Le Charmant cottage d'Amelia

by Abby Clements

Alors qu'elle s'apprête à fêter ses 30 ans, Amelia retrouve dans un tiroir une liste de souhaits qu'elle s'était promis de réaliser. Parmi ces vœux figure en bonne place : " Vivre à la campagne, dans un cottage "...
Le quotidien d'Amelia est pourtant bien différent : elle occupe avec son mari Jack un minuscule appartement à Londres, quelques mètres carrés où elle se sent étouffer à petit feu...
Bien décidée à concrétiser son rêve, la jeune femme se lance avec enthousiasme à la recherche d'un cottage où s'installer. Limité par un budget serré, le couple opte finalement pour une vieille bâtisse pleine de charme, mais nécessitant d'être rénovée de fond en comble.
Lorsqu'elle pose ses valises dans sa nouvelle demeure, Amélia est loin de se douter de l'ampleur des travaux à mener. Elle ignore aussi combien ce déménagement va bouleverser profondément sa vie familiale et sentimentale.
De surprises en rebondissements, le cottage sera-t-il finalement prêt pour Noël ?

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Fiction, Contemporary, Christmas, Adult, Audiobook

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2013

About the author

Abby Clements worked in book publishing before writing this, her first novel. Her Christmas baking skills are upper-intermediate. Her countryside-survival skills are basic to none. She lives with her boyfriend in North London.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m already a big fan of Abby Clements – I’ve loved her books ever since I picked up her first release, Meet Me Under The Mistletoe, and so when I heard that Abby was releasing another book, I was very pleased! I absolutely love the title – it sounded like such a cosy title and so I sat down to read it on a cold Autumn day when I was inside wrapped up in a big jumper with a hot chocolate!

Amelia had dreams of being cosy in a cottage with her husband Jack, but in reality, they’re living in a cramped one-bedroom flat in Hackney. After deciding to move, they come across a cottage that needs some work doing to it, and Amelia falls in love with it! Doing a makeover can’t be that hard surely? Soon they realise that their dream home will be harder to achieve than they first thought, threatening not only their dream place but their marriage too. As Amelia throws herself into stripping wallpaper and working on their perfect home, will both home and love finally come together?

I was hoping that I’d enjoy this given I’d loved Abby’s other novels and I was thrilled to say that Abby is back on form again with her latest release.

I liked how realistic Abby kept the story. Moving house is often very stressful, busy and time-consuming…I’ve been spending some time helping my brother fix up his new house so I know how much work and effort goes in. I feel Abby did a fantastic job of portraying this aspect in her novel, it was very realistic and true to life and at times I almost felt as though I was with Amelia pulling the wallpaper off and watching her home undergo its transformation. I loved the detail Abby put it about Amelia and Jack’s home, I could imagine the changes that were happening and I could almost see the new house coming to life in front of me. I genuinely felt so much excitement for them as I saw their dream house building up bit by bit and becoming a reality…I’m now very keen to up and move to a beautiful cottage!

The characters were brilliant. Amelia is a likeable character and I warmed to her straight away. Like Amelia, I too dream of one day having a cottage in the countryside so I was really cheering her on and hoping that she managed to get her fireside dream with her husband Jack. I loved Jack and Amelia as a couple too, I could see that they loved each other deeply and the romantic in me was rooting for them throughout!

Amelia Grey’s Fireside Dream is a warm read that really touched my heart, and it was such a beautiful story. This is the PERFECT novel to curl up with this Autumn and Winter!

