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Zoet verlangen
Florence Darling is een opgewekte vrouw van negenendertig die positief in het leven staat en er trots op is dat ze wel tegen een stootje kan. Het ongeluk dient zich immers altijd aan met drie gebeurtenissen tegelijk in haar leven! Dus wanneer ze op een ochtend op straat wordt gezet door haar zakenpartner en 's middags wordt verlaten door haar echtgenoot, weet Florence dat er nog meer slecht nieuws op komst is. Als haar zoon Monty niet lang daarna terugkomt van een rondreis door Australië blijkt al snel wat dat is. Tot haar schrik blijft het daar niet bij. Florence' plan om haar huis te verbouwen tot een tearoom dreigt te mislukken, haar zus blijkt labieler dan ze dacht en waarom laat de huisarts zoveel berichten achter op de voicemail? Maar dan komt aannemer Will langs, een man met verborgen culinaire talenten, en Florence' leven, met al zijn ups en downs, ziet er ineens een stuk vrolijker uit.
316 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2008
9 people are currently reading
286 people want to read
About the author
Sarah-Kate Lynch
17 books281 followersSarah-Kate Lynch is quite a cranky journalist of several decades who prefers making things up to recording them accurately. This is not very good if you are a journalist, which may explain (a) the crankiness and (b) why she now writes novels.
She also writes two columns in the New Zealand Woman's Day, New Zealand's best-selling weekly magazine. One is about nothing and the other is about travel.
Sarah-Kate lives in a cliff top house on the wild west coast of New Zealand's North Island with a lovely dog called Ginger and a husband called Ted. Oh, hang on, no, that's not right. The dog is called Ted and the husband is Ginger.
She also writes two columns in the New Zealand Woman's Day, New Zealand's best-selling weekly magazine. One is about nothing and the other is about travel.
Sarah-Kate lives in a cliff top house on the wild west coast of New Zealand's North Island with a lovely dog called Ginger and a husband called Ted. Oh, hang on, no, that's not right. The dog is called Ted and the husband is Ginger.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 13, 2021
Dus.
Een onnodig hysterisch geschreven verhaal.
Te dramatisch, te veel geklaag, te slechte zinnen. Ik heb 't 131 pagina's echt geprobeerd, maar nee.. hier ga ik mijn ontspannen, vrije lees tijd niet aan besteden, sorry...
Een onnodig hysterisch geschreven verhaal.
Te dramatisch, te veel geklaag, te slechte zinnen. Ik heb 't 131 pagina's echt geprobeerd, maar nee.. hier ga ik mijn ontspannen, vrije lees tijd niet aan besteden, sorry...
September 13, 2012
Although I only gave three stars to "On Top of Everything" I must admit I really liked this book. I don't understand why it doesn't get more credit or is more known (in Belgium for instance). Maybe I can think of one reason :p In Dutch the title sounds less "cake-like". It's translated as "Sweet Desire" and holds a lot of people from buying the book. I can see it in lots of eyes when they see the title of the book I'm reading ;).
Sarah-Kate Lynch tells us the story about Florence, a beautiful, happy, married, hardworking mum of 39. She's quite happy with the life she leads working in an antique shop just across the street, married to her childhood sweetheart and mother of a great son, Monty, who lives a year in Australia. Too bad all those good things get smashed rather quickly. Florence doesn't know what happens when she loses her job and husband on one day. Superstitious as she is, she thinks she'll be hit by a third "bad thing". And indeed... A few days later her son returns from Australia, a thing that supposed to be comforting now her beloved man turned out to be different than she thought.However Florences light on the dark sky goes quickly. Monty has something to tell her and it's quite a big deal...
If you want to know if Florence is able to get her life back on track and find happiness again, I think you should definitely read the book yourself. I kind of recommend it to chicklitlovers ;)
What I really like about the book is the fact we get Florences version of the whole story, but at the end of each chapter there's presented a short intervention by another character. These other characters are the important people in Florences live. They give us another perspective on things and reveal some more details about Florences character she doesn't want to show us herself.
Another reaaaaally lovely thing about the book is the recipe you find in it to make a chocolate-banana pie. The recipe alone can make your mouth water. I'll definitely try it someday!
