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What She Wants
Ireland’s #1 bestselling author Cathy Kelly weaves a heartwarming tale about a group of friends who discover that when life gets comfortable, unexpected surprises are just around the corner.Do you know what you’ll be doing next year? Three friends—Hope, Sam, and Virginia—all thought they did. Hope would still be slogging it out as a working mom, snatching quality time with husband Marc and her two small children. Her sister Sam was going to be the acclaimed boss of a record label, turning heads as the toughest, most brilliant music mogul around. Virginia would be planning her dream retirement home with her beloved husband Bill and doting on their little granddaughter. But destiny had other plans for them. Suddenly everything drastically changes for each of the three women, and they have to look deep within themselves to find out what they really want from life. And in surviving the turmoil ahead, they will discover that a loving family and good friends make all the difference....
593 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
521 people are currently reading
1339 people want to read
About the author
Cathy Kelly
119 books1,102 followersBorn in Belfast but raised in Dublin, Cathy initially worked for thirteen years as a newspaper journalist with a national Irish Sunday newspaper, where she worked in news, features, along with spending time as an agony aunt and the paper’s film critic. However, her overwhelming love was always fiction and she published her first international bestseller, Woman To Woman, in 1997. She did not become a full-time writer until she had written another two books (She’s The One and Never Too Late) and finally decided to leave the world of journalism in 2001, moving to HarperCollins Publishers at the same time.
Someone Like You and What She Wants followed in successive years. Her sixth novel, Just Between Us, was her first Sunday Times number one bestseller, while her eighth novel, Always and Forever, topped the UK bestseller lists in October 2005, displacing Dan Brown and J. K. Rowling. In 2007, Past Secrets in was also a number one paperback bestseller.
Lessons in Heartbreak was shortlisted for the Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in April 2009. In September 2009, Once in a Lifetime topped the UK bestseller lists for three weeks. In March 2011, Homecoming achieved the same feat. Her latest novel is It Started With Paris, published by Orion in 2014.
In Autumn 2011, Cathy headlined a search for a new writer on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
Cathy’s trademark is warm story-telling and she consistently tops the bestseller lists around the world with books which deal with themes ranging from relationships and marriage to depression and loss, but always with an uplifting message and strong female characters at the heart.
Cathy also has a passionate interest in children’s rights and is an ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Her role for UNICEF is a Global Parent, which means raising funds and awareness for children orphaned by or living with HIV/AIDs.
She lives with her husband, John, their twin sons, Dylan and Murray, and their three dogs in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
To contact Cathy email info@cathykelly.com
Someone Like You and What She Wants followed in successive years. Her sixth novel, Just Between Us, was her first Sunday Times number one bestseller, while her eighth novel, Always and Forever, topped the UK bestseller lists in October 2005, displacing Dan Brown and J. K. Rowling. In 2007, Past Secrets in was also a number one paperback bestseller.
Lessons in Heartbreak was shortlisted for the Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in April 2009. In September 2009, Once in a Lifetime topped the UK bestseller lists for three weeks. In March 2011, Homecoming achieved the same feat. Her latest novel is It Started With Paris, published by Orion in 2014.
In Autumn 2011, Cathy headlined a search for a new writer on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
Cathy’s trademark is warm story-telling and she consistently tops the bestseller lists around the world with books which deal with themes ranging from relationships and marriage to depression and loss, but always with an uplifting message and strong female characters at the heart.
Cathy also has a passionate interest in children’s rights and is an ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Her role for UNICEF is a Global Parent, which means raising funds and awareness for children orphaned by or living with HIV/AIDs.
She lives with her husband, John, their twin sons, Dylan and Murray, and their three dogs in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
To contact Cathy email info@cathykelly.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
January 20, 2021
Updated January 20, 2021: Nothing more to add here. This was a great re-read.
I needed a Halloween bingo break. This book was just the ticket. I finished this yesterday afternoon and went back to Halloween reads so I had maybe a 13 hour break if that.
Cathy Kelly has become my newest favorite Irish author. I do miss Maeve Binchy's works, but Kelly's books have filled a spot with me.
"What She Wants" takes a look at a pair of sisters (Sam and Hope) and a widowed woman (Virginia) who are connected to a town in Ireland. The main reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars was that I thought things wrapped up a bit too neatly, and the one sister's story-line (Sam) I wish that Kelly had taken more time with. I also think that the book was just a bit took long (clocked in at 593 pages people. That's a lot. This was a re-read for me though so I am not going to lie, I did skim some of the less interesting passages which is another reason why I probably rated this 4 stars.
