Foreign Affairs: Warmth, wisdom and love on every page - if you treasured Maeve Binchy, read Patricia Scanlan

by Patricia Scanlan

*** THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR *** 'A warm Irish saga of friendship, love and travel' She Four women - Paula, Jennifer, Brenda and Rachel - are all at crossroads in their lives. These women are all with difficult choices to make and all badly in need of a holiday. Beautiful, ambitious and successful, she works hard and plays hard. Men find her irresistible...except for the one man she really wants. In her late thirties, she longs for glamour and excitement. Tired of being a housewife stuck at home with her children, Brenda is determined to make changes in her life. Then the unthinkable happens. Shy and timid, she's always been dominated by her cold, intolerant father. But beneath the surface she is bubbling with suppressed rage. Does she have the courage to finally become her own woman? She's a true friend. Paula comes to her with man troubles. Rachel tells her of family woes. Her sister Brenda is envious of Jennifer's high-powered career and successful marriage. Then tragedy strikes. Will Paula, Brenda and Rachel be there for Jennifer when she needs them? When the four women stay in a luxurious villa on a Greek island, they soon realize that they have embarked on more than just a foreign holiday. Warmth, wisdom and love on every page - if you treasured Maeve Binchy, read Patricia Scanlan. Number 1 bestselling author Patricia Scanlan is set to capture the hearts and enchant the minds of a whole new generation of readers who will fall in love with her sublime storytelling. A trailblazing women’s fiction author, all of her novels have been #1 international bestsellers, most recently With All My Love, A Time for Friends, Orange Blossom Days and A Family Reunion. She writes multi-generational family dramas with compassion and authenticity, and a hint of comforting escapism. ‘If you love Maeve Binchy, you MUST try Patricia Scanlan' Woman & Home 'Utterly magical and wonderful... warmth and compassion shine through' MARIAN KEYES 'Like being enfolded in a hug from the great writer warm, comforting and full of love' CATHY KELLY 'There can be little doubt that Patricia Scanlan is the prolific queen of contemporary Irish popular fiction' Sunday Times 'There is a heartbreaking authenticity in her observations' Irish Times 'The ultimate comfort read' Glamour ‘If you love Maeve Binchy, you will love Patricia Scanlan’ Mirror

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance

916 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 1994

About the author

Patricia Scanlan was born in Dublin, where she still lives. Her #1 bestsellers include Apartment 3B; Finishing Touches; Foreign Affairs; Promises, Promises; Mirror, Mirror; City Girl; City Woman; City Lives; and Francesca’s Party. She has sold millions of books worldwide and is translated into many languages. Patricia is the series editor and a contributing author to the award winning Open Door literacy series, which she developed for adult literacy.

Reviews

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok, but not nearly exciting enough for 900 pages, skim read the 2nd half of book just so I knew what happened.

[Bre Teschendorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an immense book full of minute details about the lives of four ladies. Some of it was fascinating and the insights into who people are//why they become who they are, "our mothers, ourselves", etc . was interesting. I found the author insightful and clever.

However, moments were also very dull. The book was a little too heavy handed, at times, with every day nonessentials; tedious.

However, I pushed through... right to the end! Curious to find out what would happen on THAT vacation, THE vacation the whole book centers around... momentous, epic.... worth years and years of back story......

And! I was disappointed.

My thoughts at the end of the book.... Who cares?!

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy a Patricia Scanlan book and this one was no exception. As it is an old book of hers I have a feeling I may have read it possibly around 15 years ago, but with the passage of time I can't remember anything about it, so it was as if it was a totally fresh book. All characters in the book were interesting and although it was long and some of the back stories were quite in depth, I didn't find it hard going or boring. I always look out for her books as I enjoy their cosiness and how easy they are to sink into.

[AtomicBiker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this tale of the 4 friends and their stories which are all intertwined. Characters were easy to like/relate to and I wanted to know how things turned out. Easy read and pure escapism from the real world

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delivering stories that span generations, and offering warmth, wisdom and love on every page - if you treasured Maeve Binchy, read Patricia Scanlan.

