddenly the book shifts gear. Unlike the initial slow moving uneventful plot, you see a lot of things happening. Personally I thought it was a chaos. I found some of the twists in the plot to be unnecessary and irrational. To be honest not for once was I bothered about whether she decides to have an affair or elope with him or just settle for a 'roll in the hay'. But I did enjoy reading. Like I said the destination didn't matter. The journey was pleasant.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Catherine Alliott's books before - but not this one. It was meant to be a frothy chick lit, that provided laughs but I could not be bothered with most of the characters and the positions they found themselves in - notably Tessa. It was a stereotyped image of Londoners holidaying in the old ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands. It was hard to find credible artist Patrick's home, immaculately furnished inside and out, staffed with maids, yet only lived in part of the year. At over 500 pages long, the writing was padded out e.g. Tessa's tedious thoughts, the funeral and its aftermath, and how did the farcical episode of the B & B in Yorkshire add to the storyline? I got bored with it and felt little sympathy with anyone, apart from possibly Tessa's husband, David.

[Nicole van der Elst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best Catherine Alliot book. The main storyline, reliving the moments with your first crush, keeps you truly occupied. She didn't need all the turns to the plot in the last hunderd pages. The story could do without the is he really my father episode. Although all in all I would say it is an okay read

[Nicole Hughes-Chen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a well written love story with a few twists. It is about a married woman who meets her first love and is unsure whether she was always meant to be with him.

The book starts off rather boring and I found it hard to trawl through. When the main character starts thinking seriously about having an affair it does get more interesting, and then the story goes from strength to strength.

The quality of the writing is very good; it is easy to follow, no unnecessary flamboyant language is used, and the spelling and punctuation is on point.

However for me, the story is rather unrealistic. For the main character's sister and cousin to seriously recommend she have an affair to help her marriage...Well I find that rather unrealistic. Then for the father to have had an affair and also the mother, and the main character is fine about her father not being her biological dad...It's all rather messed up and difficult to believe.

I don't think I would rush to read another book by Alliott. I enjoy novels I can relate to, that can pull on my emotions and where I can empathise with the characters. This book failed to achieve any of these. Consequently I would only rate this book a 2 out of 5.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally I love Alliot's stories, but this was just such a chore to get through. A main character who's ex boyfriend professes his love for her 12 years later, her father who's not her father but is the father of the ex boyfriend, her real father, the father of the man she recently had an affair with on holiday while her sister has secretly been in love with her husband since day 1. It was so complicated near the end I nearly had to draw a family tree

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst Catherine Alliott I’ve read. Main character, Tess, was so unlikeable. I was hoping for more from the storyline, but the plot took some weird turns and just became stupid. I really enjoyed the first few books I randomly picked up of Catherine Alliott’s but unfortunately they’ve gotten worse and worse.

[Julie Tombs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was ok and that is the best thing I can say about it. I finished it but I could not get invested in any of the characters so that detracted from my enjoyment. I really could not have cared less about how it ended. Not a keeper.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing tale of infidelity

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great read, I absolutely love Catherine's books.

Thoroughly enjoyable and can't wait to read more by this author.

[Helen J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very entertaining read that had me laughing out loud at times. Written in a humorous and entertaining way this makes compulsive reading. A wonderful escape.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick easy read about a bored housewife who almost has an affair and wildly accuses everyone else for cheating. I found Tess the lead character annoying, irresponsible, self-centred and unlikeable and the other characters (even the children) not much better. Unrealistic dialogue (or should I say diatribes)

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started well , unfortunately the book plot became slow and sluggish.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really like the main character and found parts of the story hard to relate to but it still had parts of a good story on family dynamics, loyalty, love and temptation.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fizzles a little by the end, but mostly enjoyed this. Catherine Alliott has a very distinctive style for chick lit. Her characters always seem to be a little "posh", and Tess here is no exception.
A married mother of two, she has always held a torch for her first boyfriend - the one her father did not approve of and tore her apart from.
Years later, on a family holiday, she is reunited with the ex and it seems he still has feelings for her also.
Tess is honestly a bit of a twit. I can't say I could relate to her especially, but she is amusing in a Bridget Jones type of way.
I'm not sure how I feel about the ending of the book. I'd kind of twigged to Patrick's true personality from a previous comment he made to Tess, though it wasn't made very apparent until the very end. I did suspect David was having an affair. I'm glad I was wrong. Though honestly, it kind of would have served Tess right.
I also could have done without the funeral and the father twists. Unnecessary.
I did enjoy this, but there were a few irritating little bits.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it three stars but I think that I enjoyed it more than that. Plot a little rediculous and motivation not really convincing but some parts had me laughing out loud. Priceless. Theme is family dynamics and romantic choices. Tessa Hamilton is our anti-heroine. David, the barrister, and Patrick, the artist, are the love interest. Sister Laura, Reverand Ian Fergusson and his brother Robert, mother Rachel, cousin Penny and neighbor Madeleine provide the dynamics. Oh and there is also Willie. Tessa seems a little older than 30 and with perhaps more flaws than necessary but I had fun with her.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what the author is thinking of but Tessa is a whiner and a bitch that treats her husband like sh#t. And she thinks her dad is a bully! She should look in the mirror. On top of that, she lies to and cheats on her husband. Ugh...

[Deb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of Catherine Alliott's books I have really enjoyed, but this book was not one those. I really struggled with the characters, they just weren't very likable and then there was a really creepy element to the end.

[Nehal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but quite a long read and not really my type of book.

[Naz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how to describe this book. I started off thinking it was going to go nowhere, but it does give you some surprises.

[Chrissi]

I enjoyed this book and Catherine Alliott's writing. It was very easy to read once you got into it.

[Cath · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy this book at all. Poor writing, poor characters, poor plot.

[Samantha Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good read, nice bit of escapism.

[Diana Hubbard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read, but not very exciting

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty solid example of decent chick lit. A nice holiday read.