I emphasized the most with Sam's storyline. She's a single woman who is career focused and about to turn 40. She has a new job that is starting to make her resentful and snappish since she's realizing that though she may be good at the job, it's not moving her very much on an emotional level. When she realizes all of her friends seem to be in the next stage of their lives (happily settling down, having babies) she feels a bit lost. She meets a man named Morgan that I honestly wondered why he didn't run screaming from her since she was fairy rude to him more times than I count.
Hope's storyline was very engrossing too. Happily married with two children, she is her family's doormat. When her advertising husband (Matt) decides he wants to write a novel, she agrees to pack up their kids from Bath and move to Ireland so he can just focus on himself for a year.
I couldn't stand Matt. He was selfish as the day was long. I really wanted more development with his character. Too bad Kelly gave that asshat a HEA that I don't think was remotely realistic.
The third character Virginia felt a little shoehorned in. I get why Hope and Sam had their own story-lines, but throwing in Virginia just made the book bigger. If the book had shifted POVs between Hope and Sam that would have made more sense. Also we still could have been introduced to other characters along the way such as Virginia.
The writing was really good, though the flow was a bit rough in places. Due to the book's length I can see why a lot of people just got bored with it. It takes a lot these days to make me sit and read a 500 plus page book. Luckily for me I own this and could take me sweet time re-reading my favorite parts and skimming the other parts.
I needed a Halloween bingo break. This book was just the ticket. I finished this yesterday afternoon and went back to Halloween reads so I had maybe a 13 hour break if that.
Cathy Kelly has become my newest favorite Irish author. I do miss Maeve Binchy's works, but Kelly's books have filled a spot with me.
"What She Wants" takes a look at a pair of sisters (Sam and Hope) and a widowed woman (Virginia) who are connected to a town in Ireland. The main reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars was that I thought things wrapped up a bit too neatly, and the one sister's story-line (Sam) I wish that Kelly had taken more time with. I also think that the book was just a bit took long (clocked in at 593 pages people. That's a lot. This was a re-read for me though so I am not going to lie, I did skim some of the less interesting passages which is another reason why I probably rated this 4 stars.
I emphasized the most with Sam's storyline. She's a single woman who is career focused and about to turn 40. She has a new job that is starting to make her resentful and snappish since she's realizing that though she may be good at the job, it's not moving her very much on an emotional level. When she realizes all of her friends seem to be in the next stage of their lives (happily settling down, having babies) she feels a bit lost. She meets a man named Morgan that I honestly wondered why he didn't run screaming from her since she was fairy rude to him more times than I count.
Hope's storyline was very engrossing too. Happily married with two children, she is her family's doormat. When her advertising husband (Matt) decides he wants to write a novel, she agrees to pack up their kids from Bath and move to Ireland so he can just focus on himself for a year.
I couldn't stand Matt. He was selfish as the day was long. I really wanted more development with his character. Too bad Kelly gave that asshat a HEA that I don't think was remotely realistic.
The third character Virginia felt a little shoehorned in. I get why Hope and Sam had their own story-lines, but throwing in Virginia just made the book bigger. If the book had shifted POVs between Hope and Sam that would have made more sense. Also we still could have been introduced to other characters along the way such as Virginia.
The writing was really good, though the flow was a bit rough in places. Due to the book's length I can see why a lot of people just got bored with it. It takes a lot these days to make me sit and read a 500 plus page book. Luckily for me I own this and could take me sweet time re-reading my favorite parts and skimming the other parts.
February 8, 2013
I almost didn't make it through this book. The characters are almost insultingly stereotypical. Hope is a depressed housewife. Her sister Sam is a lonely workaholic. And if I just stopped my review right there I bet you could guess the happy ending. Yes, it's that predictable.
I kind of hated most of the characters (especially Hope) for the first 250-300 pages of the book. That's a lot of pages to be hating on the main character. I was bored to tears reading about Hope having no backbone when it came to her husband. And declining invites from new friends because she didn't want to intrude. I get it. Her self-esteem is lacking. You really don't need 300 pages for me to pick up on that. I figure that out in about 50 pages. Now let's move this story on and tell me how she deals with it.
Plus new characters were introduced frequently, which meant my already bored mind had to try to keep them all straight. Half of them brought nothing to the story and could have been eliminated.
Also, for some reason, not a single one of these female characters was capable of telling a man how she feels. Instead they all just made assumptions and jumped to conclusions. It was exhausting and frustrating to read. Yes, some of us gals struggle when it comes to communicating with men, but EVERY SINGLE ONE? No.
Just as I was about to put myself out of my misery and give up on this book (and I almost never give up on a book), we finally got to a little action. You could pretty much guess what was going to happen, but I'm not totally against predictability in a chick lit book as long as I can relate to the characters and truly want them to get their happy ending. As the story progressed I started to like the characters more and was rooting for their happiness. But it sure took a long (way toooo long) time to get to that point in this book.
