img_20170224_113229302One of my NetGalley books, read in the flat in Reykjavik and finished in the Harpa Concert Hall on one of the lovely sofas arranged up the large staircase (pictured). This was a good, light read, ideal for travelling when you might not want something too taxing – thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for making it available.

 

 

Katie Fforde – “A Secret Garden”

(E-book, 14 February 2017)

A light novel but obviously born out of a love of gardening and cooking and some decent research. It centers around early 20s Philly, a plantswoman who has taken over a wreck of a building with her grandfather and set up a nursery, the interesting young baker who runs a stall across from theirs at the market, her customer, the garden restorer Lorna, in her 50s, Lorna’s old friend Peter, who she’s having to accept will never fall for her, and a new interesting stonemason, Peter’s aristocratic mother and the lady who Peter has fallen for, who has big plans to make him spend more money on his country estate.

It bubbles along very nicely and competently, with the female characters adept, resourceful and able, even though this is a fairly traditional romance story; they wield chainsaws, drive vans and save the day, which is refreshing, and certainly don’t need to be saved by a man. A good, gentle read which is well-done and satisfying.