A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English Countryside

Susan Branch’s Memoirs #3

by Susan Branch

A thrilling ocean voyage on the Queen Mary 2 from New York City to Southampton culminating in a two-month ramble through the charming backroads and small villages of the pastoral English countryside in the spring of last year is the subject of this delicious travel journal that Susan has painstakingly hand-lettered and watercolored in the way many of us have grown to love over the years.

Join Susan as she recounts her lighthearted ramble of discovery through the historical homes and gardens of art and literary heroes, along ancient footpaths, through wildflower meadows and fields of lambs, into tea rooms, pubs and antique stores. This lovely hard-cover book includes hundreds of photographs and a red ribbon sewn-in book mark. A Fine Romance is a work of art, part love story, part travel guide and all dream come true.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, British Literature, Biography, Art, Biography Memoir

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I'm the author of the Heart of the Home series of hand-written and watercolored books, and most recently, a three-part illustrated memoir that begins with The Fairy Tale Girl (as the appetizer), goes to Martha's Vineyard, Isle of Dreams (for main course), and then (for dessert) it's A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside. (You can take the girl out of the cookbook, but you can never take the cookbook out of the girl.) Hope you love them. I've been waiting a long time to tell this story.

Follow Susan's Blog http://www.susanbranch.com/
Follow Susan on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friend...
Follow Susan on Twitter https://twitter.com/dearsusanbranch
Susan's BOOKTOUR May-July 2016 http://www.susanbranch.com/coming-soo...

Reviews

[Susan Branch · Rating 5 out of 5]

My newest book. I think it's adorable, but that's just me. It comes out in September. SO excited. (You can read more about it if you click on the cover. )

UPDATE: it came in early! You can read first reviews in the comment section on my blog at www.susanbranch.com.

ALSO: I made a special bookmark for everyone reading A FINE ROMANCE .... If you'd like one, just go here http://www.susanbranch.com/wp-content... -- you can print the bookmark onto card stock (which fits in printers just like other paper). ♥

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Treat yo' self!" – Tom Haverford

This has been an interesting year, to say the least. On the day I turned in my resignation from the job I'd had (and loathed) for the last 6 years, I decided it was time to follow Tom's advice. I drove to the closest Barnes and Noble, beelined to the travel section, and picked up the book I had been salivating over for the last few months.

A Fine Romance is a delightful edition to any bibliophile's library. Not only is it a beautiful book, but it's definitely worth the hefty price tag of $27. That is pretty steep for someone like me who doesn't pay more than $3 for books, and almost always buys books second hand. It's also the reason why I was a loyal visitor to it just about every week. I'd gently unshelve it, and sit down in the aisle with my latte to casually peruse its pages.

Susan Branch published this diary, which chronicles how she met her husband, and how they finally decide to travel from their home in Martha's Vineyard to England across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2, to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Once in England, they tour the countryside, have lots of tea, and visit many historic homes and antiuqe shops. Sounds like my kind of trip! I've dreamed of visiting Jane Austen's home and Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm. Sigh.

If that isn't enough, it's set up in a scrapbook style which includes fitting quotes, recipes, pictures, and all kinds of ephemera. Sigh. I guarantee that you will love this book! It's impossible not to, especially if you're an anglophile or enjoy travel writing. In fact, this takes travel writing to a whole other level! I especially loved her disclaimer:

"The words contained in the following pages are true to the best of my knowledge. If I've made a mistake, gentle reader, please remember the famous quote from Bridget Jone's Diary, 'It's just a diary–everyone knows diaries are full of crap.' Thank you!" – The Management

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish I could rate this higher, but the author's sickly-sweet gush was too much even for this romantically-inclined Anglophile. Even I (who have been known to wax poetic on occasion) felt a couple of tinges of second-hand embarrassment over some of the goo I was reading.

Or maybe I'm just in a crabby mood.


It could be that.





Nah.

