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Prior's Ford #3
Trouble in Prior's Ford
Taking advantage of recent tourist interest, the residents of Prior's Ford plan a summer festival. But someone is determined to sabotage the event, and it takes all the villagers' detective skills to stop the vandals in their tracks. Meanwhile, at Tarbethill Farm, things are going from bad to worse. In dire financial straits, Victor, the eldest son, is tempted by a developer's offer on their land. But if his father finds out it promises to tear their family apart. And at the big house, Lewis remains absolutely besotted by his baby daughter, while his family still secretly wonder if she's really his. And as Molly starts to take advantage of Lewis' good nature, can Ginny bear to keep silent about her feelings for him?
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 7, 2011
If you don't like cynical/ sarcastic book reviews, then please don't read any further.
Trouble is...I don't like soap operas. Despite close involvement with a couple over the years, I've never really "got" them.
Trouble is... this book was (attempted to be) written like a soap opera.
Trouble is... soap operas work OK on TV, where you identify characters visually as well as by name and situation.
Trouble is... you only have 4 or 5 story lines running simultaneously in a TV soap opera
Trouble is... I thought this book was complete and utter tripe.
And it goes on. This novel is apparently set in Scotland. Fair enough - but why is there only one family portrayed as having Scottish accents? Possibly because they were completely incoherent? "I wasnae tryin to rite this oop so thae anae bodies cud unstand a wurrred aye wus trying to say so probly shud hae juice hootenanay sayed it all as e texut inni wares, innit, aye och the noo?". As a result, you get a soap opera set in a Scottish village with very few Scots in it. This could be very representative of Scottish villages, I'm sure, but if you don't want to have any Scots in your village - then just set it in a village that isn't in Scotland - innit, och the noo?
Next tip - don't call all your characters very similar names - Gemma, Jinty, Maggie, Mollie, Ollie, Rollie, Polly, Tolly and Jolly, or so it seemed. Have some characters maybe with shorter names or longer names - not just names that a. sound alike and b. are all made up of 5 or 6 letters. This may just help take out some of the confusion form the dozen or more story lines that seemed to be happening simultaneously. Except some weren't as you soon realized that they were set in the past.
What added to the confusion was the introduction in the last 10 pages of some completely new and different story lines. Why weren't a few more of these introduced earlier in the book, just to break the monotony up of all the other extremely similar storylines? Why introduce them in the last few pages of the book?
At this point, I really do want to launch into a rant about why soap operas just don't do it for me as an art form. But that's probably my problem - tens of millions of viewers in the UK watch soap operas every day - they can't all be wrong, can they? Statistics tend to suggest that it's me that has the problem, not them. They're the ones who obviously find some sustenance and inspiration from bland, insipid, non events punctuated by the odd fight between members of the same family. That I find no pleasure or enlightenment from such events (and non-events) is obviously my problem, it's me that's not living life to the full, I'm the one with the emotional and intellectual deficiencies obviously.
What shocks and almost worries me most of all is that I did actually read all of this book. I think I thought that it had to get better, something of import had to happen in it at some point, so I stuck it through to the bitter end. More fool me that I didn't bale out half way through. Make that about 10 pages through. My fault though, I read the blurb, I was forewarned - and still I ploughed on through it. So no one to blame but myself for many days of ennui.
Never mind, I thought, the next book in the series (of which there was a small, mouth watering excerpt at the end) looks very exciting. At first, I thought it was called "Sandal in Prior's Ford". That would have been infinitely more exciting than "Trouble" there. But maybe if I hadn't read the "T" in "Trouble" I might have been more excited at the thought of Russian currency running loose in a Scottish village with no Scots people in it. But the "T" was there - in the same way that I missed the "c" following the "S" in Scandal. So no footwear tales to look forward to sadly.
Trouble is... I don't like soap operas....
Trouble is...I don't like soap operas. Despite close involvement with a couple over the years, I've never really "got" them.
Trouble is... this book was (attempted to be) written like a soap opera.
Trouble is... soap operas work OK on TV, where you identify characters visually as well as by name and situation.
Trouble is... you only have 4 or 5 story lines running simultaneously in a TV soap opera
Trouble is... I thought this book was complete and utter tripe.
And it goes on. This novel is apparently set in Scotland. Fair enough - but why is there only one family portrayed as having Scottish accents? Possibly because they were completely incoherent? "I wasnae tryin to rite this oop so thae anae bodies cud unstand a wurrred aye wus trying to say so probly shud hae juice hootenanay sayed it all as e texut inni wares, innit, aye och the noo?". As a result, you get a soap opera set in a Scottish village with very few Scots in it. This could be very representative of Scottish villages, I'm sure, but if you don't want to have any Scots in your village - then just set it in a village that isn't in Scotland - innit, och the noo?
