Finishing Touches

I am a huge fan of British Women's fiction. Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors. Hester Browne is moving up my list now, too! "The Finishing Touches" was a fun bok that I just couldn't put down! Since other reviews have already given a story overview, I won't repeat that but just tell you what I thought about the overall story. Betsy was just such a well-rounded character - so insecure about who she is and where she's going in life, that every wonan can identify with her! The author made her and ALL the other charchters come completely to life so you felt like you knew them personally. The storline contains loads of humor and some very touching parts, too. Great work Ms Browne; I'll definately look forward to your next book!

I was intrigued by the summary i wont repeat it here, and i'm so glad i ordered it- this book had everything for a good read- good story a mystery and a challenge- laughter alot of very quick witted comments to make you smile- tears for the love and loss we all have in our lives, a strong and clever heroine Betsy and her friends who are lovely to read about- love stories and a wonderfully written look into what it would be like to be a Londoner or even a part time one. its even good enough to put on my i want to read this book again and refer it to several friends before i forget* I loved it. Highly recommend.

Not, mind you, that I ever was able to do more in Harrod's than visit the expensive toilet - but, since the abandoned baby of the first page is left in a Harrod's marmalade box, I thought it an appropriate reference. :) The wit and cleverness of this delightful book made it a treat I gobbled down quickly, with laughter, wistfulness at times, and occasionally deep compassion. Hester Browne's gift for expression is superb. The descriptions are subtle but exceedingly humorous. There also is an underlying fact, which would have affected the upper classes even more than most, that London has changed immensely in the past twenty years, and that, even at the time of the 'marmalade box baby,' the customs described were preserved by few. Images of women in 1980 learning Victorian customs about how to accept and decline marriage proposals and dine with royalty are a hilarious contrast to their counterparts just two decades later. Incidentally, some of the advice from the finishing school is not a bad idea at any age. The book is a cut above what normally falls into the 'chick lit' category. It has an underlying, subtle wisdom that rises it above the usual fare. Few authors in that genre have Hester's ability with the language - and of capturing much of human nature, warmth, weakness, and hope in the process.

The Finishing Touches is about Betsy, her struggle with who she really is and her desire that young women of today should learn to be more independent rather than simply looking for a career in marriage. . . and so we enter the heavy doors onto the Victorian tiles and oak floors of the Phillimore Academy; a finishing school in modern day London that's just a teensy weensy bit behind the times in what it thinks young women should be taught. The characters are likeable, some not so likeable, but ultimately believable. The story moves fast with quite a few useful tips thrown in for good measure (you'll be buying yourself a little leather notebook in no time!) The ending, although a tiny bit contrived, still bought a lump to my throat. I loved this book - Hester Browne's writing is clear and fresh and you can't help but keep turning the pages.

The Finishing Touches has all the elements I most enjoy--a London setting populated with interesting, very cool characters wearing great shoes, and an intriguing plot. Betsy Phillimore's struggle to drag a staid finishing school into the 21st century is one of the more fun reads I've had lately and Hester Browne is a skilled architect of chick lit. When Betsy returns to her childhood home to attend her adoptive mother's funeral, she is unexpectedly and reluctantly thrust into a leadership role at the Phillimore Academy at the behest of her adoptive father. Soon realizing that the school, her friends and her adoptive family are in desperate need of a firm hand, Betsy becomes the 'fixer', changing the curriculum at the school to include such vital information as how to shop sales, how to parallel park and how to walk in heels, and educating her domestically challenged best friend Liv on the ins and outs of washing machines, bills and cookers at home. To further complicate matters, Betsy is also juggling a quest to find out about her biological parents, two attractive men, the job she left in Edinburgh, the sinister Miss Thorne and the gold-diggling Adele who is in hot pursuit of Lord Phillimore. All the plot elements culminate at an 'Open Day', an event Betsy hopes will recruit future students, and the epilogue and ending are both satisfactory and unexpected. The Finishing Touches is a delight from beginning to end and Betsy is the best kind of heroine--smart, vulnerable and stylish. Hester Browne is a real find, and I'm on my own quest to read more of her books.