The Postcard

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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. I loved getting to know Penny and all the other people in Pendruggan, including her new neighbours Adam and Kit.

Along with the main characters there is of course all the secondary ones and the lovely quirikness of village life that jumps off the page along with the setting and the scenery - what more could you want in a book? It’s easy reading, and contains a good mix of true to life everyday issues, secrets and lies, trials and tribulations, happiness and health, and ill health.

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. 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. However, the setting of 'The Postcard' didn't bother me this time as it wasn't the main focus of the storyline. My thanks to the publishers Harper Collins for my copy of this book which I won in a Summer Reading competition on Facebook. The couple have had their only child Jenna, while Penny is in her forties and it’s been a big shock to her system.

A journalist and single mother of two, she can’t believe her luck when she is spotted by a talent agent during an appearance on daytime TV show, Tart Talk. Prudence, hard-nosed businesswoman married to the meek and mild Francis, is about to get a shock reminder that you should never take anything for granted. She's come back to Pendruggan to savour her childhood memories, yet she quickly became a well-loved character of mine. She knows she should be happy, but she can't help feeling drained and out of sorts since she had Jenna. Fern Britton then moved to work for TVS in Southampton, where she hosted the South edition of the news programme, Coast to Coast, together with Fred Dinenage.

Although I did not have post-natal depression, I feel that this is a very realistic portrayal of how it must feel. On top of this she receives some startling news about her estranged Mother and the potential of an unwanted visit from her estranged sister Suzie.

She appeared as a guest presenter for the show, Have I Got News for You on 27 April 2007 and again on 17 October 2008. In December 2007, she went on a secret trip to Basra to broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the troops. An earthquake that swallowed up every one of the very tiresome people in this book is the only thing that could have rendered it tolerable to read. She has had issues with her family in the past, and those problems soon rear their ugly heads again and threaten to unsettle Penny and her family once more.

In March 1998, her first book, Fern’s Family Favourites, was released and in October the following year, she launched her second book Winter Treats and Summer Delights. She was previously a big name in a tv production and is now trying to adapt to a more ‘mundane’ lifestyle. The two girls’ very different personalities are expertly written and I personally felt that I could understand why they each felt the way they did about each other. Greer Clovelly seems to have it all: beautiful, chic and slender, she’s used to getting her own way.

New baby, busy husband, issues with work, as well as her well guarded past coming back to haunt her; it's enough for anyone to deal with at one time, let alone a vicars wife!A hugely popular household name through iconic shows such as This Morning, Fern is also a much sough-after presenter. Fern Britton anchored the Pride of Britain Awards in 2002 and was one among the panellists on the satirical panel show, Have I Got News for You. For further information about your statutory rights, contact your local authority Trading Standards department or consumer advice center (for example the Citizen's Advice Bureau if you are in the UK). Some of the characters I have met already as I have read the previous novels so felt as though I was back there with friends. 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.