This is a perfect read lounging around by the pool, set In beautiful Cornwall it focuses on the fictional village life of Pendruggan, the vicar and his wife, the new dr and his cousin and the delightful Queenie etc, the characters are interesting and the storyline entertaining and not too taxing, my only criticism, How long does it take Penny to change her bedding???

I had never read any of Fern's previous novels and was pleasantly surprised by The Postcard. A good holiday read with well described characters although the ending was a little abrupt.

I enjoy Fern Britton as a writer and this book was enjoyable. It was a lovely setting, and nice to go back and re-meet some of the characters from another of her books. It took a while to get going and the main character did test my patience sometimes but overall it was very good. Not as strong as some of her other books but not a difficult read at all.

I really enjoyed this book. Easy read, good story and well written. Never read anything by Fern Britton before, but I'll definitely be looking out for other titles. Can't wait for the next installment.

I found this book quite tedious to read and quite ordinary. It touched on mental health issues but failed to go into any depth. The main character, Penny, seemed to change her attitude to everyone and everything constantly and at times was quite unlikeable. I was wondering throughout the book why it had been entitled "The Postcard" but the answer appeared about three-quarters of the way through the book. The ending was bit of an anti-climax - I thought I had worked out a possible twist at the end - but I was wrong. Perhaps that's for a sequel although I am not sure I would rush to read a Fern Brittton book again.

Having always avoided books by 'celebrity ' authors I was pleasantly surprised! A decent plot and believable characters.

Loved this one - a perfect holiday feel good read - you can almost smell the sea. A wonderful cast of characters - some you already know from previous books along with a raft of new ones. Fern has done it again - looking forward to the next one already.

Another fantastic book, set in Cornwall which is always a favourite of mine. This story deals with loss, betrayal, love, friendship and loyalty. The characters are fantastic and come alive as you read the story and make you keen to keep reading to see how their story unfolds. I love Penny as a strong independent lady who questions herself and her world unfolds. Never one to be kept down she finds herself again and reasserts herself back into the world around her and with those who matter. Highly recommended summer read or for those who love a good story based in a lovely part of the country.

I enjoyed reading The Postcard by Fern Britton. It takes the reader to a Cornish village full of interesting characters and interests us in the ups and downs of their lives.

Penny Leighton (career woman, vicar's wife and new mother) has everything she thought she wanted but she isn't content. We see how her past has shaped who she is and we watch her slowly come to terms with her new role. Penny's sister, Suzie, is a manipulative character who tries to stir things up in the village but the villagers are all quite astute. Ella, an illustrator is visiting but stays longer than planned and become involved with the community. The women are strongly drawn characters and I was drawn into their world.

The men are not so vividly portrayed and Simon, the vicar, seems, to me, to be a weak character who cannot understand Penny or provide her with the emotional support that she needs. It's hard to imagine Penny ever having fallen in love with Simon and her affection for him seems to be much less than that for her daughter. She treats him quite badly at times and he doesn't say much.

Ella's story and her reason for visiting Pendruggan,, to find out about an inheritance, meanders on through the book and is totally unresolved leading the way for a sequel about Ella. I just found that a solicitor keeping her in limbo for so long, New Year through to the summer,was unrealistic and she eventually got news in an email which meant that her months of hanging around in Cornwall hadn't been strictly necessary.

The return of a new series of Mr Tibbs came out of the blue without any explanation of the writer's change of heart. Some ends were tied up too neatly.

On the whole, I enjoyed the novel and would read others in the series and can recommend it as a pleasant escape to the Cornish coast.

An easy read on a lazy summer's day
From the beginning as the two parts of the story unfold and then are woven together, the reader knows what is going to happen and almost groans as the heroine is skillfully deceived by her half sister. The climax is inevitable and it is a relief when the wiley sister is eventually exposed.
The characters are rounded and believable. The plot is comfortable - no surprises there!
A pleasant read to pack in your suitcase.

This being my first book by Fern I was not sure what to expect. Having now read the book and read the blurbs of other books by her, I see that this setting is a firm favourite and I can see why as the village and the surrounding environs are delightful.

The motley crew of characters all have distinct voices and personalities and create a cosy and encompassing group into which the individual trials of our main four protagonists fit. That support network is necessary as these somewhat lost souls find their place and to some extent themselves.

I have to admit that I found Penny a little bit jarring in the early part of the book, her behaviour seemed extreme despite the ultimate revelation that explained it to a degree. However this is an ensemble piece and the good very much outweighed what is really a very small and subjective quibble!

I would read more and most certainly before much time passes.

