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Hester and Harriet
When widowed sisters, Hester and Harriet, move together into a comfortable cottage in a pretty English village, the only blights on their cosy landscape are their crushingly boring cousins, George and Isabelle, who are determined that the sisters will never want for company. Including Christmas Day.On their reluctant drive over to Christmas dinner, the sisters come across a waif-like young girl, hiding with her baby in a disused bus shelter. Seizing upon the perfect excuse for returning to their own warm hearth, Hester and Harriet insist on bringing Daria and Milo home with them.But with the knock at their front door the next day by a sinister stranger looking for a girl with a baby, followed quickly by their cousins' churlish fifteen-year-old son, Ben, who also appears to be seeking sanctuary, Hester and Harriet's carefully crafted peace and quiet quickly begins to fall apart.With dark goings-on in the village, unlooked-for talents in Ben, and the deeper mysteries in Daria's story, Hester and Harriet find their lives turned upside down. And, perhaps, it's exactly what they need.
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First published October 1, 2015
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About the author
Hilary Spiers
4 books6 followersHilary Spiers is a novelist, award-winning short story writer and playwright. She writes contemporary fiction about ordinary women in sometimes extraordinary circumstances, and in particular older women who rarely seem to take centre stage. Well, in her work, they do, in all their wit and exuberance.
Hilary’s first novel, Hester and Harriet, was published in March 2016 and was included in the 2016 Amazon Rising Stars List. Her second novel, Hester & Harriet: Love, Lies and Linguine followed in March 2017. The adventures of these feisty, no-nonsense sisters clearly struck a chord, generating demand from readers for more. In the meantime, she’s putting the finishing touches to her first foray into children's fiction about a very unusual girl, her indomitable grandmother and a six-foot Polish female plumber ...
Born in London, Hilary now lives in Edinburgh, with her husband and their neurotic cat Lola. When she isn’t writing (which she is most of the time), she is directing, performing or cooking up a storm. Pies are a speciality. Several of her plays are available online in film or audio.
Hilary’s first novel, Hester and Harriet, was published in March 2016 and was included in the 2016 Amazon Rising Stars List. Her second novel, Hester & Harriet: Love, Lies and Linguine followed in March 2017. The adventures of these feisty, no-nonsense sisters clearly struck a chord, generating demand from readers for more. In the meantime, she’s putting the finishing touches to her first foray into children's fiction about a very unusual girl, her indomitable grandmother and a six-foot Polish female plumber ...
Born in London, Hilary now lives in Edinburgh, with her husband and their neurotic cat Lola. When she isn’t writing (which she is most of the time), she is directing, performing or cooking up a storm. Pies are a speciality. Several of her plays are available online in film or audio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
June 3, 2017
I guess this one just creeps into the genre of cosy mystery since the Hester and Harriet of the title unintentionally become temporary sleuths. Having given refuge to a young runaway and her baby they then have to shield her from danger and try to discover the girl's true story. It all makes for a fun, entertaining tale.
I liked Hester and Harriet, sisters and widows, getting along with their lives in their own comfortable ways. It was nice to see them open their doors to a variety of people in need, although admittedly with a few grumbles.
The quirky English village setting is well known from so many mysteries and detective novels, but it was done quite well. Of course there was a village gossip, an unhappy vicar's wife, a business man threatening their way of life with building developments and more but they were all well written.
There was plenty of humour too. Hester and Harriet provided much of it in their conversations and asides and Ben was brilliant. I did wonder though how a fifteen year old, only child knew so much about caring for babies. (Perhaps he Googled it.)
Interestingly there was a serious thread to the whole book too - a fair bit of social commentary but done with a very light touch.
Overall a light, enjoyable read and I will be following up with the sequel Love, Lies and Linguine
I liked Hester and Harriet, sisters and widows, getting along with their lives in their own comfortable ways. It was nice to see them open their doors to a variety of people in need, although admittedly with a few grumbles.
The quirky English village setting is well known from so many mysteries and detective novels, but it was done quite well. Of course there was a village gossip, an unhappy vicar's wife, a business man threatening their way of life with building developments and more but they were all well written.
There was plenty of humour too. Hester and Harriet provided much of it in their conversations and asides and Ben was brilliant. I did wonder though how a fifteen year old, only child knew so much about caring for babies. (Perhaps he Googled it.)
Interestingly there was a serious thread to the whole book too - a fair bit of social commentary but done with a very light touch.
Overall a light, enjoyable read and I will be following up with the sequel Love, Lies and Linguine
January 11, 2016
HESTER AND HARRIET was a very enjoyable read centred around two elderly sisters with an appreciation for the finer things in life – something I can only aspire to. There is humour, kindness and a determination to make things right along with a gentle message that sometimes family is the one we choose rather than the one we are born into. From the moment they open their hearts and home to Daria and her baby boy there is intrigue and mystery. Daria is a foreign refugee who has fled to England for safety after political upheaval in her country and a series of circumstances has meant that she is now in England with an expired visa through no fault of her own; she needs kindness and help. Ben is a typically unaware teen male who has hidden depths that his aunts manage to bring out of him as he hides from his parents after a family disagreement. Harriet and Hester, along with Ben, set out to keep Daria a secret while they work out how she got into her predicament, who is hunting for her and how they can save her.
The story is a wonderful blend of comedy and drama that is set against a background of an English country village, local gossip and a cast of quirky support characters – aren’t they all quirky in English villages? The mystery behind Daria is gradually unveiled and Harriet and Hester are delightful amateur sleuths. I sometimes got the two sisters muddled up, but it didn’t matter because they worked as one unit. There were a couple of minor characters that appealed to me as well – the main one being a hobo called Finbarr.
The writing is beautiful and some of the old rarely used words just rolled off the tongue – such as consanguinity and lugubrious. The two sisters are constantly corrected Ben’s grammar, and his poor use of the correct tense, and I applauded this. So many youngsters today, and even some older people, talk as if they’re texting. The English language is beautiful – use it. Don’t be lulled into thinking this is a light and fluffy read, sure there are lots of food and wine discussions but there are some serious issues going on that are gently brought out into the open without feeling as though we are being lectured.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin and the author for this copy to read and review.