A little point of disappointment for me is the fact the end of the story got handled too quickly. I didn't like the ending too, but that's just my opinion. Still I think Sarah-Kate could give us some more pages describing the new Florece at the end of the story. On the other hand she provides us some free space to give the ending our own twist.
Sarah-Kate Lynch tells us the story about Florence, a beautiful, happy, married, hardworking mum of 39. She's quite happy with the life she leads working in an antique shop just across the street, married to her childhood sweetheart and mother of a great son, Monty, who lives a year in Australia. Too bad all those good things get smashed rather quickly. Florence doesn't know what happens when she loses her job and husband on one day. Superstitious as she is, she thinks she'll be hit by a third "bad thing". And indeed... A few days later her son returns from Australia, a thing that supposed to be comforting now her beloved man turned out to be different than she thought.However Florences light on the dark sky goes quickly. Monty has something to tell her and it's quite a big deal...
If you want to know if Florence is able to get her life back on track and find happiness again, I think you should definitely read the book yourself. I kind of recommend it to chicklitlovers ;)
What I really like about the book is the fact we get Florences version of the whole story, but at the end of each chapter there's presented a short intervention by another character. These other characters are the important people in Florences live. They give us another perspective on things and reveal some more details about Florences character she doesn't want to show us herself.
Another reaaaaally lovely thing about the book is the recipe you find in it to make a chocolate-banana pie. The recipe alone can make your mouth water. I'll definitely try it someday!
A little point of disappointment for me is the fact the end of the story got handled too quickly. I didn't like the ending too, but that's just my opinion. Still I think Sarah-Kate could give us some more pages describing the new Florece at the end of the story. On the other hand she provides us some free space to give the ending our own twist.
June 7, 2025
A lovely light-hearted easy read
Here are some bits I liked.
On top of everything
You are so lucky to have that as a child, an adult from the grown-up world who thoroughly understands who you are and assures you that it’s perfectly all right to be that way.
It’s so hard to believe that everything is just carrying on as usual. We all think we are so important, but we’re not , are we? We can live, or die, and it makes no difference to the garbage man. There’s still the same amount of garbage in the world, with or without us.
I also thought she might need a shoulder to cry on and happens I’ve got very reliable shoulders.
But as they say, the heart wants what the heart wants. And takes the other body parts with it.
As my friend Mischa says, what you do in bed is no one’s business unless they happen to be in bed with you.
If we are all going to have tragedies, if none of us can escape them, then surely we have to learn from them, we have to gain something. And we have to use what we have gained. Those of us who have fought tooth and nail to overcome tragedy are, after all, if nothing else, proof that such things can be survived.
I think actually love expands to cater for the crowd.
Because you don’t stop loving someone if they go away, do you? The amount of love you have for them is still the same, it’s just that they’re not there to get it. And if someone new comes along, the love for the one who’s gone away doesn’t get transferred to the new one, it’s a whole lot of new love.
The truth is that sometimes the shite just keeps on coming and that is what is so unfair. But here’s the thing, it’s never all shite. If you wake up in the morning for just long enough to breathe in and out and see the sun shining, you’re already surviving it.
Basically chose the joy of living over the fear of dying.
Here are some bits I liked.
On top of everything
You are so lucky to have that as a child, an adult from the grown-up world who thoroughly understands who you are and assures you that it’s perfectly all right to be that way.
It’s so hard to believe that everything is just carrying on as usual. We all think we are so important, but we’re not , are we? We can live, or die, and it makes no difference to the garbage man. There’s still the same amount of garbage in the world, with or without us.
I also thought she might need a shoulder to cry on and happens I’ve got very reliable shoulders.
But as they say, the heart wants what the heart wants. And takes the other body parts with it.
As my friend Mischa says, what you do in bed is no one’s business unless they happen to be in bed with you.
If we are all going to have tragedies, if none of us can escape them, then surely we have to learn from them, we have to gain something. And we have to use what we have gained. Those of us who have fought tooth and nail to overcome tragedy are, after all, if nothing else, proof that such things can be survived.
I think actually love expands to cater for the crowd.