Next tip - don't call all your characters very similar names - Gemma, Jinty, Maggie, Mollie, Ollie, Rollie, Polly, Tolly and Jolly, or so it seemed. Have some characters maybe with shorter names or longer names - not just names that a. sound alike and b. are all made up of 5 or 6 letters. This may just help take out some of the confusion form the dozen or more story lines that seemed to be happening simultaneously. Except some weren't as you soon realized that they were set in the past.
What added to the confusion was the introduction in the last 10 pages of some completely new and different story lines. Why weren't a few more of these introduced earlier in the book, just to break the monotony up of all the other extremely similar storylines? Why introduce them in the last few pages of the book?
At this point, I really do want to launch into a rant about why soap operas just don't do it for me as an art form. But that's probably my problem - tens of millions of viewers in the UK watch soap operas every day - they can't all be wrong, can they? Statistics tend to suggest that it's me that has the problem, not them. They're the ones who obviously find some sustenance and inspiration from bland, insipid, non events punctuated by the odd fight between members of the same family. That I find no pleasure or enlightenment from such events (and non-events) is obviously my problem, it's me that's not living life to the full, I'm the one with the emotional and intellectual deficiencies obviously.
What shocks and almost worries me most of all is that I did actually read all of this book. I think I thought that it had to get better, something of import had to happen in it at some point, so I stuck it through to the bitter end. More fool me that I didn't bale out half way through. Make that about 10 pages through. My fault though, I read the blurb, I was forewarned - and still I ploughed on through it. So no one to blame but myself for many days of ennui.
Never mind, I thought, the next book in the series (of which there was a small, mouth watering excerpt at the end) looks very exciting. At first, I thought it was called "Sandal in Prior's Ford". That would have been infinitely more exciting than "Trouble" there. But maybe if I hadn't read the "T" in "Trouble" I might have been more excited at the thought of Russian currency running loose in a Scottish village with no Scots people in it. But the "T" was there - in the same way that I missed the "c" following the "S" in Scandal. So no footwear tales to look forward to sadly.
Trouble is... I don't like soap operas....
June 3, 2019
It's a typical story of a community. This is the first book I read and didn't notice it was a series. It seems to be, just a normal neighborhood dealing with the enigma of helping each other's out. There is not much anything that interest me from the characters; maybe because I didn't read the other ones. But the cover was wonderful, it looks kind of cartoon; and that is why I bought this book. I'm not gonna judge this base on the cover of the book. It is an OK story that set you in a local neighborhood.
March 28, 2018
I reached about half way through this book before I realised that life it too short to waste reading books that are not enjoyed. The writing in this is pedestrian and the characters did not interest me in the slightest. I am not against reading what is sometimes called 'cosy fiction', but I do look for some life in the writing. This has none. I see the author is a Scot. I am surprised that she chose such an English sounding name as Prior's Ford for the village in which the story is set.
February 21, 2018
Another few nights spent in the pleasant company of the residents of Prior’s Ford. One thing of note is that whatever is going on, things are usually sorted out over a cup of tea, a glass of wine or a pint.
October 25, 2018
#52books2018 number 45: Trouble in Prior's Ford by Eve Houston. No apparent plot. Title alone suggested a light-hearted Midsomeresque murder-by-trifle. Kept waiting for the murder which didn't happen at the scarecrow festival. Now trying the sequel. Will anything happen?
February 25, 2023
Idyllic village life. Some new characters which I'm not entirely sure it needed, some of the original characters didn't get much of a look in and some of the storylines didn't really move on much. But a sweet story. I'd like to live there.
August 15, 2023
Was getting muddled with all the names and characters for a long way into the book. Too many similar names were confusing me like Ethan and Ewan, Molly and Maggie 😅
Once I got used to the characters I enjoyed this heartwarming story.
Once I got used to the characters I enjoyed this heartwarming story.
April 30, 2025
Started and finished date - 24.04.25 to 26.04.25.
My rating - Three Stars.
I really had mixed feeling about book and the cover was okay also this book had give me a Emmerdale vibe. The writing was fine and I found it hard to follow also the ending of book was okay also the atmosphere was okay. The paced of plot was well structured and the plot is steady paced. The characters was fine but I would like them to flash out bit more
My rating - Three Stars.