I wouldn't recommend this book, but at the beginning of the book I was thinking zero stars and by the end decided it was probably worthy of 2 to 2 1/2 stars. That being said, I put it in my "donate to the library" box because I doubt I'll ever read this book again.
I kind of hated most of the characters (especially Hope) for the first 250-300 pages of the book. That's a lot of pages to be hating on the main character. I was bored to tears reading about Hope having no backbone when it came to her husband. And declining invites from new friends because she didn't want to intrude. I get it. Her self-esteem is lacking. You really don't need 300 pages for me to pick up on that. I figure that out in about 50 pages. Now let's move this story on and tell me how she deals with it.
Plus new characters were introduced frequently, which meant my already bored mind had to try to keep them all straight. Half of them brought nothing to the story and could have been eliminated.
Also, for some reason, not a single one of these female characters was capable of telling a man how she feels. Instead they all just made assumptions and jumped to conclusions. It was exhausting and frustrating to read. Yes, some of us gals struggle when it comes to communicating with men, but EVERY SINGLE ONE? No.
Just as I was about to put myself out of my misery and give up on this book (and I almost never give up on a book), we finally got to a little action. You could pretty much guess what was going to happen, but I'm not totally against predictability in a chick lit book as long as I can relate to the characters and truly want them to get their happy ending. As the story progressed I started to like the characters more and was rooting for their happiness. But it sure took a long (way toooo long) time to get to that point in this book.
I wouldn't recommend this book, but at the beginning of the book I was thinking zero stars and by the end decided it was probably worthy of 2 to 2 1/2 stars. That being said, I put it in my "donate to the library" box because I doubt I'll ever read this book again.
August 16, 2021
4.5 stars
At 670 pages I thought at some point I’d be bored out of my skull but surprise surprise, every page was delightful and I can say in all honesty What She Wants by Cathy Kelly never became a drag or felt like I was reading a humungous book, the characters were lovely although not always a cheery lot, however, when I reached the end I wished there was still more.
Romancey.
Set in a small village in Ireland and some of it in London and Bath.
A tale focusing on four diverse women figuring out what they want.
Wrapped up in a happy little bow at the end.
Loved it.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2021: #42 - The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list
At 670 pages I thought at some point I’d be bored out of my skull but surprise surprise, every page was delightful and I can say in all honesty What She Wants by Cathy Kelly never became a drag or felt like I was reading a humungous book, the characters were lovely although not always a cheery lot, however, when I reached the end I wished there was still more.
Romancey.
Set in a small village in Ireland and some of it in London and Bath.
A tale focusing on four diverse women figuring out what they want.
Wrapped up in a happy little bow at the end.
Loved it.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2021: #42 - The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list
September 1, 2011
Its hard for me to not love a book. This one was just kind of long & drawn out and the story wasn't even deep enough to keep me going. It took me almost a month to read this book. When I'm used to reading books this length in 3 or 4 days, that says a lot. Plus the ending (on both sisters parts) were kind of predictable and anti-climatic. In my opinion anyway.
November 8, 2009
This is a wonderful read! I was pleasantly surprised at how real-life the characters were and what happens to them is believable like the story of many lives yet it wasn't boring at all, infact it was relaxing and encouraging.
Sometimes I don't pick up the 'thicker' novels because they tend to ramble on and on but this one was the perfect length. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and was happy that there was more to tell. Many characters to relate to and beautiful prose to carry you off into their world.
All of us go through seasons in our lives where we wonder if the path we've chosen is the right one for us. It's a fact of life, but as the story unfolded I found myself thankful that we don't always get what we pray for. Things have a way of working themselves out as long as we stay out of the way and not try to manipulate our own preconceptions.
Extremely thought provoking and satisfying...I can't wait to read more from this author. She is talented and has a voice that resonated with my heart and soul.
Thanks Cathy for such a great story...look forward to experiencing you again!
Sometimes I don't pick up the 'thicker' novels because they tend to ramble on and on but this one was the perfect length. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and was happy that there was more to tell. Many characters to relate to and beautiful prose to carry you off into their world.
All of us go through seasons in our lives where we wonder if the path we've chosen is the right one for us. It's a fact of life, but as the story unfolded I found myself thankful that we don't always get what we pray for. Things have a way of working themselves out as long as we stay out of the way and not try to manipulate our own preconceptions.
Extremely thought provoking and satisfying...I can't wait to read more from this author. She is talented and has a voice that resonated with my heart and soul.
