Mit gebrochenem Herzen und dem Vorsatz, sich nie wieder zu verlieben, strandet Fiona in einem kleinen irischen Dorf. Akute Geldnot führt sie auf eine Austernfarm, wo sie nicht nur mit ihrer Angst vor dem Wasser und zwei störrischen Eseln zu kämpfen hat, sondern auch mit ihrem Arbeitgeber Sean. Der hat genaue Vorstellungen von der Austernzucht und eine Partnerin, die Fiona das Leben schwer macht. Vor allem aber hat er diese wunderschönen dunklen Augen, die Fionas Vorsatz ins Wanken bringen...
What was there not love about this book? An excellent main character (Fiona), an interesting love interest (Sean) excellent side characters, a back story that keeps you interested, a lovely setting (Ireland), great jobs (Oyster farming and Oyster Pirates) and one ''stolen camper van''
It's the best book I have read in a while easy, fast paced read.
Fiona was a character that had be hooked from the first page to the last. She really grows as a character and you grow with her. Sean is unpredictable but has a loving heart deep down. He's another character who grows with you in the story. Nothing beats characters with a depth for me. I loved the name Pearl before reading this book I love it even more now.
A fun, easy read, set in an Irish village. Nothing remarkable, just a light, amusing romance. Fiona & Sean are likeable main characters, & the supporting cast have charming quirks. The animals are delightful: Grace the Great Dane & the donkeys, Freddie, Mercury & Juliet. The oyster farming was interesting & taught me something new. I'd read another from this author.
This is a nice enjoyable easy read with some quirky and interesting characters, the story is nothing new but it's told in a nice way and being set in a oyster farm has to be a first, I think. Fi annoyed me at times when she refused to stand up for herself or even what was right and Nancy reminded me a little of a Disney villain.
I don't read a lot of chick-lit (I hate that term!) and it's quite wide genre but I do love certain authors of this style, including Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella and JoJo Moyes. I've never read any Jo Thomas though, so thought I'd give The Oyster Catcher a go!
This is a feel-good, easy to read novel with likeable characters and a fun, light-hearted storyline that centers around Fi, who's in Ireland for her honeymoon but is now suddenly single, having been dumped on her wedding day, as she lands herself a job with Oyster-farmer Sean. She somehow manages to get the job despite hating the sea and disliking the taste of oysters! Fi quickly makes both friends and enemies in the little village of Dooleybridge, Ireland, and the story dips between light-hearted fun and parts that seem, to be honest, a little ridiculous!
As the novel went on though I warmed more and more to the characters, particularly the protagonist Fi - though at times Fi irritated me a bit with her (bad) choices, and seemed to be a little stupid at times, overall she was quite an amiable character. Sean, Margaret and some of the other villagers were also likeable characters, and I thought it was good that they all had their quirks. Sean particularly was well developed as a character and was quite attractive, despite his moodiness – he was obviously the strong, silent type that so often appears in these types of books. The characters mostly seemed like people you might actually meet in a village in Ireland from the sounds of it! The only characters I really disliked, and not just because of their intended horribleness, were Nancy and the Johnny - they both seemed excessively clichéd, over-the-top ‘baddies’, and when you read the novel you’ll see why!
The Oyster Catcher is easy to read and there’s more going on than just the usual love story which I appreciated. I enjoyed learning more about oysters, something I hadn’t previously read about - that was something a little different! From the beginning of the novel it is clear what is ultimately going to happen and it’s very predictable in this way but the storyline is entertaining with enough happening that it remains enjoyable to read. I did, however, find some parts of the novel a little too hard to believe and some characters seemed a little undeveloped.
The descriptions of the sea and people throughout the novel were quite vivid and I could really picture the location in my mind, despite never having visited Ireland. I think Jo Thomas is a good storyteller and it shows through – by the end of the novel I wanted to run away to Ireland and live a carefree life like Fi does! I felt that, although she had a horrible time with her fiancé, she was quite lucky to be able to start afresh, even just temporarily, in a place where no one knew her, and this caught my imagination as I read, and will no doubt do the same to other readers.
Overall: This would be a good book to take on holiday; nothing too deep or thrilling, it just ambles along at a good pace. It’s not ground-breaking in terms of originality and is predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and feel it's worth giving a go if you fancy a simple, easy read that will leave you feeling warm inside. I'd be interested to read some of Jo Thomas' other novels too.
