Artistic Licence
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Thea, the heroine of Katie Fforde's Artistic Licence, is a disorganised 35-year-old whose life is going nowhere. Or that is how it appears to her student lodgers--whom she unwittingly mothers--and to her older friend Molly, a lady of leisure with a missed vocation as a chief executive. When Thea jets off to Ireland on a whim to stay with the devastatingly good-looking artist Rory, all her friends from her new hometown of Cheltenham are appalled. Equally, when Thea, on seeing Rory's heart-wrenchingly beautiful landscape paintings, decides to set up an art gallery in provincial west of England, her friends cannot believe what they are hearing.
Katie Fforde makes clear that Thea knows what she's doing, and that her chaotic and messy lifestyle is her own conscious choice. Her determined resistance to the persistent Irish charmer Rory--he's too young, she doesn't have casual affairs--and the apparent ambivalence of Ben, a divorced and know-it-all artistic director of an ad agency, sets up a plot where the embryonic art gallery and Thea's accompanying search for a more satisfying life form centre stage, making any love interest incidental. Olivia Dickinson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Fed up with being mother to a houseful of students, Thea accepts her friend Molly's offer of an art appreciation holiday in Provence. And there she meets the gorgeous Rory who is as attracted to her as she is to him in spite of him being several years younger..another light-hearted happy romance by the author of Thyme Out, Life Skills et al.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a Katie Fforde fan and fell on this and have to confess to being slightly disappointed. To me it reads as if she was racing to a deadline and dashed it off without going back to flesh out the thin bits,for the first time in a Fforde novel I couldn't 'see' what she was describing (apart from Rory's pictures where the descriptions were very vivid) unlike novels such as Thyme out where you could almost smell Perdita's herbs. I also agree with a previous reviewer that some of the plot transitions were too abrupt - I found it difficult to believe in the sudden changes of feelings between Ben and Thea - and in places the writing was distinctly jerky as if it was a first draft which she hadn't had time to go back and revise properly, unlike previous novels where her writing is always smooth. That said Katie Fforde is still streets ahead of most authors who try to write in this genre (though I do think that since she changed publishers her books have lost a certain something) and it certainly won't put me off falling on her next book when it comes out.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Warning: I'm such a Katie Fforde fan, I don't know if I can be relied upon for an objective review. Once again, Katie proves that she is the tops in her genre. What is her genre? Well, I suppose it is technically contemporary romance, but she's head and shoulders about most authors. If you like Kate Fenton, Christina Jones, or Linda Taylor, you'll like Katie Fforde and "Artistic License". Thea is a typical Fforde heroine - flawed, but not so much that you can't love her. Ben is also a classic Fforde hero, although not as well sketched as other Fforde heroes have been in the past. (More on this later). Even though we don't get to know him all that well, you can clearly feel what a great guy he is. And, as always, you've got a wonderful supporting cast - good and evil! I do recommend the book, I enjoyed it very much and stayed up into the wee hours to finish it. But...(oh oh)...it's not her best work. I sense that this book was rushed - probably because her last ones have been so very successful. For one, it needed another proofing - if I found three blatantly misspelled words, I can assure you there are many more (I'm not the best proofer). But worse, the story wasn't as polished as I've come to expect from KF. I know that there's a basic formula that she's used in all of her books - woman has suffered some sort of emotional/professional blow, woman meets/knows/is related to a variety of weird characters who all pull her in various directions, woman meets/knows "the man" but has quite a few issues to work out with him before it all ends happily with impending nuptials, but not until woman has succeeded in overcoming whatever personal obstacle she faced on her own, as a strong woman. KF has managed to pull this off in a fresh way with each book, and this one succeeds too - but I sense that it could have been better with some additional time spent with it. Without giving away too much of the plot, I still find the reasons why Ben stayed at a distance until the end pretty flimsy - the whole aspect with his ex-wife was not fleshed out enough. In fact, a bit more of his ex-wife would have added to the story enormously, in my opinion. The leap from indifference to love on Thea's part wasn't real clear to me, either. And her whole relationship with Rory didn't ring quite true - from beginning to end. It almost did - but didn't. So, why do I give this book 5 stars? It's a very good book, a great summer read. If you've read her other work, you'll like this. If you haven't read her other work - well, you may love this, but I'd recommend starting with one of her earlier books (my favorites are Living Dangerously and Wild Designs, but I really do love them all). Keep writing Katie - but demand enough time to do it well!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a light and enjoyable romance in Katie Fford's signature formula- scatty, slightly overweight heroine with array of eccentric friends resolves personal issues, runs own business and finally finds love after many misunderstandings and loses of temper. Thea is a likeable heroine and part of me wishes for a friend like the bossy should-have-been top exec like Molly to organise me. The book is not as good however as some of her earlier works. Perhaps I've got used to her formula and so her work doesn't hold so many surprises. Or possibly a bit more editing and rewriting should have been done. I found the relationship between Thea and Rory a bit improbable (could a better reason for the trip to Ireland not have been found than her house being dirty!) and the sudden change of heart on Ben's part was a bit unrealistic and abrupt. Having said that it was still an enjoyable way to spend a miserable winter's day. If you're already a Katie Fford fan then read and enjoy but don't expect too much. If you haven't read any of her work before give yourself a real treat and choose an earlier work instead. Living Dangerously and Life Skills are particularly good.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Artistic Licence
I am a big Katie Fforde fan, I have read nearly all of her books (only 4 left to read!). This one is one of my favorites. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Karen Gooderham
Pleasant read but not the best Katie Fforde book I have read
I am a fan of Katie Fforde but found this book I enjoyed, but not as much as 'Summer of Love' or Wild Designs, they are my favourite so far. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. V. Leete
Delightful Read
Katie Fforde has a wonderful gift for creating characters who are totally believeable and with whom it is easy to identify. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lit Chick
An enjoyable read.
This is one of many Katie Fforde novels, it is a lightweight, enjoyable read that pleasantly fills an afternoon. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Jr Crossley
Real Comfort Reading
Reading a Katie Fforde is like snuggling up in a squishy duvet with a pot of tea and a chocolate cake all to yourself. This is comfort reading at its best. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2008 by Boof
enjoyable easy read
nice little story about making yourself happy in life. thea has had a bad time and is now landlady to a bunch of students, her best friend takes her on a art holiday in south of... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2008 by Lindymck
My first KF read.....first of many :)
I bought this book because of its cover, bright cheerful looking I thought. And true enough that's what the book is, Katie Fforde isn't claiming to write classic, deep, meaningful... Read more
Published on 2 July 2007 by L. Hill
Fforde, through and through
After borrowing Life Skills and Living dangerously, my local librarian encouraged me to take advantage of Fforde's new book just ordered by the library and not gracing the shelves... Read more
Published on 27 Oct 2003 by Jen
Brilliant Read
First book of Katie Fforde's that I have read and I definitely will be reading the others if this one is anything to go by. I was hooked from the very first page. Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2002
Inspiring
After reading the brilliant "Thyme out" and "Life skills," I thought I would try another of Fforde's books and wasn't dissappointed. Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2002
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