Katie Fforde always makes me feel happy. I'm at that stage in life where I don't need or want to encounter the depths of despair in my reading. Angst is fine, but I have to confess that I like a happy ending, and with Katie Fforde you always get one along with endearing characters, humor, romance, and interesting career choices.
Sian Bishop is the single mother of Rory, a rambunctious 5-year-old and the result of a brief, but never regretted, relationship with a man who was leaving to travel the world. After agreeing not to exchange contact information, Sian and Gus parted ways before Sian realized that she was pregnant. With the help of her parents she raises her son and pursues her artistic career, painting wonderful furniture and murals. When Rory is unsuccessful at school in London Sian decides, with the help of her eager but horribly boring friend Richard, to move to the country to give Rory a better life. She loves her damp little rented cottage and her wonderful neighbor, Fiona, whose author son Angus is returning home from his travels soon to finish his book and figure out what's next in his life. In the meantime, Richard, madly in love with Sian, would love for them to be a family. The only problem is that Sian isn't in love with Richard. Her life takes an unexpected turn when Angus arrives home during a dinner party at his mother's home. Suddenly her idyllic country life is thrown into chaos.
Fforde creates characters with heart and soul. You want them to be happy because they are, for the most part, nice decent people who are looking to succeed through hard work. Sian is a wonderful mother and as we watch her deal with the ups and down and misunderstandings and triumphs of life we grow to love her and her spirit. The only thing I didn't enjoy about this novel is that it ended. I really want to know what happens to Sian, Angus, Fiona, and Rory down the road, but Fforde doesn't write sequels! Oh well. I'm sure that he next book will be just as engaging. They always are!
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