Going Home

by Harriet Evans

They say love feels like going home . . .
but what if your home is no longer there?

Leaving her tiny flat in London -- and a whole host of headaches behind -- Lizzy Walter is making the familiar journey back home to spend Christmas with her chaotic but big-hearted family. In an ever-changing world, her parents' country home, Keeper House, is the one constant. But behind the mistletoe and mince pies, family secrets and rivalries lurk. And when David, the Love of Her Life -- or so she thought -- makes an unexpected reappearance, this one ranks as a Christmas she would definitely rather forget.

As winter slowly turns to spring, all the things that Lizzy has taken for granted begin to shift. Keeper House is in jeopardy and might have to be sold for reasons Lizzy doesn't understand. Her family seems fractured like never before. And, with a new man in her life, she may finally have to kiss her dream of a reunion with David good-bye. By the time the Walters gather at Keeper House for a summer wedding, the stakes have never been higher -- for Lizzy, for her family, and for love.

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

448 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2005

About the author

I was born in London and grew up there. I was very bookish, and had a huge imagination which used to cause me to get rather anxious at times. Now I know it's a good thing for a writer to have. I loved musicals, and playing imaginative games, and my Barbie perfume making kit. Most of all I loved reading. I read everything, but I also read lots of things over and over, which I think is so important.

At university I read Classical Studies, which is a great way of finding out that the world doesn't change much and people make the same mistakes but it's interesting to look at why. I was at Bristol, and i loved the city, making new friends, being a new person.

After university I came back to London and got a job in publishing. I loved working in publishing so much, and really felt for the first time in my life that when I spoke people understood what I was saying. Book people are good people. I became an editor after a few years, working with many bestselling novelists, and in 2009 I left to write full time.

I've written 13 novels and several short stories and one Quick Read, which is an excellent way of getting people into reading more. I've acquired a partner and two children along the way.

In 2019 we moved to Bath, out of London, and I am very happy there. We live opposite a hedgerow, and I can be boring about gardening, and there's room for my collection of jumpsuits and all our books. We have lots of books. Apart from anything else they keep the house warm. xxx

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not usually a fan of chic lit but this was a freebie so thought I'd give it a try. Started off with potential to be a good book but I quickly became irritated by the main character, Lizzy. She comes across as irrational and infuriatingly jumps to conclusions whilst never establishing any of the facts. The secret of why the house was being sold did make me want to read to the end but why you would never just ask your parents the question was frankly rather improbable and made me want to slap her! But then I suppose if she had, then there would be no secret and therefore no story!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it, loved the characters especially the main character's family, but I really, really loved Gibbo. What a funny guy! There are lot of bits and pieces that seemed so real to me. Really enjoyed it.

[Renata SG · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goodreads really needs to have half stars because 2 stars is saying "I really didn't enjoy it" and three stars would say "The book was OK" ... well it was neither.

I struggled to read this book and at times when I was starting to get into the book ... bitter disappointment ... and struggle time hit again ...

The storyline was good but I feel it was poorly executed ... at times the author babbled on about meaningless topics which really didn't need to be added.

Lizzy?!?!?! WHat an annoying character ... She started OK but her tendency to not speak up when she had the opportunity really annoyed me.

The book ended well .. typcial chick flick ending ... blah blah blah ... Let's high five for happy endings ...

[Annemiek · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are following the story of Lizzy Walter, a girl who works and lives in London. She meets her family for Christmas in the Keeper House. What used to be her grandparents house and now it is her parents house. But on the end of there lovely Christmas her dad made some mistakes and they are forced to sell the Keeper House.

I was sometimes very annoyed by the main character, Lizzy Walter, because of how stupid she sometimes is. But overal I found the book okay, it had a story that kept me intrigued, what I find very important in a book.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Evans writes well. She has a lovely turn of phrase and a delightful sense of humour.

Unfortunately, her heroine is a twat who can't make a decision, lives with her head in the sand while the world is falling apart around her and wouldn't be able to pay a phone bill without a man to help her.

When it finally seems that she's decided to take control of her life, the hero sweeps her off her feet and does it for her.

If you love stupid women or long to be one, you will love this book. If you don't, steer clear, you've probably read it all before anyway.

[Michele Bolay · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the reasons why Harriet Evans is my new go-to author for emotionally satisfying, well-written commercial fiction: "I am passionate about commercial fiction, especially commercial women’s fiction, which seems to me to come in for an extraordinary amount of bile and patronising comment, in contrast to the same kind of books by men, which get reviewed, discussed, accepted into the canon with far greater ease. Books about young women’s lives, their jobs, romances, nights out, what they like doing, are seen as frippery and silly; books about young men’s lives covering exactly the same topics are discussed and debated, often accepted as valid and interesting contributions to the current social and media scene."