Because you don’t stop loving someone if they go away, do you? The amount of love you have for them is still the same, it’s just that they’re not there to get it. And if someone new comes along, the love for the one who’s gone away doesn’t get transferred to the new one, it’s a whole lot of new love.
The truth is that sometimes the shite just keeps on coming and that is what is so unfair. But here’s the thing, it’s never all shite. If you wake up in the morning for just long enough to breathe in and out and see the sun shining, you’re already surviving it.
Basically chose the joy of living over the fear of dying.
March 31, 2021
I loved it, though I admit somewhere in the middle I started not liking Florence. She seemed to whiney, trapped, not in control. To be fair I might have been the same in her position. I loved the writing, witty, interesting, fun but not silly.
"I'd had no wild youth, that was the trouble. And now that I felt like having one, I was too late, my youth had up and left me, and worse, so had everyone else."
"They were hippies, my parents, not that there's anything wrong with that, but even as a toddler I was pretty square, so I found them a bit embarassing really, and vice versa, I'm sure."
"I had so much to say it had all got stuck in my chest then dropped to my hands, which hung heavy and motionless at my sides. I couldn't rememember what I usually did with them."
The story is told by Florence, but at the end of each chapter one of the characters who shared the events in the chapter gives their own version of what happened. This adds an interesting perspective, one that is really important at the end.
Other than that I can't tell you or I risk spoiling it for you. You'll have to read it yourself.
"I'd had no wild youth, that was the trouble. And now that I felt like having one, I was too late, my youth had up and left me, and worse, so had everyone else."
"They were hippies, my parents, not that there's anything wrong with that, but even as a toddler I was pretty square, so I found them a bit embarassing really, and vice versa, I'm sure."
"I had so much to say it had all got stuck in my chest then dropped to my hands, which hung heavy and motionless at my sides. I couldn't rememember what I usually did with them."
The story is told by Florence, but at the end of each chapter one of the characters who shared the events in the chapter gives their own version of what happened. This adds an interesting perspective, one that is really important at the end.
Other than that I can't tell you or I risk spoiling it for you. You'll have to read it yourself.
April 1, 2020
leuke cover, leuke korte inhoud.
dus toen ik dit boek in de kringwinkel tegen kwam heb ik niet lang moeten denken. Hop het sprong zo in mijn handen.
In het begin van dit boek doet de schrijfstijl (en de verhaallijn) heel hard denken aan de boeken van Katie FForde. Maar halfweg, gaat het plots een pak stroever, de verhaallijn blijft kabbelen, het hoofdpersonage blijft hangen in hetzelfde gedrag,...
Voor mij was het vanaf toen ook moeilijker om het boek te blijven lezen. Maar vermits de start goed was ging ik er vanuit dat dit wel weel terugkwam, dat deed het ook, ergens op de laatste pagina's.
Jammer van het middenstuk dus
dus toen ik dit boek in de kringwinkel tegen kwam heb ik niet lang moeten denken. Hop het sprong zo in mijn handen.
In het begin van dit boek doet de schrijfstijl (en de verhaallijn) heel hard denken aan de boeken van Katie FForde. Maar halfweg, gaat het plots een pak stroever, de verhaallijn blijft kabbelen, het hoofdpersonage blijft hangen in hetzelfde gedrag,...
Voor mij was het vanaf toen ook moeilijker om het boek te blijven lezen. Maar vermits de start goed was ging ik er vanuit dat dit wel weel terugkwam, dat deed het ook, ergens op de laatste pagina's.
Jammer van het middenstuk dus
April 16, 2018
Although Florence expects "rotten things to happen in threes" she is still taken by surprise when she is fired by her best friend and left by her husband. She lays in wait for the third rotten thing.
A bittersweet novel with once again a fairly naive main character, whose somewhat blessed life is turned upside down. She eventually realizes she is able to confront these rotten things, with the help of friends, family and of course afternoon tea.
A bittersweet novel with once again a fairly naive main character, whose somewhat blessed life is turned upside down. She eventually realizes she is able to confront these rotten things, with the help of friends, family and of course afternoon tea.
November 6, 2018
I enjoyed this book. Sarah-Kate Lynch has a quirky sense of humor and i have like all the books she's written. I wish she'd start writing again.