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was unrealistic and the author has never decorated a house in her life: painting and papering a room at the same time - totally impractical to be hanging paper around wet paint AND the cat walked across the paint lid when she was painting the landing walls - one uses emulsion for walls, not gloss, so why did she write that the cat's paws had to be cleaned with white spirit when water would wash off emulsion paint?
unrealistic again because, from kitchen order on a website on the tueday to arrival to install by the friday - no way!!!!!!!
she spends all day one saturday back in london to see a friend's baby leaving jack at home to get on with the renovations, but when he says he has to go away for four days the following week for work, she 'bollocks' him for not helping out with the cottage, when she'd just been out all day and he'd been working on it and he'd be at work all day the following week anyway, importantly, as the sole wage earner.
but then he's a plonker too - they're in the middle of doing up a cottage after a stressful move and only six weeks into it he wants to move out and give them a break from each other, leaving her to do all the work now, when they should have cut each other some slack for the stress they'd been under not add to it - just crazy and over dramatic and unrealistic - who behaves like this?
then miraculously at the end she changes her mind and she does want a baby when in three months she's hoping to get a new teaching job - motherhood is a career - she thinks it won't be as hard as doing up a cottage!!!!!!!!!!
there are no spoilers in this review as you could see it all coming a mile off and there was hardly a plot to spoil anyway.

[littleprettybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

16/20

Abby Clements est pour moi une auteur de référence s’agissant des romans feel-good et j’ai adoré son roman, dans lequel je me suis particulièrement identifiée. Ce fut une bouffée d’air frais que d’accompagner l’héroïne dans son souhait de changer de vie pour acquérir une maison à la campagne, et la transformer en maison de ses rêves !

Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amelia Grey’s Fireside dream was not the cosy read I was expecting and there were multiple things that irritated me about the main character. I don’t think anyone in their right mind would quit their job before their mortgage was finalised. And if they did, at least wouldn’t phone up and tell the bank before they’d got another job. She’s meant to be a teacher, someone you hope would have common sense.

She acts like a spoiled brat a lot of the time, incredibly selfish and Jack has the patience of a saint not to turn on her. She gets all huffy when the cottage isn’t perfect and it’s all her own fault (again with the very stupid behaviour, won’t go into details otherwise I’ll tell you the whole plot). Her senseless spending got on my nerves so much, you buy a house after quitting your job, you’re going to hold onto money, right? Not Amelia Grey! She’s a bit unfair to her mum and a wet blanket when it comes to standing up to her dad.

The storyline about not wanting a baby was the final straw. If you’ve been married for years and bought property together, more than once, you think the topic of starting a family would have been discussed? As in one person doesn’t want kids and the other does. The resolution of this conflict really annoyed me, from the point of view of someone who doesn’t want kids. You just aren’t that easily swayed.

The story of the new house in the country doesn’t start until well into middle of the book either. I thought it would be an autumnal read but it’s not really, it’s more about moving house without using your brain. There’s lots of different threads going on too, I wouldn’t have minded more on the old owner or general village life. I also quite liked her sister, although again, everything was resolved a bit too easily. A risk you take when you try and pack so much in.

I think I must have carried on reading in the hope of an unhappy ending... or maybe it's just that I haven't finished many books lately. But this really was a let down and not even stupidly romantic. I think you'd be much better off with something by Milly Johnson or Tricia Ashley.

[Rainy Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable, though I didn't really fancy the starters of this book, Amelia's life before she moved into the cottage. Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream is a story about Amelia, who turned 30, who wrote down "living in the countryside" as one of her reaching 30 dreams. So, she did exactly that. With her husband Jack, they left their city life and bought a cottage in the countryside.

When the renovation of the cottage started, Amelia's life started to fall apart. Her family, her husband and her job. All of them. While renovating the cottage to distract herself from her sadness, she discovered some secrets that were left behind by the previous owner of the cottage. What can I say is that, while spending time by herself renovating the cottage and discovering things of the previous owner of the cottage, Amelia kind of had a wake up call and started to change her perspectives on some things in life.

I like this book enough. It's one of the cliche ones. The one where everything fell apart at first and then everything worked out in the end. I still like it though. A warm read during this cold season.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'est le 1er roman que je lis de cette autrice.
Roman feel good par excellence il a su tenir ses engagements c'est à dire une lecture fluide, agréable, facile et rapide à lire, j'ai d'ailleurs apprécié le lire.
Ce qui m'a le plus plu ce sont les différentes étapes de réhabilitation du cottage je rêverais d'avoir une maison à retaper, à mettre à mon goût.
Les personnages sont attachants même si il manque une certaine profondeur, ils sont prévisibles tout comme le dénouement. Toutefois ce petit mystère concernant madame McGuire, Alfie et Sarah apporte un peu de piment au rythme bien huilé de l'histoire.
Une lecture générale agréable.

