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Uma Casa no Campo
Issy, de quinze anos, e a mãe, recentemente divorciada, lutam por encontrar o seu caminho e o seu lugar na vida, sozinhas e em conjunto.
Aos trinta e oito anos, com pouco dinheiro e a braços com todas as responsabilidades, Caroline tenta reconciliar-se com a nova situação em que se encontra. Ao decidir deixar para trás a desafogada vida que levava em Singapura (bem como o seu infiel marido e a amante de longa data), acaba a viver no pub de uma aldeia inglesa, trabalhando como chef para ganhar a vida, conhecendo as pessoas mais pitorescas da zona e fazendo amigos. Porém, Issy adora o pai e secretamente culpa a mãe pela reviravolta operada na sua vida.Ao mesmo tempo que o sonho de Caroline de converter um velho celeiro num restaurante começa a tomar forma, a sua oportunidade de ser feliz é posta em causa por rumores de vingança e homicídio. Quando Issy, a meio caminho entre a adolescência e a idade adulta, começa a fazer algumas escolhas arriscadas, a situação complica-se ainda mais.
Aos trinta e oito anos, com pouco dinheiro e a braços com todas as responsabilidades, Caroline tenta reconciliar-se com a nova situação em que se encontra. Ao decidir deixar para trás a desafogada vida que levava em Singapura (bem como o seu infiel marido e a amante de longa data), acaba a viver no pub de uma aldeia inglesa, trabalhando como chef para ganhar a vida, conhecendo as pessoas mais pitorescas da zona e fazendo amigos. Porém, Issy adora o pai e secretamente culpa a mãe pela reviravolta operada na sua vida.Ao mesmo tempo que o sonho de Caroline de converter um velho celeiro num restaurante começa a tomar forma, a sua oportunidade de ser feliz é posta em causa por rumores de vingança e homicídio. Quando Issy, a meio caminho entre a adolescência e a idade adulta, começa a fazer algumas escolhas arriscadas, a situação complica-se ainda mais.
373 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2012
39 people are currently reading
656 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Adler
67 books591 followersBorn in Yorkshire, North England, Elizabeth Adler met her husband Richard (an American) while both were working in London. They have lived in England, Ireland, France, Brazil, and the United States and have traveled extensively. They have one daughter and live in Palm Springs, California. Her first novel, Private Desires (also titled Leonie), launched an enormously successful writing career, she also wrote as Ariana Scott. She has now written over twenty internationally acclaimed bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
March 12, 2019
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This is a somewhat entertaining portrayal of a mother and daughter starting over and coming to terms with leaving the husband/father behind. The emotional roller coaster keeps things topsy turvy.
Adler portrays the tensions between a mother and her teenage daughter very well. The vivid descriptions of the setting and interesting glimpse into Caroline's restaurant business make that part of the story heartwarming.
The author is able to paint a very believable picture of the love and angst between the mother and her teenage daughter on the journey into a new life.
The genre (betrayal, suspense, romance, mystery, etc.) seems to fluctuate and the vision becomes muddled. I did not dislike it, but I was not overly thrilled by the overall presentation.
This is a somewhat entertaining portrayal of a mother and daughter starting over and coming to terms with leaving the husband/father behind. The emotional roller coaster keeps things topsy turvy.
Adler portrays the tensions between a mother and her teenage daughter very well. The vivid descriptions of the setting and interesting glimpse into Caroline's restaurant business make that part of the story heartwarming.
The author is able to paint a very believable picture of the love and angst between the mother and her teenage daughter on the journey into a new life.
The genre (betrayal, suspense, romance, mystery, etc.) seems to fluctuate and the vision becomes muddled. I did not dislike it, but I was not overly thrilled by the overall presentation.
August 28, 2012
What in the world has happened to Adler??? Her recent efforts read like some inexperienced author trying and failing to write an Adler-style novel. I have read most of her work and there are some of my all time favorites in there. I recently read Leonie and it was like night and day in comparison to the quality of this work. Plot is shallow and leaves out so much. It is like this was an outline for another story. Characters and storyline are trite. Everything is predcitable yet unbelievable. Dialogue is cheesy. I am so disappointed. Don't bother reading her last 4 novels or so. Read some early works if you enjoy romance + mystery + travelogue that is clever and engaing. It feels almost as if this author is saying, "I've got you hooked so I'll throw you some lazy tripe now and you won't notice." Well I notice and I am offended.
