This is the first Catherine Alliott novel I have read. It is an easy read, and the characters are well described and very relatable. The passages describing the Cornwall coastal scenery, the beaches, and the maritime action really set the scene beautifully. The main character Flora has had a lot to deal with since her marriage, and the saga that develops will strike a chord with many readers. The environmental thread is very topical and the outcome not unexpected in that regard. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read - I found it hard to put down once I began. ( )

Some funny moments.
Oodles is secondary characters.
Family drama. ( )

Catherine Alliott is an author who has been on my radar for a while and I have a number of her books in my collection but, rather shockingly, A Cornish Summer is the first one that I have read. Such is the curse of so many books so little time.

A Cornish Summer is different from books that I would usually read in that it is more of a family saga. Flora heads to Cornwall to paint a portrait of her ex-father-in-law, taking along her friend, Celia, for moral support. It's just as well she took Celia with her as she didn't expect her ex-husband and his wife to be there also. I really felt for Flora having to cope with seeing her ex-husband when she makes no secret about the fact that she is still in love with him. That's not all she has to cope with though...enter the overbearing ex-mother-in-law FROM HELL. Belinda is a total bitch and even her own grandson agrees with me!

What starts out as a lighthearted slow-burning tale, actually turns slightly darker and more sinister with a very strong and well told environmental message. It's very current in this day and age as we are being made aware of the devastating effects of pollution, plastic or otherwise. With private companies striving to make a profit to keep their shareholders happy, it's very possible that they would cut corners at the expense of the environment. I found this so scarily realistic and, as heartbreaking as it was to read, it never hurts to remind people to help save our environment.

With all family sagas there are plenty of skeletons in the closet, some more firmly in the closet than others. I loved the fact that Flora's ex-father-law, Roger, has a not so secret mistress who is fun-loving, young at heart and the complete opposite of his wife. Bubbly Babs is clearly the love of Roger's life but he is forced through social convention to keep up appearances with Belinda the Bitch. Roger isn't the only one with secrets though...

Escape to Cornwall with A Cornish Summer; it's the perfect book to read as you lounge in the sun with a pitcher of Pimm's.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ( )

Years ago I read quite a few of Catherine Alliott's books and I loved them but for some reason I don't seem to have read any of her more recent works until now.

A Cornish Summer taps very nicely into that love of all things Cornish. The area is beautifully portrayed in this book as it's set in what sounds like an absolute idyllic area. Flora Bellingdon is divorced from her ex-husband, Hugo, and has been for the last fifteen years but she still carries a torch for him. Not in a way that means she would do anything about it, but more that she can't move on. He's been married to his second wife a lot longer than he was ever married to her.

Flora is a portrait artist and is commissioned to paint Hugo's father, Roger Bellingdon. Roger is a hoot and Flora really enjoys his company, but Hugo's mother, Belinda is another matter entirely. She's the stereotypical overbearing mother-in-law and Flora doesn't exactly relish the summer spent bumping into her.

The Bellingdons are very wealthy, in fact they seem to own a fair amount of Cornwall! There's a fairly upper class feel about the characters and the story but Flora is from an ordinary background and I liked her a lot, even if sometimes I wanted to give her a good shake.

It took me a little getting into the story but when I did I found it really enjoyable. The early chapters are very much about setting the scene and giving the background to Flora and Hugo's early relationship and Flora's life with her parents. Then, when she gets to Cornwall and settles in for the summer, she revisits old haunts and old friends, and gets to know new people, and it all really fell into place for me.

I'm wondering now why I haven't read any of Catherine Alliott's books for so long. So many books, so little time I guess. As a summer read it's perfect. I did think it was going to be a fairly light-hearted read, and indeed I did have a good laugh on a couple of occasions, but it also has a serious thread running through it, a topical one about seawater pollution, and Flora learns a few things that might have made her feel a bit different for the last fifteen years had she known about them sooner. A fabulously upbeat and lovely ending really topped it off nicely.

A Cornish Summer is a very pleasant and satisfying read with a tagline to put chills down any woman's spine: One First Wife, One Second Wife, One Mother-in-Law! ( )