It also really made me want to try oysters!
(I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review)
Fiona runs away from England after her wedding to Brian was called off just after the last minute. She ends up in a small rural Irish community and taking a job with Sean on his Oyster farm, despite having a fear of water.
I loved the interactions between Fi and Sean, and the descriptions of the setting. The processes involved in running an oyster farm were interesting, and not something I had read about before.
The Oyster Catcher was a sweet story, that was a nice easy read.
Gevonden in de luchthaven van Ibiza. Normaal zou ik dit niet echt lezen, maar ik laat geen gratis boeken liggen, DUH. Eigenlijk echt nog cute en goeie vibes in Ierland. 3.85, maar ik rond af naar boven
This is the first book I have read by this author and will be reading more I thoroughly enjoyed it and found I just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. Excellent story line with good characters and had you wondering what would happen next. Fi ends up in a village after crashing a camper van after escaping from her wedding where her husband said he didn't love her and she ran and ended up in this village with no money and no home nothing she ends up getting a job for Sean at his oyster farm and how do things work out for her does she think she's made a mistake or does she make friends and can she move on with her life or not.
Šīs grāmatas galvenais pluss ir tas, ka galvenie varoņi nodarbojas ar austeru audzēšanu, nevis kaut kādiem mistiskiem darbiem birojā. Līdz ar to lasīšanas procesā var uzzināt arī kaut ko jaunu. Tiesa, autore nav īpaši sevi apgrūtinājusi, lai viss pārējais sižets ietu loģiski kopā vienmēr un visur. Sevišķi veiksmīgi viņa ir samuļļājusi beigas, kas attiecīgi sabojā visu priekšstatu par grāmatu. Drusku tomēr derētu piedomāt, lai notikumi un varoņi ir kaut cik ticami, jo divi šitik gaisīgi un histēriski eksemplāri noteikti ne pie kāda happily ever after nenonāks. Reālajā dzīvē.
In order to open the oyster you have to first work out what's keeping it closed.
This is the second book I have read by Jo Thomas. I loved The Olive Branch and The Oyster Catcher is just as good. Some great characters in this book and Jo certainly knows how to bring them to life. You knew there would be a happy ending - after the struggles and laughs along the way. I now want a donkey of my own!!
It was good, it was just a little bit over the top at times and the character's made some terrible choices. But I did like Fi and Sean and I now know loads about Oysters. I would definitely read more from Jo Thomas in the future.
Naive and simple with a predictable narrative. With villains ( Johnny Power) and heroines ( Fiona Clutterbuck) it is very simply written and not challenging in any way. I wouldn't recommend it.
The story begins with young Fiona Clutterbuck emerging from a police station somewhere on the windswept Irish coast shortly after crashing her hired camper van into the sea wall. Not a very auspicious start to her honeymoon, particularly as she was alone at the time, her erstwhile husband having left her before the ink was dry on the marriage certificate. It is fair to say that this was not the way Fiona, or Fi as she prefers to be known, had planned to spend the first few days of her married life. So, here she is, stranded heaven-know-where with no money, no transport and no clothes. Could things get any worse?
The answer has to be yes, or there wouldn't be a story to tell. Fi's salvation comes in the shape of the local oyster farmer Sean Thornton. When he offers her a job as his "girl Friday" she leaps at the chance, seeing a way to put a roof over her head and earn the money she needs to move on from this back of beyond town. But it is not as simple as that. Life on an Irish oyster farm is not what she is used to at all and the locals aren't the friendly bunch she might have hoped for.
However, over time, attitudes change and she soon finds herself very much at the heart of the community, much to the annoyance of her new employer who's relationship with the rest of the town is just one of the mysteries Fiona has to unravel.
The Oyster Catcher is a light and easy read. It has all the elements you expect of a modern romantic comedy - the initial animosity that slowly but surely becomes something much deeper; the misunderstandings and unspoken desires that lead to an inevitable separation before disaster strikes, bringing our two erstwhile lovers are thrust back into each other's arms where they can at last open their hearts and come together at last.