July 15, 2012
One star means "I didn't like it" -- and I didn't. The main characters, Caroline and her daughter Issy, were stereotypes (the gorgeous wife rejected by the jerky husband, and the rebellious, whiny teen). The plot was unreal, and only ended up well because Caroline had three wealthy and/or highly talented men in love with her who were willing to finance or contribute to her plans, plus a family she didn't even know at the beginning of the book willing to house her and give her a job. Even the timing in the book seemed off; when the author tells us that Caroline has been living in the country for a year now, I was surprised it had been that long.
This was a disappointment because I had read other Elizabeth Adler books and enjoyed them, most recently From Barcelona, With Love. My advice is to read that one instead.
This was a disappointment because I had read other Elizabeth Adler books and enjoyed them, most recently From Barcelona, With Love. My advice is to read that one instead.
October 23, 2014
Esta foi uma leitura rápida e ternurenta. gostei tanto de ler sobre Caroline e Issy, sobre os amigos novos que fizeram, a nova paixão e amor de Caroline, as dificuldades de criar uma adolescente, lidar com um divórcio e descobrir segredos sobre o ex-marido e uma nova vida que Caroline inicia em Cotswold. Senti-me fascinada pelo bar de Maggie e Jesus, o celeiro de Caroline e as suas ideias para o tornar num restaurante. E Jim foi tão querido, uma lufada de ar fresco.
Gosto muito da escrita de Elizabeth Adler pois de forma simples constrói uma história apelativa, onde retrata problemas reais, mas sem ser de forma deprimente e difícil.
Gosto muito da escrita de Elizabeth Adler pois de forma simples constrói uma história apelativa, onde retrata problemas reais, mas sem ser de forma deprimente e difícil.
September 1, 2015
Comparo um pouco os livros de Elizabeth Adler com os de Nora Roberts. Não pelo conteúdo mas porque são livros românticos, que invariavelmente acabam bem, mas que têm a capacidade de me agarrar ao longo da história.
Gostei muito, adorei a personagem feminina, uma mulher decidida e forte. Já a filha me irritou um pouco, no entanto tudo acabou como esperado.
Aconselho sem reservas.
Gostei muito, adorei a personagem feminina, uma mulher decidida e forte. Já a filha me irritou um pouco, no entanto tudo acabou como esperado.
Aconselho sem reservas.
April 20, 2015
Opinião completa: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt...
É bom, muito bom mesmo, quando depois de ler oito livros de uma autora, que mantém um estilo de escrita e enredo similares de obra para obra, esta ainda tem a capacidade de surpreender e cativar durante o percorrer das suas páginas.
Uma Casa no Campo é, por comparação, o livro de Elizabeth Adler mais ténue nos atributos com que automaticamente a defino – paisagens de sonho e mistério constante. No entanto, para os fãs de romance com intriga e drama familiar esta será, possivelmente, uma escolha assertiva que eu sugiro, inclusive, a todos os que ainda não tiveram oportunidade de experimentar as suas narrativas maravilhosas.
A história começa, literalmente, com o mundo a desabar sobre a cabeça das protagonistas, Caroline e Issy, mãe e filha. Habituadas a um cenário, sociedade e estilo de vida absolutamente diferentes, estas personagens que sempre tiveram tudo e que agora se vêm com quase nada, vão encontrar um porto de abrigo e várias barreiras que exigirão superação. No entanto, quando julgarem que o passado ficou para trás, o destino irá trazer-lhes uma reviravolta importante para que se conciliem com o que perderam, com o presente, para que possam, finalmente, seguir em frente.
(...)
É bom, muito bom mesmo, quando depois de ler oito livros de uma autora, que mantém um estilo de escrita e enredo similares de obra para obra, esta ainda tem a capacidade de surpreender e cativar durante o percorrer das suas páginas.
Uma Casa no Campo é, por comparação, o livro de Elizabeth Adler mais ténue nos atributos com que automaticamente a defino – paisagens de sonho e mistério constante. No entanto, para os fãs de romance com intriga e drama familiar esta será, possivelmente, uma escolha assertiva que eu sugiro, inclusive, a todos os que ainda não tiveram oportunidade de experimentar as suas narrativas maravilhosas.
A história começa, literalmente, com o mundo a desabar sobre a cabeça das protagonistas, Caroline e Issy, mãe e filha. Habituadas a um cenário, sociedade e estilo de vida absolutamente diferentes, estas personagens que sempre tiveram tudo e que agora se vêm com quase nada, vão encontrar um porto de abrigo e várias barreiras que exigirão superação. No entanto, quando julgarem que o passado ficou para trás, o destino irá trazer-lhes uma reviravolta importante para que se conciliem com o que perderam, com o presente, para que possam, finalmente, seguir em frente.
(...)