The story is a wonderful blend of comedy and drama that is set against a background of an English country village, local gossip and a cast of quirky support characters – aren’t they all quirky in English villages? The mystery behind Daria is gradually unveiled and Harriet and Hester are delightful amateur sleuths. I sometimes got the two sisters muddled up, but it didn’t matter because they worked as one unit. There were a couple of minor characters that appealed to me as well – the main one being a hobo called Finbarr.
The writing is beautiful and some of the old rarely used words just rolled off the tongue – such as consanguinity and lugubrious. The two sisters are constantly corrected Ben’s grammar, and his poor use of the correct tense, and I applauded this. So many youngsters today, and even some older people, talk as if they’re texting. The English language is beautiful – use it. Don’t be lulled into thinking this is a light and fluffy read, sure there are lots of food and wine discussions but there are some serious issues going on that are gently brought out into the open without feeling as though we are being lectured.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin and the author for this copy to read and review.
January 9, 2017
Hester and Harriet is the first book in the Hester and Harriet series by British author, Hilary Spiers. Hester Greene and Harriet Pearson are “late middle-aged” widows living together in Pellington, the next village to their well-meaning cousin George, his wife Isabelle and their rather sullen son, Ben. On their reluctant way to another boring and probably inedible Christmas Day lunch, they pick up a waif taking cover in a disused bus shelter, a young woman with a baby, the perfect excuse to head home.
Before they have even had a chance to find out much about Daria and her just-months-old son, Milo, “nephew” Ben turns up on their doorstep, wanting respite from his parents. And when a private detective turns up looking for Daria, Hester and Harriet know they need answers. Trying to keep Daria’s situation under the radar of the village gossip, whilst also dealing diplomatically with Ben and his parents, certainly presents a challenge for these two feisty ladies. And that’s before others turn up in search of mother and baby, and a certain elderly gent in a hospital ward claims Hetty and Harry as his estranged sisters.
In this charming tale, Spiers gives the reader an original plot with a twist or two, while touching on several topical issues: the plight of refugees and asylum-seekers, the pressure of career choice, the rights of the indigent, the devastating effects of cot death. She populates her novel with a cast of delightful characters, quirky but easily believable: the teen wedded to his iPhone, the indigent gentleman scholar, the dodgy local businessman, the alcoholic wife, the anxious parents.
Hester and Harriet is a very enjoyable read: in amongst the serious topics there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and some wonderful descriptive prose. The sisters are a likeable pair whose flaws and foibles make them all the more appealing. Readers who enjoy Hester and Harriet will be pleased to know their story is continued in the sequel, Love, Lies and Linguine. Recommended!
Before they have even had a chance to find out much about Daria and her just-months-old son, Milo, “nephew” Ben turns up on their doorstep, wanting respite from his parents. And when a private detective turns up looking for Daria, Hester and Harriet know they need answers. Trying to keep Daria’s situation under the radar of the village gossip, whilst also dealing diplomatically with Ben and his parents, certainly presents a challenge for these two feisty ladies. And that’s before others turn up in search of mother and baby, and a certain elderly gent in a hospital ward claims Hetty and Harry as his estranged sisters.
In this charming tale, Spiers gives the reader an original plot with a twist or two, while touching on several topical issues: the plight of refugees and asylum-seekers, the pressure of career choice, the rights of the indigent, the devastating effects of cot death. She populates her novel with a cast of delightful characters, quirky but easily believable: the teen wedded to his iPhone, the indigent gentleman scholar, the dodgy local businessman, the alcoholic wife, the anxious parents.
Hester and Harriet is a very enjoyable read: in amongst the serious topics there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and some wonderful descriptive prose. The sisters are a likeable pair whose flaws and foibles make them all the more appealing. Readers who enjoy Hester and Harriet will be pleased to know their story is continued in the sequel, Love, Lies and Linguine. Recommended!
March 5, 2016
3.5 stars
Sisters Hester and Harriet live together now that they are both widowed. They are happy to live a quiet, monotonous life and like nothing better than to be left alone.
Their comfortable, mundane world is about to come crashing down when first they find a young girl with a small baby huddled in a bus shelter then their 15 year old nephew arrives on their doorstep begging to stay with them for a few days.
What ensues is a week of danger, adventure and soul searching for the two sisters.
This was a slow paced story but none the less intriguing with a few mysteries although not eye opening, were interesting.
The character of Ben was well done with typical teenage language and attitude.
Hester and Harriet at times were indistinguishable and I’m not sure if this was because their names were so similar or because they kept slipping out of character.
Hilary Spiers’ writing is catchy and humorous but by page 8 I stopped looking up the meaning of words I didn’t know. I was starting to feel like some uneducated dolt.
A good read if you are after something light and fun.
With my thanks to First Reads and the publisher for my uncorrected proof copy to read and review.
Sisters Hester and Harriet live together now that they are both widowed. They are happy to live a quiet, monotonous life and like nothing better than to be left alone.
Their comfortable, mundane world is about to come crashing down when first they find a young girl with a small baby huddled in a bus shelter then their 15 year old nephew arrives on their doorstep begging to stay with them for a few days.
What ensues is a week of danger, adventure and soul searching for the two sisters.
This was a slow paced story but none the less intriguing with a few mysteries although not eye opening, were interesting.
The character of Ben was well done with typical teenage language and attitude.
Hester and Harriet at times were indistinguishable and I’m not sure if this was because their names were so similar or because they kept slipping out of character.
Hilary Spiers’ writing is catchy and humorous but by page 8 I stopped looking up the meaning of words I didn’t know. I was starting to feel like some uneducated dolt.
A good read if you are after something light and fun.
With my thanks to First Reads and the publisher for my uncorrected proof copy to read and review.
June 6, 2017
A delightful read. Hester and Harriet only serves to strengthen my belief that there is far more going on in these sleepy English villages than is immediately apparent to the casual observer.
There is no murder, a little mystery and intrigue, but mostly this is just a 'feel good' book. If you need a break from the darker reads, I can heartily recommend this.
There is no murder, a little mystery and intrigue, but mostly this is just a 'feel good' book. If you need a break from the darker reads, I can heartily recommend this.
April 8, 2016
You can tell I'm in a reading slump as it took me 1 week!!! to finish this novel. True, I've been doing other stuff, and I seem to have gotten back my photography mojo, which had pretty much deserted me in the past year or so. Right, back to the subject at hand, 'Hester and Harriet'.
