The Country Set

Compton Magna #1

by Fiona Walker

Love affairs, village rivalries, horses, jealousy and secrets – fans of Fiona Walker's bestselling Hugo and Tash novels will relish this return to her classic territory with a whole new cast of Cotswold village characters.

Compton Magna and Nether Bagot sit high on the Fosse Hills to either side of the Gloucestershire/Warwickshire border, just half a mile apart. They form the backdrop to this rich story of old secrets and new rivalries, as glamorous Ronnie Ledwell returns to take up the reins of her father's horse breeding stud farm, years after she scandalised family and friends by eloping with her lover, abandoning both husband and children. News of her return will well and truly set the cat among the pigeons.

Genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Fiction

870 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 5, 2017

Reviews

[Flavia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of a series of books (Compton Magna series) and hence why the reader does need to suspend any annoyance that may be caused by multiple character development; note that it does slow down the reading initially but stick it out because it is worth it. By the half-way mark I was already anticipating being upset about finishing the book; I knew I would miss its characters and the storyline (it happens every time I read Fiona Walker’s books but at least I know this time she will be returning to these characters; especially because the book ends with many loose ends and so much to resolve yet.)

Lodged in the backdrop of the Cotswolds, the novel is rooted in place (Compton Magna). All action unfolds here – Walker’s characters come and go but the action/narrative follows its location, as if it were a stage (Shakespeare is quoted and referenced constantly.)

This is an absolutely riveting read and Walker’s characters (especially her three main heroines) are intriguing – they are different because they are at different stages in their lives but each one of them likeable due to their strong will, determination and cleverness.

And yes, of course, the novel is hilarious in places too. Walker has great talent in setting up situations that provide great drama and climax whereby all the characters come into play, (and come undone or reveal themselves) making for such an enjoyable, fun and gripping read.

[Helen Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ebook was kindly provided by the author, publisher and Netgalley prior to release date in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I had trouble getting into this book because of the amount of characters - there are a lot of names to remember. I persevered however, particularly enjoying the stories surrounding Ronnie, Petra and Carly. I couldn't warm to nosy parker Pip, but perhaps that was the idea. I wasn't too keen on any of the older male characters either (perhaps that was the idea), but Petra's teenage son was fantastic, and some of his scenes made me smile. How Petra put up with her mother-in-law I do not know! Ronnie's story was poignant in my opinion, whilst Carly's gift added an extra dimension. I think there's something for everyone here - I'm glad I carried on reading.

[Anya Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Fiona walker previously, I had high hopes for this book. I am glad to say that I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the intricate different characters and how they all interconnected. The setting was wonderful too- lots of wonderful descriptions that transported me to rural England.

[Cams Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I'm finally finished. It's not often I look forward to finishng a book but am really happy to put this one down. Don't get me wrong, it's not that its bad, but it's so looong! With not a lot happening. I like to go on a journey when I read, and feel I didn't even leave my street.
All the action, or inaction, takes place in Compton Magna and Compton Bagot, two villages in The Cotswolds. Theres lots of horsey activities sprinkled with witty repartee and shakespearean quotes. Do people outside England quote the bard like its everyday English? I did like the three main female characters but found Pip really annoying. She's the village girl Friday/housekeeper cum cyber stalker. She wants to be liked by everyone, and feted as a heroine to boot. I could have done with a lot less Pip and a lot more Carly. As for the men in this book, they fall into two categories- flirtatious adulterers or literally, grumpy old men. I mean seriously, crack a smile gents.
I find myself oddly looking forward to the next book. This one took me so long to read that I feel I know the villagers intimately and want to follow their exploits. Just please, let there be a plot next time.

[Chrys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this and am really looking forward to there being a whole series. There is a rich and varied array of characters, with lots of storylines twisting and entwining. A definite must for fans of Jilly Cooper and early Veronica Henry, there's a strong horsey theme to this village.

[Alkisti]

I struggled a lot with this book. Most of all because I deeply dislike not finishing books but I guess that this took me one step closer to overcoming this long-lasting habit. After all, I still had around 500-600 pages to go so I'm sorry to say that since I've left it aside since August, I don't think I will go back to it - at least not any time soon.

The book and the writing itself were not bad. The plot was interesting but I couldn't toss the feeling that it wouldn't surprise me at any point. I'm very surprised that this seems to be only the first part of what is probably going to be a series of books because on its own, it's extremely long, has A LOT of characters and multiple stories interlacing (or NOT) with one another so I would think that this would be much better split in more than one books. Or, just skip the book altogether and make this into a tv series. I had a very hard time to get on with it, rereading through the first pages to try and distinguish between the characters, only to lose them entirely for the next chapters and quite a big part of the book.

I suppose that someone else might enjoy reading this, but all in all it's not my cup of tea. It ended up tiring me more than giving me pleasure to read and there are just a lot of books out there I would rather spend my time on.

No stars because I did not finish it.

**I received a free ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[JG · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm afraid this was a DNF at 30% for me. I tried and tried to enjoy the story but there were just too many characters, different storylines and a general disorganised feel to it for me to enjoy.

