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Hens Dancing (Paperback)

by Raffaella Barker (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Hens Dancing + Summertime + A Perfect Life
Price For All Three: £15.97

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  • This item: Hens Dancing by Raffaella Barker

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    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Summertime by Raffaella Barker

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  • A Perfect Life by Raffaella Barker

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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Headline Review; New Ed edition (1 Jun 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747262217
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747262213
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 77,183 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > B > Barker, Raffaella

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Product Description

Review

'Barker is a talented comic writer - there is scarcely a word out of place, and the whole confection goes down a treat. All of which makes it your perfect holiday read' (Sunday Times )

'An uplifting and witty portrayal of family life in the Norfolk countryside. It celebrates a year of rich friendships and exuberant children, along with an eccentric mother and an infuriating ex... A delightfully wholesome novel with comic bite' (Times )

'Charming... Overflows with eccentric characters... A satisfying mix of entertaining domestic disasters and musings on kitten heels, hens and new love' (Daily Mail )


Product Description

Venetia Summers appears to lead a fairy-tale rural existence with her husband and two sons in her tumbledown Norfolk cottage. But when her husband leaves her for his masseuse, not even the arrival of a splendid baby daughter can make up for the sense of loss she feels for her newly lopsided family. Hens Dancing follows Venetia’s diaries over the course of a year. It tells of domestic battles – with an unruly garden, errant cockerels, Orcs and War Hammers and a traumatic bathroom conversion. But there are also consolations: a passion for fun fur, the severe beauty of the Norfolk landscape, the regal serenity of The Beauty (Venetia’s baby daughter) and perhaps, amongst it all, the promise of new love.
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Hens Dancing
75% buy the item featured on this page:
Hens Dancing 4.0 out of 5 stars (29)
£5.49
A Perfect Life
12% buy
A Perfect Life 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£4.99
Poppyland
6% buy
Poppyland 3.0 out of 5 stars (4)
£5.97
Summertime
3% buy
Summertime 4.5 out of 5 stars (14)
£5.49
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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (5)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Barker at her finest!, 21 Oct 2002
Not intentionally meaning to, I read Summertime first, which is the second part of this lovely romp through the Norfolk countryside! I now intend to re-read Summertime to finish off the sentimental story! You'll love Hens Dancing if you love the countryside or gardening or simply love reading a story which allows you to get totally lost with it's hillarious characters and an all too familular settings for anyone who's been part of a family!! It had been laughing out loud and crying with pleasure as the "admired Venetia" experiences life to the extreme! A real fluffy feeling was left everytime I put the book down and couldn't wait until I was able to pick it back up again!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely laugh., 29 April 2006
By Jill Besterman (Jersey, Channel Islands United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I took Hens Dancing with me on a short trip to the UK and had finished it by the time I reached my hotel. Yes, I was the woman in the plane/ train/ bus who sat and giggled continuously! I was enchanted by the story but strongly recommend that it is read when alone, behind closed curtains and then you do not embarass yourself!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A real Beauty!, 22 Jun 2001
This is a lovely summer read. It's been pitched as a rural Bridget Jones but the only similarity I can see is that it's written in diary form. Okay - there's occasional angst too in the form of divorced mother of three berating her wardrobe/lack of men/lack of figure etc, but this is a far more gentle read. Don't expect any of this conflict and tension which is usually forcefed to readers by the truckload. The only tension here is created by golden moments such as whose teddy bear will be flung furthest from the church tower at the local fete's toy parachuting competition.

If you like your books beautiful and uncomplicated, then this is for you. The plethora of characters are captivating and the prose glitters with poetical gems like: 'birds swoop low as the darkening sky swallows the last pink drops of evening light.' I look forward to reading the sequel, Summertime.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars great fun!
Bears no relationship to the realities of rural life unless you're on a Cath Kidston budget (I mean, look at the cover; it is not misleading) -- frothy and ludicrous, but rural... Read more
Published 22 days ago by K

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother
I have to add my voice to those who similarly disliked this book. For a start, it is simply tedious and boring - nothing happens, and the minutiae of life of which it consists are... Read more
Published 3 months ago by K. Dixon

5.0 out of 5 stars Un-put-downable!
Hens Dancing is a beatifully written book about family life with all it's trials & tribulations. Venetia is on the verge of total meltdown due to the break-up of her marriage but... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mrs. Sally L. Wilson

4.0 out of 5 stars very enjoyable
I loved this book, it was a very light hearted easy read as a mum of 3 myself i could totally relate to the main character and the chaos that surrounds her and being written as a... Read more
Published 11 months ago by cup cake

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of time and money
I bought this book after reading the reviews, but my advice is - don't! I'm sorry, because I live in Norfolk and thought it would be a lovely read, but it's completely... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Jane Dickens

1.0 out of 5 stars Really dull
I read all the brilliant Amazon reviews before buying this book and felt confident it would be a sure-fire hit, but I was really disappointed. Read more
Published 14 months ago by C. M. Reader

1.0 out of 5 stars Literary equivalent of the Boden catalogue
Can't think what induced me to pick up this appalling, saccharine tosh but at least it was in the Oxfam shop. It was written by a Country Life columnist which says it all. Read more
Published 14 months ago by booksetc

3.0 out of 5 stars good but not as good as summertime
i love barker's style of writing, its completely unique and individual and i lap up what she has written, however although this was a good, comic and painfully real tale, i still... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Ms. F. I. Macdonald

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm ready to move to the country!
Charming is the word that comes to mind. Hens Dancing chronicles a year in the country life of Venetia, keeper of hens (and pigs) and mother of three. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Perceptive!
Fantastically perceptive! I read this after the sequel, Summetime, and although in my opinion not quite as funny it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Read more
Published on 30 Sep 2003 by Jane White

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