First of all, I felt like such a dufus for assuming that Hester was a guy's name. Hester and Harriet are two widowed, retired sisters, living a quiet and comfortable life in a village in England. Their life is uneventful and has been like that for many years. All they've got is each other, as none of them had children.
But all this coziness turns on its head when, on Christmas Day, they come across a very young foreign woman with a baby, hiding in a disused bus shelter. Upon realising she had nowhere to go, they take it upon themselves to offer to give them shelter in their home. As if they didn't have enough to deal with, their fifteen-year-old nephew, Ben, shows at their door seeking sanctuary from his overbearing, well-intentioned parents.
And so, they were two, but now they are five. The sisters are puzzled by Daria. They come to discover that she's from Belarus, and they are ashamed that they don't know much about that country. But they have the best intentions where Daria and her adorable baby, Milo, are concerned. As for the nephew, grunty, pimply, attached-to-his-mobile phone Ben, they're not that keen on him, but they don't have the heart to renege on their sanctuary.
Of course, things become more complicated. Some bad guys come into the picture. Is Daria who she says she is? Now the sisters embark on finding out if Daria told the truth, and how to help her stay in the UK. I'll leave it at that as I already said too much. You can think of the two sisters are Ms Marple x 2, but in more contemporary British setting.
'Hester and Harriet' is a delightful novel. There were so many things that I liked about it.
It was refreshing to have heroines who are past their prime. I love it when ordinary people become heroes through circumstance and/or through their actions.
The writing is really good and has a great flow. It's detail oriented, but I didn't mind it. Also, the vocabulary used is elevated, nothing to be scared of, I needed to use the Dictionary a few times, but as I said it before, I enjoy learning so I appreciated the opportunity. I loved how both sisters were correcting Ben's grammar incessantly.
I thought Hillary Spiers did a great job at presenting one of the issues Britain grapples with these days - immigration. One can have set ideas about what/how things are or should be but "... how the sands shift once matters become personal. At a remove, there would be no doubt as to the correct course of action. Now, however, those certainties have been shaken by events, of greater significance, by their growing attachment to Daria and Milo."
I'll close my review by saying that 'Hester and Harriet' is a novel that accomplishes being fun yet serious, irreverent, sardonic yet touching, with a good dose of realism. The character development was absolutely fantastic.
Here's to unlikely heros and heroines!
4 stars
Cover: 4.5 stars
First of all, I felt like such a dufus for assuming that Hester was a guy's name. Hester and Harriet are two widowed, retired sisters, living a quiet and comfortable life in a village in England. Their life is uneventful and has been like that for many years. All they've got is each other, as none of them had children.
But all this coziness turns on its head when, on Christmas Day, they come across a very young foreign woman with a baby, hiding in a disused bus shelter. Upon realising she had nowhere to go, they take it upon themselves to offer to give them shelter in their home. As if they didn't have enough to deal with, their fifteen-year-old nephew, Ben, shows at their door seeking sanctuary from his overbearing, well-intentioned parents.
And so, they were two, but now they are five. The sisters are puzzled by Daria. They come to discover that she's from Belarus, and they are ashamed that they don't know much about that country. But they have the best intentions where Daria and her adorable baby, Milo, are concerned. As for the nephew, grunty, pimply, attached-to-his-mobile phone Ben, they're not that keen on him, but they don't have the heart to renege on their sanctuary.
Of course, things become more complicated. Some bad guys come into the picture. Is Daria who she says she is? Now the sisters embark on finding out if Daria told the truth, and how to help her stay in the UK. I'll leave it at that as I already said too much. You can think of the two sisters are Ms Marple x 2, but in more contemporary British setting.
'Hester and Harriet' is a delightful novel. There were so many things that I liked about it.
It was refreshing to have heroines who are past their prime. I love it when ordinary people become heroes through circumstance and/or through their actions.
The writing is really good and has a great flow. It's detail oriented, but I didn't mind it. Also, the vocabulary used is elevated, nothing to be scared of, I needed to use the Dictionary a few times, but as I said it before, I enjoy learning so I appreciated the opportunity. I loved how both sisters were correcting Ben's grammar incessantly.
I thought Hillary Spiers did a great job at presenting one of the issues Britain grapples with these days - immigration. One can have set ideas about what/how things are or should be but "... how the sands shift once matters become personal. At a remove, there would be no doubt as to the correct course of action. Now, however, those certainties have been shaken by events, of greater significance, by their growing attachment to Daria and Milo."
I'll close my review by saying that 'Hester and Harriet' is a novel that accomplishes being fun yet serious, irreverent, sardonic yet touching, with a good dose of realism. The character development was absolutely fantastic.
Here's to unlikely heros and heroines!
4 stars
Cover: 4.5 stars
August 3, 2016
Reviewed as part of the promotional tour, for which I received a free copy of the book. Review also published at If These Books Could Talk
Widowed sisters, Hester and Harriet live the cosy village life, keeping themselves very much to themselves. Only socialising when they absolutely have to, they see the world around them through very narrow eyes. Those eyes are opened wide when not only do they find their errant teenage nephew Ben on their doorstep, seeking an escape from his pushy parents, but they discover a young woman, scared, alone and desperately protecting her small baby. Through their actions, and by opening up themselves and their beloved home to these strangers, the sisters discover that maybe they’ve isolated themselves from too much, for too long.
‘Hester and Harriet’ is a joyous début from (among other things) playwright Hilary Spiers, that takes the ‘cosy mystery’ genre one step further by combining a genuine mystery with social commentary and a wry swipe at the insularity of village life, especially within a certain age bracket. Spiers has created in the two sisters a yin/yang partnership: both are quick to point out the other’s flaws or faux pas, but equally they support each other to the end, no matter the situation. Harriet is the more worldly of the two -a former teacher, very much in tune with world events and social issues – and it is her who is the more open to the pair’s new situation. Hester, on the other hand, is judgemental, reserved, and slow to forgive or open up to new experiences, causing many riffs, not only with Harriet but with their guests. Harriet is the more likeable of the partnership, and it’s very easy to bond with her as a character. Hester on the other hand, I found to be horrid most of the time, and her relentless chastising of teenager Ben became a chore by the first third of the novel, so by the time you approach the end of the novel and it’s still happening, I kind of zoned out on her character.