Thanks Cathy for such a great story...look forward to experiencing you again!
May 14, 2020
Managed to read just over halfway through this book so can't really give it just one star.
A lighthearted read, not too taxing on the little grey matter.
Maybe it would have been okay if it wasn't so long. I completely lost interest in the characters and grew a little irritated by their antics.
A lighthearted read, not too taxing on the little grey matter.
Maybe it would have been okay if it wasn't so long. I completely lost interest in the characters and grew a little irritated by their antics.
March 23, 2022
Amazing book
I am a new fan of Cathy Kelly and a fan for life now. I fell in love with books set in Ireland when i discovered the amazing Maeve Binchy and have longed to find an author similar to her for awhile and was delighted to stumble on Cathy Kelly's books.
I am a new fan of Cathy Kelly and a fan for life now. I fell in love with books set in Ireland when i discovered the amazing Maeve Binchy and have longed to find an author similar to her for awhile and was delighted to stumble on Cathy Kelly's books.
March 2, 2010
This was the second Cathy Kelly book I read, and I am not sure I am interested in another. I found myself enjoying this book ok when I managed to sit down and read it, but I had a hard time finishing it.
Kelly was constantly introducing new characters that were going to be around long enough for them to be described and then they were never heard of again. Usually by page 300 I don't want to hear anymore two page long character descriptions.
I did gain a fondness for the little town that was described, and one of the main characters was charming, but overall a disappointing read for me.
Kelly was constantly introducing new characters that were going to be around long enough for them to be described and then they were never heard of again. Usually by page 300 I don't want to hear anymore two page long character descriptions.
I did gain a fondness for the little town that was described, and one of the main characters was charming, but overall a disappointing read for me.
February 1, 2021
I loved the story line and the changes in society’s thoughts over time. In a time where we need to draw inner strength, this is a book to read. Hope- having to learn to live in Ireland alone, Virginia - coping with grief, sam - questioning her life choices.
As there are other interesting characters such as Delphina and Mary Kate, I would love to see this in a series with all characters merged in.
As there are other interesting characters such as Delphina and Mary Kate, I would love to see this in a series with all characters merged in.
August 4, 2020
A lot of pages to read!!
I've read books with lots of pages before but this seemed to take forever! It was strange there were lots of description of unnecessary things, yet important parts of the stories were glossed over! On reflection I enjoyed reading this, the characters were relatable but maybe they each deserved their own book rather than them all in one mammoth one!!
I've read books with lots of pages before but this seemed to take forever! It was strange there were lots of description of unnecessary things, yet important parts of the stories were glossed over! On reflection I enjoyed reading this, the characters were relatable but maybe they each deserved their own book rather than them all in one mammoth one!!
May 23, 2022
Just a feel-good book!
October 5, 2011
The whole I was reading this book, I was disturbed by this niggling thought that I had read about these characters and storylines before. Either I had read this book before and forgotten all of it or Cathy Kelly tends to recycle protagonists and story arcs. I think it's highly unlikely that I'd forget a 600-page novel, so I'm guessing it's the second option.
This book is completely harmless. It's a good way to occupy a few hours with becoming overly engaged with the characters or, really, caring too much. Like a refreshing sorbet after a heavy meal, What She Wants does the job it's required to and nothing more. Neither good or bad, just inoffensive.
This book is completely harmless. It's a good way to occupy a few hours with becoming overly engaged with the characters or, really, caring too much. Like a refreshing sorbet after a heavy meal, What She Wants does the job it's required to and nothing more. Neither good or bad, just inoffensive.
May 27, 2015
What can I say..this book is so long winded ..
You just know there will be (A happy ever after} at the end..
Hope her sister and all the people in Redlions..a village in Ireland.. gossip through the book from start to last page. Jobs, Boyfriends. moods. babies. husbands.affairs,family.
that's it..then happy ending.
Not my sort of book.
You just know there will be (A happy ever after} at the end..
Hope her sister and all the people in Redlions..a village in Ireland.. gossip through the book from start to last page. Jobs, Boyfriends. moods. babies. husbands.affairs,family.
that's it..then happy ending.
Not my sort of book.
August 24, 2009
1st of Cathy's books that I read and WOW - in a million years I would not have thought this was "my type of book" and yet it is now one of my favorites!
February 15, 2015
Loved this book couldn't put it down it gets better and better as it goes on.
June 28, 2015
Really wanted to love this book, but it took a long while to get into and to relate to the characters, once I did it was a good read, though not a "page turner" for me
November 18, 2018
What she wants by Cathy Kelly - Review
The story is about 4 women Hope, Sam, Nicole and Virginia. Each of them has different views about life. Gone through different circumstances, finally end up in Delphine - Eugene's wedding in Kilanagoshell in Redlion. This story circles around Redlion in Ireland.
