Stately Pursuits

A London Times bestseller praised for its irresistible characters, comic timing, and romantic appeal, Stately Pursuits is the story of Hettie Longden, freshly dumped and brokenhearted, who agrees to look after her great-uncle's long-abandoned mansion in the countryside. She is at something of a lifetime low: no job, no lover, no prospects, and no particular talent for resuscitating crumbling estates. So she hopes for nothing more than a good old-fashioned escape. What she finds, though, is a cast of quirky and ever-present neighbors, a couple of sensitive New Age guys, some very humorless bank officials, two disarming little canines, one gracious, dilapidated, romantic old house-and, just maybe, enough elbow grease to polish everything up again.
"Charming…Enormously enjoyable."
"Fforde's appeal is her ability to reproduce the eccentricities of everyday life."
"This Old House meets the Love Channel…A delightful, unabashedly unpretentious love yarn."
"Two opinionated and obstinate people discover, in spite of their different views, a remarkable attraction to each other…[which] bodes well for the house, the couple, and even the cat, Clovis."
"The novel has a warm and fuzzy charm, some nice comic scenes, and the usual romantic contretemps."
"[The] colorful cast of characters and wit are delightful enough to raise it above others of this genre. Both male and female voices are highly differentiated and totally in keeping with their characters."