Having loved the author's books before, I was really looking forward to this story but it was just too exhausting to enjoy, sadly.

This ebook was kindly provided by the author, publisher and Netgalley prior to release date in return for an honest and unbiased review.



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[Dyuthi · Rating 2 out of 5]

That's about 1 week of my life I'm not getting back.
I don't know why I persisted in spending time understanding this book - all 800+ pages of it - because it dragged on and on and on and on without a conclusion in sight.
Utter load of horse crap.

[Georgie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of Fiona Walker in my life but I am SO glad I did. Her skills in character development are just amazing, i loved immersing myself in the world of Compton Magna. All the characters are so well thought out, how they all connect to each other.. you can truly visualise everything in this book.A book that just makes you feel truly lovely inside❤ Looking forward to reading a sequel!

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Country Set is the latest novel by Fiona Walker and it sees the return to her infamous setting of Compton Magna. The Compton Magna Stud Farm is the main setting for this story and serves as the base for which much of the plot evolves.
The stud farm’s owner Captain Percy has been found dead stuck on the stairs in his cellar. As his relatives and friends gather for his passing and subsequent funeral the future of the stud farm comes under fire. The Captain has left his beloved but failing stud farm in trust to his grandchildren Alice, Tim and Pax, to be overseen until her death by disappearing daughter Ronnie.
Ronnie’s return to the village after twenty-five years leaves the village gossipers tails wagging and her children reluctant to forgive. But with bizarre allies in nosey parker housekeeper Pip and bored housewife and romance writer Petra can Ronnie save her family and the stud farm.
At 869 pages this is a huge book and one which initially I found hard to get in to as there are so many characters and sub-plots that I was left confused as to how everything would pull together. After the first 100 or so pages the story began to gel together and form a cohesive story centred around four of the villagers women, including the returning Ronnie Ledwell.
Ronnie is portrayed by her remaining family members and older villagers as the villain of the story but I found her to be one of the nicer and more agreeable characters in the book. She may have left her family to escape with her lover but it’s obvious from she’s felt trapped in her marriage to stud farm hero Johnny and has felt regret at leaving her children ever since.
Petra is a newer member of the village having only moved to Compton Magna seven years early. She’s balancing bringing up three children almost alone with her writing career, while nurturing her safely married crush on local farmer Bay Austen. With Charlie her husband spending more and more time away from the family home it’s becoming harder for Petra to resists the advances of gorgeous hunky Bay.
Married with three young children ex-army wife Carly is finding life with the Turner family in Compton Bagot hard and longs for the friendship and security of army life. Her only relief from the headstrong Turner’s is her love of animals particularly rescue dog Pricey and stud farm super foal Spirit.
Pip Edwards the Captain’s house-keeper comes across as sweet and slightly aloof but there is more to Pip than she first lets on. She is on a sneaky mission to ensure her position at the stud farm and goes about plotting to ensure Ronnie stays in the village. She’s the village busy-body who spends her time gathering information from the internet and using it to her best advantage.
Apart from Ronnie, Petra and Carly I found this book lacking in likable characters, they all seemed sneaky, overbearing or just down right awful. Even the three main women were not characters I adored, which left me a little disappointed as I loved Tash and Hugo and the gang from Fiona’s previous books French Relations, Well Groomed and Kiss and Tell.
The Country Set is a book which despite Fiona Walker’s humorous writing and satirical one-liners I found to be quite a sad read as death, grieving and long standing vendetta’s feature strongly throughout the book. It’s a book full of family feuding, deep hidden secrets and or course horses. With many plotlines being woven together with the numerous characters it has made a good start to a new series based in Compton Magna. I hope it’s the start of a series anyway as the ending was left very open with not everything being tied up complexly. As a standalone book I found it a struggle in places and feel it could perhaps been a lot shorter, however I did enjoy it and will definitely be picking up Fiona’s next book.

[Carmel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very rarely read chick lit, but I was looking for a light and breezy summer holiday read. I remember reading Fiona Walker many moons ago and finding her very funny, which is why I picked up this one. Don't get me wrong, this book is comical and non stop in terms of the story and character development. You can tell this book is from a good author. It's well written, researched and thought out. However, I really seriously hope this is meant to be an ironic poke at middle England. The characters are all busy quoting Shakespeare and Kipling, riding horses and fox hunting... And the stereotypes poked at those living on the council estate are pretty shameful. Of course they're all defrauding the system, tattooed, heavy drinkers, working multiple jobs and raising multiple children and getting involved in illegal activity. She does try to embrace a bit of diversity by referencing gay characters, but they all also attend church and everyone of course is white, except the middle Eastern art dealer who wouldn't answer his door to carol singers... I'm giving two stars in the hope that this narrow minded view of the world is an attempt at irony but I'm not convinced!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazingly this is the first book I have read by this author. It’s the start of a new series (hooray for once I’m doing it in order!) there are lots of characters to get to grips with and it took me an age to feel comfortable reading it and fathoming out who is who.

I think it’s probably been said before but if you are a Jilly Cooper fan of old then this will appeal. The Country Set is a fully fledged romp, set in the English countryside surrounded by horses and a stud farm.