And whilst the formula is predictable, the story of Fiona and Sean is told with a gentle wit and skill that mark Jo Thomas as a writer to be watched.
The book is about more than just the budding romances of the characters involved, it is a journey of discovery, of facing fears and learning to trust in others. Through each other, they face their pasts and are able to shed some of the excess baggage that they have carried with them for far too long. The Oyster Catchers is an encouraging debut that introduces a promising storyteller. I look forward to reading more.
About 40% in, I became more invested in the book. Before that, I figured it would be an amusing audiobook to pass time with, and it was!
But I became more interested in the characters as I went along. I can really see this book being a movie and I also think movies can smooth out any rough edges that sometimes exist in books. They can also sometimes do more with character development, back story, etc.
Some of the motivations of the characters, I didn’t always understand/maybe they seemed underdeveloped, which would really be my only critique. But I don’t really mind when these kinds of happy reads aren’t hugely in-depth because they don’t need to be!
The characters were fun and interesting and the sense of community was always present throughout. It really does sound like a great place to live.
Overview:
- Fun, warm characters - Great setting - Easy read - Happily ever after ending - Ireland - Nicely narrated audiobook from Chirp
Oh, one thing I wanted to mention: I love when nature parallels what's happening in a story. The oysters and the characters paralleling was a nice touch.
I wasn't expecting to, but I loved this book. It paints an incredibly vivid picture of a small coastal town in Ireland, and introduced me to the detail and culture of oyster farming in an engaging way that made me want to run off and try the thing myself (reminds me in this way of books I loved in childhood such as Johanna Spyri's Heidi). The view of this life is romantic, but not in too sunny a way. The Oyster Catcher is also packed with conflict. It's clear how hard it is to make it as an oyster farmer, for one thing, and the main characters both have plenty of troubles to work out on their own and with each other. Also, and I can't overemphasize how important this is, the book allowed its main characters to fall in love organically and convincingly. It didn't rush or push their relationship. Instead, over the span of the novel, they slowly fall for each other as the main character falls for her surroundings. I had no trouble seeing what they appreciated about each other.
The book did an excellent job of setting up tension and then delivering as well. There are payoffs for every thread that's introduced in the beginning, and satisfying ones. That's an impressive feat.
It's the setting of the story which drew me in. A story set in and around an oyster farm? A breath of fresh air, I presumed. Jumping right in, I enjoyed getting to know Fi, Sean, his oyster farm, and the close-knit community. Nevertheless, as the story progressed, I found it tedious. I can't put my finger on it yet; it was either the plot getting monotonous or the main character being a tidbit annoying. It wasn't as engaging then. The story ends on a happy note as expected, but that too seemed a tad rushed to me.
This is a lovely read. Fiona, having just been jilted at the altar makes her way to Galway and takes a job at an oyster farm despite her fear of water.
This book quickly makes you fall in love with the many quirky characters and although a little predictable at times, really has some feel good moments that make for a good story.
Given to me by a friend, who is making me love this genre of books, I highly recommend for a good fluffy read!
I read Jo Thomas' second novel before this. I enjoyed both as light, entertaining reads. In The Oyster Catcher we are transported to County Galway and learn about oyster farming. as well as tales of the heart. The opening is great, so it caught my imagination immediately. The heroine is feisty - but not too much. She's made mistakes and she's at a vulnerable point in her life, so something for lots of readers to identify with. The hero is interesting and not perfect either. Altogether a charming love story set in a beautiful landscape and a great first novel. Charming, so it is...
The beginning was great but then the plot got really dull. Zero chemistry between the main characters. In fact all the characters were REALLY ANNOYING especially that nancy. And i honestly don't understand why no one thought of bringing back the oyster festival before. But when Fiona suggests that they bring it back no one opposes. LIKE WHAT that makes zero sense. And that whole DAN-NANCY-HENRI thing was a pain to read.
As I have mentioned in previous posts I had got myself into a bit of a rut with chick-lit; I'd read so many that even the not so predictable ones had become predictable. However I had heard so many good things about The Oyster Catcher that I just couldn't resist.
What makes this novel different is its setting. Galway sounds absolutely stunning, and the weather is so well described that you can feel the wind and the rain as Fi and Sean battle the elements.