[Stephanie (Stepping Out Of The Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream is one of those books that I just looked at and sighed - for positive reasons! As soon as I saw the gorgeous seasonal cover with the shiny autumnal covers and the soothing mention of a fireside, I knew that this would be a perfect book to read as the nights started drawing in.

This book introduces us to Amelia, our protagonist, who has, after years, grown tired of her urban home and lifestyle. Amelia isn't completely unhappy though, as she lives with her long-term partner, lives nearby to some close friends and has a job that she's passionate about, teaching kids at St. Catherine's school. Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream is about Amelia making her 'Fireside dream' come true, as she moves out of the city and into the countryside with the aim of having a more relaxed, rural life. As always in life, unfortunately not everything can be perfect, and we follow Amelia as she works hard to make her newly-bought, but rather outdated, country house into a home.

Amelia is a wonderful protagonist because she is simply human - the author doesn't make any attempts to make her a particularly remarkable character in any way, which is exactly why she is so easy to connect with - Amelia is certainly not perfect, but she tries her best and makes an effort in what she does, she's ambitious but somewhat cautious and yes, she makes quite a few mistakes. What I liked reading about most in regards to Amelia was her relationships - those with her friends, her partner and her family. Amelia's two best friends, Carly and Sunita, live in the city and I really liked reading about their close friendships, there was a real sense of comfort and trust between them which was really comforting to read about. I liked reading about Amelia's relationship with her family too, her parents, but mostly her sister, Mirabel who is a bit of a teenage rebel, but who Amelia manages to really take under her wing.

A large part of this book is focused on Amelia's relationship with her long term partner Jack. Initially, Jack isn't completely sold on moving to the countryside, but despite that, they take the leap and purchase a house which needs a lot of work. As there is so much to do with the house and as Jack has a lot on at work, things become stretched. Their relationship was certainly not perfect, there were some quite significant flaws and weaknesses, but again this really made the book feel realistic. Despite the issues, it was very clear that there was chemistry between the couple and I could see that the two had a loving relationship. I was torn with what would become of the couple as the book progressed - I really couldn't predict what would happen with them or if their relationship under the new circumstances.

I also can't forget to mention that there is a fantastic subplot to this book where we are introduced to some mystery items which have been left in the house by the previous owner - I became so excited at these parts, wondering who they belonged to, what the story was behind the letters and items. Though everything was tied up at the end, I do wish that there was even more exploration of this subplot as it did have me on the edge of my seat.

As this is a book about restoring and redecorating an old country house, any of you who are interested in interior design, homeware, crafts and/or Pinterest will definitely have a soft-spot for this book! Many of the chapters in this book start with mood boards, conjuring up Amelia's dream designs for her home and it will definitely get your imagination going, if not making you want to start handcrafting things for your own home!

Overall, this was a really pleasant read which I enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who is wanting something that is easy to read and relax with. The pace of this book is relaxed though never boring and you will find the time slipping away without you noticing as you keep turning page after page. Highly recommended!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

This was a cute read, although not exactly what I was expecting. When I originally purchased this, it was listed under some kind of Christmas/Festive heading, and it does not actually centre around this topic at all. The only time Christmas really shows up is at the end.

The book follows Amelia and Jack, a young married couple from London who decide to make a massive change in their lives, and to move to the countryside. They face many problems along the way, both big and small, and it turns out that nothing about their new life is how they predicted.

