Wild Designs, Katie Fforde
Wild Designs, Katie Fforde
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Wild Designs

Author: Katie Fforde

Narrator: Vanessa Benjamin

Unabridged: 11 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/02/2012

Synopsis

Althea Farraday, a thirty-eight-year-old divorced mother of three, has a teenage son who's a Buddhist, a hypercritical sister who knows how to push all her buttons, a job on the endangered species list, and a love life to match. Just as she's settling in to a comfortable level of chaos, a near-perfect man enters her life. Equipped to steal her heart and help turn her passion for designing gardens into a new career, Patrick Donahugh may be too good to be true.Amid wild roses, California poppies, scarlet flax, sweet rocket, love-in-a-mist, and of course, plenty of dirt, Wild Designs is a refreshingly honest and funny read that celebrates the almost-ready-to-bloom aspect of all of our lives.

About Katie Fforde

Katie Fforde is the author of romance novels are set in modern-day England. She lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England with her husband, some of her three children,and many pets. Recently her old hobbies of ironing and housework have given way to singing, Flamenco dancing, and husky racing. She claims this keeps her fit.

About Vanessa Benjamin

Vanessa Benjamin (a.k.a. Roe Kendall) is a native of the British Isles. Some twenty-five years ago she moved to the United States with her family and set down roots in Maryland. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, receiving their silver medal as well as the Sir Emile Littler and Caryl Brahms awards. Benjamin has performed on stage in the Washington, DC, area for several years and at many venues and has performed at the Kennedy Center as Mrs. Schubert in the long-running show Shear Madness. An accomplished actress and narrator, she has recorded over two hundred books. Her work as a freelance voice-over artist and narrator has led her in many interesting directions, from technical government materials to eighteenth-century romance novels to hotel advertising, but narrating books is what she really enjoys. “I really love playing all the parts when I narrate a book. It’s an adventure, a challenge, and above all I feel that I learn something new with each book I read. I do a lot of reading for the Library of Congress’ Blind and Physically Handicapped program, and it is so rewarding for me especially when I get a letter from a patron; it’s a great service for the listener.”

Reviews

Goodreads review by Hélène on May 17, 2019

- 'Wild designs' is exactly the genre I favor: normal people, but gifted ones, everyday life, children, animals, plausible love-story, humor and so on. But having the right ingredients doesn't make the dish and, if I didn't dislike this book, and even liked some parts of it, it wasn't a good read. I......more

Goodreads review by Gail on June 28, 2010

There were definitely times I wanted to smack the main character, Althea, upside the head. Also, her sister, her ex, her mother, and a few other characters. Althea is a 38-year-old divorced mother-of-teens who's just lost her job as a school secretary. This is not all bad news--it gives Althea a chan......more

Goodreads review by Ririn on January 26, 2018

I always love the good old-fashioned romance.......more

Goodreads review by Belinda on May 30, 2022

4 sterren - Nederlandse paperback Recensie volgt.......more

Goodreads review by Katie on April 29, 2008

Katie Fforde continues to be my favorite literary candy. This one was about gardening again, and reminded me how much I still really would love to have a greenhouse. And a fountain. And the heated indoor swimming pool isn't a bad idea either.......more

Quotes

“A delight…Althea copes with single-mom tribulations with such grace and wit that you wish she could move in next door.” Detroit Free Press

“Old-fashioned romance of the best sort…funny, comforting.” Elle

“A modern Cinderella tale about a good-hearted, underappreciated supermom in her late thirties…This British bestselling author has delivered a pocketful of posy.” Publishers Weekly

“A delicious romantic romp...As pretty a piece of wish fulfillment as can be imagined; enchanting withal.”
Booklist (starred review)

“Vanessa Benjamin is a wonderful narrator; her Althea is a struggling working mom with a grand sense of humor. Benjamin’s interpretation of Patrick Donahugh cleverly portrays a witty gentleman desperately trying to win Althea’s heart. Overall, Benjamin presents a full cast of British characters with forethought and color.” AudioFile

“This is a Cinderella story that says even if you’re forty with three messy kids, you can find happiness with a millionaire Prince Charming...Althea’s adventures in attaining her heart’s desires—Patrick, a new place to live, a greenhouse, and a career—make for a delightful romp through the English Cotswolds. Throw in a smarmy ex-husband, a controlling mother, a sister just like mom, and a new niece and the story becomes even more spicy. There are a few Briticisms to puzzle out, but that just adds to the fun. An essential purchase.” Library Journal

“Exhibits a spirited sense of humor, a light touch, and a real sense of how families work…Cleverly, endearingly, realistically rendered.” Kirkus Reviews

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