Ben is a delight. Clearly misunderstood and not given enough credit by his parents, the slow reveal of his many hidden talents is an earnest look at how, as a society, we really don’t do the younger generation justice. There’s loads of Ben’s out there, but unfortunately, there’s also an equal amount of Hesters, eager to decry anything and anyone that doesn’t meet their immediate expectations. Daria, the young girl found hiding in a bus shelter, feels underdeveloped and merely their as a plot point. All she seems to do is weep, feed her baby, or recount in broken English how she came to be in this situation. She forms a strong bond with Ben, but other than a few moments of fun, there’s little else to flesh out her personality.
Spiers’ background in the theatre is recognizable in the narrative for ‘Hester and Harriet’ as it often reads like extremely precise stage instructions: every action is described in minute detail and while at times it adds to the atmosphere, there are sections of the novel where it does drag a touch. A game of bridge feels like unnecessary padding that deviates too far away from the plot, and what’s divulged within could easily be placed in another, snappier situation. The language within the novel could be toned down a touch (it’s little bit ‘thesaurus heavy’) but there’s no denying Spiers’ talent for atmosphere as she takes a fairly mundane setting ( a village cottage) and makes it come alive every time. Again, I have no doubt that’s partly down to her background in the theatre (she’s also directed and acted) but it takes a natural talent to write so immersively.
‘Hester And Harriet’ is a great ‘lose yourself’ read with a strong, but not overpowering and preachy, message and a solid start to a publishing career.
Widowed sisters, Hester and Harriet live the cosy village life, keeping themselves very much to themselves. Only socialising when they absolutely have to, they see the world around them through very narrow eyes. Those eyes are opened wide when not only do they find their errant teenage nephew Ben on their doorstep, seeking an escape from his pushy parents, but they discover a young woman, scared, alone and desperately protecting her small baby. Through their actions, and by opening up themselves and their beloved home to these strangers, the sisters discover that maybe they’ve isolated themselves from too much, for too long.
‘Hester and Harriet’ is a joyous début from (among other things) playwright Hilary Spiers, that takes the ‘cosy mystery’ genre one step further by combining a genuine mystery with social commentary and a wry swipe at the insularity of village life, especially within a certain age bracket. Spiers has created in the two sisters a yin/yang partnership: both are quick to point out the other’s flaws or faux pas, but equally they support each other to the end, no matter the situation. Harriet is the more worldly of the two -a former teacher, very much in tune with world events and social issues – and it is her who is the more open to the pair’s new situation. Hester, on the other hand, is judgemental, reserved, and slow to forgive or open up to new experiences, causing many riffs, not only with Harriet but with their guests. Harriet is the more likeable of the partnership, and it’s very easy to bond with her as a character. Hester on the other hand, I found to be horrid most of the time, and her relentless chastising of teenager Ben became a chore by the first third of the novel, so by the time you approach the end of the novel and it’s still happening, I kind of zoned out on her character.
Ben is a delight. Clearly misunderstood and not given enough credit by his parents, the slow reveal of his many hidden talents is an earnest look at how, as a society, we really don’t do the younger generation justice. There’s loads of Ben’s out there, but unfortunately, there’s also an equal amount of Hesters, eager to decry anything and anyone that doesn’t meet their immediate expectations. Daria, the young girl found hiding in a bus shelter, feels underdeveloped and merely their as a plot point. All she seems to do is weep, feed her baby, or recount in broken English how she came to be in this situation. She forms a strong bond with Ben, but other than a few moments of fun, there’s little else to flesh out her personality.
Spiers’ background in the theatre is recognizable in the narrative for ‘Hester and Harriet’ as it often reads like extremely precise stage instructions: every action is described in minute detail and while at times it adds to the atmosphere, there are sections of the novel where it does drag a touch. A game of bridge feels like unnecessary padding that deviates too far away from the plot, and what’s divulged within could easily be placed in another, snappier situation. The language within the novel could be toned down a touch (it’s little bit ‘thesaurus heavy’) but there’s no denying Spiers’ talent for atmosphere as she takes a fairly mundane setting ( a village cottage) and makes it come alive every time. Again, I have no doubt that’s partly down to her background in the theatre (she’s also directed and acted) but it takes a natural talent to write so immersively.
‘Hester And Harriet’ is a great ‘lose yourself’ read with a strong, but not overpowering and preachy, message and a solid start to a publishing career.
November 9, 2015
A wonderfully gorgeous story about two elderly sisters who open up their house and their hearts to three unsuspecting people - one of whom they're related to and the other two who are lost in a country they know nothing about.
The story is so beautifully crafted and puts me in mind of Fredrik Backman's "A Man Called Ove". Although not quite as funny or as outrageous as that story this one brings to mind a sense of a family that is not necessarily the ones we're born with but ones that we choose.
The characters are very likeable - or more so loveable with Hester and Harriet being a couple of low key detectives in a way. There were times when I got the two mixed up but wasn't all that fussed about it. The story flowed all the same. The relationships between them all was a bit of touch and go at times but you got to witness the fondness and respect that each one had for the others and how much it grew to knit them all together.
A beautiful story. One to put a smile on the face and and even bigger one on the heart.
The story is so beautifully crafted and puts me in mind of Fredrik Backman's "A Man Called Ove". Although not quite as funny or as outrageous as that story this one brings to mind a sense of a family that is not necessarily the ones we're born with but ones that we choose.
The characters are very likeable - or more so loveable with Hester and Harriet being a couple of low key detectives in a way. There were times when I got the two mixed up but wasn't all that fussed about it. The story flowed all the same. The relationships between them all was a bit of touch and go at times but you got to witness the fondness and respect that each one had for the others and how much it grew to knit them all together.
A beautiful story. One to put a smile on the face and and even bigger one on the heart.
March 10, 2016
This review first appeared on our blog, where we also talk to the author about writing and more:
http://www.tripfiction.com/19341-2/
As sisters Hester and Harriet are driving out over the Christmas period to visit relations, they spy a young woman hiding with a little baby in a bus shelter. They grind to a halt in their car and before they know it, they have invited her to stay with them, as she looks utterly miserable – and it is after all the season of goodwill. It also means they can turn the car around and go home, back to their cosy abode, and thus avoid their duty visit.
Daria and her son Milo are, it transpires, from Belarus and as the story unfolds they discover that she had to flee her homeland after her father and brother fell foul of the authorities there. This is not the country where hardy peasants in bright ethnic garb and stout boots cultivate the unforgiving soil, it is much bleaker….
