Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery
Cathy Bramley
Rating: 4 stars
Thirty-two-year-old Hetty Greengrass is the star around which the rest of her family orbits. Marriage, motherhood and helping Dan run Sunnybank Farm have certainly kept her hands full for the last twelve years. But when her daughter Poppy has to choose her inspiration for a school project and picks her aunt, not her mum, Hetty is left full of self-doubt.
Hetty's always been generous with her time and until now, her biggest talent - baking deliciously moreish shortcrust pastry pies - has been limited to charity work and the village fete. But taking part in a competition run by Cumbria's Finest to find the very best produce from the region might be just the thing to make her daughter proud . . . and reclaim something for herself.
Except that life isn't as simple as producing the perfect pie. Changing the status quo isn't easy - and with cracks appearing in her marriage and shocking secrets coming to light, Hetty must decide where her priorities lie . . .
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Oh, Cathy Bramley sure knows how to write a book. I absolutely adore this cover and I think it's my favourite one of hers yet. I just love the polkadot jug, the pie at the bottom and of course the pretty farmhouse with the lovely green fields behind. The animals in front of the farmhouse look so cute and the whole cover just comes together nicely and looks so pretty.
I did like the character of Hetty, although she seemed a bit of a pushover, I really felt for her and how she really wanted to get her pie business off the ground but husband Dan wasn't too keen. Nearer the end of the book, when everything was settling down again I thought that Hetty was far too nice to Dan! I really don't think he deserved what he got in the end. Whether it was when they were both young or not, it's still not nice!
I loved the character of Poppy, she was probably my favourite of the book. And I absolutely loved the location of where this novel was set. It sounded so idyllic and even though farm life doesn't sound like the most fun - it sounds lovely and homely and making me wish I was a bit of a farmers wife! Reading about Hetty bake her pies made my mouth water and the flavours just sounded absolutely delicious! Where can I buy a similar pie to what Hetty has made please?!
The story itself started a little slow, and there were certain characters which I just didn't gel with unfortunately. I'd say around 60/70% in was when it started to get really good and from then on I couldn't put it down. Even though it's not very long (just over 300 pages) it took me a little while to get through it. This isn't my favourite of Cathy Bramley's but it's slightly different to her other novels so perhaps that's why? There was so much drama in the second half of this novel though, which is why I gave it 4 stars!
Overall, it wasn't my absolute fave of Cathy Bramley's but I'm glad I read it. The second half was definitely better than the first, so I'd recommend sticking to it and reading it the whole way through. It was an enjoyable novel with some lovely characters and lovely surroundings - and let's not forget about the delicious sounding pies!
Oh, Cathy Bramley sure knows how to write a book. I absolutely adore this cover and I think it's my favourite one of hers yet. I just love the polkadot jug, the pie at the bottom and of course the pretty farmhouse with the lovely green fields behind. The animals in front of the farmhouse look so cute and the whole cover just comes together nicely and looks so pretty.
I did like the character of Hetty, although she seemed a bit of a pushover, I really felt for her and how she really wanted to get her pie business off the ground but husband Dan wasn't too keen. Nearer the end of the book, when everything was settling down again I thought that Hetty was far too nice to Dan! I really don't think he deserved what he got in the end. Whether it was when they were both young or not, it's still not nice!
I loved the character of Poppy, she was probably my favourite of the book. And I absolutely loved the location of where this novel was set. It sounded so idyllic and even though farm life doesn't sound like the most fun - it sounds lovely and homely and making me wish I was a bit of a farmers wife! Reading about Hetty bake her pies made my mouth water and the flavours just sounded absolutely delicious! Where can I buy a similar pie to what Hetty has made please?!
The story itself started a little slow, and there were certain characters which I just didn't gel with unfortunately. I'd say around 60/70% in was when it started to get really good and from then on I couldn't put it down. Even though it's not very long (just over 300 pages) it took me a little while to get through it. This isn't my favourite of Cathy Bramley's but it's slightly different to her other novels so perhaps that's why? There was so much drama in the second half of this novel though, which is why I gave it 4 stars!
Overall, it wasn't my absolute fave of Cathy Bramley's but I'm glad I read it. The second half was definitely better than the first, so I'd recommend sticking to it and reading it the whole way through. It was an enjoyable novel with some lovely characters and lovely surroundings - and let's not forget about the delicious sounding pies!
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