January 19, 2016
A part of me is still in shock. Caroline leaves her cheating husband, taking her daughter Issy with her. Thanks to a prenup she has almost no money. Her parents sold their London home and are living in France but Issy doesn't want to go there so Caroline is essentially wandering about England. With no money. They stumble across an angelic couple named Maggie and Jesus who run a bar and grill. After knowing them for just a few hours the couple gives Caroline a job and both of them a place to live rent free. Their daughter Sam becomes Issy's best friend. I could go on with the plot but that is the most believable portion. The rest is just . . crazy. Any way, Caroline opens a restaurant called A Place in the Country and they all live happily ever after. Except of course the ex who got what was coming to him.
I swallowed the ridiculous. The unbelievable. The downright silly. But when everyone behaved as though Caroline OWED Melanie and Asia something there at the end I couldn't take any more. NOTHING was owed. The relationship is not one that places an obligation upon the injured party. Whoever thought up this idea that a duty rests upon an ex-wife for all deeds done by her ex-husband is a misogynist. What a hateful, nasty thing to lay upon single moms. Okay, rant over. Book bad.
I swallowed the ridiculous. The unbelievable. The downright silly. But when everyone behaved as though Caroline OWED Melanie and Asia something there at the end I couldn't take any more. NOTHING was owed. The relationship is not one that places an obligation upon the injured party. Whoever thought up this idea that a duty rests upon an ex-wife for all deeds done by her ex-husband is a misogynist. What a hateful, nasty thing to lay upon single moms. Okay, rant over. Book bad.
February 6, 2013
I admit I chose this book because of the cover, with a photo of a girl walking on a rustic path in a beautiful garden full of hydrangeas. The description sound like something I would enjoy, too: a single mother of a teenage daughter moves to the English countryside to open her own restaurant.
I couldn't stand it! The characters were trite and one-dimensional, and I didn't like the spoiled teenage daughter, the flirty, indecisive, weepy mother, or any of the other overly dramatic characters. The storyline was stereotypical, yet unbelievable (the mother has three wealthy men in love with her, really?) It was confusingly written from multiple points of view, with no concept of the time that was passing. But most of all, I couldn't stand the author's use of either italics or quotes to accent certain words, which has to be grammatically incorrect as well as annoying. For example, "...wondering how to put their new 'home' in order..." or "....she hadn't really ever been a 'chef'...had she been 'a woman' first? Or 'a wife'?" It read like the book didn't have an editor.
Do NOT read this book.
I couldn't stand it! The characters were trite and one-dimensional, and I didn't like the spoiled teenage daughter, the flirty, indecisive, weepy mother, or any of the other overly dramatic characters. The storyline was stereotypical, yet unbelievable (the mother has three wealthy men in love with her, really?) It was confusingly written from multiple points of view, with no concept of the time that was passing. But most of all, I couldn't stand the author's use of either italics or quotes to accent certain words, which has to be grammatically incorrect as well as annoying. For example, "...wondering how to put their new 'home' in order..." or "....she hadn't really ever been a 'chef'...had she been 'a woman' first? Or 'a wife'?" It read like the book didn't have an editor.
Do NOT read this book.
August 17, 2012
With her formerly comfortable life in tatters, Caroline heads back home to pick up the pieces. She and 15-year-old daughter Issy are cautious around one another but realize they are in this together. Finding by perfect chance an old barn in the countryside near Oxford, and with help and support from local pub owners Maggie and Jesus, Caroline decides to open her own restaurant. Everything falls into place with a minimum of stress and work from Caroline herself, whose beauty and cooking skills open the door for her and gain her admiring (and handsome) help. Adler's books are always overly sweet, overly safe, with neatly tied up endings and no surprises and this novel is no different. The subplot of Caroline's ex and his money woes doesn't really go anywhere either, and the inconsistencies in the writing drove me crazy. The characters, supposed to be British, used too many Americanisms (Mom versus Mum, "friggin'", etc.). Skip this one unless you are desperate for something to read.
July 10, 2021
Dreadful. 😵💫
Should have DNF’d it.
This was a cover buy.
And a complete misinterpretation of the cover.
Random unrealistic stupid characters and storyline.
So many complaints about this one. Was hoping for a light chick read instead got a confused plot with an antiquated lead character. 😒
Should have DNF’d it.
This was a cover buy.
And a complete misinterpretation of the cover.
Random unrealistic stupid characters and storyline.
So many complaints about this one. Was hoping for a light chick read instead got a confused plot with an antiquated lead character. 😒
July 13, 2012
I have to be really honest in saying this is the same old safe storylines recycled over and over again, not only in women's lit, but also by the big house publishers, and why I tend to seek out indie authors frequently. A nice safe cookie cutter read which wraps up with a pretty red ribbon. It drives me crazy. I must state that I have a hard time with it coming from St. Martin's Press because this isn't a publisher where I normally see this (maybe I miss those books) and why I sought out to review this book where I have passed on other publishers who fall into the Women's Lit genre. For the most part, the books I get from this publisher are rockin' 4 and 5 star reads. In fact, I tend to zero in on this publisher's offerings.
The storyline husband cheats on doting wife. She leaves and struggles, including resentful children. Then, a dashing man comes into the picture. Throw in a shocking couple of melodramatic moments and *BAM* you have A Place in the Country. Based on the book's description, I expected there to be more but it simply fell flat for me.
So, why 2 stars instead of one. In general, the writing on this book was excellent. I did enjoy the characters to some point...just not the storyline!
The storyline husband cheats on doting wife. She leaves and struggles, including resentful children. Then, a dashing man comes into the picture. Throw in a shocking couple of melodramatic moments and *BAM* you have A Place in the Country. Based on the book's description, I expected there to be more but it simply fell flat for me.
So, why 2 stars instead of one. In general, the writing on this book was excellent. I did enjoy the characters to some point...just not the storyline!
March 23, 2023
Honestly, I couldn't finish this book, and that's a rare thing for me. I really enjoy Irish and English settings, so that's what attracted me to the novel. The storyline was actually interesting and the writing was vivid, clear, and direct, but I was put off by the number of curse words used, especially the Lord's name used as a throw-away. I get that characters display their moral brokenness through language, but as a reader, I understand the concept without a lot of repetition. But beyond that, I was seriously disturbed by the sexual perspective of the women characters—A lax attitude as if sex was just a game. Worse yet, the grandmother encouraged her teen grandaughter's sexual explorations, as if it was "just normal" and not a terrible emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual danger leading to serious woundedness. The whole book lacked a moral compass that bypassed emotional sense. If a story delves into sexual exploits, it should be a bit more honest.
July 8, 2012
This book requires the reader to suspend disbelief—a lot. Caroline, a recently divorced woman with a teen daughter, comes to Oxford as a stranger, happens into a pub run by Mexican immigrants who have a daughter the exact same age, everyone becomes best friends immediately, and they offer her a job. Soon after, she meets a handsome and wealthy younger local man who is instantly smitten. Ex-husband’s mistress shows up with a child she claims was his, and Caroline invites the child to live with her in a barn she is converting to a restaurant. I almost didn’t keep reading because it was so annoyingly fake; I enjoy reading fiction by authors who develop characters instead of making them seem like foolish pawns in a soap opera script.
November 21, 2012
Well, lots of people have already said it. This was just a big disappointment. I picked it up for the setting and hoping for a nice setting piece with a good relationship story. But it was just a jumble of mixed, misfitting events, with the most shallow story of trite characters in cardboard situations.
I was particularly unhappy with the lack of parenting of Issy, the teenaged daughter. Terrible messages going to her, terrible communication, no values handed to her. It was just a depressing read. And even the transformation of the barn into the restaurant was lacklustre without any sense of ambiance.
It wasn't even enjoyable fluff. It was distressing fluff.
I was particularly unhappy with the lack of parenting of Issy, the teenaged daughter. Terrible messages going to her, terrible communication, no values handed to her. It was just a depressing read. And even the transformation of the barn into the restaurant was lacklustre without any sense of ambiance.
It wasn't even enjoyable fluff. It was distressing fluff.
December 23, 2012
This book is a hot mess and I was mad at myself for wasting an afternoon on it. Problems? How about huge gaps in the plot, weird chronologies, story lines that went nowhere, one-dimensional characters, changing viewpoints, and constant, useless references to this or that designer or upscale product. I had vaguely remembered liking other books by Elizabeth Adler, even though this genre isn't my usual fare, but this one needed a lot of editing. It actually read like a first draft.
July 6, 2016
Elizabeth Adler continues to write cute stories that make perfect light readings. She's one of my go-to author whenever I feel the need to read something simple, light, uncomplicated. I love how she travels the world with her books and I certainly like traveling with her. I will continue to turn to her and her books, for sure, even though they aren't (for me) great love stories or even greater mysteries. They are enough to entertain me and to make me forget about real life for a few hours.
December 18, 2018
Gosto bastante desta autora, mas já no livro anterior que li dela achei que havia demasiada mistura de assuntos. A história de Caroline e sua filha, vagueando por Inglaterra para encontrarem um lugar onde ficar, é pouco credível. Encontram por acaso onde ficar e fazem grandes amigos, o que não me parece nada realista. A história do casamento de Caroline, do seu casamento falhado, dos seus pretendentes que nada têm a ver com ela e a desventura da sua filha são pouco credíveis. A parte final é disparatada. Gostei do ambiente e das suas descrições, das casas e da comida apresentada. No entanto, gostei muito mais de outros livros da autora, que até reli.
June 23, 2022
Elizabeth Adler puts us right there in an English village setting where newly single mother Caroline and her teenage daughter Issy have taken up residence after Caroline has left her well-to-do cheating husband in Singapore. Issy resents the upending of her life, and Adler skillfully portrays her resentment, as well as her love, for her mother. And then news arrives that Issy's father has committed suicide. Caroline and her daughter don't believe that's what really happened.
I love all things British, and this book did not disappoint!
I love all things British, and this book did not disappoint!
March 1, 2022
Ufff. I felt like the characters were pretty one-dimensional. I only really like Izzy, the 15 yr old. Too many cliches, and characters that just helped each other out for no effing reason. The narrator had really weird pauses, couldn't say the word "tacos", and kept pronouncing the Hispanic name of "Jesus" incorrectly, super distracting.
September 23, 2022
A classificação correcta seria um 2,5*.
July 10, 2024
Sweet story! Loved the place - the barn and house she found. Love the love story.
Good mystery piece. Very easy read.
Good mystery piece. Very easy read.
June 22, 2012
Newly single Caroline, and her fifteen year old daughter Issy, enjoy a mother-daughter relationship, which is at times fraught with frustration and despair, and yet, inevitably they have a deep and abiding love for each another. After her marriage breakdown, Caroline must try to make a new life for herself and Issy. When forced to leave their home in Singapore, they travel to England, where they attempt to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. However, Issy is a tetchy and argumentative teenager, still coming to terms with being abandoned by the father she adores, and blames her mother for the breakdown of the marriage. Inevitably, Caroline, faced with the prospect of supporting the two of them, needs to find a way of making a living. They decide to settle in a quirky Cotswold village, and quickly immerse themselves in village life, where they begin to make friends, and set down some roots. However, with stability comes commitment, as both Caroline and Issy find their own way of dealing with the events that life throws at them.
A Place in the Country is a strong and emotional story which captures perfectly the mother-daughter relationship, and emphasises the need within us all for love and acceptance. Elizabeth Adler has brought to life the idiosyncrasies of English village life, and has combined this with an array of warm and witty characters. The additional mystery at the heart of the story adds a nice twist and serves to emphasise that life is never easy, and sometimes we have to deviate from our path, in order to get to where we are going.
Having never read any of Elizabeth Adler’s books before I was impressed with her style of writing and the way the story evolved effortlessly. This is one of those lovely books to get lost in – best read on a sunny afternoon in the garden.
I'm now going to search out Elizabeth Adler's other books. She has an extensive back catalogue - so I have many to choose. Don’t you just love it when a new ‘favourite’ author pops along!
My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advance digital copy to read and review.
A Place in the Country is a strong and emotional story which captures perfectly the mother-daughter relationship, and emphasises the need within us all for love and acceptance. Elizabeth Adler has brought to life the idiosyncrasies of English village life, and has combined this with an array of warm and witty characters. The additional mystery at the heart of the story adds a nice twist and serves to emphasise that life is never easy, and sometimes we have to deviate from our path, in order to get to where we are going.
Having never read any of Elizabeth Adler’s books before I was impressed with her style of writing and the way the story evolved effortlessly. This is one of those lovely books to get lost in – best read on a sunny afternoon in the garden.
I'm now going to search out Elizabeth Adler's other books. She has an extensive back catalogue - so I have many to choose. Don’t you just love it when a new ‘favourite’ author pops along!
My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advance digital copy to read and review.
July 28, 2014
Leia a crítica completa no Blog Os Livros Nossos em : http://oslivrosnossos.blogspot.pt/201...
"(...)Neste novo romance, a autora, no estilo de linguagem fluído e envolvente que já lhe conhecemos, relata com ternura e precisão o relacionamento nem sempre fácil entre uma mãe e a sua filha adolescente, estando Issi em pleno processo de construção da sua identidade, num momento em que se sente entre dois mundos: por um lado, a crise familiar faz com que tenha de reequacionar toda a vivência no núcleo familiar que, até ai, conhecia; por outro lado, começa já a sentir, no seu íntimo, o despoletar de uma personalidade que caminha já em direcção à idade adulta que se aproxima. Bastante realista será a relação de proximidade, confiança e ternura que surgirá entre Issi e a sua avô materna Cassandra, a qual sentirá como um bom porto de abrigo, num momento bastante delicado da vida da jovem.