[Negin · Rating 5 out of 5]

From time to time, I come across a book that makes me wish I could afford to place a bulk order and send copies to my friends – in this case, to all my friends who love the English countryside and/or British literature. This is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read. It’s a travel journal of the author and her husband’s two-month trip visiting the homes of authors, artists, and all sorts of fascinating places. The watercolors and photos are an absolute joy – recipes included as well! Reading this makes me look even more forward to our upcoming trip to England.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed Susan Branch's cookbooks and especially her art for years, and it's a rare January that her calendar doesn't get refreshed in my kitchen. She hand-writes and hand-illustrates all of her work, with lots of flowers and animals and quotes-- very much my style. I always have a little something of hers around to make me smile.

This beautiful book (just paging through it with the photos and paintings is breathtaking) took me by surprise, because I didn't know she was such a talented travel writer. I was expecting pictures, drawings, and recipes, which are all in here, but the narrative is the real gem. She has a way of describing England that doesn't just tell you what it's like-- you FEEL what it's like: "Just as we were steaming past the Statue of Liberty, the sun came out for the first time today, shining on her starry crown, lighting up New York, and putting a twinkle on the hundreds of champagne glasses dangling over the rails... we agreed that at that moment we felt like the luckiest people in the world."

The trip is in honor of her and husband Joe's 25th anniversary, and they travel on the Queen Mary 2, then go to nearly every place in England I've longed to visit: Sissinghurst, Chatsworth, Beatrix Potter's home, Jane Austen's home. As I would, Susan spends plenty of time in the gardens among the birds, flowers, and bunnies, and the pictures and paintings are gorgeous. The part where she is alone in Beatrix Potter's garden is a love letter.

The whole book is, really. I read this before bed for several nights and had the most beautiful dreams. If you are an Anglophile, if you've ever loved Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen, flowers, or travel by boat, this book is a wonderful experience. I'm starting it over so that I can savor every page-- even the borders are gorgeous.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this was sheer bliss! I loved traveling along with Susan and her darling husband. I knew of Branch's popularity and work but was not a collector of her books and art myself. So it was great "getting to know her" through this book and I feel I've "met" another kindred spirit ;-) Her itinerary was filled with places I would have loved to visit (the sections on Beatrix Potter's house alone were enough for me to fall in love with this book). I adore all the details, photographs and illustrations she included about her trip. I felt transported and wanted to cry at the end because I was so homesick for England even though it's never been "home"(except the eight days it was my home-away-from-home on a vacation six years ago) call me crazy, but Susan gets it ;-)

*hearts galore*

[Gina House · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly LOVED this book!! I would give it 10🌟 if I could! A hug worthy book if there ever was one!

So many things to adore about this book: the absolutely beautiful illustrations (I love watercolors so much!), the enthusiastic tone and style, the gorgeous writing, the photos, and the amazing fun and adventurous spirit you get from reading this book. It’s like I went with her and her husband on the trip to England myself!

Not only that, but she writes about pretty much everything I love in the world: reading, knitting, watercolor painting, writing, England, Jane Austen, Elizabeth von Arnim, Emma Bridgwater, Beatrix Potter, roses, tea and teacups, food, gardens, walks in the country, William Wordsworth and many, many others. The only things that were missing were Gladys Taber (though I know she loves her books as much as I do) and Elizabeth Goudge.

A dream of a book! The added notes section at the back (beautifully decorated), index, lists of recommended books, movies, and recipes is just the icing on the cake. A book Kate Howe would call “SPARKLING”!! My most highly recommended book of 2021 🤩💚📚💞

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to confess that I didn't read this book, but I did buy it for my husband and he ADORED it SO SO much - he isn't on goodreads but wanted me to post about it as he thinks it is one of the best books - EVER! He loved that it was written like a journal with photos and sketches, etc. He lost his mother (who was from Britain - she came to Canada when she was 18 but died when he was 14)tragically and he had been to England many times as a child (they would go for the month of September each year) and both of us once we were married have been many times. He just felt this book was so wonderful about a country that he loves and so I have posted this.

