Life Skills

Katie Fforde can write chick-lit beautifully; light, fluffy novels with humor and romance and quirky, interesting characters. It's a pity that with Life Skills she chose not to. This book is a disorganized mess, beginning with the premise that an organized career woman could, in chucking her job and her boyfriend, become instantly feckless and dithery and that this is the preferable state; helpless and in need of rescue. Then there's the plot, in which begins as one thing and two-thirds of the way through becomes something quite different. The romantic interest shows up now and again, but isn't a part of the heroine's life until the end of the book; they never get to know each other and so it's only clear that they'll ride off into the show more sunset together because the genre demands it. Life Skills reads like a rough first draft that Fforde lost interest in partway through and then finished writing without rereading the first half. There are some interesting ideas here, and every so often a well-turned phrase, but on the whole I would suggest choosing a different book. show less

This didn't work for me. The canal bits are left too nebulous (and they were a major reason to buy the book in the first place). I got the feeling that at most she had stayed in a hotel boat as a guest for a few days. I also found the ending totally unsatisfactory.

The story was entertaining, and the author tried to explain the extreme stubbornness of Julia towards Fergus, but I just didn't buy her refusal to see what was under her nose and to be so adamant about not being involved. Overall though, I quite liked the characters in this novel and the glimpse of a vacationing option I'd never heard of.

I loved this book especially the part on the boat which is why I picked this up, but the last third of the book off the boat and the baby stuff was the funniest. First read when I stumbled on it in the library around 2000-2001, found the ebook and decided a reread was in order glad I did. Would recommend to non-romance fans as this is not a bodice ripper just an interesting fun read on starting an unusual business.

Canal boats. Quit your job in a huff because you didn't get a promotion,, and go work on canal boats. If only I could.

Actually, I really quite liked this book.

Katie Fforde was interesting to listen too. She is English and around my age. She is currently touring Australia to promote her latest book. So that I sort of knew the type of book she wrote I downloaded 'Life Skills. '
The main setting for the story is the canals of England. Julia is the main character and it follows her adventures here after giving up her job and Oscar and his painful Mother. This is where Julia meets Fergus when he 'drops' in and helps on the barges.

This was a super cheap audible book, and I can see why. This is idiotic chick lit at it's worst. The women are bird brains with no sense whatsoever and the author dragged out the story about ten chapters longer than she should have. A total waste of time.