In a Country Garden

by Maeve Haran

'Wonderfully entertaining . . . Maeve is on cracking form' - Jilly CooperIn A Country Garden is a heartwarming, hilarious tale of growing old not-so-gracefully, from the bestselling author of The Time of Their Lives, Maeve Haran.Lifelong friends Claudia, Ella, Laura and Sal celebrated sixty as the new forty, determined not to let age change things. But now they are looking at the future and wondering how to make growing old more fun.Why not live together and have sunny afternoons on the lawn, helping and supporting each other when any of them need it - and still keep enjoying life? Joined by Claudia’s reluctant husband and Sal’s energetic new fiancé, they ignore the protests of their children and pool their resources in a lovely manor house in the country. Only Laura holds out, determined she still has some living to do, especially now she has met the dashing Gavin through an online dating app.But life still has plenty of surprises in store plus a little romance in what the locals dub a New Age Old Age Commune. But are your best friends the last people you should end up living with?

Genres: Fiction

433 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2018

About the author

Maeve Haran is an Oxford Law graduate who worked in journalism and television before writing her first novel, Having It All, a worldwide bestseller translated into 26 languages and shortlisted for
the Romantic Novel of the Year. She wrote twelve more contemporary novels, one work of non-fiction, and two historical novels.

Her new book In the Summertime is due out on June 8.

She has grown-up three children and lives in North London.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An uplifting story about a group that have been friends for forty years and have supported each other through cancer, divorce, infidelity and the drawbacks of getting older!!

When Claudia discovers that a local hotel is up for sale, which has separate cottages on the grounds, she comes up with a great idea. Create an older persons commune where her friends and family can all live together and support one another.

They may be in their 60’s but they soon prove that they can still fall in love and have fun, growing old is not all doom and gloom.

This is a nice easy read book. I loved the idea of growing old surrounded by friends rather than seeing a future in a care home. There are some great characters and I finished this wanting to find out what happens next to the great bunch of friends!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

[Helena Wildsmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very enjoyable and sweet with a neat and tidy ending and a few too many characters that I kept getting mixed up. I recommend not reading the blurb though - goodness knows who wrote that. It gives away pretty much most of the story and even reveals events that happen on the last few pages!

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a random choice from the library. I was attracted by the title and had never read this author before. I enjoyed the mix of emotions in the story and the humour. The characters were likable although at times I got them muddled up. The story was a bit slow at times but there were enough story lines for me to keep on reading. I got the impression that the author knew about the thoughts and experiences of women of a certain age. I will certainly try some books by this author in future.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narration flowed well but the story line descended into a contrived version of "sex in the city" for oldies. Too many situations were sorted out unrealistically.

[Lucía · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, but I expected more

[Gudrun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unterhaltsam, ein bissl Rosamunde Barnaby, aber ohne Morde.
Etwas vorhersehbar...

[Bev Trueman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light, hearted read. I could imagine the book being made into a movie, along the vein of Marigold Hotel with lots of famous actors.

[KJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more women who learn about romance scammers the better.

[Hayley Marsland · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good couple of years since I last read a book by this author and I have to say I enjoyed this one more than my last read by her ( don't shoot me down just my personal opinion )

This one was about four friends, Sal, Claudia, Ella and Laura who are all sixty plus years of age, but they aren't about to let this change things, in fact if anything they're wondering how to make getting older more fun.

So why not live together, the idea being to support and help each other, if and when needed.

They decide to pool their resources and buy a manor house in the country, joined by Claudia's not altogether enthusiastic husband, Sal's new fiancé and a rather intriguing Indian lady Mrs Lal.

The locals have dubbed the house the new-age old-age commune, but are your best friends really the last people you want to end up living with ?

What with parents, children and various friends, there were quite a lot of different characters in this book, but once I got my head around who was who, and where they fitted in, this was a really pleasant read.

[Nicola Clough · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author and really enjoyed it was funny poignant and such a warm enjoyable read and shows all about friendships and how they have been through everything together and want to grow old together but can hey do it or not.
A group of friends have known each other for years and supported each other through divorce, cancer and many other things and now the children have all left home and they want to grow old together. Claudia sees an old hotel up for sale and feels it's perfect for them all to grow old she has a very reluctant husband who she really has to work on and the ladies all ignore protests from their children and only one friend pulls out thinking she still have living to do and does that all go to plan or not. They pull their resources together to get the Manor House but has life finished when they move in or has it just started and how will they get on living together.
Perfect funny read.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich mag Marve Harans Bücher. Aber ich stelle fest, dass die letzten Veröffentlichungen hinter meinen Erwartungen lagen. In ihren früheren Büchern gab es eine Protagonistin, die zu Herzen ging und eine Geschichte, die spannend und unterhaltsam war. Hier ist das einmal mehr nicht der Fall. Zuviele Personen, zuviele Geschichten verpackt…es war für mich schwierig, dran zu bleiben weil es mich nicht interessierte, was geschieht. Es fühlte sich irgendwie an wie “Sex and the City” für Senioren. Schade…die Ideen wären gut, aber Umsetzung schwach!