BTW. This book reminded me to stop putting off THAT exam.
BTW. This book reminded me to stop putting off THAT exam.
December 5, 2021
On re-reading this book, I liked it just as much as I did previously. Life often "sucks" and can seem unendurable. Florence Petal Rainbow Dowling faces up (at last!) to everything it throws at her. Thanks Sarah-Kate. It's another "doosey."
March 27, 2020
Not sure how I felt about this book. Not my usual fare. It was interesting. Quite funny in an odd way
July 27, 2020
It was a good book, just made me feel a little depressed. A very easy read.
I personally really liked Poppy as a character and kinda wanted to see more from her :)
I personally really liked Poppy as a character and kinda wanted to see more from her :)
December 31, 2021
I found this book in a 2nd hand shop whilst travelling in NZ about 10yrs ago and I’ve loved Sarah’s books ever since.
Brilliant stories, very moving and witty.
Brilliant stories, very moving and witty.
September 30, 2023
So fxxxxxx depressing
Could this be more depressing. Were you trying to get everyone to .... nothing redeemable about this book. Lovely person sxxx on by life. Wtf?
Could this be more depressing. Were you trying to get everyone to .... nothing redeemable about this book. Lovely person sxxx on by life. Wtf?
December 5, 2017
La storia poco interessante di una commerciante di antichità che – in società con un’amica – viene tagliata fuori perché si cura più di dare un tè ai senzatetto che di vendere. Protagonista superstiziosa e ipocondriaca. Lascio ai volenterosi il compito di scoprire come si dipana la trama, la cui scarsa attrattiva dopo poche pagine mi costringe a chiudere e a dedicarmi ad altro.
July 30, 2015
“Zoet verlangen” van Sarah Kate Lynch gaat over het volgen van je droom
De Nieuw- Zeelandse Sarah Kate Lynch was eerst journalist. Nu is ze auteur van romans en schrijft ze columns voor een tijdschrift. Ze heeft al meerdere romans geschreven. Ze gaat veel op reis om research te doen voor haar boeken, waar erg vaak eten in voor komt.
Zoet verlangen heeft als hoofdpersoon Florence Darling, een positief ingestelde vrouw van negenendertig jaar. Als haar partner in een antiekzaak haar uit wil kopen en haar man haar verlaat voor een vriend, verwacht ze elk moment nog een negatief bericht, want alles komt toch in drievoud? Haar zoon is een jaar naar Australië en komt bijna thuis. Hij heeft een verrassing voor haar. Om geld te verdienen, wil ze haar huis ombouwen tot een tearoom. Dat plan lijkt te mislukken, omdat er houtrot in de balken zit; het gaat niet goed met haar zus en tot overmaat van ramp heeft haar huisarts een bericht voor haar. De aannemer Will is een leuke man, maar heeft ook een verleden. Als Florence haar plan op de helling wil zetten, haalt Will haar over haar dromen te volgen, omdat het leven al zo kort is.
“Zoet verlangen” van Sarah Kate Lynch gaat over het volgen van je droom. De een wil een mooie carrière, de ander wil een baby. De tearoom is het zoet verlangen van Florence, maar ook een man aan haar zijde. De schrijfstijl van Sarah Kate Lynch is heerlijk humoristisch. Ik kon er geen genoeg van krijgen. Het boek moest gewoon uit. Het verhaal is zo ontroerend, dat ik veel gehuild heb. Ook zet het je aan het denken, want er staat veel wijze raad in. Er staan veel dingen in, die ik herken. Ik had vaak, dat ik dacht: “He, dat dacht ik ook” of “dat zei ik ook.”
Ik geef het boek vijf sterren. Ik heb veel gehuild. Het was heel ontroerend!
De Nieuw- Zeelandse Sarah Kate Lynch was eerst journalist. Nu is ze auteur van romans en schrijft ze columns voor een tijdschrift. Ze heeft al meerdere romans geschreven. Ze gaat veel op reis om research te doen voor haar boeken, waar erg vaak eten in voor komt.