Amen. This was my first Evans book, and I haven't looked back. :-)

BTW, for those who were disappointed because this wasn't the typical rip-roaringly hilarious and lightweight post-Bridget Jones piece of chick lit...well, that's not what Evans writes. It's definitely "women's fiction" with chick-lit elements and tropes, but I soon discovered that her books were much more about the dynamics of the relationships adults have with their parents, siblings, and friends than they are "zany romances."

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, I love Brit lit due to the mix of humor and hilarious swear words that we don't use in American English. Evans is a more recent discovery and I really enjoyed Going Home. For those that have less than Norman Rockwell families, this is an apropo read as it opens with the annual trek home for Christmas by three sibs/ cousins. The opening night of drinking and introduction of family oddballs should strike a chord with many.

As Lizzy goes into denial about the loss of her ancestral home, it gets a bit old, but in the end the character development throughout the book should pull you past the slow spots.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh, it was okay. It took me a while to get into the book, and when I felt like I was getting to the heart of the story, I would come across a few pages that were just okay, starting the cycle over again.

It's very British humor, which I'm sure means I've missed a bit. The characters, while fleshed out, weren't rounded out, if that makes sense. I didn't feel particularly drawn to any one of them. I wasn't rooting for any one of them, either.

It had some language, especially toward the latter half of the book which people might find offensive as well. All in all, an okay read, but nothing overly special.

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during An Excess of Chicks: Chick Lit Month (April 2014)

Lizzy has had a rough year of it, but little does she know that things are about to get a whole lot worse. Going back home for Christmas to her family's rambling home, Keeper House, she has to deflect questions about why she and David broke up. Lizzy doesn't want to get into the details with her family, but when he turned out to be a cheating bastard, well, you usually don't stay together. Thankfully the eventful arrival of her Uncle Mike with a new American bride draws the attention away from her and David... the David who just showed up. Luckily the Christmas traditions of the family serve to create a kind of normality when everyone is acting against type. Then everything goes into free fall when Lizzy's father tells them all that Keeper House has to be sold and there will be no discussion about why. The fact must be accepted, that is all.

Back in London, Lizzy's life has no anchor without Keeper House. She has done what her family has asked and posed no questions. Like most crises in her life she just ignores them and moves on. Her job with Monumental Films is going surprisingly well. She has a new boyfriend who happens to be a screenwriter for the company and her life has developed a new routine, one that avoids all thoughts of Keeper House. When an opportunity to transfer to the LA branch of the company arises Lizzy seriously thinks it over. Her life in England has been changed forever with Keeper House being taken away, so perhaps it's time for her to get a new one... unless a miracle happens.

Over the holidays I was looking for something Christmasy to read. I was in desperate need of some holiday cheer. For me I have a very odd sense of what I view as Christmas fare, I mean, seriously, I view LA Confidential as a Christmas movie. In fairness, it did come out around Christmas and the beginning does take place at Christmas... it's just not so much your Rosemary Clooney singing about snow and more noir and death. So I wanted some more traditional Christmas cheer. Seeing as I plan way way ahead of time I knew that April was going to be focusing on Chick Lit on my blog and when doing a goodreads search for Christmas books this came up I knew I had to read it... at least I can say that it got the Christmas vibe right... other than that, well... there was a lot that I felt was wrong.

The fact that Lizzy's life outside of Keeper House reminded me overtly of another book I didn't like, The Bronte Project, probably wasn't the best of starts. Not to mention that all the characters seem like stock characters, just cardboard cut outs of real people, it left me not caring about any of them. And as for Lizzy's cousin Tom... well, when you're going to just take a character straight out of someone else's book, maybe it's best to choose another genre then ripping him of from the queen of Chick Lit, Helen Fielding. Yes, Tom from Bridget Jones's Diary is oddly one of the main characters in this book.

But it's these stock character's flaws that just made me want to crawl into the pages and smack them upside the head. What I'm talking about is the fact that every single person loves to bury their head in the sand and live in ignorance. In my mind there's a clear division of knowing what is going on and avoiding it because you don't want to deal with it and not wanting to know anything at all. Lizzy is perfectly content to live in ignorance. We live in a world where ignorance, to me, is not acceptable. Her willfully refusing to even pose a question made me hate her to the very fibres of my being. She was like a two year old sticking her fingers in her ears and yelling at everyone that she wasn't listening. This is no way to live. Yes I know Chick Lit is supposed to be fun and funny and we relate and laugh at the foibles of the heroine, the misunderstandings that arise... but when that heroine is a willfully ignorant one, well, I'm going to hate her.