Soon to join the party is their nephew, Ben, escaping his parents’ claustrophobic strictures (they were it seems just doing their parental thing). He morphs from a stereotypical grunting teenager into a young man who develops some good cooking skills under the sisters’ tutelage. So, for Hester and Harriet they suddenly have a house full of guests who need succour and food. And that’s what they do best!
But Daria’s nervousness is further heightened when a stranger calls at their door, looking for a mother and young child and soon the sisters are sleuthing away to understand what is going on.
This is an entertaining read set in Hampshire (the environs of Basingstoke to be precise), but specific locale is not an intrinsic feature of the book; yet it is indubitably English, it really couldn’t be set anywhere other than England.
I visualised the sisters with their eager tipples and culinary delights, as simulacrums of the cooks in the TV series Two Fat Ladies, Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson, an image ingrained in my imagination that simply would not budge. Or Miriam Margolyes or Rosemary Shrager in the TV show “The Real Marigold Hotel”…. With astutely observed characters, conniptions aplenty (yes, there are lots of unusual words peppering the text!), this novel has a light feel to it. It grazes the darker side of what it means to be a refugee, illustrates the issue of illegal immigration and balances it all with a good dollop of the kindness of strangers.
http://www.tripfiction.com/19341-2/
As sisters Hester and Harriet are driving out over the Christmas period to visit relations, they spy a young woman hiding with a little baby in a bus shelter. They grind to a halt in their car and before they know it, they have invited her to stay with them, as she looks utterly miserable – and it is after all the season of goodwill. It also means they can turn the car around and go home, back to their cosy abode, and thus avoid their duty visit.
Daria and her son Milo are, it transpires, from Belarus and as the story unfolds they discover that she had to flee her homeland after her father and brother fell foul of the authorities there. This is not the country where hardy peasants in bright ethnic garb and stout boots cultivate the unforgiving soil, it is much bleaker….
Soon to join the party is their nephew, Ben, escaping his parents’ claustrophobic strictures (they were it seems just doing their parental thing). He morphs from a stereotypical grunting teenager into a young man who develops some good cooking skills under the sisters’ tutelage. So, for Hester and Harriet they suddenly have a house full of guests who need succour and food. And that’s what they do best!
But Daria’s nervousness is further heightened when a stranger calls at their door, looking for a mother and young child and soon the sisters are sleuthing away to understand what is going on.
This is an entertaining read set in Hampshire (the environs of Basingstoke to be precise), but specific locale is not an intrinsic feature of the book; yet it is indubitably English, it really couldn’t be set anywhere other than England.
I visualised the sisters with their eager tipples and culinary delights, as simulacrums of the cooks in the TV series Two Fat Ladies, Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson, an image ingrained in my imagination that simply would not budge. Or Miriam Margolyes or Rosemary Shrager in the TV show “The Real Marigold Hotel”…. With astutely observed characters, conniptions aplenty (yes, there are lots of unusual words peppering the text!), this novel has a light feel to it. It grazes the darker side of what it means to be a refugee, illustrates the issue of illegal immigration and balances it all with a good dollop of the kindness of strangers.
September 8, 2015
Utterly delightful, full of charming characters and situations that go from the sensible to the outrageous in splendid fashion!
June 1, 2016
http://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/2016/0...
Widowed Hester and Harriet live in the next village to their cousin George and wife Isabelle. George thinks they need company, not realising they are happy as they are - the deliberate 'batty old woman' faces they show to keep people away obviously has the opposite effect! As we get to know the sisters and their love of home cooking/the best ingredients and the difference between Hester and Isabelle's cooking, I didn't blame them for not wanting to go ...
On the way to George's on Christmas Day they see the bundle in the disused bus shelter (and it isn't Finbar - homeless by choice and living in the bus shelter) and Daria and Milo enter their life. Not long after, George's son Ben arrives on their doorstep looking for refuge. Ben not only disrupts their routines but he surprises them again and again (which I loved). In the course of a week, they change the sisters' comfortable and plodding lives.
The sisters are easy to tell apart with their different strengths and weaknesses and the roles they play within their home. I thought Daria's situation brought them closer together - not only because they were a team in trying to unravel and then solve the problems or even because Milo softened the edges but they learned new things about themselves too and were able to start opening up to each other. Ben is also a catalyst. Hester and Harriet, without a doubt, have an impact on him but he also teaches them in subtle ways too. And oh the situations they get themselves into - I loved how fearless they were (at least on the surface) and didn't think twice about just getting on and doing the things they needed to do.
I can't write my review without mentioning Finbar. Such an interesting and eccentric character ... he has it sussed really. The first time the sisters rescue him is quite humourous. I would love to know more about him.
The main story itself is very current, dealing with issues that are emotional to society as a whole. The subplots weave through and I loved the pace of the story. Hilary Spiers writing style drew me in:
Time hovers accommodatingly in the kitchen as Hester considers her response. Pg 120
How visual is this personification! The words on the page are brought to life.
Hester and Harriet is a story that captured my imagination. I felt as if I was living with them all whether that was cosy in the kitchen or walking on painful feet from my heeled shoes where I had dressed to impress ... I felt the uncertainty, the fear and elation and fell in love with Milo myself! I didn't want the story to end.
I would like to thank the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Widowed Hester and Harriet live in the next village to their cousin George and wife Isabelle. George thinks they need company, not realising they are happy as they are - the deliberate 'batty old woman' faces they show to keep people away obviously has the opposite effect! As we get to know the sisters and their love of home cooking/the best ingredients and the difference between Hester and Isabelle's cooking, I didn't blame them for not wanting to go ...
On the way to George's on Christmas Day they see the bundle in the disused bus shelter (and it isn't Finbar - homeless by choice and living in the bus shelter) and Daria and Milo enter their life. Not long after, George's son Ben arrives on their doorstep looking for refuge. Ben not only disrupts their routines but he surprises them again and again (which I loved). In the course of a week, they change the sisters' comfortable and plodding lives.
The sisters are easy to tell apart with their different strengths and weaknesses and the roles they play within their home. I thought Daria's situation brought them closer together - not only because they were a team in trying to unravel and then solve the problems or even because Milo softened the edges but they learned new things about themselves too and were able to start opening up to each other. Ben is also a catalyst. Hester and Harriet, without a doubt, have an impact on him but he also teaches them in subtle ways too. And oh the situations they get themselves into - I loved how fearless they were (at least on the surface) and didn't think twice about just getting on and doing the things they needed to do.