Hope:
Out of four this character is my favourite. In my view she was an insecured woman initially. Afraid of losing her beloved husband Matt by having inferior complex of not wanting by anybody. By accepting everything for her husband, not saying a word against his wish she has to gone through tough situations to cope up with in the new place called Kerry.
I felt realistic when Hope flirted with Christy , she felt regretted what she had just done and cleaning chicken shit in compromise of her mistake are nicely illustrated. When she really wanted to be away with Christy, seen by Matt with him then how she became the strongest woman ever, persevering her decision even when she acknowledged her pregnancy just after their separation.
Sam:
A workaholic. Even though she tries to be normal and doesn't need anybody as her partner she fails everytime with her own self. It is realistic when Sam taking pills not knowing the count but she is sure her body doesn't obey her. I thought most of us like her, expecting our body to obey us and not we should obey to our body.
It is heart melting when she sees that Morgan has affair, whom she loved so much. I couldn't guess what will happen in their relationship, but a happy ending. I appreciate her career move as that would be a major change over in her life.
Virginia:
I really liked this character's calmness. She wouldn't shake even if the mountain falls. She will start counting from one to ten. I expected her to end up in relationship with Kevin, her golf partner. But that didn't happen. They both are widow and widower respectively, the difference between them is Virginia managed to come out of her grief, wish to live the rest life and achieved as a land lady but Kevin remained the same.
Nicole:
An aspirant and achiever of her dream to be a singer. I liked when she tried to colour her hair to just show that how serious she is in achieving her dream. All other things are as usual, fell in love with same company's employee where she signed the contract for and united. Her mother Sandra's turning out of a perfect mother is unexpected because initially she was plotted as contrast.
Mary-Kate:
Mary-Kate a pharmacist in Kerry. I wish to mention this character even though she has a supporting role. She is a stress burster of all who are in need and make them comfortable.
Final words:
I was really happy when Matt realised how much he wanted Hope even he was unaware of the same when they were together.
When we see someone or something our mind would wander related to that situation or we assume something. I liked the way author plotted those situations and make the characters to reply accordingly through mind voice.
Full of entertaining, it will stimulate ups and downs of emotions in readers. Author had tried her best to keep readers to focus on her stuff. Of course in some places it is boring, I think it depends on readers' area of interest.
I recommend this book to nonfiction readers as it is a 720 pages long book, they can test their patience by finishing this.
The story is about 4 women Hope, Sam, Nicole and Virginia. Each of them has different views about life. Gone through different circumstances, finally end up in Delphine - Eugene's wedding in Kilanagoshell in Redlion. This story circles around Redlion in Ireland.
Hope:
Out of four this character is my favourite. In my view she was an insecured woman initially. Afraid of losing her beloved husband Matt by having inferior complex of not wanting by anybody. By accepting everything for her husband, not saying a word against his wish she has to gone through tough situations to cope up with in the new place called Kerry.
I felt realistic when Hope flirted with Christy , she felt regretted what she had just done and cleaning chicken shit in compromise of her mistake are nicely illustrated. When she really wanted to be away with Christy, seen by Matt with him then how she became the strongest woman ever, persevering her decision even when she acknowledged her pregnancy just after their separation.
Sam:
A workaholic. Even though she tries to be normal and doesn't need anybody as her partner she fails everytime with her own self. It is realistic when Sam taking pills not knowing the count but she is sure her body doesn't obey her. I thought most of us like her, expecting our body to obey us and not we should obey to our body.
It is heart melting when she sees that Morgan has affair, whom she loved so much. I couldn't guess what will happen in their relationship, but a happy ending. I appreciate her career move as that would be a major change over in her life.
Virginia:
I really liked this character's calmness. She wouldn't shake even if the mountain falls. She will start counting from one to ten. I expected her to end up in relationship with Kevin, her golf partner. But that didn't happen. They both are widow and widower respectively, the difference between them is Virginia managed to come out of her grief, wish to live the rest life and achieved as a land lady but Kevin remained the same.
Nicole:
An aspirant and achiever of her dream to be a singer. I liked when she tried to colour her hair to just show that how serious she is in achieving her dream. All other things are as usual, fell in love with same company's employee where she signed the contract for and united. Her mother Sandra's turning out of a perfect mother is unexpected because initially she was plotted as contrast.
Mary-Kate:
Mary-Kate a pharmacist in Kerry. I wish to mention this character even though she has a supporting role. She is a stress burster of all who are in need and make them comfortable.
Final words:
I was really happy when Matt realised how much he wanted Hope even he was unaware of the same when they were together.
