A Rural Affair

by Catherine Alliott

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE HUSBAND SHE'S LOATHED FOR YEARS SUDDENLY DIES?

Poppy Shilling may have fantasized about her boring husband slipping on ice on his way to get the paper or contracting malaria from a mosquito bite, but she never imagined Phil would leave her so suddenly. When a freak cycling accident takes out her Lycra -- wearing husband, Poppy can't help but feel relieved rather than distraught.

But when a mysterious visitor arrives after the funeral bearing secrets about her husband, Poppy quickly learns that Phil was not exactly the man she thought he was -- and she might not be the woman she thought she was, either.

International bestselling author Catherine Alliott crafts an endearing and quirky "what if" story that will make your heart sing as you follow Poppy on her unforgettable journey.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Womens Fiction, Adult

453 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2011

About the author

Catherine has sold over 3 million bestselling novels worldwide and is translated into eighteen languages.

The first of these novels Catherine started under the desk when she worked as an advertising copywriter. She was duly fired. With time on her hands, she persevered with the novels, which happily flourished.

In the early days she produced a baby with each book - but after three - stuck to the writing as it was less painful.

She writes with her favorite pen in note books, either in the garden or on a sofa.

Home is a rural spot on the Hertfordshire border, which she shares with her family and a menagerie of horses, cows, chickens, and dogs, which at the last count totaled eighty-seven beating hearts, including her husband. Some of her household have walk-on parts in her novels, but only the chickens would probably recognize themselves.

All her novels are published by Penguin Random House internationally, and by No Shooz Publishing in America and will be available in the US in the Fall of 2017.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

An ok book, but certainly not the best Catherine Alliott book I've ever read. Was struggling to finish it after I'd got half way through and the stuff about the hunt made me give up completely as I find the whole act barbaric, no matter that it's a fiction set in the countryside - to portray it as a harmless hobby is WRONG! In fact I wonder if it was rather foolish of the writer to include these scenes because I can't be the only reader to find it extremely distasteful.

[Inita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Šķita, ka šī būs klasiskā romantiskā lubene, kuras ik pa laikam paņemu atslodzei un drūmākas omas aizdzīšanai, bet kaut kā uzjundīja kārtīgas pārdomas par attiecībām un cilvēkiem manā dzīvē. Grāmatā iet bojā galvenās varones vīrs, kurš izrādās viņu ilgstoši ir krāpis, bet atstājis lielus naudas līdzekļus. Protams, ir vairākas romantiskās līnijas, draudzenes ar sarežģījumiem dzīvē un pārpratumi.

[Nina Draganova · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023
Да си дойдем на думата 😄 Не ми омръзват и това е.
2020
Освен , че ми носят голяма забава и прибавят нови уроци от живота, книгите на Катрин Елиът са като учебник за традиции. Огромно е моето любопитство да научавам и чета за традициите на всеки народ. А от английските определено съм респектирана.
Както казва сама авторката :"и перспективата за един добър трилър (в случая чиклит) преди лягане вместо потискащата духа интелектуална изнемога беше истинско облекчение."
2017
Колкото по-нови са книгите на тази моя любима авторка, толкова по-тъжни стават.
Не, че липсват смешни моменти, но не са толкова много .
Не се учудвам, защото е нормално с остаряването , да търсим повече смисъл в заобикалящите ни житейски уроци.
Наскоро прочетох някъде, по какво можеш да познаеш дали един човек е остарял , по това , че вече не се смее.
И това за съжаление е самата истина.

"....представата за мъжете е далеч по-хубава от действителността."

"...щом се целиш ниско , ще улучиш ниско качество."

