A Wedding in the Country by Katie Fforde

SYNOPSIS

Lizzie has just arrived in London, determined to make the best of her new life.

Her mother may be keen that she should have a nice wedding in the country to a Suitable Man chosen by her. And Lizzie may be going to cookery school to help her become a Good Wife.

But she definitely wants to have some fun first.

It is 1963 and London is beginning to swing as Lizzie cuts her hair, buys a new dress with a fashionably short hemline, and moves in with two of her best friends, one of whom lives in a grand but rundown house in Belgravia which has plenty of room for a lodger.

Soon Lizzie's life is so exciting that she has forgotten all about her mother's marriage plans for her.

All she can think about is that the young man she is falling in love with appears to be engaged to someone else...

REVIEW

I have never actually read anything by Katie Fforde before, so beginning this book felt like I was diving into a particular world in which I'm not particularly familiar with. I tend to keep to the same types of authors when reading Women's Fiction, it is only now that I have finished the book, I have come to the conclusion that I'm confused as to why I have avoided Fforde's writing before when it clearly is good.

This book is set in the heart of the 60s and it seems like many people's ideologies of the time are present throughout. Whether that be Lizzie's parents that her one aim in life is to be a good wife, or specific views such as homosexuality and the risk it would have been back then. However, it is good to know that Lizzie, as well as her group of friends: Meg, Alexandra, David and Vanessa, take a more modern approach to how they live their lives. To the point that it kind of becomes a relief in times when there are dialogue between Lizzie's parents (I was so furious with them and how they went about trying to solve problems that weren't theirs to solve). Even though it is clear that they are a product of their time, it still doesn't stop me from wanting to slap them (sorry for being so violent).

However, don't mistake my anger of Lizzie's parents and their attitude towards life as being the only characters that made mistakes, Lizzie herself wasn't exactly an angel either. But who would want to be a perfect angel? I think that particularly for Lizzie this is her only true way to rebel against her parents and what they want from her. So that she can make her life her own, rather than having someone dictate as to how she should live. Especially, as compared to other characters, she isn't particularly vocal about what she thinks should be done and thinks sticking to the mould is easier than who she truly is.

As I move onto the romance side of the book, was I particularly fond of it? I'm not quite sure. It is not like I hated Lizzie's love story, if I am being truthful, I didn't mind it. I understand that the main premise of the book is based on how Lizzie is meant to fall in love, but maybe it feels like the lovebug was caught maybe a little too quickly? Trust me, I'm not judging, especially as times were very different and people probably didn't have the same kind of luxuries that we do now. I just wish I got to know a little bit more about Lizzie's love interest, he genuinely seems like an interesting person who I feel didn't get as much rep compared to some of the characters. Even when he did get a bit more time, it felt as though he was a secondary character and wasn't as important.

Ultimately, I did enjoy this book on the whole as it felt like a time capsule to a simpler time and this is definitely the best medicine during the current climate.

RATING: **** (FOUR STARS)

BUY LINKS

Amazon: A Wedding in the Country: Amazon.co.uk: Fforde, Katie: 9781780897585: Books

Waterstones: A Wedding in the Country by Katie Fforde | Waterstones

Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3917/9781780897585

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Hattie du Lac4 February 2021 at 21:15
Totally understand your comment about this kind of book being the best medicine during a pandemic. There's nothing quite like a bit of a soothing romantic escapism to take your mind off the global doom...

We actually interviewed Katie on our library podcast (http://www.loveyourlibrary.co.uk) recently and she was a cracking guest! It only made me enjoy the book more!