Zoet verlangen heeft als hoofdpersoon Florence Darling, een positief ingestelde vrouw van negenendertig jaar. Als haar partner in een antiekzaak haar uit wil kopen en haar man haar verlaat voor een vriend, verwacht ze elk moment nog een negatief bericht, want alles komt toch in drievoud? Haar zoon is een jaar naar Australië en komt bijna thuis. Hij heeft een verrassing voor haar. Om geld te verdienen, wil ze haar huis ombouwen tot een tearoom. Dat plan lijkt te mislukken, omdat er houtrot in de balken zit; het gaat niet goed met haar zus en tot overmaat van ramp heeft haar huisarts een bericht voor haar. De aannemer Will is een leuke man, maar heeft ook een verleden. Als Florence haar plan op de helling wil zetten, haalt Will haar over haar dromen te volgen, omdat het leven al zo kort is.
“Zoet verlangen” van Sarah Kate Lynch gaat over het volgen van je droom. De een wil een mooie carrière, de ander wil een baby. De tearoom is het zoet verlangen van Florence, maar ook een man aan haar zijde. De schrijfstijl van Sarah Kate Lynch is heerlijk humoristisch. Ik kon er geen genoeg van krijgen. Het boek moest gewoon uit. Het verhaal is zo ontroerend, dat ik veel gehuild heb. Ook zet het je aan het denken, want er staat veel wijze raad in. Er staan veel dingen in, die ik herken. Ik had vaak, dat ik dacht: “He, dat dacht ik ook” of “dat zei ik ook.”
Ik geef het boek vijf sterren. Ik heb veel gehuild. Het was heel ontroerend!
June 2, 2013
In her trademark style, creating fascinating characters unlike anyone you've read about before but almost exactly like many people you've met, Sarah-Kate Lynch introduces us to Florence, who (to say the least) is about to have some truly rotten things happen to her. This isn't a depressing book, though. If anything, it's uplifting, inspiring and at times great fun. Lynch has a way of introducing real life into fictional tales in a beautiful, delicate, reach-inside-your-heart way. A wonderful perspective-offering read.
Here's one of my favorite and most telling passages:
"In the past I think I had corralled rotten things into groups of three because at some level it gave me the impression I was controlling them, keeping track of them. In my world I believed the universe would only dish out so much shite before it realised it had overdone it and corrected matters.
That, of course, turned out to be nonsense.
The truth is that sometimes the shite just keeps on coming and that is what is so unfair. But here's the thing: it's never all shite. If you can wake up in the morning for just long enough to breathe in and out and see the sun shining, you're already surviving it. You're already if not getting around it, at least getting over it, getting past it.
And who knows what can happen then?"
Here's one of my favorite and most telling passages:
"In the past I think I had corralled rotten things into groups of three because at some level it gave me the impression I was controlling them, keeping track of them. In my world I believed the universe would only dish out so much shite before it realised it had overdone it and corrected matters.
That, of course, turned out to be nonsense.
The truth is that sometimes the shite just keeps on coming and that is what is so unfair. But here's the thing: it's never all shite. If you can wake up in the morning for just long enough to breathe in and out and see the sun shining, you're already surviving it. You're already if not getting around it, at least getting over it, getting past it.
And who knows what can happen then?"
July 31, 2010
On Top of Everything
Sarah-Kate Lynch
Rotten things happen in threes in Florence’s family so when she’s fired by her best friend and left by her husband in the space of a single afternoon, she knows there is yet more trouble brewing. And when her son Monty returns from his gap year Down Under it’s only too clear what, or who, that trouble is.
Then the plan to turn her crumbling home into a tea room hits a snag, the macramé at her sister’s house starts to seriously unravel, and why is her doctor leaving so many messages?
Enter Will, a mysterious handyman with a secret stash of chocolate truffles, and soon life – with all its hiccups – is just her cup of tea. A bittersweet story about life, living and the importance of afternoon tea.
Definitely the lighter-side of fiction and approached in anticipation of a frivolous read, away from more technical reading and thinking at work - but didn't fire the imagination as hoped.
Sarah-Kate Lynch
Rotten things happen in threes in Florence’s family so when she’s fired by her best friend and left by her husband in the space of a single afternoon, she knows there is yet more trouble brewing. And when her son Monty returns from his gap year Down Under it’s only too clear what, or who, that trouble is.