[Tanja Šterman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zakaj sem v knjižnici izbrala prav to knjigo? Pritegnila me je tematika - ženske 60+ (nisem še tam, ampak se približujem ...), britanska avtorica (sem pač fenica VB, british accent, Agatha Christie, Royal family etc.), založba, za katero še nisem slišala ... pa poglejmo, kaj to je.

Pretežno neškodljiv lahkoten roman. Taktično izbrane protagonistke, da pokrijejo širok spekter bralcev oziroma, bolje rečeno, bralk: ena poročena, ena ločena, ena ovdovela, ena celo življenje samska. Bolezen, staranje, ... Claudia se navduši nad idejo, da bi najela propadajoč hotel s pripadajočimi apartmajskimi hišicami, kjer bi živele prijateljice skupaj z ostarelimi starši, otroki z družinami in osebjem, ki bi nudilo potrebno oskrbo. Sploh robotek Hiro je zelo simpatičen lik - Claudijinemu očetu pomaga pri skrbi za osebno higieno in ga opozarja, kdaj mora vzeti zdravila. Pa še Shakespeara zna recitirati.

Sledi nekaj ljubezenskih zapletov - poročena protagonistka ima krizo v zakonu, ovdovela se z nekom spogleduje, ločena pade na finto spletnega prevaranta, samska se zaljubi ... čisto luštno bi bilo vse skupaj, lahkotno branje z malo globljega razmisleka o organizaciji bivanja starejših, ... če ...

Ob dnevu branja sem tudi jaz podpisala Manifest o branju za 21. stoletje. Ja, pomembno je, da beremo. A ni vseeno, kaj beremo. Glede na to, da so knjižnice financirane z javnim denarjem, tudi ni vseeno, kako se ta denar porablja. Kako bi lahko nabavna politika knjižnic upoštevala jezikovno in uredniško kakovost knjig? Najbrž knjižničar:ke ne morejo vsega prebrati pred nabavo. Ali pač? V bistvu se mi ne zdi napačna ideja, da so knjige v knjižnicah dostopne šele pol leta po izidu - v tem času pa se že lahko naredi selekcija.

Roman, o katerem danes pišem, je nelektoriran, neurejen, poln napak, očitno vsaj delno strojno preveden (ime prevajalke je sicer navedeno) ... napačni skloni, spoli, končnice ... ne gre za spolno fluidnost protagonistov, ampak za šlamparijo, kjer je Sal včasih moški, včasih ženska, prav tako Sam, Claudia je kar naenkrat Klavdija, moški z več ženami je Modrobradec, ... s pregibanjem hčera je itak vedno težava ... Žalostno.

[Navatha Rakeesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an easy and enjoyable read. Loved the idea of retirement chill pad and exploring the practicality of it. The characters were whimsical albeit a bit predictable. Would recommend if you just want to read something to relax and unwind..

[Corinne Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but I couldn't help think how much better this concept would have been in the hands of Liz Byrski!

[Julie Spratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like this book at the beginning and found it quite tiresome. I warmed to the characters and the story about half way through. Perhaps it was all too close to home to be enjoyable!

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish it, only got about 25% through it. Very very twee.

[Carolyn Fitzmaurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable story about a group of friends as they look at their future together and some of the problems they are currently facing about growing older.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of four friends supporting each other in advancing years appealed, but the structure was very jumpy, and the characters not well fleshed-out. A bit too superficial.

[Mrs Mary Curd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit of fun. Makes you wonder if it would be a good idea at actually!!

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like too much happened so the book dragged a bit.

[Lisa Bacon-hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really struggled to finish this.

[Jenny L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but it didn't quite hit the mark and so I wouldn't rush to read any more by Maeve Haran.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely

[Sarah Goodfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book. I can't understand why I've not seen more of maeves books in shops. She's a great author and I recommend her. If u like Erica James, u will like maeves books too!

[Shoni Lounsbach · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most boring books I have ever read.

[Elana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Sweet, engaging story.

[Vera Loy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one! My friends and I have often talked about setting up something similar!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK- a bit slow and predictable but comfort reading

[Chris Hutchison-Hounsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Well-written but some mistakes in the editing made it less enjoyable.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light-hearted and easy read but story lacked depth and credibility.