When we see someone or something our mind would wander related to that situation or we assume something. I liked the way author plotted those situations and make the characters to reply accordingly through mind voice.
Full of entertaining, it will stimulate ups and downs of emotions in readers. Author had tried her best to keep readers to focus on her stuff. Of course in some places it is boring, I think it depends on readers' area of interest.
I recommend this book to nonfiction readers as it is a 720 pages long book, they can test their patience by finishing this.
May 23, 2023
" What She Wants ' My favourite book so far this year .
A definite ten out of ten without a doubt!
Loved it had everything you want in a book , the friendships, the twists and turns of relationships , a strong storyline, drama and romance.
This is why Cathy Kelly is one of my favourite authors, she is a master of all the ingredients of a wonderful book.
This book made me smile 😃 which was very much needed, l recommend this so highly.
At over 700 pages , ' What She Wants ' , has such delightful characters, you will definitely fall in love with , as soon as you get involved with these woman trials and tribulations, the pages go rather quickly.
' What She Wants ' is the story of four women.
Hope is married mother of two , whose husband tells her he wants to put his job as an advertising executive on hold while they move to the Irish countryside so he can write a novel.
Sam is Hope's sister, a record executive, who rarely takes the time to care for herself, let alone find a significant other and start family.
Virginia is a widowed woman who has moved to a small town to try to recover and find herself again.
Nicole is a young woman who finds herself on the brink of stardom when she sends a demo tape to a record company.
Hope must struggle to find herself and get out of the shadow of her overbearing husband.
Sam has to rethink her life when she becomes ill and realises she has devoted far too much time to her career .
Virginia needs to make a life for herself, without her beloved husband.
These three women find allies in each other and other women in the small town in Redlion , where they often get together to 🍸 drink Martinis and talk about their hopes and dreams .
The lives of these women ( and some others l should add ) mash well together and present a picture of camaraderie and friendship, that will last a lifetime.
The main characters are written with depth and feeling and it's easy to become attached to them .
Reading about their lives is a joy as Kelly makes them so interesting and so real.
The description of the Irish countryside is also so well written, and the characters interact well with their surroundings.
' What She Wants ' is a delightful touching novel about the friendships of woman and the power of love ❤
A definite ten out of ten without a doubt!
Loved it had everything you want in a book , the friendships, the twists and turns of relationships , a strong storyline, drama and romance.
This is why Cathy Kelly is one of my favourite authors, she is a master of all the ingredients of a wonderful book.
This book made me smile 😃 which was very much needed, l recommend this so highly.
At over 700 pages , ' What She Wants ' , has such delightful characters, you will definitely fall in love with , as soon as you get involved with these woman trials and tribulations, the pages go rather quickly.
' What She Wants ' is the story of four women.
Hope is married mother of two , whose husband tells her he wants to put his job as an advertising executive on hold while they move to the Irish countryside so he can write a novel.
Sam is Hope's sister, a record executive, who rarely takes the time to care for herself, let alone find a significant other and start family.
Virginia is a widowed woman who has moved to a small town to try to recover and find herself again.
Nicole is a young woman who finds herself on the brink of stardom when she sends a demo tape to a record company.
Hope must struggle to find herself and get out of the shadow of her overbearing husband.
Sam has to rethink her life when she becomes ill and realises she has devoted far too much time to her career .
Virginia needs to make a life for herself, without her beloved husband.
These three women find allies in each other and other women in the small town in Redlion , where they often get together to 🍸 drink Martinis and talk about their hopes and dreams .
The lives of these women ( and some others l should add ) mash well together and present a picture of camaraderie and friendship, that will last a lifetime.
The main characters are written with depth and feeling and it's easy to become attached to them .
Reading about their lives is a joy as Kelly makes them so interesting and so real.
The description of the Irish countryside is also so well written, and the characters interact well with their surroundings.
' What She Wants ' is a delightful touching novel about the friendships of woman and the power of love ❤
October 25, 2020
Love, love LOVE Cathy Kelly books. They are light hearted and easy to read but also funny and thought provoking. They are relatable for most of us with families, jobs etc. The ending is the predcitable happy ever after but hey this is chick lit at it's finest! I enjoyed it.
A warm and funny novel about facing change in our live, from the internationally bestselling author Cathy Kelly.
Do you know what you’ll be doing next year? Nicole, Virginia, Hope and Sam all thought they did.
Hope Parker imagined that she’d be slogging it out as a working mum, trying to fit it in quality time with her young children, and doing her best not to burn her husband, Matt’s dinner.
