There will always be a time and place for novels such as Fern Britten's, it is the equivalent to a nice Sunday tea time drama. This is the first novel I have read by this author and I will now save reading the others for a time where I need to be thoroughly distracted and/or comforted. In our busy stressful lives there will always be room for stories like this, they could almost be described as therapy. The characters are people I would want to know and everyone works out how to get on, I only wish real life could be this way. I am not sure if I am happy with the 'product placement' but I suppose everyone needs a bit of luxury in their lives if only vicariously. Well done Fern and thank you, I didn't put it down ( except for making a tray of flapjacks and scones; your food descriptions made me crave home made cake ) until I had finished.

I really enjoyed this book. Ferns writing is great draws you in

Wonderful return to Trevay and great to see Penny Leighton again, in this new novel from Fern Britton.



Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Penny even more, having already met her in A Seaside Affair, although this is a completely new story and could easily be read as a standalone. Penny is struggling a bit to juggle work and being a mother, and its starting to get to her a bit. She really isn't herself and the last thing she needs is her estranged sister trying to get in touch with her.



I loved getting to know Penny and all the other people in Pendruggan, including her new neighbours Adam and Kit. I also really enjoyed Ella's storyline and can't help but think this isn't the last that we have seen of her, at least I hope it isn't.



Given how much I love books set in Cornwall, this was a really lovely story, that had a great community feel to it, and was just a joy to read. It was also a relatively quick read for me as I read the whole of it on a plane journey home from the Canary Islands, and it kept me awake, and entertained for the duration of the flight.



Always love reading Fern Britton's books and can't wait for more by this lovely author.



Thank you to Harper and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I really enjoyed the author's storytelling as I could imagine myself in Cornwall. It was quite relatable.

Set in the Cornish Village of Pendruggan this story follows the life of Penny Leighton who is struggling to be what she perceives as the perfect wife, mother, and TV producer. Her career has hit a rough patch and she's feeling the pressure.
Penny is a forty-something married mother of one, who is used to a glamorous life as a television producer. Whilst on location in Pendruggan, where the Mr Tibbs Mysteries were filmed Penny met her husband, the local vicar. Penny had been shocked to find herself falling in love and getting married, followed closely by her getting pregnant. We meet Penny when her daughter Jenna is around a year old, and Penny is struggling with motherhood's demands. She also finds herself plunged into a crisis in her career when the author of the Mr. Tibbs Mysteries refuses to write another volume of the highly acclaimed stories. Penny's boss, Jack Bradbury, is putting pressure onto her to get Mavis Crewe to agree to produce another book so that the television company can produce another series of the show. It is at this time that Penny receives the news that her mother has died, and despite being estranged from her mum and sister, the news rocks Penny to the core. With all of this going on in her life Penny crumbles under the pressure and the new GP, also Penny's new neighbour, diagnoses her with Post-Natal Depression.
This book was a wonderful escapist read, a book to while away the hours whenever you pick it up. The characters were lovable, mostly, and the pace of the story was just right for the genre. Having never read anything by Fern Britton before I wasn't expecting to enjoy the book quite as much as I did.
Penny's struggles were relatable, the new neighbours, Kit and Adam, and their two dogs, were a lovely addition to the story, and even Simon the vicar, Penny's husband, was a likeable character. I particularly loved Queenie who runs the Village shop, although she wasn't in the book as often as I'd hoped. However, Penny's sister Suzie, I found an awful,character and didn't like her at all, although she is crucial to the storyline. She was spoiled, vindictive and manipulative, and I secretly hoped Penny would send her packing.
There are a couple of other characters whose narrative we follow in this book, and the author has threaded them together in a clever way. The ending didn't, for me, tie up as many loose ends as I would have hoped, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.

A thoroughly enjoyable book. Easy life in a Cornish village. Lost a star because the ending was a bit abrupt, a teeny bit predictable and could have been so much better, given the quality of writing for the rest of the story.

This was a light-hearted story with undercurrents, set in a small Cornish village. Some very good characters and a full flowing storyline. Great fun to read.

Two and a half star rating.
Secrets, sisters and Cornwall - what's not to like, but sadly it was a bit of a disappointment and didn't live up to its promise. The characters were either awful or sickly sweet and I didn't warm or care what happened to them plus apart from the use of mobile phones you would think this story was set decades ago. The Cornish descriptions were good and you could almost smell the ozone, so this might be a good book to read if you are lounging on a beach somewhere.

Took me a while to get into this and I didn't really take to the main character, but still a good read. Maybe just me as has some great reviews but not one of my favourites although I love Fern Britton,

A really lovely book with a little bit of everything
The author transports you to cornwall by her choice of dialogue
Its an easy read that anyone could identify with

I wasnt aware that this was part of a series of books already been written, but i didnt feel as though i was missing out on any information.