Typically busy body neighbours, friends and family all with their own dilemma’s interweaving with each other. I think Pip the interfering peculiar housekeeper is the one who sticks in my mind the most. Certainly a mix of weird and wonderful but it’s overly long which caused it to drift a bit.

I suspect if you are a fan of this style of writing and want a tome you can get your teeth into then this will appeal. I enjoyed parts but overall I doubt I will be jumping to read the next in the series. Nothing at all wrong with the story it just didn’t sit well with me at the time I read it.

My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

[Seadaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the time I finished reading this book, I really enjoyed it.

But it did take a long time to get into it, and several times I did consider putting it aside and move onto another book. Probably nearly half way I got into it.

Okay, way too many characters to remember, and each with their own storyline.

Was surprised by the annoying Pip, I thought she was very young, but it came out that she was in her late 30’s.

What happened to Charlie’s friend? Is that the end of the friend.

Is Ash up to no good? That reminds me, I must google what lamping is.

I will read number 2 in this series, hopefully same characters with only a few new ones, otherwise it will take me forever to get to know those ones too.

I like Ronnie and Lester, love the animals, don’t like the Pip character though.

[Sasha ★ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. I tried, but I didn't like a single character in this book and so much of it, nothing happens or it's just constant talking about horses or finances. I thought there would be more romance and excitement but you have the characters pompously quoting Shakespeare or Kipling at each other, adults acting like petulant children, horrible annoying, bratty children, the constant unnecessary descriptions of every little thing and so many characters who all acted so goddamn interchangeable I could barely remember who any of them were, much less why I should plough through 800 pages of their ridiculous problems.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Fiona Walker's books but this one was a bit boring.
I liked the characters but nothing much actually happens. The whole 869 pages are just introducing characters and setting up story lines that will presumably be developed in future books.
I liked the characters enough to keep reading but it was a struggle at times and it took me far longer to read than usual.
Disappointing and frustrating as a stand alone but I will probably read the next book in this series when it comes out.

[Vicky Blair · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to really like this book but I just couldn't follow it. There was to many characters and more just kept getting thrown in all with there own story. It was like several books all in one or a soap tv drama but trying to be a book. I just haven't the time to keep going over bits to get it straight and it takes the fun of reading away.

The writing itself was good, and I did enjoy the description of the area and the animals it did have a country vibe to it.

Just maybe less characters to keep track off would make it easier to flow and follow.

[Beck Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many of Fiona Walkers books and find them to be easy going and fun to read, this one however just didn't do it for me. I had to re-start it a few times to get into it. Also the storyline is slower than usual. I think that in the second book it will be better so I will read that seeing how it goes. I did enjoy the setting as I live in that part of the world and the characters were all very true to life.

[Rekha O'Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was a bit hard to get into - I'm not into horses and I didn't warm to the characters at first. But I persevered and I enjoyed the book. The ending was a bit predictable, and I never quite understood some of the characters' motivations but all in all, a nice light read.

[Carol Tattersall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real aga saga romp through life in a beautiful Gloucester village. Reminiscent of early Jilly Cooper this is a sexy gallop of a book, with horses, dogs, secrets and drama. The cast list at the beginning almost put me off, but I soon learned to love the characters. It's quite a long book, but I really didn't want it to end.

[Steph Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took quite a while for the story to really get going, but when it did I enjoyed my romp in the countryside. Full of intriguing characters and a few raunchy scenes too it made for a good read, if a bit stilted at times.

[Karen Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought at first that I was not going to get into this book. That was wrong, by the end I knew the characters so well, I even started to read it in the middle of the night when I could not sleep. Bit Jilly Cooper - ish as in lots of horses.

[Britta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these tome length British books though I'm used to them wrapping up SOME plotlines each book. This I'd a new one but I'm still a bit 🤔🤔 especially as the next volume isn't out until 2019 and is about the daughter based on the preview.

[Cathy Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun frolics

What you'd expect from Fiona Walker but with a new cast of characters and some storyline left undone - left wanting more so grateful the next book was ready and waiting to start immediately!

[Tracey Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent well written book, as always.

Well written entertaining book.
Like all her books characters are always endearing & you want to learn more about them.
I never want to put the book down.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dip back into a familiar pool

I’ve had a break from Fiona’s writing but it felt so nice to dip back into it. Once again she’s written such a relatable and enjoyable cast of characters and brings the setting to life. Thoroughly enjoyable!

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m wondering if the people who write the blurbs on front and back covers actually read the book? “A total riot” “feisty characters” “summery romantic romp”. Perhaps they were printed on the wrong book.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get into the story ( being introduced to so many characters), but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures taking place in Compton Magna.
The narrator suites the story and was pleasant to listen to.

[Simmi Duffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow to build but unputdownable in the end

Love all Fiona Walker books. Glad this one will have its story continued soon! Great characters that build throughout the book.

[Mithril · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Can't wait for book number 2.

[Bridget Torkington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, I rationed myself reading it as I didn’t want it to end, I was totally immersed in the characters and can’t wait for Book 2.