Her sister, Sam Jones, thought she’d be turning heads in her new job as a managing director of a record label, climbing to very top of the career ladder and having her photo emblazoned on the business pages as the toughest, most brilliant company boss around.
Wild child Nicole Turner reckoned that she’d still be going for wild party nights with the girls, maybe singing a bit of karaoke, possibly snogging a guy here or there, and trying not to get fired for using the office phone to make personal phone calls.
And grandmother Virginia Connell thought she’d still be happily married to her beloved Bill, teasing him for spending too much time on the golf course and not enough time walking the dog or cutting the grass.
But they were all wrong. When life changes suddenly for each of these four women, thay have to look deep inside themselves to discover what they really want in order to survive the turmoil. And they discover that a sense of belonging, a loving family and good friends can make all the difference.
A warm and funny novel about facing change in our live, from the internationally bestselling author Cathy Kelly.
Do you know what you’ll be doing next year? Nicole, Virginia, Hope and Sam all thought they did.
Hope Parker imagined that she’d be slogging it out as a working mum, trying to fit it in quality time with her young children, and doing her best not to burn her husband, Matt’s dinner.
Her sister, Sam Jones, thought she’d be turning heads in her new job as a managing director of a record label, climbing to very top of the career ladder and having her photo emblazoned on the business pages as the toughest, most brilliant company boss around.
Wild child Nicole Turner reckoned that she’d still be going for wild party nights with the girls, maybe singing a bit of karaoke, possibly snogging a guy here or there, and trying not to get fired for using the office phone to make personal phone calls.
And grandmother Virginia Connell thought she’d still be happily married to her beloved Bill, teasing him for spending too much time on the golf course and not enough time walking the dog or cutting the grass.
But they were all wrong. When life changes suddenly for each of these four women, thay have to look deep inside themselves to discover what they really want in order to survive the turmoil. And they discover that a sense of belonging, a loving family and good friends can make all the difference.
January 13, 2021
Having read some reviews I was really not looking forward to this book and expected to struggle to finish it. I didn't struggle, it was an easy read, however it is far too long for no good reason.
The characters are fine, some better developed than others (Virginia and Mary-Kate are essentially the same woman) all cheesy stereotypes. Some background characters seemed to be more interesting than the main characters.
I expected there to be some link to all the characters in the end, which would justify why the novel focusses on 4 women when really it could have been 2 and a far better read for it.
The link was simply the Irish village of Redlion but even that link was very flimsy to one of the characters Nicole, whose grandmother lived there until the age of 16 and returns towards the end of the novel. Why Nicole was even included in this novel is a mystery to me, completely unrelated and could have had her own book probably.
Considering the village is supposed to be the link of all these characters I was disappointed that you never really get to know the village that well, there are no in-depth descriptions of the Irish countryside, you get a few flashes of the community and are supposed to believe that Hope goes from hating it to falling in love with the place.
All in all this novel is fine if you want to switch your brain off, it will be easily forgotten I imagine and to be honest it is far too long for an easy going chick lit.
The characters are fine, some better developed than others (Virginia and Mary-Kate are essentially the same woman) all cheesy stereotypes. Some background characters seemed to be more interesting than the main characters.
I expected there to be some link to all the characters in the end, which would justify why the novel focusses on 4 women when really it could have been 2 and a far better read for it.
The link was simply the Irish village of Redlion but even that link was very flimsy to one of the characters Nicole, whose grandmother lived there until the age of 16 and returns towards the end of the novel. Why Nicole was even included in this novel is a mystery to me, completely unrelated and could have had her own book probably.
Considering the village is supposed to be the link of all these characters I was disappointed that you never really get to know the village that well, there are no in-depth descriptions of the Irish countryside, you get a few flashes of the community and are supposed to believe that Hope goes from hating it to falling in love with the place.
All in all this novel is fine if you want to switch your brain off, it will be easily forgotten I imagine and to be honest it is far too long for an easy going chick lit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2019
Okay, this reread has cleared up whether it’s Cathy Kelly who changed or me. Pretty sure I thought this was a good book when I first read it back in early 2000. For the last ten or so years I have found her writing so cloying, and I assumed she’d ramped it up over time. Hmmm... apparently not. I have been rereading this slowly over time for over a month. It is about 700 pages in small print. I was good with it for about 400 pages, and then it slowly wore out its welcome and dragged. At 500 pages I resorted to skimming through because I was just over it.
Cathy Kelly has a pleasant style of writing, but my god do you get every tiny detail. So much filler in this. I think I knew as much about Hope’s kids as her! There is quite a lot of characters here too. Probably could have cut out a few. It’s just so nicey nice. Puts feminism back about 50 years as all any of these women truly need is a good man. Even the tough professional woman... well, I won’t do a spoiler, but it’s probably obvious.