Character-wise, I liked Amelia, and I thought her desire to move and make change in her life when she felt almost trapped and unmoving was believable. However she had her flaws, and things annoyed me about the way she made decisions and the way she and Jack didn't speak to each other about their problems. I liked Jack as well, although I feel he too had a few issues. Amelia's sister Mirabel was a great character - very realistic for a tearaway 16 year old - and I enjoyed the background stories of their friends and jobs.

The one thing that did annoy me with the story was the underlying hint there would be a "new man" or "new woman" for each of them both in this life - I dislike plotlines where the couple find a "new perfect person" when only a few chapters earlier they seemed perfectly happy together. I am very glad this storyline I felt sure was coming actually did not, and they worked on their marriage instead. Too many people throw marriage away now at the first sign of struggle, and it was good to see their growth and maturity as a couple as the book progressed.

Overall I thought this was a realistic book, with a great back-drop of renovating a house, and the mystery of Eleanor and her past.

I'd give this around 3.5 stars!

[Yolande · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a good book to read when you are swamped with other things- simple storyline, no real plot twists, familiar characters. As such, the action was a bit dull and none of the subplots were explored with much originality or depth. If you're into home improvement this is the romance novel for you!

[Lisa Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

In theory, this would be a great book, but it really doesn't know what it wants to be; the story flits between too many genres, and although I tried to identify with the lead character I just couldn't sympathise with some of the awful life choices she was making. Such a shame...

[Mandy Radley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick, easy read, predictable chick lit.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cutesy, idyllic read. Set in the Kent countryside, Jack and Amelia set off on an adventure restoring a cottage. Different from their London flat and busy lives, things go smoothly until finances and other obstacles stand in their way of creating this perfect homelife.

Descriptive and imaginative. Love the incorporation of the seasons and following the restoration over a few months.

First book read by Abby, and she hasn't let me down. Good work! 📚

[Mariiine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*
Meme si je ne me suis pas attachée aux personnages, je dois avouer que les histoires de rénovation me plaisent toujours.

[Niamh · Rating 2 out of 5]

A basic chick flick - easy read and cosy

[Manavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming ❤️

[Buchjunkies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhalt:
Amelia und Jack sind ein glückliches, verheiratetes Paar. Nun steht Amelias 30. Geburtstag an und sie erinnert sich daran mit ihrer Freundin Carly einmal eine Liste erstellt zu haben, was sie alles noch vor diesem Datum schaffen möchte.
Unter anderem wollte sie in einem gemütlichen Cottage auf dem Land wohnen. Ihre derzeitige Londoner Wohnung ist jedoch das genaue Gegenteil. Jack kann sich nicht so richtig mit der Idee anfreunden, aber als sie sich ein wirklich hübsches Cottage in Kent anschauen, ist auch er Feuer und Flamme.
Das Cottage ist geräumig, top in Schuss und hat einen wunderschönen Garten. Zudem ist es nicht zu weit nach London und auch ihre Mutter wohnt etwas näher dran. Als sie den Zuschlag vom Eigentümer erhalten ist ihr Glück perfekt.
Bis sie einen herben Tiefschlag in der Schule erhält. Die Stelle für die Leitung der Englisch-Abteilung hätte ganz klar an Amelia gehen müssen, doch der Direktor befindet, dass frisches Blut an die Schule muss. Und so hat Amelia nicht nur keine Chance einen besseren Job zu erhalten, sie muss sich auch noch von einigen Klassen trennen, die zukünftig der neue Leiter übernehmen soll. In Amelias Kopf brennt eine Sicherung durch und sie kündigt.

Leider war diese Kurzschlussreaktion nicht gut durchdacht, denn ohne eine Anstellung wird ihnen der Kredit bei der Bank nicht genehmigt und sie müssen sich von ihrem Traumcottage in Kent verabschieden. Dumm nur, dass sie ihre Wohnung bereits gekündigt und an Nachmieter gegeben haben. Also sitzen sie in ein paar Monaten ohne Dach über dem Kopf da. Nun ist guter Rat teuer. Ein weiteres Cottage erregt die Aufmerksamkeit des Paares und als es zum Besichtigungstermin geht, liegt Amelia mit einer Grippe flach. Jack macht Fotos des kleinen hübschen Häuschens und ist ganz begeistert. Als sie sich das Cottage zwei Wochen später anschauen möchte, lässt sie die Besitzerin nicht rein. Von außen hat es zwar Ähnlichkeit mit ihrem Traumhäuschen, aber ansonsten ist der Garten verwildert und der Lack irgendwie ab. Amelia hat ein ungutes Gefühl, trotzdem unterschreiben sie und Jack den Vertrag. Immerhin ist es 100.000 Pfund günstiger und liegt somit im Budget der beiden.

Schon bald wird Amelia jedoch jäh auf den Boden der Tatsachen zurück geholt. Das Cottage ist stark renovierungsbedürftig, der Garten muss anständig gestutzt werden und die Sachen der alten Dame stehen bei ihrem Einzug noch immer im Häuschen rum. Amelia ist fix und fertig. Was haben sie sich nur dabei gedacht?
In den kommenden Wochen versucht sie das beste aus ihrer Lage zu machen, immerhin hat sie nun Zeit, da kein neuer Job in Sicht ist.
Während sie ihre Arbeitswut in das Cottage steckt, entfernt sich Jack immer weiter von ihr. Es gibt ein Thema, das sie beide nicht zum Abschluss bringen können und die Kluft, die sich daraus entwickelt scheint immer unüberwindbarer zu werden. Und dann gibt es da noch Callum, der Enkel der Vorbesitzerin und ein Mann der gut anpacken kann. Amelias Gefühle spielen verrückt und am Ende steht sie vor einer wichtigen Frage: Was will ich?

Auch wenn der Titel nach einem Weihnachtsbuch klingt, ist es keins. Also keine Sorge, man kann es auch durchaus im Sommer lesen. Amelia und Jack entfliehen der Großstadt um ein wenig Ruhe in ihr Leben zu bringen, aber so ganz einfach ist solch eine Umstellung nicht.
Schon als Amelia ihren Job gekündigt hat war klar - das wird nix. Die finanzielle Lage macht den beiden schwer zu schaffen und auch der zeitintensive Job von Jack trägt einiges zum Unmut bei.
Auf der einen Seite hat man also die Beziehung der beiden Hauptcharaktere und auf der anderen Seite eine Art 'Schöner Wohnungen - Do It Yourself'-Programm. Ganz ehrlich? Ich fand es toll! Klar hätte ich Amelia immer mal wieder schütteln können, aber vieles hätte kaum anders laufen können.
Amelias Gedanken werden nur vom Cottage gefüllt. Der erste Gedanke am Morgen 'In welcher Farbe streiche ich das Schlafzimmer' und der letzte am Abend 'Passen die Gardinen zum Stoffmuster der Couch?'. Es ist schön zu lesen, wie sie sich mit der Situation zurecht findet und sich darüber auch irgendwie selbst findet.

Ich mag den Schreibstil von Abby Clements und da es bereits das dritte Buch von ihr ist, behalte ich sie scharf im Auge und lauer auf weitere die mir in die Finger geraten könnten.
Sie schreibt wirklich gut und auch so, dass man nach 3 Sätzen im Buch verschwunden ist. Bei der Übersetzung hat man sich jetzt keinen Gefallen getan, da es inklusive der Aufmachung als Weihnachtsbuch eingestuft wird. Ja, Weihnachten kommt drin vor, aber die Geschichte fängt im Sommer an und zieht sich dann halt über die kommenden Monate. Meine ersehnte Abkühlung habe ich beim Lesen so leider nicht erhalten.