This is the first book by this author that I have read. Light and easy to read, definitely "holiday list reading". Good mixture of characters, but never quite got the Cornwall beauty,sense and spirit, in the wording.

An easy, uncomplicated read. Family life and it's ups and downs,jealousy and high drama.

This is really 2.5 stars as I found this book dull, cliqued and the story didn't go anywhere with an ending that just suggested a more questions and was unsatisfactory. The main character, Penny, was quite unpleasant throughout. I appreciate that this was about complex family dynamics, poor mental health and general relationship issues but I didn’t really need to read such misery throughout.

The main characters seemed to change personality so much that I found a lot of the story incredulous. Even the ending was odd as two of the characters seemed pleased to hear from someone who they didn’t even want to the rest of the book. I was left wondering if this meant there would be another book to follow the story on as it was left hanging.

Penny’s constant socialising with her male GP and confidant over her mental issues was very unbelievable to me. The G.P. was even discussing Penny with her friends at times. Any G.P. that did that would be struck off. Having such a chummy relationship with a patient is just very unlikely except for the wrong reasons.

This is the first novel written by Fern Britton that I have read. I enjoyed reading It though not til the end did I realise that there are previous titles with the same setting and characters. However, despite not having read previous episodes I quickly became absorbed into the lives of each one and was able to appreciate the links between the already established residents of Cornwall. Would recommend as a stand alone novel, or part of a series. Need to go to the beginning now. Happy days.

An easy summer read when you're quite happy to dip in and out of a book, however the end took this from a 3 to 2 stars.

The ending was such an anticlimax, one minute you were in the middle of drama and in the next chapter it was resolved. The final few pages alluded to a follow up book which was disappointing as you felt that that particular character's story line would have been tied up within this book and would have linked in with Penny's story - throughout I kept trying to guess what this might be.

(Also pet peeve, the writing for good old village favourite Queenie was hard to read and I skimmed the book whenever she spoke)

Thanks to Net Galley, Harper Collins and Fern Britton for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Real Page Turner, 5 stars 🌟 :

Welcome to the fictional Cornwall village of Ms Britton's imagination, Pendruggan, where the villagers aren't perfect and have real problems but are relatable and loveable!

This book centers on the village Vicar and his wife, Simon and Penny and covers the sensitive subject of postnatal depression and depression with a sympathetic and insightful understanding.

I did find it difficult to rate this book as I loved it and it kept me turning the pages long after midnight! However, I do feel the closing chapters could have been expanded upon, as we finish a chapter in a tense volatile situation, which appeared to be resolved over a cup of tea at the beginning of the next chapter, which consequently I felt was a little rushed and unfinished.

But that doesn't deter from the fact that Ms Britton has created a wonderful fictional community where you can't help but engage with the wonderful characters. Which is why having finished The Postcard, I have now purchased Hidden Treasures as I loved the characters so much I can't wait to read Helen’s story. I am also looking forward to Ms Britton’s next visit to Pendruggan to find out the fate of Ella with her budding relationship with Kit and her quest to find/meet her Mother and then there's Ella's brother o to find his place and of course for Dr Adam to find a deserving lady.

Overall a great read, perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Fyi I received my copy from NetGalley however this does not influence my opinions as all opinions are my own.

I was disappointed that there wasn't more of a sense of place with this book, there are some descriptions of the coast, but it could've been set in many coastal towns/villages, it wasn't specifically Cornwall. Overall, it makes a decent holiday read, some threads of the story are believable but some are far fetched, the constant use of the phrase 'keep going Penny' started to grate early on. Several peripheral characters are just outlines, and could be given more depth. I wouldn't read another book by this author.

My thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book in return for an honest review. This is not my usual genre, but I requested it, drawn by the description and an author I had at least heard of. I thought that I should try this type of story. A closed mind isn’t good. It all sounded fine. An idyllic Cornish seaside village, a vicarage with a new baby and lots of wonderful friends.

My first reaction was to want to mark up the e text with a metaphorical red pen, crossing out, circling and writing comments. But as I progressed I calmed down and realised that I was actually beginning to enjoy the story. By the end I was sorry to leave Penny, Simon, Suzie, Jenna Helen, Kit, Adam, Ellen and all the other minor cast of characters. Yes bits of it were daft and highly improbable but it’s a lovely world that we’d all like to escape to from reality. Great literature it ain’t but it’s a good book to take on holiday if you just want to put your mind into neutral and live a dream. It seems that there may have been a previous book about some of the characters. Perhaps I’ll read it. It’s very tempting.

This novel is quite well written but a bit predictable and clichéd. OK for light holiday reading but nothing much in the way of serious messages or material to get you really thinking.