Then the plan to turn her crumbling home into a tea room hits a snag, the macramé at her sister’s house starts to seriously unravel, and why is her doctor leaving so many messages?
Enter Will, a mysterious handyman with a secret stash of chocolate truffles, and soon life – with all its hiccups – is just her cup of tea. A bittersweet story about life, living and the importance of afternoon tea.
Definitely the lighter-side of fiction and approached in anticipation of a frivolous read, away from more technical reading and thinking at work - but didn't fire the imagination as hoped.
January 30, 2011
Well, it's really quite difficult to review this without giving away too much of the plot. This was certainly a book that kept me reading! I almost could not believe how many twists the story took, so I did not want to put it down, even though I had to. Florence - the main character copes with the ups and downs of life remarkable well, considering. I enjoyed the extra voice of the supporting characters, who each got an chapter of their own - at times their comments helped to clarify the main plot. I would read other books by this author.
The one thing that did mystify me is the fact that although Lynch is a Kiwi author the book is entirely set in London.
The one thing that did mystify me is the fact that although Lynch is a Kiwi author the book is entirely set in London.
August 2, 2013
Carpe Diem, that is what goes trough my mind now I finished the last page of this book. I don't know if I thought it was a bad or a good book, the tragedies happing to Florence are covering most of the book and I wish that the last chapter of the book was much longer then it was. It's upsetting me that you mainly get to know the sad and angry Florence in the book and that the sweet and nice Florence is only introduced to you in a couple of pages before she leaves ...
Carpe Diem, follow your dreams and make sure that you get to know every side of a person.
Carpe Diem, follow your dreams and make sure that you get to know every side of a person.
April 11, 2010
Sarah-Kate has done it again - pulled me in from the first page, and had me laughing, crying, and thoroughly enjoying one of her creative novels. This is the 4th of Lynch's books that I've read, and I absolutely love her writing style. It's almost impossible to get this one in the States. I had to email her, and have her send it to me directly from New Zealand! Well worth the trouble.
March 17, 2011
I absolutely ate up this book. Florence is a very sympathetic character and you can't help but care about her and want to know how she comes through disaster after disaster that befalls her. The ending was such a perfect wrap up but had me shedding a tear.
January 23, 2011
To be honest, I found most of the characters quite 2-dimensional, with the exception of Florence, who I found excrutiatingly annoying; her continuing selfishness and self-pity was frustrating. I found the saving grace of this book to be the comical observations that cropped up throughout.
June 4, 2013
Heel leuk boek helaas nog niet verder gekomen omdat ik het geleend heb van iemand. Maar zeker een aanrader!
Bijzonder hoe het draait om één vrouw en vanuit de verschillende karakters/mensen die ze ontmoet, zij een blik geven op hoe deze mensen over haar denken.
Bijzonder hoe het draait om één vrouw en vanuit de verschillende karakters/mensen die ze ontmoet, zij een blik geven op hoe deze mensen over haar denken.
June 24, 2013
My first Sarah-Kate Lynch book and it was an unexpected delight that reminds you to take a fresh look at your life and what you make of it. Heart warming, it had me both laughing out loud and catching me unaware tearfully touching. Looking forward to discovering more of her books.
December 7, 2015
cute little book - verrrrrry predictable, but then again not. the final ending (read:last 4 pages) turns it upside down again and what you thought was a feel-good novel turns into a bittersweet 'this is real life'lesson. Courageous tu give it that last spin.
April 26, 2009
An enjoyable read about the life of Florence, who redefines having a bad day. A bittersweet story
February 13, 2016
enjoyable and sad.
June 17, 2009
Because I am reading so many very technical texts about reading, I am partaking of the lighter side of fiction a lot these days.
November 21, 2010
Een erg mooi verhaal, met op het eind zelfs wat tranen. Een heerlijk boek om mee weg te kruipen. Als het had gekund, had ik het sneller uit willen lezen. Ik vind het een aanrader.
November 29, 2010
Fantastisch boek, geweldig geschreven, het heeft me echt geraakt. Gelachen, gehuild en in twee dagen uitgelezen.
October 17, 2012
loved this book - seriously think Sarah-Kate is under rated x
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews