A Good Catch

by Fern Britton

Don’t miss this warm and witty novel from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author Fern Britton. The perfect Cornish Escape!

A lifetime of friendship. A lifetime of secrets.

Greer Clovelly seems to have it beautiful, chic and slender, she’s used to getting her own way. Greer has been in love with Jesse Behenna since her first day at school and she’s determined that one day, they’ll be married. After all, a marriage between them would join together two dynasties of Cornish fishing families to make one prosperous one.

For her friend, Loveday Carter – plump, freckled and unpretentious – living in the shadow of her friend has become a way of life. She loves Jesse too, but knows that what Greer wants, she usually gets.

Jesse, caught in the middle, faces an agonising choice. Should he follow his heart or bow to his father’s wishes? And what about his best friend Mickey, who worships the ground that Loveday walks on?

Jesse’s decision will touch them all in ways that they could never foresee, and as the dark clouds start to gather the four friends find themselves weathering a storm – one that has the power to sink them all…

A Cornish village with secrets at its heart

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Audible Audio

First published April 23, 2015

About the author

Fern Britton, an English television presenter, was born on 17 July 1957 in Ealing, London. She was educated at Dr Challoner's High School in Little Chalfont and underwent training in stage management at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She is the daughter of the English actor, Tony Britton and Ruth Britton. Fern Britton spent the early days of her life at Buckinghamshire. Her older sister, Cherry Britton, is a script writer and her younger half brother, Jasper Britton, is an actor. She is married to the celebrity chef, Phil Vickery and lives with her family at Holmer Green in Buckinghamshire.


Fern Britton worked with a touring theatre company and in 1979, she started her career with Westward Television in Plymouth. She worked as a newsreader and continuity announcer on Westward Diary, the nightly local bulletin. Later, she switched to present BBC’s Southwest news programme, Spotlight. She became a known as the youngest national news presenter to present News After Noon on BBC1. Fern Britton then moved to work for TVS in Southampton, where she hosted the South edition of the news programme, Coast to Coast, together with Fred Dinenage. She has also presented other programmes, like Coast to Coast People, The Television Show and Magic Moments.


Since then, Fern Britton has hosted several programmes, which include Carlton Television's After Five, BBC's Breakfast Time, London News Network's London Tonight and BBC 1’s Holiday. She also featured in the first two series of The Brian Conley Show and in 1994, Fern Britton went onto present the famous television cookery game show, Ready Steady Cook. She hosted the show for a long span of six years until she was succeeded by chef, Ainsley Harriott. She joined hands with the British television presenter, Phillip Schofield to host the famous television magazine show This Morning. Since 1999, Fern Britton has been hosting the show and the couple was known for their hilarious presentation. The show was a big hit and won the 2003 & 2004 TV Quick Award for the ‘Best Daytime Viewing’. It also clinched the 2004 National Television Award for the ‘Most Popular Daytime Show’.


Fern Britton anchored the Pride of Britain Awards in 2002 and was one among the panellists on the satirical panel show, Have I Got News for You.



In 2006, the song, “The Fern Britton Experience”, which featured in the album, Hang The DJ was named after her by the UK DJ Shitmat. She hosted the reality television show, Soapstar Superstar, and the British Soap Awards 2006. At the Royal Albert Hall, on 31 May 2007, Fern Britton presented the Classical BRIT Awards and also co-presented the British Soap Awards that year.


Fern Britton anchored her own ITV1 Saturday night series, That's What I Call Television in 2007. In December 2007, she went on a secret trip to Basra to broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the troops. She appeared as a guest presenter for the show, Have I Got News for You on 27 April 2007 and again on 17 October 2008. On 12 January 2008, she was the winner in the first episode of Thank God You're Here, a television comedy series hosted by Paul Merton. In April 2008, Fern Britton together with her colleague, Phillip Schofield was the presenter of the revived 'all star' version of the super hit ITV show, Mr and Mrs. The show was broadcast on Saturday nights as a six-part series.


Apart from television presentations, Fern Britton has also featured in advertisements for Ryvita Minis. She performed the title role in a Cinderella pantomime in 1988. In March 1998, her first book, Fern’s Family Favourites, was released and in October the following year, she launched her second book Winter Treats and Summer Delights. Fern, My Story was published in November 2008 by Michael Joseph and it ranked among the Top Ten Bestseller list by The Sunday Times.

Reviews

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I don't really know how to review. I liked it at first, but then it got quite slow in the middle, and the end was just strange. One of the main characters seemed to change personality during the course of the book, and the ending felt rushed and unfinished. In the end, I rather felt 'what was the point of that?'.

I want to like Fern Britton's books, but I feel they are both chick-lit and family saga, but neither at the same time. I don't feel the need to categorise books, but maybe this book has a personality disorder and isn't sure where it belongs and therefore falls short of being satisfying. Or maybe it is just me?

[Ali Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I nearly put this book down to start another but am so glad I didn't. Set in Cornwall it is just the perfect summer read. I warmed to the characters and I particularly loved Jesse and Loveday was my favourite. It had just the right amount of drama and kept you guessing. There were a few shocks along the way and I didn't really expect the bit near the ending regarding Jesse. I haven't read all of Fern's books as yet but it has been my favourite so far. A belting Summer read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful setting and descriptions but I felt that the story didn't go anywhere for a long time. The ending for me didn't sit right.

[Love Fool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even happy families have their secrets…

Wow, this was better than I thought it was going to be. I didn't want to put it down. I can't wait to read Fern Britton's other books.

Would you marry for money? To make your parents happy? To have a secure future? That's the question this book asks. Lies and broken dreams make you look at your life and live without regret, unlike the characters in this book. Read this book, it's good anytime and anywhere.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good start but felt it lost its way a little towards the end, still enjoyable just felt the ending didn't quite come together right.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on http://beccasbooooks.blogspot.co.uk/

I adored this book. Utterly, utterly adored it. Let me tell you why...

Fern Britton chose to set A Good Catch in the idyllic Cornish fishing town known as Trevay. Right away, with the added bonus of Fern's fantastic descriptions, I was able to picture this setting beautifully. Each of my senses were brought to life during my time in Trevay; I could smell the salty sea air, I could see the homes and the people, could hear the calls from the fish market, and quite simply, I felt as if I were an extra character in the book. I absolutely adored Trevay, there was a real sense of community there, the sort where everybody knows everybody else and the families have been around for generations. To me, this was the perfect place to escape to, making me feel as if I were on holiday when in reality, I was just sitting in the garden in the sunshine. I lost myself incredibly easily to the story within the pages, and I found myself gripped from the get-go, taking the book everywhere with me and reading it at every given chance. Following the theme of fishing and life beside the sea that appears as an ongoing theme within the book, it's fair to say that A Good Catch by Fern Britton had me hook, line, and sinker!

Fern opens A Good Catch with a most intriguing prologue, and gives the reader a glimpse of two of the main characters, Loveday Carter and Greer Clovelly. Of course, at this point, the reader knows nothing about the two women, but there's a clear hint at something that has happened previously, and immediately, I wanted to know exactly what that something was. The atmosphere was rather glum, and slightly depressive, instantly making me wonder what had gone on. A million questions popped into my mind, a million scenarios, but most importantly, that needed 'tug' to dive into the book and find out for myself. After that, Fern whisks the reader back to the past, right back to where it all truly began, and I was riveted. I adored that A Good Catch began in this way. It opened up a whole history between Loveday and Greer, triggering them as being so much more believable. I loved that immediately, I felt like they went way back with each other, that a whole life had happened before I'd even opened the book. There was a familiarity between them, how they spoke and how Loveday comforted Greer, and so I was interested to see how it had all began, when their friendship had started, and how they'd come to find themselves where they were in the present day.

The characters within A Good Catch were fantastically memorable. When I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about them, and that's such a good sign in my eyes, because it again highlights just how real these characters felt to me. The story focuses on Greer Clovelly, Loveday Carter, Jesse Behenna and Mickey Chandler. Fern, amazingly, manages to fit a huge time-scale within her 400 pages, so that I truly felt, once finished, that I'd lived a lifetime right beside them. Fern takes us from childhood right the way up to fully grown adults, and still manages to include all of the small milestones in-between. Now, there's a real complication of feelings within the group, which had me eager to see how their lives would play out. It was a real tangle of feelings, yet beautifully managed by the author as the plot progressed. Each character came with their own uniquely prominent features, allowing me to set them apart neatly in my mind. Greer Clovelly was a very prim and proper girl, which continued well into adulthood. Bred from a rich family, Greer usually got what she wanted. What also became apparently rather quickly was that Greer's father pretty much had Greer's future set out for her, and that involved marrying Jesse Behenna. This was due to the fact that both Greer and Jesse's fathers owned chunks of the fishing industry within Trevay, and what better than to pull the two parts together and take the fishing industry by storm? Fern couldn't allow the plot to be so simple though, and to mix things up, Jesse wasn't interested in Greer Clovelly at all. In fact, he had his eye on Loveday, who wasn't as prim as Greer, was slightly overweight, and was adored by Mickey. See what I mean? It-was-brilliant. A real love triangle that brought these characters to life beautifully! If I hadn't already been transfixed by the mysterious prologue, then by this point I was desperate to watch these four lives continue. I just couldn't wait to see where Fern took them throughout the book.