I really had mixed feeling about book and the cover was okay also this book had give me a Emmerdale vibe. The writing was fine and I found it hard to follow also the ending of book was okay also the atmosphere was okay. The paced of plot was well structured and the plot is steady paced. The characters was fine but I would like them to flash out bit more
June 5, 2019
Usually I wait between episodes, but with kindle the next book is right there, no waiting. Another fun story. I may head right into book 4.
May 24, 2021
Loving this series and enjoy this book the most so far !
October 11, 2024
This is such a fun series!
July 15, 2012
In this edition of life in Prior's Ford, as the title declares, there is trouble. Trouble appears in all sorts of places. Even life in a bucolic location can be interfered with by disease, social unrest, greed, dreams of early inheritances, and romances not going easily.
Prior's Ford decides to hold a Scarecrow Festival. This should bring in needed tourist monies and also entertain the villagers themselves. Everyone gets aboard, except for some lads from a neighboring village who entertain themselves by destroying other's property for larks. Maggie, Jenny's and Andrew Forsythe's step-daughter finds she is looking for happiness in many wrong places.
Andrew and Jenny also have to face the hardest challenge of their married lives...cancer. Maggie is now needed to help with her step-brother, Calum deal as they live part of their summer with the Reverend Naomi and her foster child, Ethan.
While the Manor house opens it's gardens to the public, the owners of Tarbethill farm face the future with one son wanting to save the heritage of the family farm, and the elder wanting to destroy the farm for his future.
There is many more stories of life in this village. The main theme is trouble. Life itself brings changes and adjustments, we learn it is up to the individuals and community whether you can weather the storms. This series continues to hold my attention. This is a good example of fictional literature.
Prior's Ford decides to hold a Scarecrow Festival. This should bring in needed tourist monies and also entertain the villagers themselves. Everyone gets aboard, except for some lads from a neighboring village who entertain themselves by destroying other's property for larks. Maggie, Jenny's and Andrew Forsythe's step-daughter finds she is looking for happiness in many wrong places.
Andrew and Jenny also have to face the hardest challenge of their married lives...cancer. Maggie is now needed to help with her step-brother, Calum deal as they live part of their summer with the Reverend Naomi and her foster child, Ethan.
While the Manor house opens it's gardens to the public, the owners of Tarbethill farm face the future with one son wanting to save the heritage of the family farm, and the elder wanting to destroy the farm for his future.
There is many more stories of life in this village. The main theme is trouble. Life itself brings changes and adjustments, we learn it is up to the individuals and community whether you can weather the storms. This series continues to hold my attention. This is a good example of fictional literature.
January 11, 2012
You know what I like about this series of books? How easily one volume flows from one to another. Volume 3 starts off with the same two characters who closed Volume 2, but seven months down the line. AND there is much less instant coffee consumed than in the previous two volumes! *shock horror*
Trouble in Priors Ford focuses on different characters again than in the previous books: the fun and games at Tarberhill Farm; a resident who is scared of scarecrows; one mother's quite weird ideas of "motherhood"; a shock diagnosis for another person and vandalism in the town (with its comic resolution). Similar to the previous two books in the series, this is cosy but nevertheless addictive. Again, another five stars from me. And now for the last one.... Scandal in Priors Ford....tally ho!!
Trouble in Priors Ford focuses on different characters again than in the previous books: the fun and games at Tarberhill Farm; a resident who is scared of scarecrows; one mother's quite weird ideas of "motherhood"; a shock diagnosis for another person and vandalism in the town (with its comic resolution). Similar to the previous two books in the series, this is cosy but nevertheless addictive. Again, another five stars from me. And now for the last one.... Scandal in Priors Ford....tally ho!!
July 30, 2012
This series is one of those cozy village stories that I inexplicably love. Usually not a fan of serials, but this one isn't all loaded with sunshine and tends to be more realistic about various problems. Set in fictional Prior's Ford, a village in Scotland, the book visits several of its residents and tells their stories. As this is the third in series, they've already become like friends and I know their quirks and foibles. Enjoyed this as my light, bedtime read and looking forward to the next one.
May 19, 2012
The third in the "Priors Ford" series, about the folks that live in a country village. Its an easy pleasant read and not too taxing. There's a large cast of characters to get to grips with but they are well written and believable. If you like Rebecca Shaw's country village series, this is very similar.
May 4, 2016
An enjoyable enough read which follows on easily from the previous story. A bit lacking in excitement though!
March 12, 2016
Fun read
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews