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A Cotswold Family Life
I have always loved the Cotswolds. I think I loved them even before I found them, in that half-formed ideal one has of where to put down roots. Somewhere peaceful, green, where the road meanders between drystone walls and from town to town, and a strip of blue bursts from brook to river and back again.
For 8 years, Clare Mackintosh wrote for Cotswold Life about the ups and downs of life with a young family in the countryside. In this memoir she brings together all of those stories - and more - for the first time. From keeping chickens to getting the WI drunk, longing for an Aga to dealing with nits, Clare opens the door to family life with warmth and humour and heart.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2019
About the author
Clare Mackintosh
37 books12.9k followersWelcome to my Goodreads profile! Whether you're new to my work, or a hard-core fan, it's lovely to see you here. My latest book is OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES, the third book in my DC Ffion Morgan series. Like THE LAST PARTY and A GAME OF LIES, this is designed to be read as a standalone, but if you've followed Ffion and Leo from the beginning, I think you'll love seeing where OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES takes them.
If this is the first time we're meeting, welcome! In addition to the books above, I'm the author of I LET YOU GO, I SEE YOU, LET ME LIE and HOSTAGE - page-turning thrillers that have sold more than three million copies across 40 countries, and hit bestseller lists including The Sunday Times and The New York Times. I also wrote the emotional rollercoaster, AFTER THE END: a family drama about an impossible choice that threatens to tear a couple apart. It's the most personal novel I've written, and I've loved hearing from readers who have connected with it. In 2024 I released a memoir, I PROMISE IT WON'T ALWAYS HURT LIKE THIS, based on my experiences of navigating grief following the loss of my son eighteen years ago. It's a book to offer hope when you feel as though there's none to be had; a book to give to a friend when you don't know what to say.
Coming in 2026 is what I'm boldly going to tell you is my best book yet... a standalone thriller with a twist that'll knock your socks off! It's called IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK, and I would love you to add it to your shelf right now!
I love connecting with my readers, and there are plenty of ways you can get a sneak peek at what's going on behind the scenes. My Facebook group offers reading recommendations and exclusive extras to members (just search online for 'The Clare Mackintosh Book Club'), or if it's general chit chat you're after, please do follow me on Instagram, where I go to avoid writing, and to share snippets of my life in rural Wales, complete with three spaniels and Pete the goat. I'm also on TikTok, much to the dismay of my three teenagers...
* * *
With over three million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016. She has since written seven more bestselling novels. Together, her books have been translated into 40 languages and spent more than sixty-five weeks in The Sunday Times bestseller lists.
Clare is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity based at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which supports parents experiencing high-risk or difficult pregnancies.
* * *
For more information find Clare on Facebook, Instagram, Threads or TikTok at @ClareMackWrites
#ILetYouGo #ISeeYou #LetMeLie #AftertheEnd #HostageBook #TheLastParty #AGameOfLies #IPromise #OtherPeoplesHouses #ItsNotWhatYouThink
If this is the first time we're meeting, welcome! In addition to the books above, I'm the author of I LET YOU GO, I SEE YOU, LET ME LIE and HOSTAGE - page-turning thrillers that have sold more than three million copies across 40 countries, and hit bestseller lists including The Sunday Times and The New York Times. I also wrote the emotional rollercoaster, AFTER THE END: a family drama about an impossible choice that threatens to tear a couple apart. It's the most personal novel I've written, and I've loved hearing from readers who have connected with it. In 2024 I released a memoir, I PROMISE IT WON'T ALWAYS HURT LIKE THIS, based on my experiences of navigating grief following the loss of my son eighteen years ago. It's a book to offer hope when you feel as though there's none to be had; a book to give to a friend when you don't know what to say.
Coming in 2026 is what I'm boldly going to tell you is my best book yet... a standalone thriller with a twist that'll knock your socks off! It's called IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK, and I would love you to add it to your shelf right now!
I love connecting with my readers, and there are plenty of ways you can get a sneak peek at what's going on behind the scenes. My Facebook group offers reading recommendations and exclusive extras to members (just search online for 'The Clare Mackintosh Book Club'), or if it's general chit chat you're after, please do follow me on Instagram, where I go to avoid writing, and to share snippets of my life in rural Wales, complete with three spaniels and Pete the goat. I'm also on TikTok, much to the dismay of my three teenagers...
* * *
With over three million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016. She has since written seven more bestselling novels. Together, her books have been translated into 40 languages and spent more than sixty-five weeks in The Sunday Times bestseller lists.
Clare is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity based at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which supports parents experiencing high-risk or difficult pregnancies.
* * *
For more information find Clare on Facebook, Instagram, Threads or TikTok at @ClareMackWrites
#ILetYouGo #ISeeYou #LetMeLie #AftertheEnd #HostageBook #TheLastParty #AGameOfLies #IPromise #OtherPeoplesHouses #ItsNotWhatYouThink
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 20, 2019
I really liked this memoir by Clare MackIntosh. Clare used to write short stories for the Cotswold Life, where she shared her stories about bringing up a young family in the Cotswolds. The book starts while Clare is still working in the police force. I really laughed out loud at some of the stories, at others, my jaw dropped a bit. I liked the story about how she talked her husband into getting a few chickens, as in the long run, after a year, the chickens would earn there keep by saving them money as they wouldn't have to buy eggs anymore. But how much did/ didn't they earn by the end of the first year? You will need to read this lovely book to find out.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Clare MackIntosh for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Clare MackIntosh for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2026
I enjoyed this book more after I returned from a walking tour of The Cotswolds. Clever, funny, and nice look at British family life in an idyllic place.
February 25, 2019
With thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.
I have had this book on pre-order ever since I heard Clare Mackintosh was releasing her memoirs.
Clare was still working in the police when she started her blog More than just a Mother. From that she was offered her own column in Cotswold Life magazine.
A Cotswolds Family is a selection of Clare`s column pieces. The book is divided into monthly chapters, and shows a year in the life Clare, Husband Rob and their children Josh and twins Evie and George.
I really enjoyed Clare`s dry wit which made laugh out loud. The stories ranged from the tooth fairy, the school run, head lice and more.
This book left me with a warm glow of happiness. A Cotswolds Family had short snappy stories you can pick up when you want. I recommend this delightful read.
October 9, 2020
I've read and enjoyed all Clare Mackintosh's books, but this autobiographical tale was excellent. Extremely funny, had me laughing out loud, I can highly recommend, a real tonic!
February 14, 2019
Having read three of Clare Mackintosh’s novels, and enjoyed all of them greatly, I was keen to read her written memoirs of her family life in the Cotswolds. The book is in the main highly entertaining, provoking those ‘laugh out loud’ moments when reading alone, and leaves you with a great ‘feel good’ factor at the end. Mackintosh retells moments of many everyday incidents in life that many of us can relate to as we all try to juggle the copious demands of everyday life, such as the daily school run, running a home with three children, the constant demands of the school PTA as well as managing a job and finding time for oneself and husband. She has captured these moments with such wit and humour, often highlighting how farcical life can be at times. She reminisces of treasured family times, always with great love and fondness but also shares some moments which evoke great sadness. The memoirs are related to the twelve months of the calendar year, where she describes the seasonal changes and traditions that come with each new month, and how these relate to family times at various times of the year. Her vivid descriptions of seasonal changes in the Cotswolds remind you of how lucky we are in England to live in a country with such landscape and countryside, each season bringing its own unique element of natural beauty. Alongside such busy lives we can often overlook these, but Mackintosh takes the time to remind us of these continuous cycles of natural life, which, as a nation so obsessed with the weather, we would be so lost without. Through her observations of these changes and her humorous and witty recounts of her family life, you feel yourself being drawn in, sharing these times with a real sense of empathy, knowing how many of us have experienced such similar times in life, causing us to either laugh or cry with her. My thanks go to netgalley and Little Brown Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this, and I very much look forward to reading her next novel.
July 26, 2024
This book has convinced me that you shouldn't take a collection of magazine articles (even very witty, successful ones) and create a book out of them. The pattern that works beautifully in a periodical—short, focused essays laced with self-deprecating humor and winding up with a snappy surprise ending—just doesn't hold up as the unvarying pattern for 75 chapters in a memoir.
Well, all right, it's not totally unvarying. The best parts of the book are when the author departs from this pattern in the prologue for each month (which prologues may have been written for the book, not the magazine). When waxing eloquent about the Cotswolds in April or June or November Clare Mackintosh is at her finest, and the book is at its finest. But otherwise she tends to be too wry, too dismissive of herself, holding the things in her life at arm's length. Wry humor is wonderful and obviously entertaining to read, but it needs to be tempered by genuine sentiment, and although there is some genuine sentiment (especially when grieving the loss of her infant son—wonderfully moving) the book as a whole skews toward the ironic and detached.
Another problem with taking articles from Cotswold Life and turning them into a book is that the audience has changed drastically from local readers who are intimately acquainted with the region to international readers who aren't. And international readers like me would really love the sort of gorgeous descriptions of Cotswold landscape, Cotswold quirks, and Cotswold delights that would bore the actual residents and therefore don't form part of the magazine articles. So the book ends up not being very Cotswoldsy at all, and this is disappointing. It does give a pretty nice window into family life in England, maybe even family life in an English village, but by and large it doesn't feel specific to the Cotswolds.
Also, the seasonal frame imposed upon the articles—in addition to the gorgeous outdoorsy cover art—left me wanting a lot more about the countryside and about nature. So in several ways, I think this book was mispackaged.
Well, all right, it's not totally unvarying. The best parts of the book are when the author departs from this pattern in the prologue for each month (which prologues may have been written for the book, not the magazine). When waxing eloquent about the Cotswolds in April or June or November Clare Mackintosh is at her finest, and the book is at its finest. But otherwise she tends to be too wry, too dismissive of herself, holding the things in her life at arm's length. Wry humor is wonderful and obviously entertaining to read, but it needs to be tempered by genuine sentiment, and although there is some genuine sentiment (especially when grieving the loss of her infant son—wonderfully moving) the book as a whole skews toward the ironic and detached.
Another problem with taking articles from Cotswold Life and turning them into a book is that the audience has changed drastically from local readers who are intimately acquainted with the region to international readers who aren't. And international readers like me would really love the sort of gorgeous descriptions of Cotswold landscape, Cotswold quirks, and Cotswold delights that would bore the actual residents and therefore don't form part of the magazine articles. So the book ends up not being very Cotswoldsy at all, and this is disappointing. It does give a pretty nice window into family life in England, maybe even family life in an English village, but by and large it doesn't feel specific to the Cotswolds.
Also, the seasonal frame imposed upon the articles—in addition to the gorgeous outdoorsy cover art—left me wanting a lot more about the countryside and about nature. So in several ways, I think this book was mispackaged.
August 19, 2024
This book is a compilation of columns that the author has written about her life in Cotswold with her family and pets. It moves from month to month through a calendar year, although it’s clear that more than one year has been used. Insightful and funny, definitely recommended!
Did Not Finish
May 30, 2024This would be nice to read slowly, chapter by chapter over a period of time, if I had that luxury. I got a hold of this book through an interlibrary loan with no renewals. It’s a compilation of “slice of life” columns the author published in a local newspaper, so while it was nice to read, this isn’t something I wanted to prioritize over other library holds. At the end of the day, it needed to go back to the library, and I don’t have a good way of getting it again, so this will go into the DNF pile. Also, I have a feeling the emphasis is more on “family” than “Cotswold,” while my interest is the opposite.
November 5, 2022
I have been reading this book month by month during the year. Got to November and then just couldn't stop. Loved my journey through the year. My Dad lives in the Cotswolds so I know many of the places mentioned. Clare is one of my favourite authors and it was nice to read something different from her novels.
April 15, 2025
An easy read and the local anecdotes made my smile as I live near Chipping Norton.
February 4, 2020
One of the best books I've read in ages, had me chuckling, nodding in agreement, grimacing and crying. Written from the heart, I love the honest reality of this book. I live a few miles from Chipping Norton so all the places mentioned in the book are very familiar to me which adds extra depth to the enjoyment. This book is a keeper as I'll definitely read it again.
February 10, 2019
It's the first book I read by this author and it was a great discovery!
I loved the story told, engaging and entertaining, how they are organized and the style of writing.
This book made me wish I could move to the Cotswolds.
A very good book, I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for this ARC
I loved the story told, engaging and entertaining, how they are organized and the style of writing.
This book made me wish I could move to the Cotswolds.
A very good book, I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for this ARC
July 8, 2023
Delightful and amusing.
March 26, 2019
Contrary to the title, there's not that much Cotswolds in the book. These columns cover the domestic life that happens in almost every small town, and follow a well-worn format that would fit right into an Erma Bombeck collection. They're good columns, though, and there is plenty to recognize, laugh at, and grieve over in Mackintosh's stories.
July 13, 2024
Amusing in parts, but far better suited to being the weekly magazine columns that it once was, rather than a whole book of short articles. Rather akin to Bridget Jones’s older sister moving to the Cotswolds and getting rather too arch about Cath Kidston tea towels; interspersed with sentimentality about the new daffodils and picking blackberries for tea.
May 16, 2019
Loved this book. It was funny at times and was a very good read. I took my time with this book as I felt as it was the only way to read it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books about Country life and who loves this author's books.
April 10, 2024
"I used to be quite fit, once upon a time. In fact, I once ran a 10k without abject humiliation. Now I get out of breath just contemplating a run, and my gym gear lies sweating in a plastic bag. My stomach muscles haven't just separated — they're filing for divorce."
For 8 years, Clare Mackintosh wrote for Cotswold Life about the ups and downs of life with a young family in the countryside. In this memoir she brings together all of those stories - and more - for the first time. From keeping chickens to getting the WI drunk, longing for an Aga to dealing with nits, Clare opens the door to family life with warmth and humour and heart.
Written as a collection of essays/short stories, this memoir is divided into the twelve months of the year with each month giving you a seasonal tour of the Cotswolds. The author covers a host of topics that make up their life, such as marriage, parenting, PTA, community, social endeavours, sport, fashion, feminism, holidays.
A far cry from the gripping psychological suspense thrillers she is best known for, this reads like a personal diary. Whether its humour, dealing with grief, frustration at losing control, or counting unexpected blessings, she makes it more relatable than one could imagine.
Written in Clare Mackintosh’s spell-binding style, this is an insightful peek into the life of a young family in the country, replete with love, laughter, and chaos that makes up their heart and soul. Reading this book felt like catching up with a friend I hadn’t heard from in ages. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a memoir as much as this. And I am positive, you will, too.
For complete review, visit https://aquamarineflavours.wordpress....
Find me on other platforms via https://linktr.ee/AshieJayn
For 8 years, Clare Mackintosh wrote for Cotswold Life about the ups and downs of life with a young family in the countryside. In this memoir she brings together all of those stories - and more - for the first time. From keeping chickens to getting the WI drunk, longing for an Aga to dealing with nits, Clare opens the door to family life with warmth and humour and heart.
Written as a collection of essays/short stories, this memoir is divided into the twelve months of the year with each month giving you a seasonal tour of the Cotswolds. The author covers a host of topics that make up their life, such as marriage, parenting, PTA, community, social endeavours, sport, fashion, feminism, holidays.
A far cry from the gripping psychological suspense thrillers she is best known for, this reads like a personal diary. Whether its humour, dealing with grief, frustration at losing control, or counting unexpected blessings, she makes it more relatable than one could imagine.
Written in Clare Mackintosh’s spell-binding style, this is an insightful peek into the life of a young family in the country, replete with love, laughter, and chaos that makes up their heart and soul. Reading this book felt like catching up with a friend I hadn’t heard from in ages. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a memoir as much as this. And I am positive, you will, too.
For complete review, visit https://aquamarineflavours.wordpress....
Find me on other platforms via https://linktr.ee/AshieJayn
October 27, 2022
4.5 stars
Sometimes you just need a delightful read that you can laugh out loud with. As soon as I saw the words 'Cotswold' and 'family', I was there! And the author is a writer so loves books as well.
The Cotswolds are exactly the place I would love to live. The author talks about her longing for an Aga - oh yes please! Plus the place names are just so great. She lives in Chipping Norton; others include Great Rollright, Shipston-on-Stour, Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, Wotton-Under-Edge - I think I just want to live somewhere with a hyphenated name!