And then BAM! Something happened (I won't tell you exactly what that something was), that changed the direction of these characters' lives entirely. I couldn't help but stare, gob-smacked, at the pages within my hands as I read on. This something took me completely by surprise, and quite simply, I'm surprised the pages didn't catch fire by the sheer pace of which I was began to turn them. It was incredible, and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that things were about to get pretty freaking serious. I JUST COULD NOT GET ENOUGH! Of course, Fern takes the reader further forward in time with every few chapters, allowing the reader to see what's changed and what hasn't. I felt so emotionally connected to the characters, I just couldn't consider, for a single second, putting the book down. It wasn't that I needed to know what happened next, but rather that I HAD to know, for my own peace of mind. It was such a messy, tangle of feelings and relationships, and just wow. This was definitely one of those books that I felt desperate to finish but, at the same time, didn't want to finish.

When I began to near the end A Good Catch, I couldn't quite believe how much time had elapsed within the pages. I'd seen these characters grow up, make their decisions, take the necessary steps, and live out their lives. At times, it felt bitter-sweet, full of heartbreaking regrets and wishful longing, as well painful and sad. The circumstances of each of the characters lives took hold of me, and if I'm going to be honest, I wasn't happy with some of the decisions that the characters decided to make. I felt like screaming at them, to change their minds, to make things right! But of course they couldn't hear me, and so I was forced to watch their actions and the consequences that were sure to follow. God, it was beautiful and gut-wrenchingly melancholy. The twist and turns the characters' lives took left me feeling helpless as I watched it all play out in Fern's words, and I couldn't do a single thing to stop it.

After finishing A Good Catch by Fern Britton, I believe I've learnt a little lesson, and that lesson is to always do what makes you happy, not anybody else. Regrets are a hurtful, awful thing to have to do deal with for the rest of a person's life, and sometimes, these regrets can become a little too much to handle. It just goes to show that when faced with a decision, always go with your heart. A Good Catch was a beautifully written and structured book, that truly captured my heart and had me tearful as I turned the few last pages. Trevay may have seemed like the perfect little Cornish fishing town at the beginning, but by the end of the book, you realise that there is so much more to Trevay than meets the eye.

Becca's Books is awarding A Good Catch by Fern Britton with FIVE DELICIOUS CUPCAKES! This is the perfect book to lose yourself within this summer, beneath the sun and a blue sky. Never has a fictional place felt so alive and vivid to me. Never have I wanted to turn back time for a character and make things right as much as I wanted to with this. Absolutely, 100%, the book you need in your beach bag this summer, I promise you.

[poppie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read but felt the ending was rather abrupt which was a little disappointing.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book via gransnet and although I loved the blurb, I wasn't sure if this was a case of another celebrity jumping on the writing bandwagon. I needn't have worried. From the beginning I loved the characters and how their lives intertwined. Fern Britton can certainly write a book to keep you turning the pages. This book is full of Cornish charm and characters who stay with you long after you finish the book.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although perhaps not as much as some of her others.

The prologue was very good and drew the reader in, I feel it lost its way a bit in the middle and the ending left me a bit cold, it felt rushed and a lot happened in the space of a couple of pages.

The characters were well written for the most part and helped to keep the momentum throughout the novel.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was enjoyable and do like Ferns style of writing but felt that the ending was very unsatisfactory and seemed to jump a few years ahead without any explanations. Left me feeling that a few chapters had been left out prior to the ending.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the first time ever with Fern, I didn't finish this book. I read about 150 pages, but found it slow and not very interesting and gave up!

[S.C. Skillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Lovereading competition. It's not my usual taste in novels but I admit I loved the cover design and was keen to see what Fern Britton's fiction is like.

Set in a Cornish coastal town this story is about four friends: two men and two women, and their lives together from early childhood through their adult years to midlife, and the disruption caused by lies and secrets and tangled sexual and romantic longings. Essentially the author is writing about the folly of making a major life-decision against your best instincts, either for the sake of pleasing others or for the sake of mercenary motive. And in this case the two people involved respond in very different ways during the course of the next few decades; one of them moves on, and the other doesn't.