I can't write my review without mentioning Finbar. Such an interesting and eccentric character ... he has it sussed really. The first time the sisters rescue him is quite humourous. I would love to know more about him.
The main story itself is very current, dealing with issues that are emotional to society as a whole. The subplots weave through and I loved the pace of the story. Hilary Spiers writing style drew me in:
Time hovers accommodatingly in the kitchen as Hester considers her response. Pg 120
How visual is this personification! The words on the page are brought to life.
Hester and Harriet is a story that captured my imagination. I felt as if I was living with them all whether that was cosy in the kitchen or walking on painful feet from my heeled shoes where I had dressed to impress ... I felt the uncertainty, the fear and elation and fell in love with Milo myself! I didn't want the story to end.
I would like to thank the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 21, 2016
Ten Second Synopsis:
Hester and Harriet, geriatric sisters, offer refuge to a young woman and her baby in an attempt to get out of having Christmas lunch with odious relatives. When their young nephew Ben turns up also requesting sanctuary, the term "silly season" comes into play, as the ladies and their charges grapple with international migration laws, ridiculously named private detectives and cleaning up after oneself in the kitchen.
The best bit of this book for me was the young nephew character, Ben. He is comic relief, a breath of fresh air and his growth through the novel is enjoyable to witness. The plot is perfect for an extended holiday or beach read. Nothing too untoward happens and there are lots of quirky characters to get behind, such as Finbar, the homeless classics master. He was quite refreshing in his scenes and a handy source of new information.
On the other hand, this book is slow. There are lots of discussions between the two sisters that really slow down the action, and this, coupled with the fact that Daria is unnecessarily furtive about her past, means that new information must be wrung from the pages by clawing hands. Also, I couldn’t tell the difference between Hester and Harriet. One is good at cooking and one gets quite shirty about Ben using the kitchen (this is possibly the same sister), but given the two “H” names and not much of a difference in personality or manner between them, I just thought of them as a conglomerate old person spread over two bodies.
Overall this was a relaxing read that is perfectly adequate to fill a cosy-shaped hole in your reading heart.
Hester and Harriet, geriatric sisters, offer refuge to a young woman and her baby in an attempt to get out of having Christmas lunch with odious relatives. When their young nephew Ben turns up also requesting sanctuary, the term "silly season" comes into play, as the ladies and their charges grapple with international migration laws, ridiculously named private detectives and cleaning up after oneself in the kitchen.
The best bit of this book for me was the young nephew character, Ben. He is comic relief, a breath of fresh air and his growth through the novel is enjoyable to witness. The plot is perfect for an extended holiday or beach read. Nothing too untoward happens and there are lots of quirky characters to get behind, such as Finbar, the homeless classics master. He was quite refreshing in his scenes and a handy source of new information.
On the other hand, this book is slow. There are lots of discussions between the two sisters that really slow down the action, and this, coupled with the fact that Daria is unnecessarily furtive about her past, means that new information must be wrung from the pages by clawing hands. Also, I couldn’t tell the difference between Hester and Harriet. One is good at cooking and one gets quite shirty about Ben using the kitchen (this is possibly the same sister), but given the two “H” names and not much of a difference in personality or manner between them, I just thought of them as a conglomerate old person spread over two bodies.
Overall this was a relaxing read that is perfectly adequate to fill a cosy-shaped hole in your reading heart.
June 4, 2017
2.5★
I wish I had liked it a bit more than I did. It seemed to have all the right ingredients; an unlikely ensemble cast of characters, a bit of sleuthing, lots of food and wine, and some social issues thrown in for good measure. But in the end, for me, it wasn't dramatic enough to be a good drama, nor humorous enough to be a good comedy. However, thanks to the extremely erudite and loquacious indigent former- Classics master, Finbar, I did learn a few new words!!
I wish I had liked it a bit more than I did. It seemed to have all the right ingredients; an unlikely ensemble cast of characters, a bit of sleuthing, lots of food and wine, and some social issues thrown in for good measure. But in the end, for me, it wasn't dramatic enough to be a good drama, nor humorous enough to be a good comedy. However, thanks to the extremely erudite and loquacious indigent former- Classics master, Finbar, I did learn a few new words!!
December 3, 2015
A gorgeous novel! This has gone to the top of my recommendations for Christmas. Quirky characters, a small English village, a young refugee Mum on the run and a love of good food. Perfect for any age and safe to give to Nanna or your sister.
November 29, 2016
'Hester and Harriet' is an enjoyable story, set in England, about two old sisters who live together. This is the first book in the series and follows their unexpected adventure over the Christmas holidays. I won Hilary Spiers book through Goodreads Giveaways.
July 21, 2017
The story was guide exciting but there was something about the main characters I couldn't warm to.
December 6, 2015
Hester and Harriet is a cosy read, but don’t be fooled that it’s all cookies and holidays! While there are some delicious descriptions of food and the plot takes place mainly from Christmas to New Year, many serious issues are tackled from asylum seekers to illegal activities. However, Hilary Spiers does this in a way that is neither preachy nor boring. The story is never too heavy and there are a lot of witty moments. Perhaps it’s because the story takes place over Christmas, but I think this would be a great book if you have a few lazy hours on Christmas afternoon. (Otherwise, a lazy weekend or holiday will do just fine).
Hester and Harriet are two widowed sisters, now living together quite happily in a small English village. (Well, Harriet could do without Hester’s attempts to curb her weight, but when she does make such delicious treats it’s hard to abstain…) The sisters are perfectly happy with their quiet life, but their cousins are determined to make their lives jollier, hence the annual pilgrimage for a truly inedible Christmas dinner. This year, the sisters find a young girl with a baby in the disused bus shelter near their house. Being kindly souls (plus the jubilance at not having to attend Christmas dinner), they take Daria and Milo home with them. Then Ben, their cousins’ nephew, appears after an argument with his parents. Suddenly, Hester and Harriet’s peace is shattered. Not only is the house crowded, but there are mysterious strangers looking for Daria, as well as an acquaintance snooping in their lives. Suddenly the sisters have to practice subterfuge with hilarious results…
Even though the topic matter isn’t always jolly, Spiers has a wonderful turn with the characters’ language and banter. Hester and Harriet are perfect examples, sniping like sisters (even though they are both past retiring age), yet finishing off each other’s sentences and managing to invent a white lie out of this air. In contrast, 15 year old Ben speaks modern but dreadful English, full of wrong tenses but somehow still lovable anyway. Occasionally Hester or Harriet will throw a word in conversation that didn’t quite fit with modern English, which was quaint but sometimes appeared to be just for show.