[Anne-Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit underwhelming.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I received my copy of Abby Clements’ new novel Amelia Grey’s Fireside Dreams I was so excited. She’s such a popular author since her debut novel was released last year, and I was really looking forward to reading the novel. I haven’t actually read any of Abby’s books yet, although I did manage to read her Christmas novella that was released last year called The Christmas Bake Off and I was massively impressed with it. I had high expectations for Amelia Grey’s Fireside Dreams, but sadly, it wasn’t as fun as I expected it to be…

I really love the idea of home improvements and I love shows like DIY SOS so I was really pleased to see the plot of Amelia Grey was about a house renovation. I imagined it would be something like the film The Money Pit, a quirky, funny read, but it was a bit more serious and a lot less fun than I expected. The novel just seemed to motor on, ticking all the Chick Lit boxes as it did so and I was never really 100% vested in the novel, I wasn’t bothered if Amelia and Jack would make it through the renovations unscathed or if their cottage would ever be finished. Amelia could have been such a great character, but I felt like she never really came to life for me. She just seemed so flat and uninspiring. I totally get that home renovations are difficult, and money can be tight etc and in that regard the novel was very realistic and I appreciated how much strain can be put on a marriage when there’s a cottage to totally gut and put back together, but I dunno I just found myself not as interested as I wanted to be in the novel.

Amelia Grey’s Fireside Dreams will undoubtedly have its fans, because it is the perfect book to curl up with during the Winter months (or what passes as Winter months in Tenerife! :) ) I just appear to be in a bit of a reading slump recently, and I think I need some kind of butt-kicking book, something absolutely shocking to pull me out of my slump and this one wasn’t it. Which is a massive shame, actually. Abby is such a popular author and it is a solid novel, and I did finish it in the day, it just didn’t capture me the way I wanted it to, I wasn’t overtly interested in Amelia or Jack, although I did enjoy reading about the house being renovated, I did like to imagine all the colours being painted on the walls, and the beautiful claw-footed bath tub. It just didn’t work for me, really. It was OK and it ticked all of the boxes, it just didn’t blow me away and currently I’m trying to find a book that will blow me away, because I need something like that to jolt me out of my reading slump.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia and her husband Jack are fulfilling their dream of buying a cottage in the countryside. Does the cottage give them everything they were looking for, or will the pressure of the restoration prove too much for them?

The backdrop for this book is the renovation of an old cottage. I really liked this topic as it is something that a lot of us have come or will come across during our lives. Abby brilliantly highlights the hiccups involved in taking on such a big project. It was great seeing the way she portrayed the whole saga in her characters. She doesn’t only emphasize the physical hardship but also highlights the emotional drain involved.

The reader slowly gets eased into the storyline by the introduction of Amelia through her work life and her friends. I love books that start off this way as I feel I get to know the characters before the “adventures” really begin.

The storyline surrounding Elenor (the previous owner of the cottage) and how Amelia finds out more about her by finding certain items that were left behind, is really cute and endearing.

Whereas I adored Amelia’s character, she is so enthusiastic and loveable, I wasn’t keen on Jack as I couldn’t agree with some of the decisions he took.

This book is sweet, engaging and can brighten up a long and rainy day. It even inspired me to decorate one of our rooms :-) .

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an easy read, but really not my cup of tea. I'm not fond of books that tie everything up in a neat little bow without resolving any of the issues raised in them. Although this was about a home renovation, the writing was rushed and I didn't picture the developments I had hoped to. I thought the book would create incredible imagery for me to enjoy but it was all surface level detail. The relationships and conversations weren't relatable and felt trite. It was a sweet story, but I won't be reading anything else by the same author in the future.

Additionally, the editing was atrocious; this version is littered with errors throughout.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice easy book to read. Just what I needed after reading a few hard going story's

[ilo.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Vivian's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop and this novel, Meet Me Under The Mistletoe is definitely on my to read list.

[Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for decorating idea, the main character was very annoying after a short space of time.

[Rachel Atherley-King · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay, there was just something about it what I wasn't quite sure on. I think it was the writing style. It was a easy read.