I found the story very repetitive and slow in the early chapters yet later on it became compelling. But I sensed an odd disconnect at the end - a sad, uneasy, unsatisfactory note. I wasn't sure what the author was saying through this. I wanted the characters to tell the truth and face up to the reality of what they had done, and to make the necessary shifts in their relationships and self-knowledge. Instead I found them evasive and cowardly. Only one female character told the truth in the final chapter, and once again, another character stepped back from meeting her truth with an equal honesty. Of course I may have misunderstood what the author was implying at the end, which indicates that perhaps she was being slightly too subtle, or it may simply have been that she genuinely intended to show people behaving in a way that is true to real life.

The novel did grip me and I became very involved with the characters, but because of the unsatisfying feel at the end I'll give it only 4 stars.

[Lisa Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first Fern Britton novel I had read, and I found it quite enjoyable. Focussing on the lives of two Cornish fishing families, from school through to their present lives as adults, the characters in this novel made me laugh and cry throughout. I disliked Greer immensely, she is cold, demanding and manipulative, but at the same time I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, as she appears to have it all but that isn't necessarily the case. I loved Loveday and Mickey - two fantastic characters that stole my heart from when they first appeared in the story.
I thought I knew the direction that the plot was going to take from the prologue, but it turned out to be completely different - one that I hadn't even imagined. A lovely, heart-breaking story of family and friendship, I definitely recommend A Good Catch.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Good Catch by Fern Britton was a Gransnet book of the month

Four friends grow up in a tiny Cornish fishing village. Greer is beautiful, slim and stylish and more interested in interior design than the sea. Her friend, Loveday, is homely and plump with no dress sense. Greer thinks no one would be attracted to her, but both boys, Jessie and Mickey are. Greer has been attracted to Jessie since she was a child and wants to marry him. Her parents, and his want the match to unite two fishing fleets and businesses.

Will Jessie be steamrolled into the marriage with Greer, or will he follow his heart. Love or money? When two babies are born – have they the same father?

Add some one into the equation that knows a secret that could threaten all four of them, and you have a compulsive read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great 'guilty pleasure' read from Fern Britton, like all her other books I have read I wasn't disappointed. 'A Good Catch' is an easy, comforting, pleasurable read which I devoured whilst feeling unwell. It is hard to be critical of the book because I enjoyed it so, although I struggled to sympathise with Greer's character, but I suspect the character was purposefully written as a slightly awkward unlikable person. I enjoyed Fern's vivid descriptions of Trevay and further afield around Cornwall. So yes I would happily recommend this book to other readers and I am sure this will not be the last book of Fern Britton's that I will be reading.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This is a story of two very close families, they grew up together interlocked in each others lives, and this is the story of just how their lives have developed from childhood to the present day. It is told from multiple view points and is a story of friendship and secrets. At times the book becomes impossible to set down for even a minute, and the story becomes compulsive, as you find out just how its all going to turn out.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book,slightly more serious than Fern's previous books but I think I enjoyed it more because of that.
The story centres around 4 friends who meet on their first day at school and stay friends throughout their lives despite various issues and interferences from their families.Most of the characters you could feel some sympathy for.....but not all!!Well worth a read.

[Nicola Clough · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely novel by Fern I love going back to Cornwall when reading and this book shops that every family even the ones that look perfect have secrets. Lovely to read this story from when the main characters where very young and started school together and how they married and then had children but what secret is he hiding. Lovely read highly recommend.

[Louisa Charlotte Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Although it had a very abrupt ending and was slightly predictable in places, it was a really nice book to read. If this is your genre; You'll probably find that Fern Britton's books get better and better as time passes.

[Beccy Noall · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice enough yarn. I was expecting chic lit, but it was a bit more than that. this is the second Fern Britton book that I've read, and I dont think I would go out of my way to read any more. It failed to deliver for me.

[Alison Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would be wrong to say that I didn't enjoy this book, I loved the twist and if not slightly cheesy end but some parts were bit slow. Fern B has a lovely writing style and her books are easy to read but felt this one lacked the spark that was in Seaside Affair.

[Heather Copping · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I must admit I was a bit sceptical at first thinking it was just another celebrity author, but no it was a really good read and I will certainly be reading more of Ferns books in the future.

[Maz Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good Story

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

slow start but a good book - nice easy read but I really didn't like the ending

[Jo]

I loved this book - the characters, the settings and even the sad bits. A perfect holiday read.

[Martina Lennon · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was an inevitability about the ending, though it let a it rushed to me. A bit more character driven and some had more depth.

[Samantha Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Couldn't put it down and read it in two days. Even had a little tear in my eye at the end

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit different to Ferns usual books with a sad storyline of family loyalties .
The novel had a moral and the characters not always likeable but a good enjoyable
easy read.

[Fionna Cairney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book by Fern Britton found it hard to put down bit slow in places but a really good storyline with some unexpected twists

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light easy read,I enjoyed it.