Second Thyme Around

This was just as good a read as it was under the American title, or was this the American title. Anyway, be aware when ordering Katie Fford's books that this is a duplicate. Katie's books are always re-readable though. I really enjoy mature heroines that are treated with humor. She must have cut her reading teeth on Georgette Heyer, just as I did.

I don't normally read contemporary romances but was recommended Fforde by a little old lady on a tour. If this is what she's like, I'll gladly buy all her books. I liked all the characters and hope Fforde will consider sequels for the others in the story. I was simply moved by the Perdita & Kitty thread, and the romance bit isn't that in-your-face but does grow on you. All in all, wonderful.

OK, this isn't going to win the Booker Prize, but I found this book charming and absorbing. It's basically a romance but the main female character (Perdita) is likeable and not sitting around waiting for Prince Charming. I don't normally like romances but this book has much more substance and quality than the average romance. Heroine Perdita has a life of her own already and is not looking for a man. She has a small organic gardening business and loves what she does even if she's not going to get rich doing it. Perdita's ex-husband Lucas walks back into her life. Perdita and Lucas had been married a number of years ago when Perdita was still in her teens; he left her for another woman and broke her heart. He's the new gourmet chef at a restaurant that she supplies -- she delivers vegetables there everyday. There is the predictable sexual tension between the two (she's attracted sexually but still mad at him), but it's all done so well you don't really care if it's predictable. Being set in an English village added to the charm, as does Perdita's loving relationship with the delightful 80-something "Aunt" Kitty, who has more or less raised her. This is the first book I've read by this author -- I'm looking forward to reading more and hope they're as good.

It has taken me a couple of novels to really warm to this author. The first of hers I read she reversed the Pride & Prejudice characters, making Darcy the woman and present day. I had to go recover from this novel with my Colin Firth videotape of the series! However, now that I am used to Fforde's style, I like her. First and foremost, she creates a village of present day English characters and brings you into their world. There is a romance at the center, involving Peridita, a speciality produce farmer, and Lucas, an upscale restaurant chef. They were once married to one another and come together again roughly a decade later. Perdita also has another big relationship, with a woman in her late 80's who lives next door to her. They have been like mother and daughter since Perdita was a girl. Kitty, the older woman, begins to fail and it looks like the end might be near for her. I felt as if I were a part of this village by the end of the book and, really, what more can you ask of fiction?

If you haven't read a novel by Katie Fforde before, prepare yourself for a treat. Second Thyme Around (also published as Thyme Out) is truly a wonderful book. When the book opens, Peri has already grown from a sniveling little girl into a woman ready to be successful on her own, and perhaps even find love again after a disastrous marriage to a young businessman who left her for an older woman. She's settled in the country and is getting an organic specialty farm going, living close to her elderly friend, Kitty, who has been more of a mother to Peri than her own mother ever was. Imagine Peri's dismay when she walks into the kitchen of her largest client (a resort) to find a new chef - in the form of her ex-husband, who has somehow gone from businessman on the rise to hot stuff up-and-coming chef. Sparks start flying immediately between the two, and soon they are enmeshed in each other's personal and professional lives - including the filming of a national cooking series. What saves this from being a traditional and cliched romance is Fforde's extraordinary writing style and storytelling ability. The side stories are essential to the main story and you come to really know each of the characters. She infuses a gentle sense of irony and humor into the plot, but not to the point of distraction. It's a shame that you can't get all of her books in the US, but if you find anything by her - buy it!