[Karine SIMON · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby Clements a travaillé dans l’édition avant de se lancer dans l’écriture. Elle vit à Londres, adore ne rien faire les dimanches après-midi, et affectionne les films des années 1980. Elle est l’auteur de trois romans : La Merveilleuse Boutique de crèmes glacées de Viviane (2014), Les Divines Glaces à l’italienne d’Anna (2016) et Le Charmant Cottage d’Amelia (2016), tous publiés aux Éditions Prisma et repris chez Pocket.

Pour ma part, j’ai ses deux premiers romans dans ma PAL depuis une éternité, et je ne sais pas pourquoi je n’ai jamais pris le temps de les lire, c’est donc avec son troisième roman que je découvre sa plume.

J’adore ce genre de roman feel good qui fait du bien au moral. Je lis souvent ce genre de roman durant l’été. Ce sont des romans qui détendent, avec des personnages hyper attachants, et un scénario qui donne envie de tourner des pages.

Le Charmant Cottage d’Amelia ne fait pas exception à la règle. Nous y suivons en particulier le personnage d’Amélia, une jeune femme Londonienne qui s’apprête à passer le cap de ses 30 ans. Elle est heureuse tant professionnellement que dans sa vie sentimentale, même si cela pourrait être mieux. Elle est professeur de littérature à Londres, et elle se donne à fond pour motiver ses élèves. Elle espère obtenir une promotion. Elle est mariée et vit dans une petit deux pièces assez “miteux” mais c’est un peu le cocon familial du couple, leur nid douillet.

A l’approche de ses trente ans, Amélia sent un peu la pression “sociale”, elle n’a toujours pas d’enfant et n’en souhaite pas. Après une discussion avec sa meilleure amie, elle se souvient d’une liste qu’elle avait écrite bien des années avant. Celle-ci énumère les choses qu’elle aimerait réaliser avant ses trentes ans. Elle la retrouve alors, et cela va tout remettre en question. Amélia se met alors en tête d’aller vivre à la campagne, et elle arrive à convaincre son compagnon. Mais ce gros chantier va alors complètement chambouler leur vie, pour le meilleur et pour le pire.

J’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé, car c’est un roman auquel nous pouvons facilement nous retrouver. Il met en scène la vie d’un couple comme tant d’autres qui va se laisser submerger par des non-dit, par la pression sociale et financière, par les secrets de famille, et simplement par la société en général. Les personnages sont peu nombreux mais très attachants. Ils sont simples, ce sont des gens comme vous et moi, des gens qui nous ressemble, ou que l’on peut croiser dans notre vie.

L’écriture est fluide, l’histoire est très intéressante. C’est un roman que je vous recommande chaleureusement. Je sais que je vais craquer très prochainement pour les premiers romans de l’auteure.

[Clelia LADINI · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai découvert l'auteure Abby Clements en 2019, en lisant ce livre. Sorti aux Editions Prisma d'abord, il a été ensuite proposé par les Editions Pocket.
Ce roman sous des airs de feelgood pose des questions, mais laisse à chacun le soin d'y répondre.
Amélia retrouve une vieille liste des choses qu'elle rêvait de faire avant ses trente ans, mais elle se trouve justement à l'aube de cet anniversaire, et ce rêve est d'avoir une maison dans la campagne, quitter Londres et son stress.
Trouver la maison, son choix, les travaux nécessaires, les travaux collatéraux, tout est exactement comme lorsqu'on décide de vivre avec quelqu'un, les compromis, les aménagements, les coups de marteaux involontaires.
Amélia va se trouver à réfléchir sur sa vie, son couple, et ses racines, exactement comme la vérification des fondations et de la solidité d'une maison. La plume de la traductrice est fluide, drôle, et l'on se sent vraiment transporté au cœur de ce chantier. Une bonne lecture d'été.

I discovered author Abby Clements in 2019, reading this book. First released by Editions Prisma, it was then offered by Editions Pocket.
This novel under the airs of feelgood asks questions, but leaves it up to everyone to answer them.
Amelia finds an old list of things she dreamed of doing before her thirtieth birthday, but she is just on the verge of that birthday, and that dream is to have a house in the country, to leave London and its stress.
Finding the house, choosing it, the necessary work, the collateral work, everything is just like when you decide to live with someone, the compromises, the arrangements, the involuntary hammering.
Amelia will find herself reflecting on her life, her relationship, and her roots, just like checking the foundations and solidity of a house. The translator's writing is fluid, funny, and you really feel transported to the heart of this construction site. A good summer read.