The characters are all so different, but work so well together. Ben and Daria get along fantastically (Ben is an incredible help with Milo, which is one of the reasons the sisters rethink his worth). Ben is revealed gradually to be more than just a surly teenager – I think he could be in a book of his own! Daria is just lovely and as her backstory is revealed, you can’t help but feel sorry for her. The minor characters are also quirky – Finbar, the man who lives in the bus shelter has some interesting tastes and Hester and Harriet’s bridge friends range from the town gossip to the lady who is fiercely competitive.
I’d recommend this book as a good Christmas present to the person in your life who likes small town stories with witty moments – thinking Keeping Up With Appearances or The Vicar of Dibley. It’s a lovely read that isn’t too taxing, yet is still rewarding.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin and The Reading Room for the ARC. My review is honest.
For more reviews, please visit: http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Hester and Harriet are two widowed sisters, now living together quite happily in a small English village. (Well, Harriet could do without Hester’s attempts to curb her weight, but when she does make such delicious treats it’s hard to abstain…) The sisters are perfectly happy with their quiet life, but their cousins are determined to make their lives jollier, hence the annual pilgrimage for a truly inedible Christmas dinner. This year, the sisters find a young girl with a baby in the disused bus shelter near their house. Being kindly souls (plus the jubilance at not having to attend Christmas dinner), they take Daria and Milo home with them. Then Ben, their cousins’ nephew, appears after an argument with his parents. Suddenly, Hester and Harriet’s peace is shattered. Not only is the house crowded, but there are mysterious strangers looking for Daria, as well as an acquaintance snooping in their lives. Suddenly the sisters have to practice subterfuge with hilarious results…
Even though the topic matter isn’t always jolly, Spiers has a wonderful turn with the characters’ language and banter. Hester and Harriet are perfect examples, sniping like sisters (even though they are both past retiring age), yet finishing off each other’s sentences and managing to invent a white lie out of this air. In contrast, 15 year old Ben speaks modern but dreadful English, full of wrong tenses but somehow still lovable anyway. Occasionally Hester or Harriet will throw a word in conversation that didn’t quite fit with modern English, which was quaint but sometimes appeared to be just for show.
The characters are all so different, but work so well together. Ben and Daria get along fantastically (Ben is an incredible help with Milo, which is one of the reasons the sisters rethink his worth). Ben is revealed gradually to be more than just a surly teenager – I think he could be in a book of his own! Daria is just lovely and as her backstory is revealed, you can’t help but feel sorry for her. The minor characters are also quirky – Finbar, the man who lives in the bus shelter has some interesting tastes and Hester and Harriet’s bridge friends range from the town gossip to the lady who is fiercely competitive.
I’d recommend this book as a good Christmas present to the person in your life who likes small town stories with witty moments – thinking Keeping Up With Appearances or The Vicar of Dibley. It’s a lovely read that isn’t too taxing, yet is still rewarding.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin and The Reading Room for the ARC. My review is honest.
For more reviews, please visit: http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
January 1, 2017
Christmas holidays are the perfect time to read light-hearted books that are lots of fun. Hester and Harriet, by Hilary Spiers, definitely falls into this category. Set in a charming English village, this contemporary tale introduces us to Hester and Harriet, widowed sisters who have relocated to a cute cottage called The Laurels, and who are looking forward to a quiet life of good home-cooked food, a daily tipple of decent wine, and their own selves for company. The only impediment to their ideal existence is the fact that their cousin George and his wife Isabelle live in the next village, and insist on including Hester and Harriet in family events (poorly catered and boring) to prevent them from loneliness. But as a quite hilarious and poignant series of events unfolds one Christmas, the sisters find themselves embroiled in a multilayered mystery, caught up in a situation over which they have little control but which seems intent on destroying their carefully-cultivated calm. First they rescue a young woman and her baby from their local bus shelter and are alarmed to discover that thugs of all stripes appear to be looking for them. Then their nephew Ben turns up unannounced, fleeing from the tyranny of George and Isabelle, and pleads with the sisters to allow him to stay for a bit. And the local homeless fellow, Finbar, a one-time classics master, seems determined to insinuate himself into their lives as well. Their quiet life has become rather more noisy and crowded.
Are the sinister goings-on in the village and the fate of mother and child connected? Are Ben's hidden talents proving to be a help or a hindrance? And why has Finbar claimed kinship?
This is a delightful read. A bit Midsomer Murders or Miss Marple in terms of setting, but without the murders. Plenty of adventure and action, though, in a storyline that offers lots of red herrings and false leads. There is also a serious message about the attitude to and stereotyping around asylum seekers. But the best things about this book are the quirky sense of humour and the captivating characters.
Are the sinister goings-on in the village and the fate of mother and child connected? Are Ben's hidden talents proving to be a help or a hindrance? And why has Finbar claimed kinship?
This is a delightful read. A bit Midsomer Murders or Miss Marple in terms of setting, but without the murders. Plenty of adventure and action, though, in a storyline that offers lots of red herrings and false leads. There is also a serious message about the attitude to and stereotyping around asylum seekers. But the best things about this book are the quirky sense of humour and the captivating characters.
May 14, 2016
If you want to read a quirky, funny story with very likeable and decidedly real and well drawn characters, Hestor and Harriet is definitely the book to read. Recommended to me by a bookclub friend as soon as I started to read this book it made me smile and I couldn't help smiling all the way through. The two main characters are sisters in their sixties who live together and want a nice quiet life. Their life is however thrown into chaos and for them excitement which they haven't been confronted with for many years when they come across a young waif like foreign woman with a baby in a bus shelter. Their generosity of spirit but matter of factness is so very wonderful. Their lives are further complicated when their young troubled nephew turns up at their doorstep and also moves in. There are others characters - Finbar, a homeless intellectual who is also such a well drawn character - from the author's descriptions you can picture him and, dare I say, smell him so well. I enjoyed this book immensely.