The Irish small-town community theme reminded me very much of the film Leap Year, which is by no means a bad thing. Indeed, comparisons can also be drawn between the film's lead male, the gruff but gorgeous Declan O'Callaghan and Sean Thornton, the novel's infuriating but loveable male protagonist. Both are struggling to pay the bills and keep their businesses above water, and both unexpectedly find their lives invaded by strong willed women who change them for the better.
I live in a small village myself - one so small it makes Dooleybridge sound like a city! It has one pub and one church, and so I could completely relate to Fi's fear of the local gossip - nothing stays secret for long in places like this! All of the local characters each had their own quirky personality and all brought something to the plot. No matter how reluctant they were to help Fi at first, you got a sense that they really loved their home town and the sense of community spirit had been rebuilt by the novel's end. Fi herself was a brilliant character too, she was brave and determined, and inspiring in her ability to make the most of a bad situation and build a new life for herself. She had her fair share of cringey moments - as do all chick-lit heroines - and her first misunderstanding with Sean about his 'hooker' I found a tad unbelievable, but maybe I'm just more well versed in boat terminology than I thought!
Nancy, the villain of the piece, was detestable from the start, and I was practically yelling at Sean to get rid of her by the end. The novel's 'baddies' may be a bit stereotypical - creepy loan shark and ruthless businesswoman - but this only makes you side completely with the townsfolk and will them to succeed.
Another lovely touch to the book was the animals, who were characters in themselves. Grace the Great Dane and Freddie and Mercury the mischievous donkeys to name but a few all made me smile every time they were mentioned, and made Sean all the more fanciable in my eyes- everyone loves an animal lover.
5/5 stars: I can completely see why this novel took off like it did. A beautiful setting and a gorgeous hero. A novel full of humour and heart. I look forward to reading more from Jo Thomas in the future!
*I received a review copy of this book from bookbridgr in exchange for a review*
Мисля, че вече е подходящо да ви заредя с много положителни и романтични емоции, защото навън е горещо, плановете за почивка вече са направени и естествено искаме книжки, които да допринесат към това така прекрасно настроение.
Не мога да кажа, че „Ловецът на стриди“ ще ви пренесе някъде, където времето е слънчево и лятно, но пък е красиво и романтично…
Рядко се случва да не харесвам главните герои в книгите, но тук се получи точно това и поради тази причина дадох 4 звезди като оценка. Не мога да кажа защо точно не ми хареса главната героиня Фиона, мога да кажа просто, че понякога тръпката между читател и герой се губи по някаква необяснима причина…
Тааа, както и да е… нека ви разкажа малко повече и за „Ловецът на стриди“.
Фиона се озовава в една доста неприятна ситуация, сватбата ѝ е опропастена, няма почти никакви пари и е избягала от всичко, което ѝ е познато, точно заради това се озовава във фермата за стриди. Горката Фи не знае в какво се забърква, когато приема работата от привлекателния непознат. Това може би е най-грешната работа, която може да си избере, защото е логично, когато работиш във ферма за стриди да обичаш водата или поне да не се страхуваш от нея… Но Фи е упорита и предпочита да се мъчи на тази работа и да мръзне по цял ден, но не и да се върне към стария си живот, защото само спомена за него ѝ носи болка,..
Другият главен герой е Шон, който е собственикът на фермата и шеф на Фиона. Ситуацията става още по-странна, когато Фиона се озовава в самата ферма и вижда, че е далеч от града и в къщата са само тя, шефът ѝ и сладкото му куче. Шон на първо време изглежда доста странен и затворен и общуването помежду им почти не се случва, но нещата много бързо се объркват и всичко се променя…
Ако трябва да съм честна, книгата е доста предсказуема, няма да сте особено изненадани от развоя на събитията, но пък и този тип книги не се очаква да са такива. „Ловецът на стриди“ е от онези книги, които четем, за да се пренесем на някое по-интересно и романтично място и да изживеем още една любов през очите на друга двойка, а това си е доста пленително… Така че, ако ви се чете нещо леко и интересно, този роман е перфектен.