This ignorance on the part of Lizzy is coupled with the obviousness of the plot. I mean within ten pages I knew how everything was going to play out and that does not a fun read make. Though I'm not sure as to why the plot was so obvious, it could have been purposeful or not. The question all comes down to did the character flaws force Harriet Evans to have to write a more obvious plot so that we as readers wouldn't toss the book out the window because we were forced into the same dark ignorance as the characters, or was it just a narrative flaw on her part and had nothing to do with a willful choice... it's hard to tell. One makes me just hate the story, the other makes me hate the author. At least having read one of her later books first I know that she gets better than this first endeavour... because if I didn't have this foreknowledge, I might never pick her up again... like I am with Katie Fforde, she is dead to me because of Love Letters. Dead to me.

[Bookworman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Erm... too much like the first scene in “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. Didn’t make it past page 10.

[Tessa Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

had hoped for more, something was of

[Sx · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked it up thinking it might be a fun read with a dash of mystery, which was all Going Home was not. Reading it did not make me feel like I was going home. In fact, instead of going home, Going Home felt like a long detour on the road home, when you check the meter every so often, convinced that the cab driver is determined to take the long way to earn a quick buck.

For a heroine, Lizzy Walters was working rather hard at not being relatable. Other than being filled with righteous anger at her ex whom she believes has cheated on her, the rest of her just doesn't do anything but be angry at things happening around her. Yet, she doesn't do anything about it other than choosing to emote until the final bit of the book where you just want to scream from the top of the hill FINALLY!! Most if not all the issues she faced could have been solved by the most basic thing humans do - communication, but not Lizzy or the Walters family. They choose avoidance and bring it to a whole new level.

Misunderstandings and miscommunication abound in Going Home, not that it's a surprise considering how most of the characters are such experts are burying their head in the sand at the first sign of trouble. The only spark of life in this book came in the form of Gibbo, an endearing Australian carpenter, who was actually honest, communicative and a good cook to boot. 2 stars to Gibbo. Unfortunately, even he couldn't bring the rest of the book
(and its characters) to life.

[Ashley Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had been sitting in my “want to read” shelf for a while. I finally decided to dig into it, and I was thoroughly glad I did at the outset. In the beginning, it was interesting with quirky rather well-developed characters that were easy to connect with. I thought, “this is going to be a great book.” However, as it went on, it became a bit murky and drawn out. The main character, Lizzy, wasn’t really trying to save anything other than herself and she wasn’t super successful at that. I could tell where things were going several hundred pages from the end and yet it took so long for the ending and all of the resolutions to arrive - and yet, there were still questions, loose ends that never did get tied up. I’ll say this - I like this writer and will probably check out another of her books.

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot of Going Home, it's idea is good, it's just poorly executed. I really struggled with getting into this book for a number of reasons. The main character has a best friend Georgy that doesn't appear actually in the book until the end, while thinking about the job in LA there's no mention of getting a visa [tiny but important detail] and I found Lizzy to be not be very likeable. She assumes without any true evidence, takes things on face value and judges everything by the words of others. Other then that I couldn't get into Harriet Evans style of writing even though typically I like the odd chic lit novel. I did read the book but it became a struggle in so much I skim read the last five chapters just so I knew what happened.

[Komal · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first of Harriet's books, while I can't say it was a downer, it was NOT one of the most exciting books I have read. Mainly because the story promised lots of comedy and romance, both of which I did not find! There was no fiery chemistry between hero and heroine or laugh-out-loud moments to rave about. It was a mediocre read with nothing special to boast about. Those of you who like to read more about family bonding through secondary characters will probably enjoy it more. I wished there were more scenes between heroine and the hero. Overall enjoyed the book but definitely not a pick-me-up or wow effect on me!

Written by:
Komal Mansoor aka The Review Girl@
komzreviews.blogspot.com

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book because the cover had a quote from Sophie Kinsella saying she loved it...and love Sophie's books. I was not overly impressed. I was a pretty easy read, despite being on the longer side.

I never fully connected with the main character - her agony of a love lost due to a misunderstanding never felt quite real. I found myself rolling my eyes more than once.

It would be fine for a beach read, but there are much better choices in the "chick lit" category if that's what you're looking for.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blah blah blah, waffle,waffle, waffle, this book could have, no, should have been about 200 pages shorter. I would have given up if not for the fact that I've done that to often in 2012 but Evans is no Fiona Walker or Marion Keyes. Pretty sure I won't be reading the other one on my shelf. I didn't care about any one of the characters and the fact that Lizzy couldn't see a way to help her parents (being in the job she's in) was plain stupid and irritating. Not a great start to 2013.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

a bit of a silly plot and wholly unrealistic heroine; 100% chick lit

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get past page 150, the authors childish writing and annoying characters just ruined a potential cute story.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book would have probably benefitted from being about 200 pages shorter. The plot was drawn out none of the secrets or mysteries really grabbed my interest.

[Paula Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first Harriet Evans book I have read, and it was OK. The story of Lizzy and her mad family was interesting, and her up and down love life was an OK read. The side story of Keeper House was OK, but I suppose I found it a little too convenient a resolution - and the story of Mike being a naughty boy was a bit of a stretch for someone supposedly so intelligent. But then, it is a novel, and flights of fancy are the order of the day.

