An enjoyable summer read. I haven't read any of Catherine Alliott's books before but after reading 'A Cornish Summer', I can't wait to read more!

Flora goes to Cornwall to paint her ex father - in -law's portrait. She also has to confront her ex husband, and his dysfunctional family. Funny, brilliantly written,as ever, a really enjoyable, hard to put down book with a lovely, unexpected ending.

Normally love Catherine Alliott...but really struggled with this one. It seemed really promising at the start...but found characters boring and had to force myself to finish the novel. Sadly not for me.

Flora goes off to Cornwall to the home of her ex-in-laws to do a portrait of her former father in law Roger. The world and his wife , lover or girlfriend seems to be there too. It feels as if everything has been thrown at the storyline as the secrets within the family emerge on a business and personal level I did not find it hilarious as ‘the blurb’ described it and at times it seemed a bit drawn out. Not my favourite from this author.

A Cornish Summer when I read the blurb said it was a hilarious read but unfortunately I didn’t read anything funny in it.
The book starts off well for the first page or two as we meet Flora on her way to Cornwall with her friend, Celia. They are on their way there as Flora has been commissioned to paint her ex father in law. This all sounded like it was going in the right direction until I got bombarded with so many characters I couldn’t keep up with who was who and related to who so I did start to feel my interest wane. Then you get to “follow the hunt!” and that just about did it for me, it went on too long and to say it is illegal is completely overlooked. I then gave up, I don’t very often give up and you may like this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I don’t like giving bad reviews but in this subject I was left with no option. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen but sensitive subjects need to be handled sensitively.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Poor Flora is still in love with her ex-husband. She has been invited by her ex-father-in-law to their country pile in Cornwall to paint his portrait. She accepted on the premise that her ex and his family were away on holiday, but they turn up. How will she cope with seeing him every day and will she open her heart to find love again!

This is a wonderful heart-warming book to pack for your holidays. But don’t be misled by the chick lit genre because it contains a well written plot, characters which are (mostly) believable and an ex-mother-in-law from hell!

You will laugh, but it will also pull on your heartstrings.

An easy to read holiday book that beautifully describes Cornwall and whisks you away to sunny beaches and picturesque cottages. Nice story with an easy pace.

Such a lovely book


I was utterly delighted to be able to read a new Catherine Alliott book, she's always been one of my favourite authors and A Cornish Summer wasn't going to disappoint...ever!

It's about Flora, an artist who is still in love with Hugo, her ex, of 15 years. The Cornish summer involved her leaving London and travelling down to Cornwall to paint her ex-father-in-law whilst hopefully avoiding the love of her life..obviously this was never going to happen and over the course of the summer she begins to realise that Hugo is not who she thought he was. As Flora has her eyes opened to the shortcomings of her ex-husband, she can at last begin to come to terms with her perceived heartbreak and start again. The story revolves around family and friendships and has a few twists and surprises along the way, I was very surprised by the ending and wonder if perhaps there could be a sequel?

A perfect summer read, I didn't want it to end! Thank you to Netgallery and Penguin Books for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Reading the prologue of this novel, I imagined two ladies from the between the wars era, travelling to a glamorous, if slightly contentious, house party. In reality, this story has a contemporary setting, but with all the atmosphere, secrets and intrigue of a more romantic era.

Flora, an artist, mother and daughter, grew up in Cornwall, she still loves her husband, to the extent she has put her romantic life on hold, but he has been married to another woman for over fifteen years. This story is about ‘ A Cornish Summer’, where the past meets the present, and secrets kept for years, change the family dynamic, and give Flora a chance of love and happiness.

This is the perfect book to be read when you have a few hours to yourself. It is absorbing, enlightening, and switches between humour and poignancy, against a lovely, vividly described Cornish coastal setting. The characters are authentic, believable, but not necessarily always likeable. Flora is a frustrating, woman, kind, loving, but only living half a life. More than anything else, this story is about her self-discovery, and you enjoy and empathise, as she finally comes out fo her self-imposed shell.

Family dynamics, social expectations, secrets, manipulation and unrequited love are the ingredients that make this story something you just have to finish but are sad when you do. Perfect holiday escapism.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK Books - Michael Joseph via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I’ve read every single novel by Catherine Alliott dating back to 1994 and it was always my treat to take one of her books on my annual holiday. I then used to ration how fast I was allowed to read it, to make the fun last. Although her genre is ultimately romantic fiction, I’ve always thought it was a cut above, being imbued with emotional intelligence and her unique brand of wit. Her heroines are always so relatable and reading one of her novels always feels like coming home.
Over the years her stories have gradually assumed a more mature theme, which is fine by me. In A Cornish Summer Flora Bellingdon still hankers after her ex husband, Hugo, fifteen years after he left her, unable to come to terms with the divorce. It opens where she is driving up to his family’s ancestral home, as she has been commissioned to paint a portrait of Hugo’s father. But what Flora thought was going to be a quiet summer break by the seaside for her and her friend, turns out to be a big family and friends get together with more ordeals and challenges than she’d bargained for, but also a few giddy encounters thrown in for good measure.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review A Cornish Summer by Catherine Alliott.

