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A Year at the French Farmhouse

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A Year at the French Farmhouse

By: Gillian Harvey
Narrated by: Lucy Scott
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About this listen

'Chase your dreams and follow your heart! I loved it!' Heidi Swain

After ten years of loyal service Lily Butterworth has been made redundant. Like any clever woman, she knows the cure to redundancy is a little too much wine and her best friend.

Only the next morning, Lily has more than a hangover... she has a whole new house – in France!

Seeing this as an opportunity instead of a disaster, she’s excited about finally moving to France, just as she and her husband always dreamed of. However, Lily is in for another surprise. Despite planning to move there for over 20 years, her husband never actually intended to go.

So begins a year in France, alone, renovating the gorgeous old farmhouse that is held together by wallpaper and wishes.

Will a year at the French farmhouse be just what Lily needs? Or could it be the previous owner, Frederique, that is the answer to Lily’s dreams?

Escape to France with this warm, witty romantic listen perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jennifer Bohnet and Debbie Macomber.

©2022 Gillian Harvey (P)2022 Boldwood Books Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Holidays Small Town & Rural Marriage Witty
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A nice easy listen to story I didn’t quite quess the ending. But it was an enjoyable ending

Enjoyable story

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Sweet if somewhat predictable but an easy read that doesn’t upset. Would recommend this book to read.

Easy reading

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The narrator is brilliant- her accents are flawless and nicely done. The story is well carried

Good story

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A very predictable storyline but easy to listen to and still entertaining. Very good performance from the reader.

Easy listening

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I lloved it all. The reader's voice very nice. Delightful story, adventure. some great messages

funny, authentic

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Oh my GOD WHAT is with the main character?
The story starts off pretty well with Lily making a big move to change her life after living pretty blandly for a long time. She leaves her husband and moves to France, meets a gorgeous French guy and starts to do up an old house. All very promising.
I was expecting a nice renovation with lots of satisfying descriptions of demolition and bringing the place back to life. Perhaps a side of romance and her husband making a trip over when he realises what he's lost only to find she's living her best life. Or something. ANYTHING but this.
I haven't even finished the book yet and I'm frustrated. The book is written in a style that's very easy to listen to, perhaps because it's very basic and lacks any creative language whatsoever.
Unfortunately there's little character development for Lily at all. The biggest thing that happens to her is that she makes this big ballsy move and after that all she does is self critique and listen to just about everyone else, takes on their opinions and never says anything to stand up for herself or does what she really wants. There's one exception, saying maybe her husband needs a cleaner rather than having her back when her son says his place is a mess and asks her to come home.
The hot French guy turns into a lovesick weirdo who ignores her boundaries and she still continues to go out with him even after one of her new friends tells her he's her ex and that he's not good to women. If I was her friend I would have advised her to stay in her own lane, be a girls girl and to tell the French guy to take a running jump.
She decides to date him anyway and doesn't seem to see that after she says he can't meet he son yet, that showing up unexpectedly and kissing her infront of him is about as disrespectful as it gets.
I wish she could have slapped him and gone out with his friend Claude maybe and to have a good time meeting new people and doing up her house.
BUT NO SHE IS A PUSHOVER THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE NOVEL AND THEN GOES BACK TO HER LOSER HUSBAND WHO DIDN'T SUPPORT HER IN THE FIRST PLACE.
What a sad sad waste of time.

Easy listen but what was even the point

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While I did enjoy this predictable yet sweet story, the main character is frustrating at times and her French love interest a bit over the top. lacked substance but good summer/holiday listen with great narration.

Easy listen but dont expect real development or growth from the main character

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A place I was happy to be taken to, enjoyed the story & performance. A lovely novel.

Life, courage & reality

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Easy to listen to. Looked forward to hear more of the story each time I listened to it, and enjoyed feeling like I was in the beautiful surrounds of a country town in France. Lovely easy listening I will recommend to friends.

Lovely story

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More a romantic “Mills and Boone” than “a year in Provence” or “Driving over lemons “. It never really got going and just bimbled along till the end.

Enjoyed the reader

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