Her writing is hilarious. As someone who has been in the trenches of motherhood for a LONG time (my oldest is 24, my youngest is 8), I found her stories totally relatable. Her dry humour is just my style.
Each chapter is a little story, with the chapters based around the seasons so it becomes a 'year in the life' format.
Many times she could have been describing me. For example:
"I would no sooner leave the house without a book in my bag than I would walk down the high street in my pyjamas. I might have to stand in a queue for longer than a few seconds, and what would I do then?"
I am always that 'weird' person at the playground or waiting at footy/basketball training who is reading a book rather than scrolling their phone. I am not sure why it is rude to read a book while eating with someone but not rude to use your phone. Sorry, one of my pet peeves!!
A quick read that is lots of fun and laughs. One of those books my hubby would keep asking what I was laughing at.
Sometimes you just need a delightful read that you can laugh out loud with. As soon as I saw the words 'Cotswold' and 'family', I was there! And the author is a writer so loves books as well.
The Cotswolds are exactly the place I would love to live. The author talks about her longing for an Aga - oh yes please! Plus the place names are just so great. She lives in Chipping Norton; others include Great Rollright, Shipston-on-Stour, Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, Wotton-Under-Edge - I think I just want to live somewhere with a hyphenated name!
Her writing is hilarious. As someone who has been in the trenches of motherhood for a LONG time (my oldest is 24, my youngest is 8), I found her stories totally relatable. Her dry humour is just my style.
Each chapter is a little story, with the chapters based around the seasons so it becomes a 'year in the life' format.
Many times she could have been describing me. For example:
"I would no sooner leave the house without a book in my bag than I would walk down the high street in my pyjamas. I might have to stand in a queue for longer than a few seconds, and what would I do then?"
I am always that 'weird' person at the playground or waiting at footy/basketball training who is reading a book rather than scrolling their phone. I am not sure why it is rude to read a book while eating with someone but not rude to use your phone. Sorry, one of my pet peeves!!
A quick read that is lots of fun and laughs. One of those books my hubby would keep asking what I was laughing at.
April 7, 2019
For 8 years, Clare Mackintosh wrote for Cotswold Life about the ups and downs of life with a young family in the countryside. In this memoir she brings together all of those stories - and more - for the first time. From keeping chickens to getting the WI drunk, longing for an Aga to dealing with nits, Clare opens the door to family life with warmth and humour and heart.
I too, love the Cotswolds and I am a big fan of Mackintosh's fiction reads so I was intrigued to read this. I should start by saying my favourite part was the introduction where Mackintosh provides some family history and circumstances as to how they came to live in the Cotswolds. I found this section to be informative, well written and yet still humorous, a part of me wishes the rest of the book had been written in the same style.
What we have are a series of anecdotes detailing very different aspects of life in the Cotswolds. Some are very entertaining, some caused me to laugh out loud and of course, some are not as strong as the others and I could have done without reading them. All of them, provide an insight into Mackintosh's family life and this really is a book about family life and everyday occurrences.
'A Cotswold Family Life' is an insightful, entertaining and humorous read focusing on family life in a stunning location. There are anecdotes for everyone in this and I am sure you will find something to keep you amused.
March 28, 2023
A Cotswold Family Life is an adaptation of Clare Mackintosh's columns over a few years, presented as vignettes of a life over a calendar year. She provides a "not all that glitters" view of the perfect Cotswold Family in outlining their tribulations. Chickens are a lot of faff! Children can be deeply annoying! I regift my children's gifts to others!
What disappointed me the most about the book was the untapped potential. The column about Clare visiting her son's grave was so beautiful and gentle, it showed a real poetry that felt lacking in the other sections. She seems to descend into a lot of "wine mom" and "not like other girls" stories. Her complaints about women being emotional and making it difficult to make group decisions prompted a particularly intense eye roll from me. This was only outdone by the audible sigh in the section about Halloween.
This book is a perfect example of "not for me". There wasn't anything entirely objectionable about the book it was just clearly for a different audience. The two star review reflects that I didn't particularly enjoy it but I didn't stop reading it, though that is likely because it was for my bookclub and I didn't want to DNF one of their books.
What disappointed me the most about the book was the untapped potential. The column about Clare visiting her son's grave was so beautiful and gentle, it showed a real poetry that felt lacking in the other sections. She seems to descend into a lot of "wine mom" and "not like other girls" stories. Her complaints about women being emotional and making it difficult to make group decisions prompted a particularly intense eye roll from me. This was only outdone by the audible sigh in the section about Halloween.
This book is a perfect example of "not for me". There wasn't anything entirely objectionable about the book it was just clearly for a different audience. The two star review reflects that I didn't particularly enjoy it but I didn't stop reading it, though that is likely because it was for my bookclub and I didn't want to DNF one of their books.
September 30, 2020
5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
For eight years Clare wrote for the ‘Cotswold Life’ about the ups and downs of life with a young family in the countryside. In this book she brings together all of those stories and more.
This book is a refreshing insight into the highs and lows of parenthood from the playground politics to the fight all parents have batting of the frequent requests for a dog/cat/fish/other furry animals (although Clare was with the children on this one, her husband didn’t have a chance!). There are some absolute laugh out loud moments (a particular highlight is when, on a supermarket trip, Clare’s son decides to tell anyone within ear shot, in quite graphic detail how he was born and when faced with horrified faces he reassures all onlookers that it is okay because everything shrinks back to the normal size 😂).
It is refreshing to read a book abut families which doesn’t just highlight the good aspects of family life. It makes you appreciate that we are all doing our best and our children are very much loved.
December 7, 2022
What a totally fabulous, entertaining and realistic look at family life. I have read this book month by month along with the chapters of the book (as has my husband). Each month starts with a quote or reflection about that time of year alongside a reflection of what is happening in the countryside at that time, placing the events well.
Clare Mackintosh writes about a world of family life in a way that anyone with a family will, I am sure, relate to. I laughed several times, in total agreement, and with mounting relief that someone else shares a life which is not ‘perfect’.
The feelings Clare describes as she juggles work, family life and running a schedule of kids activities will raise a smile, if not a laugh.
A brilliantly written book encapsulating the love alongside the chaos of a real family life. I would totally recommend this book, especially as a month by month read.
Clare Mackintosh writes about a world of family life in a way that anyone with a family will, I am sure, relate to. I laughed several times, in total agreement, and with mounting relief that someone else shares a life which is not ‘perfect’.
The feelings Clare describes as she juggles work, family life and running a schedule of kids activities will raise a smile, if not a laugh.
A brilliantly written book encapsulating the love alongside the chaos of a real family life. I would totally recommend this book, especially as a month by month read.
December 15, 2022
What a wonderful book this was!!! It’s a compilation of little stories that were written for a magazine…. But the perfect slice of life in the Cotswolds. Clare is one of my favorite authors but after reading this book, I feel like I’ve sat down to a cup of tea with her and learned all about her family. (She also forces me to google what an Aga is… and now I want one! Lol)
I has seen someone online suggest that this book be read over a year- as each chapter is a different month. I recommend this highly!!!! I really enjoyed it more this way- rather than reading it all at once. The last story, about Christmas, wouldn’t have warmed my heart as much, if it wasn’t about a week to Christmas now. :)
Loved - loved - loved this!!!! I only wish I had gotten a signed copy…. As this is a book I will keep and pass onto my own daughter, and hopefully, so on and so on. ❤️
I has seen someone online suggest that this book be read over a year- as each chapter is a different month. I recommend this highly!!!! I really enjoyed it more this way- rather than reading it all at once. The last story, about Christmas, wouldn’t have warmed my heart as much, if it wasn’t about a week to Christmas now. :)
Loved - loved - loved this!!!! I only wish I had gotten a signed copy…. As this is a book I will keep and pass onto my own daughter, and hopefully, so on and so on. ❤️
June 1, 2019
A wonderful book collating many of the articles Clare had written over an eight year period whilst living in The Cotswolds. They are presented in January - December so are covering all the seasons.