[Georgia · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars at a push, maybe, I’m not sure.

This review isn’t gonna be incredibly detailed as I don’t really have that much to say about it. I read the whole book, which is a positive, and I did mostly enjoy myself whilst I was reading it. There wasn’t much that was actively bad about the book but there wasn’t really anything that impressed me either.

That’s being said, I did have some issues with the main character. She was fine on the whole, but I felt that she was really stubborn and unreasonable and wasn’t happy unless things were going her way. It bothered me that she got so offended by Jack thinking about the future of their marriage when she hadn’t told him what she wanted in the first place. She kept making a massive deal out of nothing and excluding him out of really important decisions and I just didn’t like that.

Also, the plot was kind of dull because it felt like nothing really happened. They just renovated a house by the end and that was kind of it. I suppose it was more of a character driven book but the characters weren’t that well developed which meant that they just didn’t make up for the lack of plot.

I did also notice a homophone error where it said “to” instead of “two” and maybe it’s just me being picky, but also if a book is going to be published it should be properly edited and checked for these things.

On the whole, it was an okay book. It was enjoyable to read for the most part, but there were just little things that bothered me and nothing about the book really wowed me.

[Hayley Marsland · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been quite a while since I last read a book by this author, and even longer since I enjoyed a book so much, that I actually read it in two sittings !

Jack and Amelia live in a cramped one bedroom flat in Hackney, but Amelia has a long held dream which is of them living in a cosy cottage in the countryside.

After a bit of a struggle they find the perfect place, but it's not been touched for quite a lot of years, and the amount of work that needs doing is quite a daunting prospect, in fact they inadvertently create quite a bit more work along the way.

Add to this Amelia's newly in love Mum, and her half sister Mirabel, who is quite a handful, they've now got a lot going on and it's pushing Jack and Amelia's marriage to breaking point.

As Amelia works relentlessly on the cottage, stripping off decades old wallpaper, sanding floors and repairing rickety staircases, she discovers more about the life of the previous owner, and a long kept secret is revealed.

Slowly but surely, not only does the cottage change, but so do Amelia's ideas about love life and family

A truly warm hearted, enjoyable book.

[Fazlina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very easy read for someone who is beginning to pick up reading leisurely.
The plot is easy to follow through with a little stories here and there, but overall, it is an enjoyable, heartwarming read. I'm probably a little biased because I have the same fireside dream as Amelia, but I love how Abby navigates through the intricacies of a married couple without being too unrealistic.
Things happen, it's normal I believe, but it's the choice of the couple to choose each other at the end of the day.

I do hope the ending could've dug deeper into Amelias change of heart about her decision, especially since it's a huge choice to make. Honestly, I don't think the challenge of renovating a house could ever compare.

Overall, I really love the plot and just a little spoiler, the synopsis is totally different than what I expected - which was even better.

[Une lecture Helvétique · Rating 3 out of 5]

sympathique mais à mes yeux, pas transcendant. L'histoire est belle, nous suivons un couple qui passe de Londres à la campagne avec les soucis et surprises qui vont avec. Personnellement, je trouve que ce livre manque de profondeur. On passe au dessus un peu de tout juste après avoir lancé le sujet. On suit un couple mais finalement on voit la vue que d'un seul personnage de toute l'histoire: Amelia. Jack, son mari, est quasiment absent de cette aventure malgré le fait que le couple passe une période de crise. J'ai trouvé assez dommage. Il y a aussi des détails sur des choses qui le semblait inutiles; préciser que la personne a un IPhone, un magasine de telle ou telle marque. Mais en dehors de tout cela, le livre reste sympathique à lire pour se détendre.