Por sua vez, Caroline, após um casamento falhado, tendo a seu cargo a imensa responsabilidade de uma filha adolescente, a vivenciar uma fase problemática, começa a ser alvo do interesse de alguns pretendentes masculinos locais, mas vive um conflito interior ao nível psicológico, na medida em que teme falhar novamente, receando envolver-se com o atraente Jim Thompson, mais jovem do que ela, e temendo magoar Mark Santos (sócio do ex-marido) que assume uma paixão antiga para com Caroline, e que se revela um bom amigo.
Para condimentar ainda mais a narrativa, a autora soube introduzir, de forma hábil, um toque de crime e mistério, que leva as protagonistas a viverem alguns momentos de alta tensão, enriquecendo bastante a trama, e sendo um ingrediente adicional para motivar a leitura.
Profundamente sensível, humano, apaixonado e com um rasgo de mistério, uma história do nosso tempo, que alerta também para questões como o conflito de gerações, as dúvidas da transição da adolescência para a idade adulta, e ainda o experienciar da entrada na meia idade, como desafios importantes e próprios do processo de desenvolvimento humano. Questões estas sabiamente tecidas por entre os fios da narrativa.(...)"
"(...)Neste novo romance, a autora, no estilo de linguagem fluído e envolvente que já lhe conhecemos, relata com ternura e precisão o relacionamento nem sempre fácil entre uma mãe e a sua filha adolescente, estando Issi em pleno processo de construção da sua identidade, num momento em que se sente entre dois mundos: por um lado, a crise familiar faz com que tenha de reequacionar toda a vivência no núcleo familiar que, até ai, conhecia; por outro lado, começa já a sentir, no seu íntimo, o despoletar de uma personalidade que caminha já em direcção à idade adulta que se aproxima. Bastante realista será a relação de proximidade, confiança e ternura que surgirá entre Issi e a sua avô materna Cassandra, a qual sentirá como um bom porto de abrigo, num momento bastante delicado da vida da jovem.
Por sua vez, Caroline, após um casamento falhado, tendo a seu cargo a imensa responsabilidade de uma filha adolescente, a vivenciar uma fase problemática, começa a ser alvo do interesse de alguns pretendentes masculinos locais, mas vive um conflito interior ao nível psicológico, na medida em que teme falhar novamente, receando envolver-se com o atraente Jim Thompson, mais jovem do que ela, e temendo magoar Mark Santos (sócio do ex-marido) que assume uma paixão antiga para com Caroline, e que se revela um bom amigo.
Para condimentar ainda mais a narrativa, a autora soube introduzir, de forma hábil, um toque de crime e mistério, que leva as protagonistas a viverem alguns momentos de alta tensão, enriquecendo bastante a trama, e sendo um ingrediente adicional para motivar a leitura.
Profundamente sensível, humano, apaixonado e com um rasgo de mistério, uma história do nosso tempo, que alerta também para questões como o conflito de gerações, as dúvidas da transição da adolescência para a idade adulta, e ainda o experienciar da entrada na meia idade, como desafios importantes e próprios do processo de desenvolvimento humano. Questões estas sabiamente tecidas por entre os fios da narrativa.(...)"
April 8, 2019
7 Oct 2010---This book drives me crazy!!! Supposed to be a novel of how a divorced mother of a teen-age girl come into her own---it is so difficult to read. The books starts with the voices of the mother and the daughter...about a 3rd of the way through another viewpoint is added. I'm about 3/4 through this thick muddy reading and now we have the viewpoints of--a boyfriend, the ex-husband, the teen-agers girl friend, and the divorced mother's mother. Even has some thoughts from the ex-husband's best friend who loves the wife!!! Each of them have got muddled views, start out talking/thinking about one thing and segue into something completely different.
This thing is pieced together, and not very coherently. The wife takes a drive one wet Sunday with her sullen daughter, ends up at a Mexican restaurant, cries on the owner's shoulder, ends up moving her and her daughter into a 'couple' rooms above the restaurant. She's been left a 'small' settlement--which buys her an old stone barn that gets remodeled (including stone blasting) in a couple pages, but so far its' taken--and I'm not there yet, a half dozen chapters for her to go out and furnish the kitchen. A new twist added, a 2nd ex-girlfriend of the now dead ex-husband (who the daughter and the girlfriend just KNOW has been murdered) appears with a child and wants the wife to take care of them cause the ex-husband/boyfriend didn't, but by the way, the ex said the wife had all his $$...and the girlfriend keeps exclaiming that she's a "good Catholic girl" who doesn't do things like have affairs (it lasted 6 years and a child), and anyway she didn't do anything to the wife..the husband did all the bad things....Now I HAVE to finish this just to see how things are resolved. Can they even be resolved--only the author knows.