Interestingly enough, you can't get it electronically - probably because of all the artwork and sadly the local library didn't have it, so I bought it from www.abebooks.com and he says he is not donating it to the library but keeping it to read over and over - lovely book! I will get a look at it soon too, once he lets go of it for more than 10 minutes.

[Sharon Ouderkirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally lost track of time and self when I was reading A Fine Romance. Susan Branch's memoir of her trip to England is filled with delightful watercolour illustrations of her irrepressible enthusiasm for all things British. She and her husband, Joe travelled throughout England, visiting the homes of many historical figures - Anne Boleyn, Beatrix Potter, Vita Sackville-West, William Morris- and she captures the fan thrill of seeing how her heroes lived. She has an eye for the sometimes quirky British sensibility, and she makes the reader feel that they too are on this once in a lifetime dream trip.
My sister has been a Susan Branch fan for years, and I borrowed the book from her library on her recommendation. As a lifelong reader of English literature, I expected to be interested in parts of the story, but I didn't expect to LOVE IT like my sister does. Branch is an honest and open reporter, full of love and enthusiasm for life and adventure, and her spirit touches the reader's soul and infuses it with positive energy. I eagerly look forward to reading through Branch's other works this summer - looks like a summer of delight for me!

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t remember exactly when or where I bought this book; I’ve kept it displayed on the table in my entry, because it’s so pretty, but it has remained unread until now. As it turns out, I’m glad I didn’t read it before. I can’t remember when I first read about England. I discovered Harlequins when I was 8 or 9, many of which were set in the UK, and those were shortly followed by James Herriot, Agatha Christie and the Brontë sisters - to name a few (sadly, I didn’t encounter Jane Austen until much later). I’ve longed to go to England all my life, it seems, and then last year we finally went; it was everything and more than I ever dreamed.

Anyway, this book talks about the author and her husband sailing to England for a 2-month holiday. They visited many of the places we did; she details their experiences driving on the wrong side of the road and it was JUST LIKE US. I enjoyed this book so much more because I could relate to it. I read bits of it to my husband - he’s been sick - and we would laugh and he would start coughing and then we would laugh some more.

Besides the shared experiences, it’s a charmingly illustrated little book with photos, flowers, snippets of songs and poetry. Yes, sometimes she goes a bit over the top and into twee-ness, but I forgive her for that. Yes, England has problems (as does every country in the world); not everyone lives in the storybook cottage in unspoiled countryside. But one sees enough of the ugliness of life on the news and the internet that an occasional dose of oversweeted gushing about gardens and thousand-year-old pubs isn’t going to damage oneself. As Ms. Branch advises at the end of her book:

Meditate: Say sweet things to yourself and count your blessings every day.

Take a deep breath of fresh air before going to bed at night; take note of the stars and make a wish for the world.

[Emma Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread in 2020 - one of the most special books in my collection this one is. Utterly charming and made me so homesick for England. Absolutely wonderful, full of ideas of places to visit, things to make, quotes to treasures and wonderful memories. What a gorgeous, gorgeous volume.


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Original review in 2015 - Oh my god what a marvellous book! I don't always enjoy travelogues because they rarely stand on their own unless you've visited the places mentioned yourself. This is completely different. Thanks to Susan's wonderful drawings and passionate, fresh, simple writing, I never felt like I was missing anything. It's a beautiful tribute to the English countryside with not only places but lots of food and books - my kind of bliss. I feel like it was made just for me as it contains all the things I love. Beautiful, beautiful book, it was like meeting a best friend.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read, December 2022…
I savored Susan Branch's journal of a trip to England just as much the second time through. It's absolutely wonderful for reading just a few pages a day. A gorgeous volume that evokes all the most thrilling possibilities of two months to spend in multiple swoonworthy corners of the English countryside. Bliss!