[Sharon Redfern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poppy Shilling has been fantasizing about killing off her prig of a husband for a while. His obsessive ways, constant put-downs, and absences from their children's activities have gotten Poppy fed up. Imagine her surprise when the constables come to the door to tell her that Phil has been killed by being smooshed with a frozen block of pee that fell from an airplane. Poppy tries hard to be properly sad and grieving but she is happy to move on with her life especially when she finds out that perfect Phil had feet of clay.
Poppy meets with Phil's solicitor to straighten out the will and finds herself somewhat drawn to the disorganized but attractive Sam Hetherington. As it turns out she will need Sam to help with more than the will after a young woman claims that she was Phil's lover for years and that he was leaving her a part of his estate. Poppy decides she is going to start getting involved in activities and joins the local church choir and the world's worst book club. There is also a fairly interesting hunt club section that had both humor and sadness. Poppy moves forward with a few missteps but keeps plugging along.
I liked all of the everyday life that went on in this book. Poppy has enough on her plate to sort out her own life but she still manages to get involved in her friend Jenny's marriage, her other friend's acrimonious divorce, and other assorted girlfriend problems. Along the way, she picks up a young admirer who might put Sam out of her head. The characters were fun and made the plot enjoyable. Like a lot of the Brit-lit I have read, there is a lot going on throughout the book and it is sometimes hard to keep up with who is who but it all works together in the long run. Ms. Alliott is a new author to me and I ended up buying two of her other books after reading this one.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good but way too long and scattered. It's about a woman who is a mom and a wife and lives a boring life. She fantasizes about her husband dying, but then when he actually does its not quite like she thought. What follows is the story of her moving on and discovering secrets that she never knew about her husband. There's a lot of dating and friend drama and it just seemed kind of petty for middle aged women. Mostly, I just felt it dragged on and I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. Between the friends, affairs, pregnancies, book club, in laws, choir, etc. there was just too much going on with not enough depth. I haven't read any Catherine Alliott and I'll give her another shot, but this one wasn't great.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
This book is about a woman named Poppy who's boring husband Phil dies when something falls out of an airplane and hits him. She didn't really love him anyway so its not that big of a deal but then she does go through a weird grieving period. Her dad, a drunk who raises horses, is involved in helping her cheer up as well as her best friends. She starts a book club and starts singing in the church choir with her friends. She finds out that her husband has been cheating on her with a coworker, but in the end she is caught embezzling so justice is served. Poppy inherits a lot of money from her late husband and all is well. She ends up with her lawyer and everything is hunky dory. There was of course, some confusion over who he liked and didn't like and there was also a brief affair with the choir director but he was just after her money. Her friend thinks her step daughter is pregnant but its actually the dog. So much going on it was just so scattered.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments which always appeals to me but the story was over all VERY predictable and many of the characters where completely pretentious which just doesn't appeal to me. It's an enjoyable enough read I suppose but I doubt very much that I will remember a great deal about it a few weeks down the road!

[Laure]

Sometimes I just need a cup of tea and a comfort book. This one made me laugh out loud and forget real life

[First Lady Of Rainbow Land · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me ages to finish it. I think I enjoyed it. In a way.
So we follow Poppy Shilling, a widow(guess how her husband died. He got struck by airplane's frozen urine waste), with two children and lots of baggage problems. Partners in crime her three best friends: Jennie, Angie and Peggy, all three of them with problems of their own. And their portrayals are quite realistic. So and Poppy's life. She has a wonderful relationship with her kids and true friendship with her gals. But in love department? She sucks. I can only hope that she has a happy ending. Because I really don't know if she managed that. The ending left me with dubious feelings. I certainly wanted the author to set more grounds about her new relationship. She got the guy but they hardly even spoke about anything personal in the whole book. Their meetings were pure professional.
I assume if you want to dive into the rural life of UK this book will do it for you.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poppy is a young widow with two small children. Her marriage was not made in heaven. Her husband was not a great guy. And when she is approached by his very young mistress, it makes her become like a zombie. That is when her friends and neighbors step in to save her from herself.
There are many adventures in the village. There are many characters who absolutely hit the mark for being eccentric as well as crazy.
This is a new to me author. I loved her humor and her wonderful development of characters. But, I did not always care for all the village action. At times the action was too far over the top for me.
I am not a genius reader, but I figured out who Poppy’s next man was going to be the first time they met.
The friends and neighbors were funny and at times very, very sad. Her father was a star. He is not the average Dad, but he is a gem. And he loves Poppy to bits.
I wanted to like this book better than I did. At times, I skipped parts that just did not draw me into the story.
I understand that Ms Alliott is a super star writer. I will see about one of her books again.

[Sarah Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much fun. I laughed, I cried and I really rooted for the main character. In particular, I enjoyed the fact that the characters are real, and relateable, rather than everything being a perfect fairytale. I'd highly recommend this book.

[Jane Woodcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved, this book right from the first page when it made me laugh out loud! Not my favourite genre, but because I don't read them very often, am pleasantly surprised that they are actually ok. this being a chic flicky sort of book.

[Sharon Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of the story sets the scene for the reader of the type of man Phil was and the relationship Poppy had with him. We get to know about how they met and where Poppy was in her life when that happened. Finding out more about Poppy’s own childhood we also come to understand why she needed the supposed predictability and dominance of Phil.

Even though Poppy lives for her children and has very little confidence when Phil is alive, after his death and his secret is revealed she questions everything about herself. We follow Poppy on her journey of pulling herself together amidst village life and surrounded by her friends.

Written in the first person, it is very easy to identify with Poppy. Easily influenced by those closest to her because she can see the sense of what they are saying, she nevertheless makes her own decisions when the time is right. The characters in the village are stereotypical and therefore very believable. Best friend Jennie (and her family) also add drama and humour to the plot. My favourite character just has to be Poppy’s father. Loved his eccentricity and the easy relationship she has with him.