Update: 3 April 2019. Forgot I had read this, check it out of the library again...couldn't even finish it this time..
This thing is pieced together, and not very coherently. The wife takes a drive one wet Sunday with her sullen daughter, ends up at a Mexican restaurant, cries on the owner's shoulder, ends up moving her and her daughter into a 'couple' rooms above the restaurant. She's been left a 'small' settlement--which buys her an old stone barn that gets remodeled (including stone blasting) in a couple pages, but so far its' taken--and I'm not there yet, a half dozen chapters for her to go out and furnish the kitchen. A new twist added, a 2nd ex-girlfriend of the now dead ex-husband (who the daughter and the girlfriend just KNOW has been murdered) appears with a child and wants the wife to take care of them cause the ex-husband/boyfriend didn't, but by the way, the ex said the wife had all his $$...and the girlfriend keeps exclaiming that she's a "good Catholic girl" who doesn't do things like have affairs (it lasted 6 years and a child), and anyway she didn't do anything to the wife..the husband did all the bad things....Now I HAVE to finish this just to see how things are resolved. Can they even be resolved--only the author knows.
Update: 3 April 2019. Forgot I had read this, check it out of the library again...couldn't even finish it this time..
January 16, 2016
Caroline Evans has left her cheating husband and her high class life behind in Singapore and takes her 15 year old daughter with her. Starting over is not going to be easy but it better than living a lie.
Caroline and Issy end up Oxfordshire, England. They happen upon an English pub where owner Maggie takes them in and has Caroline cooking up a storm in the kitchen in no time. Caroline loves to cook.
Issy makes friends with Maggie's daughter but she still blames her mother for taking her away from her father and ruining her life.
Their lives take a turn as Caroline decides to follow her dream and create her own Place in the Country while Issy is stuck in that time between being a girl and becoming a young woman and is making some dangerous choices.
Their past also comes up close and personal when someone is murdered and an unexpected visitor comes to visit them in the country.
Dollycas's Thoughts
Elizabeth Adler has given us an engaging and emotional story of a mother and her daughter and the bonds they share.
Caroline is doing what she knows is right no matter how difficult. Issy just wants things to go back to normal. They meet many new people in the country that quickly become friends. Caroline needs to free herself to love again. More than one man wants to be "the man" in her life.
The mystery added to this mix was surprising and exciting. Twists and turns that maneuver they story in a different direction. A direction that shows Caroline how strong she has become since she was at her ex-husband's beck and call.
The descriptions of the English countryside painted a beautiful picture even when it was raining or foggy. Sounds like A Place in the Country would be a wonderful place to visit.
This is my first read of this author but it won't be my last. The story gets my highest recommendation.
Caroline and Issy end up Oxfordshire, England. They happen upon an English pub where owner Maggie takes them in and has Caroline cooking up a storm in the kitchen in no time. Caroline loves to cook.
Issy makes friends with Maggie's daughter but she still blames her mother for taking her away from her father and ruining her life.
Their lives take a turn as Caroline decides to follow her dream and create her own Place in the Country while Issy is stuck in that time between being a girl and becoming a young woman and is making some dangerous choices.
Their past also comes up close and personal when someone is murdered and an unexpected visitor comes to visit them in the country.
Dollycas's Thoughts
Elizabeth Adler has given us an engaging and emotional story of a mother and her daughter and the bonds they share.
Caroline is doing what she knows is right no matter how difficult. Issy just wants things to go back to normal. They meet many new people in the country that quickly become friends. Caroline needs to free herself to love again. More than one man wants to be "the man" in her life.
The mystery added to this mix was surprising and exciting. Twists and turns that maneuver they story in a different direction. A direction that shows Caroline how strong she has become since she was at her ex-husband's beck and call.
The descriptions of the English countryside painted a beautiful picture even when it was raining or foggy. Sounds like A Place in the Country would be a wonderful place to visit.
This is my first read of this author but it won't be my last. The story gets my highest recommendation.
July 19, 2014
(...)
Este é um daqueles livros que mesmo não tendo uma história extraordinária e muito por aí além, acaba por conseguir vender bem a narrativa que apresenta, muito devido à escrita fantástica da autora. Uma escrita fluída, simples e que prende qualquer pessoa do início ao fim. Adorei o facto de o livro ser do ponto de vista não apenas da mãe, mas também da filha. Isso permite-nos ver as suas visões para as mesmas situações e assim compreendemos o porquê das personagens agirem como agem. Compreendemos também porque é que Issy culpa a mãe por tudo de mal que ocorre na sua vida, sendo que acabamos por compreender esta personagem que está em plena fase de adolescência. Uma fase sempre difícil.