Original review follows:

This book is a warm hug, a crackling fireplace, a handmade blanket, and whatever other metaphorical images of comfort you can think of.
It is the author's journal of a two-month trip to England, and it is delightful. She narrates day by day their sightseeing and the new habits they form in the English countryside, and her love for it all breathes through every sentence.
It is much more than a travelogue, and it is certainly not a travel guidebook. It is an account that has much in common with the way I would probably experience England if I ever get to go. There are long country walks, discoveries of new food and drink (and a few recipes, yay!), musings on the people and places so closely tied to English history, and affectionate tributes to her favorites. There are also BEAUTIFUL watercolors (this is one talented lady) in the margins. There are photographs too, but the paintings are the real stars. Because of the design choices on every page (including the use of handwriting instead of computer font), you really do feel like you have picked up someone's diary/scrapbook.
This book is not mainstream (what, really?! I thought everyone would be like me and wax poetic and starry-eyed about the beauties of the English countryside) ...there's no digital edition and not many libraries have it. My library was kind enough to find it for me through interlibrary loan. I highly recommend it! I mean, only if you like tea, cute little lambs, Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter, watercolors, wildflowers, castles, and happiness.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to read other people's diaries, so I finished Susan's latest book the night it arrived. My husband said, "Can you turn off the light?" I did and stayed up smiling in my reading chair until I reached the end. Susan's writing style is so friendly. She doesn't cover ground she doesn't know or understand, so her writing voice is genuine. This perfect little book IS different than her other books, but still vintage Susan Branch. One of the many reasons she has so many followers is because she writes HAPPY. People can call me touchy feel-y all they want. When I read Susan's books and her blog, I take joy. There are A LOT of cheerful hearts out there. Yay!

[Barb Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this book is so lovely......take extra time to savor this one.

[Gloria Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious, wholesome, & heart-felt. A lovely travel diary. 💕

[Hannah Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t have read A Fine Romance at a more perfect time. It was the perfect book to read while cooped up in a hospital room waiting for Robert to heal. I sailed right along with Susan Branch and her husband, Joe, as they journeyed to England via ship and explored the country for two months. This book is not only Susan’s diary during their vacation in England. It is also a very informational and exhilarating guide to both well-known and hidden places in England, many of which belong to the National Trust. Above all else, this book is a journey of the senses, using a mixture of her characteristic font, gorgeous watercolors, and real photographs to describe, with incredibly absorbing detail, two months of smelling, tasting and sight-seeing springtime England.

The beginning chapters quickly but romantically describe how Susan and Joe met and fell in love. It’s an ordinary love story bedecked with remarkable details like the illustration of Joe with an enormous bouquet of flowers - an illustration I cannot help but keep revisiting. After enjoying their first journey to England in 2004 Susan and Joe decide to visit again in 2012, this time documenting their adventures. Susan’s diaries wholly reflect their love for history, food, gardens, art, and old-timey movies and music.

I was mesmerized by the beauty of this book, often spending several minutes examining pictures and illustrations - their messy ship room, or rather, ‘cocoon,’ strange English curiosities such as the magnetic soap holder, gorgeous illustrations like Susan’s black teapot drawing, and inventive mixed media techniques such as the watercolor tea being poured into a picture of a real teacup. It took me at least an hour to carefully comb through the Beatrix Potter pages. Because of Susan’s excellent attention to detail I felt like I was exploring Hill Top as Beatrix Potter herself.

I could smell the ‘raw celery’ smell of the air, taste the bangors and beans and feel the petals of each flower. My heart danced with joy each time Susan listed all the springtime flowers, the accompanying illustrations so perfectly lush it looked like the flowers were growing from the pages of the book. Ordinary details such as eating hot milk cake while knitting with a friend, wood pigeons cooing ‘my toe hurts Betty,’ and hillsides ‘dotted with lambs’ made me fist pump the air in elation.

