A Year at the French Farmhouse by Gillian Harvey #Review

 

Today I have another warm, uplifting read by Gillian Harvey. A Year at the French Farmhouse was publlished by Boldwood Books on 22nd September.

Escape to France with this warm, witty romantic read.

After ten years of loyal service Daisy Butterworth has been made redundant. Like any clever woman, she knows the cure to redundancy is a little too much wine and her best friend.

Only the next morning, Daisy has more than a hangover . . . she has a whole new house – in France!

Seeing this as an opportunity instead of a disaster, she’s excited about finally moving to France, just as she and her husband always dreamed of. However, Daisy is in for another surprise. Despite planning to move there for over 20 years, her husband never actually intended to go.

So begins a year in France, alone, renovating the gorgeous old farmhouse that is held together by wallpaper and wishes.

Will a year at the French farmhouse be just what Daisy needs? Or could it be the previous owner, Frederique, that is the answer to Daisy’s dreams?

 My Thoughts

In this enjoyable read, you are transported to France and get to see how Daisy adjusts to her new life in a remote French village.  This has been her lifelong ambition but she soon realises that there are many pitfalls in her new life. There are plenty of amusing moments. Some stem from the situations but many come from the characters themselves. I especially liked her relationship with her teenage son and how used she was to his moods and adolescent angst.

    This is a story about making new starts and new friendships. It is also about stepping outside your comfort zone and taking a risk. Daisy's marriage to Ben seems to have ended in disaster but throughout the book, she remembers key moments in their life. There is more to Ben than appears at the beginning of the story and this leads to some surprising moments. Full of gorgeous descriptions of French food amd the countryside, the story has a real gallic feel and takes you away for an uplifting read.

In short: Starting over

About the Author

 

 

Gillian Harvey is a freelance journalist and the author of two well-reviewed women’s fiction novels published by Orion. She has lived in Limousin, France for the past twelve years, from where she derives the inspiration and settings for her books. Her first title for Boldwood, A Year at the French Farmhouse, will be published in September 2022.

You can follow Gillian here: Facebook

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Book link:Amazon UK

Thanks to Gilliam Harvey, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the event.

 

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