The Reluctant Landlady

by Bernadette Strachan

A wonderfully engaging and romantic comedy about Evie Crump and the residents of 18 Kemp Street...When struggling actress Evie Crump inherits a sprawling Victorian pile from an old family friend in Camden, it would seem to be a dream ticket for Evie and best-friend Bing to escape from the leaky-flat-from-hell. Except it comes with a proviso: she may not evict the existing tenants under any circumstances. There's Bernard, a recluse, who doesn't know how to boil an egg; unforthcoming single-mum Caroline; and the mysterious A P Warne of whom there is no sight. And try as she might to focus on reviving her acting career and her love life (without falling for the charms of her leading man), Evie simply can't resist getting involved in the lives of her new family...

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Bernadette Strachan isn't sure whether she writes romantic books with funny bits or funny books with romantic bits. She was born in Fulham, London into an Irish Catholic family. Before becoming an author she ran a wool shop, produced radio commercials, and was a voice-over agent representing quite a lot of famous people.

She is starting her seventh book and working on a new stage musical with her husband, Matthew. They have one daughter, Niamh and a spaniel called Mavis.

Reviews

[nup · Rating 2 out of 5]

yani ben 2000lerdeki chick flick tropeunu böyle cheesy şeyleri çok seviyorum o yüzden sardı bazı yerleri komikti de bence. sadece sonunun bu kadar hazırlıksız ve acele olmasını sevmiyorum bu tropeun yoksa kafa dağıtmak için ideal. okuması aşırı keyifliydi diyemem genel olarak sardı ama bazen sarmadığı da oldu. bide sonda bi anda kimin eli kimin götünde oldu falan işler baya karıştı. özellikle my jaw dropped to the floor when i learned that aunt bea is like 30 years older like wtfff thats some fucked up shit.

[grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is one of those books that’s always just been on my bookshelf. how it got there, i dont know. but yeah it was fine. ugh, dan.

[Nataliec7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious. The first of this authours that i have read and I will happily pick up another. I really liked Evie and she was complimented nicely by Bing. Getting to grips with the other characters was fun too and I loved the ending even though it was pretty predictable.

[Özge Gizem · Rating 2 out of 5]

popüler yazın dersi için okuduk ama kitapta okuyucuyu çeken hiçbir şey yok niye bitirdim ben de bilmiyorum gerek yoktu yani

[dora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sped through this in 2 days to finish it in time for my final for my Popular Fiction course.
I was motivated to do so by the very short amount of time I have left before the exam and my anger towards my professor (who did not finish discussing the text but expects us to know all of it smh)
The book itself was okay, I probably would have enjoyed it much more if I wasn't anxiety ridden about finishing it on time the whole time I was reading it.
I also did not expect to tear up!!!! and TWO times????
It was the part about love and it being where it falls
I could really use some of whatever Sacha has for luck; stones, runes, spells, psychic help from the otherside... I'll take anything.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wish you'd been invited to Ralph's Party?
Fancy moving in with Will & Grace?
Then come right in & make yourself at home....

Loved this book!!! Evie is a down-on-her-luck actress flat sharing with the man-mad Bing (he's great fun!)but then she inherits a house....& lodgers, get's a role in a TV ad...AND meets a gorgeous guy - things are looking up! Or are they?
Of course Evie's life doesn't go quite so smoothly & it's totally obvious which way things are going but just sit back, go with the flow & enjoy this book...an ideal read for any chick-lit lover!

I think there's more mileage in Evie & Bing...hope there might be a sequel :o)

[lottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to sit down with this book and gather my thoughts for a while. Books, even if their intention is not to reflect, mirror the society of the time it was written. Looking back to the year of my birth and memorizing life around those times and remembering stories my mother told me, this book is a goldmine. It is filled with many references to popular culture of its time and when you get the reference, it makes you feel bliss. Nostalgic even. Evie is a reflection of a 2000s woman, and is still one of us.

Even though I read it as a part of my lecture, it was a time well spent.

[Pip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the most interesting book under the sun.

A very predictable storyline. I didn't find the main characters to be very personable and the story overall was pretty boring.

Best I can say is that it passed the time.

[Kaiti · Rating 5 out of 5]

why was this one of the best books ever. how. I'm shooketh to my core. 10/10

[Tracey Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lighthearted quirky read.
Rather chaotic storyline and unusual characters.

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm coming off a European mystery phase into a serious chick-lit phase. I suppose the connection is that both forms of literature offer an escape from the realities of everyday life. And that is certainly something that Bernadette Strachan's "The Reluctant Landlady" offers. It is, after all, really hard to sympathize with Evie Crump's problems. She unexpectedly inherits a ramshackle property in London (London!), but her life remains plagued by her ability to always (ALWAYS) choose the bleedingly obvious wrong man; and her inability to get any "serious" acting roles. As becomes clear, it's not readily apparent that Evie can actually act...dog food commericals nothwithstanding.

This novel is lighthearted fun. Expect nothing more, and you will wholeheartedly enjoy it.

[Benedikte · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am stubborn. I do not like to give up on books, especially easy reads such as this one. But in the end I did just that after reading about 60% of the book.

I found the characters ordinary and predictable and the plot even more so. I even looked ahead in the book in the end to see if there were some unexpected twists to be found. Did not find any.

[Theresa Tang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up during a book sale when I was a teenager. Five bucks for a new book, why not? I started reading it, finished it in two days, and it's now in terrible shape after being reread dozens of times. This book is in equal turns hilarious and touching. I expected 'The Reluctant Landlady' to be trashy - this was a breath of fresh air. One of those books that you wish would never end.

[Rinniez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Evie Crumb! She reminds me of myself alot! I could really see this book being turned into a movie and i would be first in line to see it! this book made me laugh out loud and i had a huge grin on my face by the end!

[Hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the colourful characters. And the vivid way Strachan describes scenes paints the pictures so clearly in the mind. She uses such funny similes. I have just had to buy all of her books that she has written to date!

[Hazel7797 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I ever read of Bernadette Strachan . . . and it wasn't the last. I just had to go in search for more by her . . . and I have read every single one to date! My only crticism is . . . she doesn't write them fast enough for me!!!

[Phee Sunantarod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished. Eventhough I had problem with lots of unfimiler vocab and I was too lazy to open the dictionary, but as far as I understood, surprisingly, it's fun. I enjoyed the story and all the character. They looked real. Good for the beach reading.

[Carling · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book offers several laughs and a compelling lead character, but Strachan's insistence on crafting a tidy happy ending leads to several cheap plot developments that do the characters a disservice.

[Victoria Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's ok for chick lit, didn't really keep my attention and I found it soooo hard not to skip to the end. Characters didn't really stand out could have been from any book and the end was predictable. Very very slow in the middle but picks up a bit at the end.

[penelopewanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here as a ring.
Enjoyable read, perfect for a day in bed with the flu. Wee bit predictable, but that's half the fun sometimes (told you so!)

[Jennifer Rolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't connect so much with this book as with Why do We Have to Live with Men. I didn't find the characters really appealing but well written.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my type of book and quite an uninteresting read.

[Marcella O'sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of fun light reading

[Sarah Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading!

[Emma Topp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it and was quite funny but just the same as loads of other chick-lits. Good for holidays but didn't stand out.

[Lucy McLaurin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good girlie read! Enjoyed it.