Sara Cox

When her father died Josie had to grow up fast. Her mother was an alcoholic and Josie escaped first to University, then to a successful career in banking and finally to marriage and motherhood. Now her marriage is over and Josie has a charmed life living in luxury in London, her relationship with her mother is still tense. A trip to a retreat in Lancashire leads to Josie visiting her former home and she decides that she is going to give farming a go, to go back to what she had as a child.
I have a very low tolerance for what I deem to be 'chick-lit' books and very few authors pass my benchmark but Cox is certainly there with this story. It's massively cliched, the mid-life crisis, the dysfunctional family, the local love interest, but it is also very life affirming and obviously written from the heart. As a piece of escapist nonsense it is absolutely brilliant!… (mehr)

The community centre on the Inventors Estate in Lennington is in dire need of use. Manager Becky has decided to start a pottery class but fears it will be poorly attended. For those that do turn up, pottery is a way for them to work through their issues - the crisis of confidence, the worries about infidelity ets. For Becky it brings her into the orbit of Sasha the potter, a great foil to her abusive ex who is now back on the scene.
This book will have a huge following as it is written by a famous personality and exudes that warmth and lightness of touch which is so appealing. For me it lacked any depth. The big issues were treated very lightly indeed, used as reason for actions rather than explored in detail, the characters were cliched. However, as a piece of lightweight holiday reading it ticks all the boxes, a sugary treat to be enjoyed in moderation… (mehr)

The story of four women who live in the same town and meet at the local pottery club. They start to form a strong bond and try to sort each other’s troubled lives out.

This is a lovely, lighthearted story about love, friendship and the art of moulding clay. It’s very much a character based book and what a wonderfully diverse bunch they are! Life would never be boring having this lot as neighbours. I enjoyed following each woman’s journey. I loved the descriptions of pottery making and it did make me want to search for a local group and get throwing. It’s an easy, humorous and engaging read but with some serious threads running through it. It’s bound to appeal to many readers.… (mehr)