I think I’m going to go ahead and move on the last of my Cathy Kelly’s without the planned reread. A nice little Christmas present heading to a nearby little free library, hopefully to someone who won’t be rolling their eyes by the end of it.
Cathy Kelly has a pleasant style of writing, but my god do you get every tiny detail. So much filler in this. I think I knew as much about Hope’s kids as her! There is quite a lot of characters here too. Probably could have cut out a few. It’s just so nicey nice. Puts feminism back about 50 years as all any of these women truly need is a good man. Even the tough professional woman... well, I won’t do a spoiler, but it’s probably obvious.
I think I’m going to go ahead and move on the last of my Cathy Kelly’s without the planned reread. A nice little Christmas present heading to a nearby little free library, hopefully to someone who won’t be rolling their eyes by the end of it.
June 20, 2018
I really enjoyed this book and sympathized with the character Sam. The way all the women had some sort of connection made sense and was well written.
I have read this book more than once, it is my go to when I am feeling poorly, or a bit stressed at work, maybe it's because she is going through the same thing, in a male dominated business world.
When I do re-read, I often skip chapters (mainly Nicole's) and focus on Sams story, it some how makes me feel better. The reason I have given it 5 stars, even though there are flaws, (i.e. it is too long, I would rather it be that big with a few characters taken out and Sam and Matts explored more) is because, I just keep going back to it.
I have read this book more than once, it is my go to when I am feeling poorly, or a bit stressed at work, maybe it's because she is going through the same thing, in a male dominated business world.
When I do re-read, I often skip chapters (mainly Nicole's) and focus on Sams story, it some how makes me feel better. The reason I have given it 5 stars, even though there are flaws, (i.e. it is too long, I would rather it be that big with a few characters taken out and Sam and Matts explored more) is because, I just keep going back to it.
January 26, 2023
Finished 1st book of 2k23
What she wants by Cathy Kelly
Long pages tbh, story can be covered in less time but definitely, A book that can keep you awake, but it should have been a bit speedy pace, and the story I don't why but seems repeatitive, sure you can predict the story by the time you reach at end. I am not in favor as a person whether a man or a woman should say in the first place rather remain silent and suffer, when you realize the opposite is not understanding your point and your suffering, do all efforts in a relationship but not much that can leave you nothing and you lose your ownself.
Hope story was interesting but rest were of same tone to me.
What she wants by Cathy Kelly
Long pages tbh, story can be covered in less time but definitely, A book that can keep you awake, but it should have been a bit speedy pace, and the story I don't why but seems repeatitive, sure you can predict the story by the time you reach at end. I am not in favor as a person whether a man or a woman should say in the first place rather remain silent and suffer, when you realize the opposite is not understanding your point and your suffering, do all efforts in a relationship but not much that can leave you nothing and you lose your ownself.
Hope story was interesting but rest were of same tone to me.
September 10, 2018
I finally finished reading this book. Only 35 chapters but it is a very thick book. I enjoyed the story from beginning to the end. The lives of the 4 women are so real.....the experiences they go through is what many women faced in life today. I have personally learned many things from this book, especially from Sam. She finally left her high flying job to pursue a career that suit her most. Cathy Kelly's books are the best! Amazing characters and storyline.
November 27, 2018
My choice of author if I don’t want anything difficult to read. Based in Ireland too but there stops the similarity with Maeve Binchy. I couldn’t hear the Irish tone in the writing like I did with MB’s. Sometimes the reason we fell in love with a person is not enough to keep us happy in a relationship. We grow in our relationships. The key is to grow in the same direction.
February 4, 2019
I did not expect to enjoy this book. I got it at a used book fair years ago. This is a nice story of friendship in a small town. I enjoyed the characters and the story. This would be a good vacation read. My only negative - why was this book 570 pages??
April 7, 2019
It's a good book but the author has prolonged it which makes it quite boring. She has described unnecessary events in detail making it even more boring. Also the idea is somewhat too basic like characters journey starts with misery and then suddenly boom - there is a happy ending. I
November 22, 2019
It took me a long time to read this book. It was very long and could have been shortened. The minuscule details of the character’s lives was distracting and did not advance the plots. All in all would not really recommend. Got the book at a charity shop and will be returning it.
June 26, 2022
I agree with a reviewer below that the characters are sterotypes also I know this was written 20 years ago but to have a 60 year old woman written about as if she's in her 80s is just so old school...all the other players were just hohum...
December 24, 2022
This could have been a good story if the editorial pen had been used to good effect. I kept going but the first two hundred pages were the worst. Tedious is one word. If I had not been short of books I may well not have bothered.
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