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When their husbands’ jobs take them out of London, Maddy Hoare and Izzie Stock both find themselves trying to adjust to their new lives in the country. Maddy, a woman of privilege who shops at nothing but the poshest of boutiques, and Izzie, a bohemian in camouflage cargo pants, meet at a luncheon and immediately build a friendship based mostly on their mutual dislike of their country neighbors.
When tragedy strikes and Maddy’s life falls apart, Izzie’s by her side. And when Maddy discovers a recipe for a miraculous natural healing balm in an ancestor’s diary that had been buried in a box, Izzie’s there to help her mix up a batch. Their little experiment goes over so well at the local holiday craft fair that Maddy recruits her cousin Jean Luc and her PR executive friend, Pru, to help them take control of their lives and start their own business. And before long, Maddy and Izzie are major players in the cosmetics industry.
I loved Maddy and Izzie—two women who learn to stand on their own two feet and provide for their families, despite the challenges they face. I’m sure it helped that I could relate to their situation—because I’ve followed my husband’s job to an unfamiliar place more than once. But theirs is an inspiring story of friendship and inner strength. You can’t help but admire these women for their courage and determination.
Unfortunately, there were also a few things that I didn’t love about it. At just over 400 pages, it’s longer than the average chick lit—and perhaps a bit longer than necessary. And when readers invest the time that it takes to read 400 pages, it’s fair to expect a solid, satisfying ending—but I don’t feel that I got it here. In fact, I felt that the ending was a bit of a downer. I’m not going to spoil it and tell you what happens, of course, but I’ll say that I was disappointed by the way the characters and their business ended up. The story’s conclusion just didn’t work with the characters—and it made me wonder what happened to the strong, determined women that I’d come to admire. I truly wish that I could reread the story and have it end differently.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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