What I liked:
-It's based on a group of friends who all come from different backgrounds.
-All four women are facing their own issues but support each other.

What I didn't like:
- There's too many characters so you have to keep referring to previous chapters etc.
- Too many details (900 pages), did seem like it took forever to finish the book.
- Throughout the novel, chapters alternate between the four friends and sometimes it does get annoying as it's not made clear at the start of who the chapter is evolved around.

Overall Rating:
It's a good book to read once and was well written so overall I would rate it 3/5 stars.

[Lorry Rule · Rating 2 out of 5]

A week of my life I won't get back... recommended by a friend but I just couldn't see the point of this book. I struggled to the finish, which was disappointing. I suppose if you like gossip and soap operas, it may appeal. I've given 2 stars because the characters were well written.

[Marlene Bate · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of her best!

Likeable and believable characters, within a well-woven story.
A very entertaining read which I really enjoyed.
I would truly recommend.

[Jackie corrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely

What a lively uplifting story of a bunch of friends and there ups and downs in life will look forward to Patricia scanlan next book

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice saga about girlfriends.

[Karen Trenorden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toooo long! I read it all because I wanted the closure, but skimmed a lot of the minutiae.

[Jacqueline Frost]

Page turner

This book kept me entertained from start to finish. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. An absolutely brilliant read.

[Kim Solleder · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book, read it years ago, and decided to read it again, its such a wonderful story of friendship and family, love it, Patricia Scanlan brought the memories back

[Lynne Foster-Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of her better novels

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long, cheesy, easy read. These type of books I simply read to switch my brain off.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read the majority of Patricia Scanlans novels and have enjoyed them all. How I missed this one I don't know. it was a good read.
I am not good at being verbose about the books I read and do not leave lots of reviews but this is worth the read as even though it would be classed as a light read, it was still a good book it isbabout the lives of four very different women. It was a clever book, as it starts with 4 women about to go holiday and there is definitely some tension withinWe then go back and meet each girl and only 2 have a connection to begin with. It is great if you like a saga and does leave you feeling good.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely long book of 800 pages in small print. Took me well over a week to get through, but very much enjoyed.
The four characters are very well fleshed out as the book covers them from childhood, teens and current day where they are planning an overseas holiday together.
Brenda was honestly pretty horrible. She was meant to be sympathetic (I think), but just wasn't. Actually quite realistic. I'm sure we've all met someone like her. Paula was a bit spoiled too, but didn't hate her. Jenny and Rachel were probably the most relatable.
Really enjoyable story about the relationships of the women and those in their lives.

[Micheala · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw the size of this book in stores my first thoughts were- holy sh*t. But it was $7 so I bought it anyway. I am so happy to say this book had me right until the very end- definitely not what I usually read but the details the author goes into about each of the four women's life is just amazing and you really feel like you know them and why they choose to do different things throughout the book. Couldn't put it down!

[Tracy Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Irish saga. this is one of Patricia's early works and well worth a read

[Susan Adair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have read this book over and over again for the last 10 years! Love the way it is written and the characters! One of my favorite easy reading books... Looking forward to reading it again this summer :-)

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Chick lit' in one sense, but very readable, all the same, and very enjoyable when you're not in the mood for something deeper! Follow the intertwining lives of four girls from childhood to womanhood......

[The Twins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long book 900 odd pages but once you get into it a lovely read! I'm sure everyone recognises himself with personality traits of at least one of the main characters...good and bad!

[Taj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the Scanlan books, I found this to be the most entertaining with a nicely formed characters and intertwined storylines. The perfect read for a summer holiday while lazing around.

[Catsalive · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1...

[Rachel Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great interesting read

This book kept me hooked as you learn about the characters and there lives.. Probably Brenda would not my first choice of freind

[Tania Strachan]

Fantastic - could not put this book down. Did not want it to end !

[Rose Stephenson]

loved this book I really enjoy this author