The plot and it’s sub-plots are introduced quite speedily which I found left no part where sometimes, you might feel as if you are just coasting along, filling time. In places the story is quite poignant and in others rip-roaringly funny. The hunt had me belly-laughing as did Jennie’s husband Dan being escorted from the train station.

A Rural Affair is very entertaining. It’s the type of book that it’s easy to become engrossed in, losing track of time – the style of writing as well as the content moves the reader fluently along.

Definitely recommend you pick this one up for your summer holiday.

I would like to thank Penguin for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[drey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poppy Shilling never thought life would come to this – raising her two children and taking care of the household on her own, while her husband Phil is always off working or cycling or handing out his passive-aggressive lists of things for her to do. She starts wondering more and more if she married the right guy, and whether she’s brave enough to walk way (with the children of course, as Phil wouldn’t have the faintest clue what to do with them). Then one day Phil’s killed by a freak accident while out cycling. (And by “freak” I mean “OMG, Catherine Alliott did not just make that the cause-of-death!”)

Going through the motions after Phil’s death, Poppy is surprised by her lack of emotion at her loss – until she meets the “other woman” and is stunned by the devastation of his betrayal and the strength of her reaction to it.

A Rural Affair tells the story of a woman whose life is turned upside down not just by the death of her spouse but by his infidelity as well, and her efforts to recover and move on. Using humor to diffuse difficult topics, Alliott takes us through Poppy’s depression, rage at the other woman’s bold attempt to claim “her” portion of Phil’s will, anxiety and resignation at being set up by her friends and neighbors, and eventual realization that she has a life to live, still.

Poppy’s children are darling, her best friends are awesome and endearing, and the setting is perfect for this story.

drey’s rating: Pick it up!

[Rhode PVD · Rating 2 out of 5]

It lurched to and fro from very good to fairly bad. For the first half or so, I thought, I'm reading a rather good book. A book in which an unexpected widow goes through a series of emotions, from calm to depression to exhilaration ... with a solid group of interesting female friends at her side, each standing in for a different aspect of woman: the angry separated wife, the fed up wife of a charming man-child, the wise older widow.

It all felt like a bit of an interesting think piece of being a woman, and if being in a couple was worthwhile for everyone. She gains perspective on relationships and herself.

But then, rather abruptly, the main character begins to act like a complete idiot. Generally in public, while often drinking far too much. It's shades of Bridget Jones Diary.

The book does return to its original themes occasionally after that. The heroine swings back and forth between a thoughtful, adult woman examining her life and the world of womanhood and relationships to a irresponsible drunk flibberdygibbet. Her girlfriends each are then made to look or act foolishly as well, each in her own way.

And then, abruptly and without warning, the book comes to an end. I won't spoil it, but I will say the ending is not really forecast by anything prior, nor based on anything our heroine has learned as a person during her evolution, and thus makes no sense.

It, in fact, is the ending of the flibberdygibbet's book and does not belong to the adult woman.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light hearted and enjoyable read, starting with the death of Phil, Poppy Shilling's husband and as the story progresses, we learn more about the background to her marriage and the reasons for her lack of grief in his loss.

Poppy develops as the tale unfolds, with the help of her friends and family who encourage her to get out, join the local choir and book club and Poppy gradually matures and grows. A very likeable character, you can sympathise with her in her loss and the way she copes with her situation through all the ups and downs of her life. How will it all end? Read on, its an easy read, and gripping throughout, through Poppy's life and that of her friends, her good friend Jenny with her husband, Dan and children, and their trials and traumas.

I greatly enjoyed reading this Catherine Alliott novel, which had been recommended to me by a friend, and would not hesitate to recommend it as an engaging, thoughtful and touching tale. Light hearted enough to enjoy any time, be it at the airport or when relaxing at home. The characters are interesting and there are more than a few laugh aloud moments, as well as some sadness. For me it ticks all the boxes and I hope to read more Catherine Alliott.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really surprised by the mixed reviews for this one on Amazon. Ok, including a particular incident during the hunting scene might not have been the best idea, but I really did enjoy this book from beginning to end. It’s a long time since I last read a Catherine Alliott book, but I’m now acquiring her back catalogue. The writing is genuinely witty – a bit grown-up Milly Johnson? – and although I’m not a massive fan of romantic comedy I found myself laughing out loud several times at some of the predicaments the widowed Poppy found herself in. Poppy’s bereavement, the discovery of her husband’s other life, and her moving on is at the centre of the story, but I also loved her friends – subsidiary characters they may be, but they’re all well drawn and female friendship really is the heart of this book. Such a strong sense of place and community too – from the village shop to the book group, the nearby manor house, the solicitor on the high street, the church, I enjoyed following Poppy’s life for a while. Thanks to netgalley for an advance e-copy.

[Aileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poppy Shilling is married to Phil they have 2 children Phil likes to be
in control of everything. She fantasizes about her Husband dying, until
one day the Police knock the door to say he has been killed, she should
be upset but why is she relived? Phil has been hiding a dark secret but
what could it be? Poppy settles into village life joining various
groups she wants to get on with her life. But can Poppy put the past
behind her and meet someone new that will make her happy? I was really
disappointed with this book; I have read several books by this Author
and really enjoyed them. This book felt long and boring at times, I
skipped on pages and still caught up with the story, I thankfully had
this book from the Library. I know there are 2 sides to every story and
it wasn’t me that had to live with Phil, but I thought it was awful
Poppy fantasized about his death, he didn’t seem that bad!! I wouldn’t
recommend this book.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, a good book is one that makes me feel whatever the character is feeling. This book wore me out! I felt Poppy's euphoria and her deepest depression and all the emotions in between.
Poppy had imagined, in an abstract way, how it would feel if she were to become a widow. When her husband is suddenly struck by debris from a plane, (you won't believe what the debris actually was), she is actually relieved. When a woman comes to her door after the funeral, Poppy learns that her marriage was an even bigger sham than she thought and spirals downward. Thanks to her quirky friends and her loving father, Poppy receives more support and advice than she needs, but she figures everything out, finally, on her own.
Even with the downward spirals, Poppy continued to make me laugh as she made her way through her sudden status as a widow, single mom, and dating eligible woman. Go, Poppy!

[Fiona Groves · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I enjoy about Catherine Alliot, Cathy Kelly, Marian Keyes, Fiona Walker etc is that they write with such humour even when the characters are dealing with tough issues. The book begins with the main character, Poppy Shilling, fantasizing about her painful husband meeting his maker in some accidental way and then that's exactly what happens in the most bizarre way. She's left to pick up the pieces and deal with her guilt about her lack of grief. Subsequent information proves that he was even more of an ass than everyone assumed. The rest of the story plays out in the village and also involves all of Poppy's friends and neighbours and their own issues. I laughed out loud a number of times and was sorry to leave them all at the end.

[Hannah Symonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having never read any of Catherine's books before I wasn't sure what to expect. I did find it hard to get in to but once I had it was an enjoyable read. There were some very amusing moments in the story which I loved. I wasn't really sure about the plot but it seemed to work. I found myself warming to the village life and I loved it when Poppy the main character gets on a horse when she hasn't been on one for ages, I think this part really drew me into the story. I would definitely like to read another one of Catherine's books.

[Diana Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've ever read by this author. I picked up as a person who isn't particularly into romance or chick-lit or anything in that spectrum. I just wanted something out of my comfort zone and it was in my local library so I decided to give it a shot. I read this book very quickly. It was a very enjoyable read, it wasn't full of clichés and the way the story flowed was great. All the characters felt like real people and I felt like I learned from them. I would read more of her work in the future to see how it compares.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read, like Jilly Cooper with less sex and Joanna Trollope with more laughs. All the usual country saga suspects: horses, fit local lord of the manor, randy old goats propping up the bar in the village pub, and an Aga, of course. Entirely predictable ending but it doesn't really matter, put your feet up after a hard day with this book in one hand and a glass of wine within reach of the other, and you're sorted.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gosh, I must be in the minority for this review but what a ridiculous read! Everything about this story annoyed me, from the far-fetchedness of Poppy riding a horse in a hunt with no experience to the happy ending, just her complete disregard for her kid's welfare and the whole storyline with the pregnancy test....took me 2 months to read it. It did pick up in the second half but that could have been because I was keen to tick is as completed. Not an author I will be exploring in the future!

[Alison Huettner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readable enough, but kinda dumb. All about a bunch of well-off ladies of a certain age -- widowed, divorced, cheating -- playing musical bachelors. They couldn't find anything else to do with themselves?

Also, the heroine's logic is seriously lacking. She was going to take her time about a second husband? Get to know him really well, not rush into anything? And then she commits on the basis of , what, ~4 brief meetings? It felt like the main attraction was $$$.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew how it was going to end, but I still enjoyed all the goings-on of Poppy Shilling and her friends. It was a fun story with some good laugh out loud moments. I do like Catherine alliott and definitely think that her books have got better over the years. She is one of my favourite chick lit writers.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book! It is so funny and the characters are so enjoyable. I was wanting a light read and ended up getting so much more. I highly recommend to everyone just to give it a shot! So hilarious, I’ve already bought another from this author.

[Tamara Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute, fun but please I am so tired fumbling, bumbling woman where are the strong woman in these books.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun read. It isn't going to win any awards, but there are parts that caused me to pause and do some thinking. There were other parts that caused me to chuckle aloud.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish. I could not relate to the main character. She was to whiny for me.

[Brandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadfully slow....... not worth the read