The characters were written reasonably well, and they all worked together but again, something stopped me from liking them all fully. Lizzy I found to be mildly annoying and at times quite churlish, whilst Tom was someone I would like to thump! Chin was great at the beginning but became an unbelievable bridezilla and who was Georgy the best friend? The rest of the adults (except Gibbo) were very British stiff upper lip and all that...if someone behaves that bad in my family they'd be skinned alive, buried in the ground up to their neck and their faces smeared with jam so wasps and ants have a feast!! This was an easy read that wasn't terrible, it kept my attention and I finished it quite quickly so it's not all bad!

[Natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only good thing about this novel is that it depicts British behaviours pretty well. It started ok, I spent several Christmases in UK so I enjoyed the descriptions that I could relate to (well, apart from the 'crazy family' part - fortunately ;) ).
But oh dear, the further into the book, the worse it gets. The family members and friends of the main character are cardboard cutouts, with gay characters being the most stereotypical (I suppose in 2005, when the book was written, one could not present a gay person simply as a human, it had to be centered around their sexuality).
And the plot holes! I am surprised that noone on GR has mentioned the fact that Lizzy screams at David after the Christmas about sleeping with her friend. And then she tells her family what happened - surely you could imagine Chin or Rosalie mentioning it to David! So the fact that he finds out so late is ridiculous.
I will not dwell on the entire house sale thing - the fact that the main character (or e.g. Tom) did not investigate why they need to sell it was already covered on GR as a completely unrealistic.
And last but not least - the book wrongly states that D-Day was in 1943.

[Kirstine Duthie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this book a 2.5 stars. It could have been so much better than it was. Lizzy was a pretty annoying character than never once actually stopped to ask or think what was going on. You get told your boyfriend has slept with someone else and you don’t ever ask anything about it just split up without knowing anything.

The house sale really should have been wrapped up in a chapter and then the book could have dealt with more of the fall out. It was a very long winded why do they need to sell the house - again most people would just ask. It was a pointless story in the book which dragged on and on and on.

[Maanasa Dheenadayalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Going Home" by Harriet Evans is your classic chick-lit rom-com — but for me, it’s more than that. It’s one of those books I return to for comfort, like a warm blanket on a rainy day. There's something about the mix of humor, chaos, and sweetness that makes it feel familiar in the best way.

The story is filled with hilarious twists and turns, very rom-com in nature, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously — which is part of its charm. I especially loved the moments between David and Lizzie; their chemistry was so natural and fun to read. It had that delightful push-pull energy that makes you root for them without even realizing it.

Miles, on the other hand, was… a little strange. I couldn’t quite figure him out, but I suppose that’s part of the point. Love, as this book proves, makes people act weird — and sometimes, that weirdness is what makes it all the more real.

Overall, Going Home is funny, heartfelt, and just a little bit chaotic in the best way. It’s not trying to change the world — but it just might brighten your day. A perfect comfort read.

[Niki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book, which is, quite frankly, amazing, given that Lizzy is a complete moron. She has the curiosity of a teaspoon (who finds out that their parents have to sell their home and doesn't ask why or show any support?), jumps to seriously flawed conclusions, and is too thick to work out the obvious (someone calls to ask her exactly where she is within the train station. Our fearless heroine decides that's normal behaviour. It takes 3 pages and the relevant person finding her for it to occur to her why they called). I was hoping she'd fall down a flight of stairs by the end.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an ok story but nothing great. There were some moments that had me hoping that the book could be good (family in the kitchen after meeting the newly wedded couple) but it never quite makes it to the full potential. Some characters are better then others but most of them are very similar to each other. I'm sure there are many out there who would rate the book better but it just missed the mark for me.

[Caroline Abbott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the "voice" of the main character was very fresh, engaging and cute. On the other hand, the author used so much UK slang that I sometimes didn't know what they were talking about. Also, it got a bit slow in the middle, so I skipped about 100 pages to "get to the good part."

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young 20-something is getting over a brake up with her true love when she finds out her family will loose the home they have lived in for generations. She learns a lot about herself, her family and her friends and it is not all good. This book would appeal more to a person in the same age group as the main character.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I enjoyed the Britishisms within this, and overall the characterisation of the family and their dynamics but… Lizzy, WHAT?! I won’t spoil it but my God, I need to talk to someone about a plot point in this book. It’s the kind of thing that made me scour all of the reviews, looking for someone else who felt the same and I can’t believe no one has.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!

[Keila Aruni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really love love stories and stuff but this book had to much 'not so nice drama' I would actually say there was a lot of unnecessary drama. Anyways the end was kinda heroic and for some strange reason I enjoyed it.