This book is balm for the spirit. Whether you are looking for a magical retreat, a helpful and incomparable England travel guide, or inspiration to write a memoir or scrapbook of a special moment in your life, this book has something for everyone. Artists of all varieties - chefs, painters, scrapbookers and gardeners – will be regaled nonstop with inspirational daily passages rich with recipes, gardening and artwork. Anyone who is a fan of old-timey movies and music, especially Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, will find snippets of songs and scenes on nearly every page. Adding to all this excitement are many tranquil moments like relaxing by a fire in a centuries old pub, walking ancient footpaths and indulging in afternoon tea. As you read A Fine Romance don’t be surprised if your heart metamorphoses into fluttering watercolor and unexpectedly takes flight.

[Judith Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply loved this book! We've been to England twice. This book made me yearn to go again. Have not yet been to Beatrix Potter's Hillside Farm, but Susan makes me feel as though I've been there! It's a charming book. Hand-lettering, photos and Susan's wonderful watercolor paintings. A delight to read....and am glad I own it.
She recently spoke at Malaprop's Bookstore here in Asheville. Susan is charming and sweet. Loved hearing her!

[Nellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just received my copy a few days ago. The end papers were such a delightful surprise!! I'm reading a little bit each day to savor this wonderful diary. It's absolutely fabulous. Cheers to Susan Branch for gifting us with such a marvelous book.

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the most boring things I've ever read. Got about a third of the way through (when she finally gets off the boat!) before opening to a few random pages to see if they were consistently as plotless. (They were.) I love a cutesy book and really enjoyed the watercolors and style, with recipes and photos pasted in, but other than that, it was literally: "Dear Diary, today I finally saw this. It was SO beautiful. See you tomorrow!" It shouldn't even be advertised as a sequel/trilogy with Martha's Vineyard: Isle of Dreams (which I really loved) and A Fairy Tale Girl (which I liked less, but was still engaging). I was going to end this review with a "read this if..." but I couldn't even think of anything that would make this bearable. So I guess read this if... you are Branch herself or illiterate and just like to look at pretty pictures.

[Carrie Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my Heavens! I don't have enough charming words to describe this most delightful and informative book. It is endearing and Susan shares her most innermost thoughts and self - her story, her life, her Joe and her dream trip to England come true. It will make you fall in love with the English people, pubs, countryside, decorating, gardens and narrow roads ribboning throughout England. My heart stopped several times as I imagined what she was describing...her visit to Beatrice Potter's garden, her trip to Charleston and being at the Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II. I gulped, teared up or laughed out loud so often that I was glad I was home in my own little corner so I could savor and enjoy this most endearing book. Of course, I dream of going to England and experiencing some of the most lovely places she and Joe went! Also, her artwork and a multitude of quotes absolutely make this book a treasure. And it's all handwritten in all it's loveliness. A most delightful experience to read and savor with cup of tea close by. Oh my, like I said, I don't have enough charming words to say about this 5 star read.

[Anne (In Search of Wonder) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about this book!

I love the subject - England.

I love the format - just absolutely stinking cute with the hand-lettering, and the watercolor paintings, and all the quotes sprinkled throughout.

I love that they took the Queen Mary 2 to England.

I love the chatty, whimsical vibe of the narration.

Read it - you'll love it!

[Beth Bonini · Rating 4 out of 5]

”I’ve never considered myself to be an Anglophile. I looked it up and read an Anglophile is “a person who’s fond of British culture,” which sounds mild but I always thought there might be a sort of irrational cultishness to it, so I wasn’t an Anglophile, I just liked England.

Now I realize an Anglophile is not made, she is born - in the gardens of rural England, in a tearoom on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, and she can’t be held responsible. It’s like falling in love, she has to go with it.”