Penny is a tv writer of a successful drama series, she is married to a vicar, has a young daughter, and lives in Trevay in Cornwall. When the creator of the series decides she wont write anymore of the show and is swanning off around the world Penny's life goes into freefall.

Now i despised Penny, there was literally nothing warming about her, she was obnoxious, rude, up her own, nasty, dismissive and a snob. I couldnt warm to her at all, i didnt like her husband either, what a bore and a wimp. If my partner spoke to me the way Penny spoke to him, there would be arguments.

Then just when things couldnt get worse along comes the half sister whos is a bunny boiler and loopy.

The only saving grace of the entire book were Ella, Adam and Kit who were really nice and interesting people. I have preordered the next book solely based on the fact that it is Ellas story and i think she is lovely

Thank you to Fern and the publishers for this arc however

Book was very good from start to finish.
The book is about family of a father, mother and 2 daughters, the eldest daughter penny is a daddy's girl and goes with her daddy everywhere and the youngest daughter suzie is her mother's closest friend, the father suddenly dies and penny is left broken hearted and her mother sends her away to a boarding school and when she finishes school she is not allowed to go home and must make her way in the world on her own where her sister is allowed to stay and becomes her mothers favourite. After years of penny trying to get closer to her mother she finds out over a family meal that she is not her mother and that she took her on as her real mother didnt want her and thats why her father was so close to her as he was making up for her mother not wanting her.
Years later and after marrying and having a baby her sister writes to her to inform her that there mother has died and that she has already been laid to rest already without her attending.
The sister moves into the house and causes trouble right from the start she wants what penny has and will not stop at anything to get what she wants which is her sister's life and family so she sets out to get what she wants.
A good read and hard to put down

Lovely chilled out book about life in a Cornish village. From a sexy vicar, to family intrigue, this book has it all.

Life in the Cornish village of Pendruggan isn’t always picture perfect. Penny Leighton has never told anyone why she’s estranged from her mother and sister. For years she’s kept her family secrets locked away in her heart, but they’ve been quietly eating away at her. When an unwelcome visitor blows in, Penny is brought face to face with the past. And a postcard, tucked away in a long-hidden case, holds the truth that could change everything.

Young Ella has come back to the place where she spent a happy childhood with her grandmother. Now she’s here to search for everything missing in her life. Taken under Penny’s broken wing for the summer, the safe haven of Pendruggan feels like the place for a fresh start. Soon, however, Ella starts to wonder if perhaps her real legacy doesn’t lie in the past at all.

I love Fern Brittan’s novels. I’ve read a couple of others of hers and I love how fresh they are. Also they’re set in the lovely county of Cornwall (where I live). I love the smattering of local accents that isn’t over the top. Her characters are brilliant too. Only one person I didn’t like (but I loved to hate her!)

Did I say I loved this book? I can’t say it often enough! 5*

I enjoyed this book, its a good ligh hearted holiday read. I have not yet read other books in this series, but I will be picking them up to continue the tales that Fern tells so well.

Set in the beautiful Cornish village of Penduggan, the area and community are brought to life in this novel - warts and all! My main problem with this story was that I really didn’t like the main character for most of the story - she’s such a negative person! However, if you persevere like I did, you’ll discover just why she behaves as she does and my feelings towards her did change towards the end of the story. It is a story of estranged familial relations, facing up to past events and uncovering secrets.

The pace and involvement is much better towards the end of the story. I have to say, this is not a book I’ll be wanting to read again soon, but it may well appeal to you more than it did to me. It could have been just me in the wrong frame of mind for it or just not my cup of tea  in the first parts- but I did finish it, so it isn’t that bad! I’ve read others by this author in the past and thoroughly enjoyed them so it won’t put me off reading more from her in future.

I requested and was given a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion after choosing to read it.

This is a very easy, quick read and I really enjoyed it. Others have said they disliked the main character, Penny, but I felt sorry for her and her background and felt it made her a real 3D character. People are made of light and shade, and can have a darker side if they have had a troubled background, but Penny wants to give her family a better life than she had, and is essentially a good person.

I loved the characterisation, and can see that some of her books continue the story of the different people in the village. I would love to read a sequel to this one.

Just finished The Postcard by Fern Britton. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in Cornwall, high flyer Penny is married to Simon, the village vicar. Her family has been hiding a secret!

Loved this book!!!! Great characters and story. Cannot wait for Fern's next book

I couldn't finish this book - it didn't keep me interested, it was very bland and I couldnt force myself to continue which is a shame as this has never ever happened to me before