Por outro lado vemos a paciência da mãe não apenas para com Issy mas para com todos os outros fatores negativos que parece que estão decididos a que esta não toque no celeiro, melhorando-o e tornando-o num restaurante que poderá fazer a diferença para toda a pequena aldeia.
Um livro que embora não tenha uma história muito diferente de outras que já li, acaba por ser absolutamente fantástico pela escrita da autora e pela humanidade dada às personagens. Recomendo.
Opinião completa em http://blocodedevaneios.blogspot.pt/2...
Este é um daqueles livros que mesmo não tendo uma história extraordinária e muito por aí além, acaba por conseguir vender bem a narrativa que apresenta, muito devido à escrita fantástica da autora. Uma escrita fluída, simples e que prende qualquer pessoa do início ao fim. Adorei o facto de o livro ser do ponto de vista não apenas da mãe, mas também da filha. Isso permite-nos ver as suas visões para as mesmas situações e assim compreendemos o porquê das personagens agirem como agem. Compreendemos também porque é que Issy culpa a mãe por tudo de mal que ocorre na sua vida, sendo que acabamos por compreender esta personagem que está em plena fase de adolescência. Uma fase sempre difícil.
Por outro lado vemos a paciência da mãe não apenas para com Issy mas para com todos os outros fatores negativos que parece que estão decididos a que esta não toque no celeiro, melhorando-o e tornando-o num restaurante que poderá fazer a diferença para toda a pequena aldeia.
Um livro que embora não tenha uma história muito diferente de outras que já li, acaba por ser absolutamente fantástico pela escrita da autora e pela humanidade dada às personagens. Recomendo.
Opinião completa em http://blocodedevaneios.blogspot.pt/2...
August 22, 2012
From the moment I picked up the book from the Library I couldn't wait to start reading it.
From the first page until the Last - once again I was hooked and wanted to keep reading. Oh yes, had a few late nights that ended around 3:00 am ...
Elizabeth Adler has a certain way that she's able to draw in her readers.. It's little bit at a time! Then once you've gotten to a point, there's no way you want to close the book. There's a little intrigue & suspense, some travel, of course a little romance along
the way, and oh so much much more.
From when I started reading Elizabeth Adler's books, each one has
been brillant. Yes to be sure, I am an avid fan of her writing's..
I wait patiently for the next book to come out so I can get my
hands on it to read..
This is one of her BEST !
From the first page until the Last - once again I was hooked and wanted to keep reading. Oh yes, had a few late nights that ended around 3:00 am ...
Elizabeth Adler has a certain way that she's able to draw in her readers.. It's little bit at a time! Then once you've gotten to a point, there's no way you want to close the book. There's a little intrigue & suspense, some travel, of course a little romance along
the way, and oh so much much more.
From when I started reading Elizabeth Adler's books, each one has
been brillant. Yes to be sure, I am an avid fan of her writing's..
I wait patiently for the next book to come out so I can get my
hands on it to read..
This is one of her BEST !
July 6, 2012
I wanted to like this book -- the setting in the Cotswolds, the mysterious husband left behind, the cooking, the stone house... I was ready to be charmed. But Caroline is such a flat character, and the writing is grating. One of the joys of a women's fiction book is the attention paid to what happens in between the events, and the characters who help you in that space; here, Adler feels like she skips right by it. I wanted more on Maggie and Caroline's relationship, more on why she was drawn to that house, more on how she rediscovered a talent that she had not used during her marriage. Heck, I'd even take more on how someone with no money fixes up a crumbling down house.
July 6, 2012
After the breakup of a marriage a mother and her teenage daughter travel from Singapore to London to start a new life on their own.
Having to overcome many obstacles, it is the small village in the Cotswolds and the people there that quickly become their friends that help to ease their transition and surround them with love and friendship.
A pleasant read with a few unexpected twists and turns.
Having to overcome many obstacles, it is the small village in the Cotswolds and the people there that quickly become their friends that help to ease their transition and surround them with love and friendship.
A pleasant read with a few unexpected twists and turns.
August 19, 2012
Parts were good but most was completely unrealistic and Adler left huge holes on the plot. I thought maybe the last few chapters had been torn from the copy I was reading. Wondering about the characters is not necessarily a bad thing but when the author opens a door to a room and the room is empty, why put the door there in the first place? The best part though was she nailed the mother-teen relationship. Did a good job of the coming-of-age sub plot.
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