Not everyone will like Susan Branch books, just like not everyone enjoys Julie Andrews singing “These are a few of my favourite things.” But if you are the sort of person who unabashedly loves flowers and kittens and tea cups and Beatrix Potter and old-fashioned things - and if you like watercolours and “chocolate box” houses - and if enjoy enthusiasm and kindly humour, well, you probably are the sort of person who will really appreciate (and maybe even love) this book. It’s also a very good guide (or introduction) to some of the best houses and gardens in England.

[Amie Gentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a darling book! After reading it my new dream is to go to England☺️
Susan Branch did a wonderful job of portraying her and her husband’s trip to England, you felt like you were there with her, traipsing through gardens together or drinking a cup of tea while taking in the wonderful view. Her writing is conversational which was so sweet and made it more personal.
She and her husband visited Beatrix Potter’s home (one of my favorite artists) and Jane Austin’s and James Harriet’s houses who are two authors I love!
I also adored the author’s artsy style, there were pictures in the book of rural England, of herself and husband, and her friends. She had own little watercolor doodles sprinkled throughout the book and shared recipes of their favorite things they ate.
This book just made me happy!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this MORE than 5 stars if there were a way to do it. It was a lovely little "holiday" to read, and Susan Branch loves so many of the things I love that it was a pleasure. We are planning a British Isles cruise right now and so this book got us all excited. I had so much fun reading it that my hubby is now reading it and there are many friends/family that I plan to buy it for. The drawings are so awesome, along with photos and recipes and the text is in Susan's handwriting.

I just re-read this in 2016 from about July to Sept. I had just finished reading Fairy Tale Girl and Martha's Vineyard so wanted to re-read A Fine Romance. LOVED it MORE the 2nd time because we had experienced a lot of it on our driving around in England before and after our British Isles Cruise in 2014.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight from beginning to end. Kind of wanted to start over when i had finished. A travel memoir filled with art, quotations, diary entries., and friendship. Descriptions of the english countryside, a trip across the ocean in the grand old style, and charming drawings, calligraphy, and photographs. When we read travel-writing, we hope to 'go along' with the writers; see with their eyes and hear with their ears. Susan Branch packs us in her suitcase. We had a wonderful trip. I look forward to going with her again someday. : )

[Nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most amazing books i have read this year! I loved taking the trip with Susan! Her artwork is exquisite in the book. How many authors write and watercolor their own book?? NONE! Susan Branch is a treasure!! This is better than 5 star!!!

[Michelle Guffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ditto every word of Alyson's review. She is the reason I had even heard of it, and recommended it to my anglophile friend Carrie B, who afterwards told me I would love it too, so I finally read it. And they were both right. It is perfection. I want to go there. I am in love. With England.

[Deyanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The strength of this little journal of a trip to England is the combination of the art and the pictures. This was a dream come true for the author and her etchings are charming. It reads like a list of where you were going and when with abundant superlatives. I did enjoy the art renderings.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cozy, delightful book. I’m so glad I have a physical copy to revisit when my soul needs a lift. I’m ready to plan a meandering trip to the countryside!

[Lindsey Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! This was visual dessert! Pure delight! I never thought reading someone else’s travel journal could be so thoroughly enjoyable.

Susan chronicles her journey across the sea on the Queen Mary 2 (a sea passage to England- how does it get more whimsical?) and through the English countryside as she and her husband (Joe) visit various landmarks, friends, estates, and homes of great artists like Beatrix Potter and Jane Austen. The pages are entirely hand-written and peppered with lively watercolors, photos, postcards, recipes, quotes, pressed flowers, fun historical facts and lists of books, movies and songs to inspire. She narrates with such a joyful and whimsical voice, I felt like I was walking right beside her (on age-old English footpaths, of course!). And I was rather sad to finish it because I felt like I’d just found a long-lost sister or the coolest aunt in the world.

10/10 would recommend! (But only if you can handle an extreme urge to visit the English countryside).