This is a lovely, heartwarming summers read that is a perfect addition to a beach holiday.
The book is well written and the characters are engaging and likeable.

What a surprise, this was not what I expected but a beautifully written story. It was hard to put down after the first couple of pages. I read it within 24 hours. I would recommend that you go out and buy this, both you and your friends will enjoy it.

A glorious read! An enthralling story which really got under my skin - it's so good!

Flora is heading back to her home county of Cornwall for the summer weeks; thrilled to be back on the coast, the only thorn in the ointment is her former mother-in-law. However, upon arrival she discovers her ex-husband, new wife and their children are also in residence. He may have divorced Flora, but she has never fallen out of love with him. It's going to be a very trying few weeks . . .

This is very much Flora's story. Although now in her thirties, this is definitely the summer she comes of age - in more ways than one, and the-times-they are-a-changing. I loved everything about this; the wonderful story, the stupendous Cornish setting, the quirks and foibles of all the characters - and make no mistake, there are some really funny revelations!  Catherine Alliott has a real eye for creating a marvellously entertaining and readable book. The writing flows beautifully, and the story unfolds slowly to a very satisfying conclusion. This is the kind of book which tempts you in then swallows you whole!  I'm becoming more and more fond of Cornwall - and I've never been there - yet! Simply superb, and a novel which fully earns a full house of stars..

My thanks to publisher Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin, for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

What I think :

Flora loves her husband, the only problem is that they have been divorced for fifteen years ! Her husband Hugo has remarried and has 2 more children (Flora and Hugo have a son Peter together) Flora cant seem to to be able to get over Hugo and move on. So maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for her to spend the whole summer at her ex in-laws house in Cornwall. Her ex mother in-law, Belinda has asked her to paint a portrait of Hugo’s father Roger.

She has her best friend Celia with her and they’re not going to to be staying at the main house ,but in a little holiday let down the road so it wont be too bad … Also Hugo and his new wife Christina are sailing aboard for the summer, so there’s no chance of bumping into them … what can go wrong?

A lot it would seem, as when they arrive Tommy Rochester and his latest squeeze is there (Hugo’s best friend and Flora secretly blames Tommy in part for her and Hugo’s break-up.) And then her worst nightmare happens, Hugo and his wife and two shiny new children are at the house also.

Will Flora be able to be around the man she has loved for so long unrequitedly for the whole summer ?

Then a family secret is exposed, can she finally use this time to move on from him … ?

Its seems like forever since Catherine’s last novel, but in my opinion it was really worth the wait.

This is an epic of a family saga, with loads of brilliant characters. I especially liked Flora and also Babs who I really loved. even although I wasn’t very struck on Belinda she was marvelously written and she reminded me of a few people I’ve met over the years !

I did think however, that it wasn’t quite as the back of the book describes, hilarious wouldn’t be a word that I would choose to describe it. I found it quite serious in places if I’m honest. But that said, I thought it was a good novel, just not something that I’d take to the beach for an easy read.

With a quite brilliant twist quite close to the end, which was something I wasn’t expecting. I give this book a 9\10 (5 Stars)

5 gold stars

Good, interesting story line. Characters who were believable and interesting. I enjoyed my summer in Cornwall. Another good one!

An enjoyable book perfect for reading on the beach or around the pool. Flora is still in love with her ex- husband but he is now married to someone else. Spending time with the dreadful ex-mother-in-law and delightful but frustrating ex-father-in-law (together with their unexpected guests) isn't what she had really wanted. However, the events that follow ultimately finally help her to move on with her life. The descriptions of Cornwall are lovely as are the characters which help to weave interest into this light-hearted and gentle story.

This is a brilliant book to take on holiday
It is full of warmth and love but not in the way one would expect
A love long lost but still craved for plus an overbearing family especially the matriarch of the family plus secrets two many to mention.
Satisfyingly ending just what you need to read around the pool.

I found this book a little slow to start and rather drawn out but it gathered momentum and I certainly enjoyed the second half. The main character, Flora, was a little irritating but developed especially at the end and became, for me, more real. There were several plots within the main story and some twists and turns. Despite being slow to start the finish galloped along, and possibly somewhat too fast. I would love to know what happened next with Flora's life. An excellent holiday read.

A Cornish Summer by Catherine Alliott a five-star read that will make the sunshine. This is one of those reads that you imagine you will while a few hours away with and then put it down and move on, but its not, its more. Its one of those stories that is all light and fluffy on the outside but filled with heart and drama through and through. The first half of the story is deep in the details and back story and it does get a little blurry at times, but if you persevere then you will be thrilled as they give the whole story in the end. The characters may be a little crazy and kooky, but they also have heart and you will find something to endear you to most of them I’m sure.

Great book which turns out to be so much more than a romance. Cornwall is lovingly described, as are the characters. There are some modern strands such as ecology, but also class, locals sticking together and old fashioned pleasures. A good read with a twist at the end of the tale.