I wasn't expecting to, but I loved this book. It paints an incredibly vivid picture of a small coastal town in Ireland, and introduced me to the detail and culture of oyster farming in an engaging way that made me want to run off and try the thing myself (reminds me in this way of books I loved in childhood such as Johanna Spyri's Heidi). The view of this life is romantic, but not in too sunny a way. The Oyster Catcher is also packed with conflict. It's clear how hard it is to make it as an oyster farmer, for one thing, and the main characters both have plenty of troubles to work out on their own and with each other. Also, and I can't overemphasize how important this is, the book allowed its main characters to fall in love organically and convincingly. It didn't rush or push their relationship. Instead, over the span of the novel, they slowly fall for each other as the main character falls for her surroundings. I had no trouble seeing what they appreciated about each other.
The book did an excellent job of setting up tension and then delivering as well. There are payoffs for every thread that's introduced in the beginning, and satisfying ones. That's an impressive feat.
Something that I found jarring: the POV is a little odd. Most of the book is narrated from the heroine's perspective, in first-person present tense. However, there are small sections narrated from the hero's perspective, in third-person past tense. I think I could have handled the POV switches (though it did feel odd to go from first to third and back again), but the tense switches threw me and sometimes confused me. Similarly, in the very last chapter, there is something funny happening with time that I found a bit hard to follow.
Aside from this, the book was very well-written and vivid. I was sorry to leave the world and the characters, and glad I'd stepped out of my usual zone to pick up The Oyster Catcher. I will be looking for other titles by Jo Thomas in the future.
This is my first Jo Thomas book and can I just say that it definitely won't be my last. When I first started reading it I was hooked and that continued as the book went on. Not only was I in love with Fi's character, I also loved the setting of the book and the storyline. It's so different from any other books I've read about romance.
Although we don't get much of a description for both Fi and Sean, I think that makes the book better in a way because we find ourselves creating the characters in our head, how we think they should be.
I must admit, that after Fi's trial month ran out half way through the book, I did wonder where the story was going to go. And although I found the ending a little... unbelievable, *spoilers* I can't believe that Fi got pregnant and Sean was so fine about it?? Even though they'd only fallen in 'love' a little while ago?? Also, that's another thing that shocked me, that Sean and Fi realised they loved each other at the same time and also very quickly. I feel like there was no actual building up of their relationship, which would have been nice to see.
Loved the character of Margaret, I feel she was perfect for the book.
Overall, even though there were two little things that I found slightly disbelieving, I still absolutely loved reading this book. It was a great read and with a very different sort of storyline (what with there being a lot of talk about oysters).
Would definitely recommend this book, and Jo Thomas as an author.
The book is mainly told from the point of view of Fi, the heroine, in the frist person tense. But there are times where the narration is told from Sean, who talks in the third person. The first time I read the change in tense and point of view I found it to be a little jarring, but I can see that it was a good way of distinguishing between the two main characters.
The Oyster Catcher reminds me of Sophie Kinsella’s The Undomestic Goddess. Both ladies find them in a situation, that frankly, are unprepared for. Yet, it somehow changes them and they learn that the life that they were living previously may not in fact be the life for them. Yes the romance may have been predictable, but it was the journey to the realisation of that attraction and the discovery of overcoming the past and learning to live your life that makes this life so good.
This is a good-natured, fun book that will have you rooting for Fi from start to finish. The Oyster Catcher left me with a smile on my face – what more could you really ask for?
A lovely novel. Easy reading. I smiled often reading this book. I'm most certainly glad that my surnames not Clutterbuck :-).
An excellently written description paints an artist canvas of Galway Bay and it's surrounding Irish havens. The homeliness described by the author is very true of the inhabitants of these tiny villages. Also the authors inflection to keep Native oysters in their home country and not for export shows the respect needed to protect their natural habitat from over farming.
Naturally adding romance makes for the light reading while still promoting a message of how important it is not to pollute the oceans, keeping them environmentally clean.
Fiona Clutterbuck believes she has everything she wants when she marries Brian Goodchild just before turning 30. However, when he leaves her at the altar, she decides to flee. After crashing her honeymoon camper van, she is stranded in the remote west coast of Ireland without any belongings. Unsure of her identity now that she is no longer married, she decides to hide away and start fresh. Despite her fear of water, she decides to work on an oyster farm with her unpredictable boss Sean and his partner Nancy. Throughout her time there, she faces challenges such as dealing with oyster thieves and sharks, but ultimately finds love in the midst of it all.