This book follows up the last two and takes place about 2 years after Winter at Thrush Green. The local gossips are all abuzz about The Tollivers, a cottage that has been empty for years. A young woman and her son move in - without a man - and proceed to fix up the cottage and grounds with some help from Harold Shoosmith. The lady, Phil, has moved to Thrush Green for a fresh start after some personal problems. She's an independent modern woman who writes a girls' column for a living. She's a little hesitant to become involved in village life but soon Winnie Bailey becomes the mother she misses. Can she confide in Winnie? Winnie's nephew Richard arrives to conduct some research at Oxford. Winnie and Dr. Bailey find him self-centered and boorish but Phil discovers he can be charming when he wants to be. Albert and Nelly Piggot find that married life doesn't suit them as much as they had hopes and Nelly ignores doctor's orders at the peril of Albert's help. Meanwhile, Dotty Harmer is busy trying to find GOOD homes for a litter of feral cats, despite Sam Curdle's offer to drown them. This book is very different from the previous two. There's no hook or mystery to grab the reader and keep them interested. The plot doesn't engage as much, being a series of small events without an overall narrative. The plot is more melancholy than the previous two books. Modern life intrudes : television news, Heathrow airport and painted women are all mentioned, along with a number of d- words and one h-word. I really didn't like this intrusion of modernity at all. I vastly prefer the stories centered around village gossip for that reminds me of Cranford with a bunch of middle aged and elderly ladies sticking their noses in everyone else's business. I absolutely hated the ending. It took me by surprise. I like the predictable coziness of these types of stories. The main characters here are Phil and Jeremy with Harold Shoosmith as the secondary main character and Albert Piggot as the third. Dotty Harmer also has a small plotline. My favorite character was Dotty. I'm also passionate about animal welfare and impatient with children at times so I could certainly relate. I guess I'm a crotchety old spinster myself and if I could, I'd be the crazy dog lady instead of the crazy cat lady. I wanted to like Phil because she's an independent woman and a writer but I felt she was too weak and weepy at times and her language brought the modern time frame of the story into sharp focus. Her plot takes a dramatic twist I didn't expect which affects the tone of the novel. Jeremy is a wise-beyond-his-years kid but with all the exuberance and good nature of a young boy. He's sweet and provides a good friend for Paul. Shoosmith is not an interesting character. He's indecisive though his heart is leading him in a certain direction. He takes on too authoritative a role for my tastes. I have one more book on my nightstand and then I will see what the other books sound like and maybe see if I still like the series.
"Life is never quiet in Thrush Green. When a local cottage called Tullivers, long empty, shows signs of occupancy, the village whispers in excitement. Phil, a lovely woman with a young son, has been deserted by her husband and quickly attracts the interest and attention of the villagers, especially several bachelors. Harold Shoosmith gives both advice and practical help in the garden, while Winnie Bailey's nephew, Richard, offers his assistance with household repairs and takes Phil for a drive to London. When Phil's estranged husband dies suddenly in a car accident, her new freedom brings more changes to her life and a new love to Thrush Green."~~back coverAnother gentle tale of idealized life in an idealized English village. Very charming, very comfortable. And of course, it all ends just as it should.