January 23, 2016
An interesting contemporary cosy crime mystery with a tilt to Miss Marple but set firmly in contemporary Britain. The two sisters of the title are a tad too eccentric for my liking - subtlety would not have damaged the plot - but lends a slight comic touch.
What makes the book such a good read is the warmth of the characters and the reality of the difficult situations in which they become involved. The real, wicked, contemporary problems into which the sisters allow themselves to be drawn attest to the responsibility we all bear for each other and the society in which we live.
Warm and feel-good as a cosy should be, the issues are nevertheless real and difficult.
What makes the book such a good read is the warmth of the characters and the reality of the difficult situations in which they become involved. The real, wicked, contemporary problems into which the sisters allow themselves to be drawn attest to the responsibility we all bear for each other and the society in which we live.
Warm and feel-good as a cosy should be, the issues are nevertheless real and difficult.
October 11, 2015
I won this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway. This book was an easy read that brought together some major social issues- asylum seekers, homelessness, teenage rebellion, aging, unfaithfulness,gossip, drugs, - in such a way as to touch on these issues and put a face to them without being depressing. I found the story flowed and made me think that everyday life was full of complex relationships and hard issues. Overall the message of positiveness and the goodness of others will help each and everyone of us through
March 29, 2016
I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
Hester and Harriet was an entertaining read centred around two dowdy sisters with an appreciation for the finer things in life.
The characters were fun in this book. They all had their little quirks and idiosyncrasies that blended together in a way that forced me into laughing out loud. I could have used more Finbarr in this story, he was easily my favourite.
This book was superbly crafted with outlandish wit that was thoroughly enjoyable.
Hester and Harriet was an entertaining read centred around two dowdy sisters with an appreciation for the finer things in life.
The characters were fun in this book. They all had their little quirks and idiosyncrasies that blended together in a way that forced me into laughing out loud. I could have used more Finbarr in this story, he was easily my favourite.
This book was superbly crafted with outlandish wit that was thoroughly enjoyable.
June 1, 2016
A pleasure to read. An easy read that kept me interested and looking forward to picking it up right to the end. I had the dictionary out at times and have learnt some new words along the way (even though you get the gist of them). It's certainly not going to set the literary world on fire for clever writing but take the tale for what it is and you'll enjoy it. Thank you to The Reading Room for this copy.
February 23, 2016
An entertaining story but one with enough 'bite' to make it an engaging read. Debating whether my favourite character is the sister's nephew Ben or the old rogue Finbar. Hester and Harriet themselves are interesting characters and their relationship with each other well conveyed. Not a run of the mill book. Will look forward to this author's next book
August 6, 2016
I loved this book so much. The characters were fantastic. The two widowed sisters living in contented peace have their lives turned upside down with danger a sulky nephew and a mysterious young girl with a baby.
December 13, 2018
Cosy domestic drama set in an English country village was the perfect antidote to a couple of horrific blogs I’d just previously read.
June 16, 2025
What a fun read this was!
Widowed sisters, Hester and Harriet, have moved in together and are living their lives very happily.
But their boring cousins are sure that they must be lonely and are determined that they will never spend important times like Christmas alone - as Hester and Harriet are reluctantly driving over to their house to spend another dreary Christmas Day with them, eating Isabelle's dreadful food and watching the clock to make their hasty exit, they discover a young girl and her baby hiding in a bus shelter. Unable to leave the young woman there, especially at Christmas, and seeing the perfect excuse to make their apologies to their cousins and return to their own home, they take the stranger and her baby home with them.
When a strange man appears at their door the next day asking about a young girl and her baby Hester and Harriet begin to question themselves and their decision to help this young woman.
Things are further complicated when Ben, the fifteen year old son of their cousins also turns up on their doorstep, looking to get away from his overbearing parents.
Hester and Harriet's peaceful life is suddenly turned on it's head with a house full of newcomers and mysterious strangers asking too many questions.
This is a really enjoyable read, full of beautifully drawn quirky characters and littered with laugh out loud moments - I couldn't help but love these sisters, set in their ways and stubborn, but with genuinely good hearts.
A great read.
Widowed sisters, Hester and Harriet, have moved in together and are living their lives very happily.
But their boring cousins are sure that they must be lonely and are determined that they will never spend important times like Christmas alone - as Hester and Harriet are reluctantly driving over to their house to spend another dreary Christmas Day with them, eating Isabelle's dreadful food and watching the clock to make their hasty exit, they discover a young girl and her baby hiding in a bus shelter. Unable to leave the young woman there, especially at Christmas, and seeing the perfect excuse to make their apologies to their cousins and return to their own home, they take the stranger and her baby home with them.
When a strange man appears at their door the next day asking about a young girl and her baby Hester and Harriet begin to question themselves and their decision to help this young woman.
Things are further complicated when Ben, the fifteen year old son of their cousins also turns up on their doorstep, looking to get away from his overbearing parents.
Hester and Harriet's peaceful life is suddenly turned on it's head with a house full of newcomers and mysterious strangers asking too many questions.
This is a really enjoyable read, full of beautifully drawn quirky characters and littered with laugh out loud moments - I couldn't help but love these sisters, set in their ways and stubborn, but with genuinely good hearts.
A great read.
December 26, 2019
This was a cute cosy mystery, the lead protagonists being two senior citizens, sisters who are living together. The characters are well-developed, although, as a lazy reader, I can't tell the difference between either Hester or Harriet really (Hester is meaner, Harriet was a teacher). But Ben was the character I enjoyed the most. Although I do think there were some cliches in his creation. But, it's Christmas and I'm feeling generous.
I think this is the type of story my gran would have enjoyed. The crime was not gory, the characters were all decent, there was enough suspense to keep one interested but not put strain on the heart... A VERY cosy mystery, in other words. I think she would also have approved of the vocabulary. Hilary Spiers does not dumb it down. If there is a better word for something, she uses it.
I think this is the type of story my gran would have enjoyed. The crime was not gory, the characters were all decent, there was enough suspense to keep one interested but not put strain on the heart... A VERY cosy mystery, in other words. I think she would also have approved of the vocabulary. Hilary Spiers does not dumb it down. If there is a better word for something, she uses it.
September 20, 2017
Well written and easy to read. I think my aunts would love this!
October 28, 2020
A lovely light hearted feel good book, wonderfully batty old women, three unexpected house guests and a gentle but exciting adventure!
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