Having read all of Clare’s works of fiction it was great to have an insight into her home life and to see she has a lovely family (so I still don’t know how she comes up with such warped ideas for her plots! 😆). If one hasn’t read her books, as well as recommending that you do so immediately, I would say that it is an amazing insight into life in the Cotswolds, and a prerequisite for nosiness into Clare's personal life is not needed to enjoy this book!
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Having read all of Clare’s works of fiction it was great to have an insight into her home life and to see she has a lovely family (so I still don’t know how she comes up with such warped ideas for her plots! 😆). If one hasn’t read her books, as well as recommending that you do so immediately, I would say that it is an amazing insight into life in the Cotswolds, and a prerequisite for nosiness into Clare's personal life is not needed to enjoy this book!
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2023
My daughter and I love Clare Mackintosh’s mysteries. This summer I went to the Cotswolds and my sweet daughter sent me this book. It’s a laugh-out-loud account of raising kids. Even though most of the book is set in the Cotswolds, it should dredge up child-raising memories of moms anywhere. And we might as well laugh at situations we all get ourselves into at times. Mackintosh let’s us know we aren’t alone as she tells her stories chronologically through a year.
It’s a fun, relatable, easy reading book. For those of us who have raised our kids, it reminds us of crazy, heart-warming times when we in the throes of carpools and holidays. And what a fun gift for a baby shower. Warn her what’s ahead.
It’s a fun, relatable, easy reading book. For those of us who have raised our kids, it reminds us of crazy, heart-warming times when we in the throes of carpools and holidays. And what a fun gift for a baby shower. Warn her what’s ahead.
March 30, 2020
I listened to this on audio and it was read by the author. If you don’t have children, or don’t particularly like children this may not be the book for you as it talks a lot about situations with children and her family.
This was perfect for me during the social distancing period as I listened on my solo walks. The chapters are extracts from her column in a magazine so are all short stories about parts of her life. Some are funny, sad, honest and all very relatable.
I particularly enjoyed the pieces about each month, usually starting with a poem. I looked forward to them as I thought each one was lovely. A good read.
This was perfect for me during the social distancing period as I listened on my solo walks. The chapters are extracts from her column in a magazine so are all short stories about parts of her life. Some are funny, sad, honest and all very relatable.
I particularly enjoyed the pieces about each month, usually starting with a poem. I looked forward to them as I thought each one was lovely. A good read.
December 16, 2022
I read this, with my wife, each month through the year and this gave it a really lovely context. And what a read! Laugh out loud funny, relatable on so many levels - family, pets, marriage...to name but a few.
I loved the descriptions of the weather and seasons, flowers blossoming, birds singing, moods swinging. There was so much positivity in the beautiful language Clare used. The family stories and anecdotes rang so many bells and made me chuckle to myself.
If you are looking for an uplifting, realistic read that will resonate with life then I heartily recommend this book.
I loved the descriptions of the weather and seasons, flowers blossoming, birds singing, moods swinging. There was so much positivity in the beautiful language Clare used. The family stories and anecdotes rang so many bells and made me chuckle to myself.
If you are looking for an uplifting, realistic read that will resonate with life then I heartily recommend this book.
October 16, 2019
I stumbled across this laugh-out-loud funny memoir and even though I don't have children and I live in the U.S., there were so many things I could relate to in Clare's life. Her musings definitely reminded me of reading Erma Bombeck nearly 40 years ago. I actually listened to the audiobook as read by Clare which made her stories all the more amusing.
January 21, 2020
Wonderful read
I have loved every book Clare Mackintosh has written and we have read them all in our Book club. I find her books so easy to read. I didn't know what to expect when I bought A Cotswold Family Life but I have loved every chapter and would recommend it to anyone who has or have had children. Her observations are so true and very funny.
I have loved every book Clare Mackintosh has written and we have read them all in our Book club. I find her books so easy to read. I didn't know what to expect when I bought A Cotswold Family Life but I have loved every chapter and would recommend it to anyone who has or have had children. Her observations are so true and very funny.
August 21, 2020
This is a funny collection of observations of her family life whilst living in the Cotswolds - it had me nodding in agreement to stories of the PTA, school gates , kids tea, parking cars , fashion, pets, kids and Christmas ! It is told in the 12 seasons and is a lovely easy read. A heartwarming read
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