Stately Pursuits
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Narrated by:
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Roe Kendall
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By:
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Katie Fforde
About this listen
“You’re not doing very much at the moment, darling. I don’t suppose you’d care to housesit for a while?”
Thus begins the irresistible story of two fixeruppers - an old house and a young woman - and their efforts to recapture their true luster.
When Hetty Longden, freshly dumped and brokenhearted, agrees to look after her greatuncle’s dilapidated mansion in the English countryside, she’s at something of a lifetime low. With no job, no lover, no prospects, and no particular talent for resuscitating crumbling estates, she hopes for nothing more than some good oldfashioned escape. What she finds includes a cast of quirky and everpresent neighbors, a couple of SNAGs (Sensitive New Age Guys); some very humorless bank officials; a cat and two disarming little canines; one gracious, dilapidated, romantic old house; and, just maybe, enough elbow grease to polish everything up again.
A Sunday Times (London) best seller that’s as inviting as an elegant old house full of unexplored rooms, after a good scrubbingdown, of course, Stately Pursuits is the funniest, smartest, and warmest read of the season.
©1997 Katie Fforde (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Unabridged
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Juliet’s been in hiding - from her family, from her broken life, but most of all from the fact that Ben’s not around anymore. Her mother, Diane, has run out of advice. But then she insists Juliet look after her elderly Labrador and it becomes apparent that Coco the dog might actually be the one who can rescue her daughter. Especially when it leads to her walking dogs for a few other locals too, including a spaniel, Damson, who belongs to a very attractive man.... Before she knows it, Juliet realizes she has somehow become the town’s unofficial pet-sitter.
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Great Read - makes you appreciate what you have
- By Leisha on 12-10-12
By: Lucy Dillon
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A Year at the Star and Sixpence
- By: Holly Hepburn
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The perfect escapist listen, for all fans of Cathy Bramley and Scarlett Bailey. A Year at the Star and Sixpence is Holly Hepburn's four Star and Sixpence novellas collected together as a novel for the first time. When sisters Nessie and Sam inherit a little pub in a beautiful country village, they jump at the chance to escape their messy lives and start afresh. But when they arrive at the Star and Sixpence, it's not quite what they imagined - it's pretty much derelict, ruined by debts, and it's going to be a huge job....
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A Year at the Star and Sixpence
- By Thalia on 08-05-19
By: Holly Hepburn
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Secret Smile
- By: Nicci French
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Miranda's sister Kerri has a new boyfriend. He's a handsome charmer who seems to dote on Kerri. But Brendan isn't the man he says he is. Miranda should know. She broke off her own affair with him just a few weeks ago when she found him reading her diary.
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I want my 9 hours back
- By Ashley on 07-19-23
By: Nicci French
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The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane
- By: Ellen Berry
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Glaister
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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Take a trip to the Yorkshire village of Burley Bridge, where a very special little cookbook shop is about to open its doors.... In the beginning...Kitty Cartwright has always solved her problems in the kitchen. Her cookbooks are her life, and there isn't an issue that 'Cooking with Aspic' can't fix. Her only wish is that she had a book entitled Rustling Up Dinner When Your Husband Has Left You. Forty years later.... On Rosemary Lane, Della Cartwright plans to open a very special little bookshop.
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The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane
- By Nanette P. Riegert on 05-24-17
By: Ellen Berry
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The District Nurses of Victory Walk
- By: Annie Groves
- Narrated by: Alex Tregear
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Alice Lake has arrived in London from Liverpool to start her training as a District Nurse, but her journey has been far from easy. Her parents think that she should settle down and get married, but she has already had her heart broken once and isn’t about to make the same mistake again. Alice and her best friend, Edith, are based in the East End, but before they’ve even got their smart new uniforms on, war breaks out, and Hitler’s bombs are raining down on London.
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A Look at the Role of the District Nurse
- By Jean on 04-30-19
By: Annie Groves
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Making Your Mind Up
- By: Jill Mansell
- Narrated by: Anna Parker-Naples
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Lottie Carlyle is happy enough. Living in a beautiful cottage with her two adorable - sometimes - kids in an idyllic village, on good terms with her ex-husband, and with friends all around, everything is going just fine. But when she meets her new boss, her peaceful world is thrown into delightful, exciting, and frustrating chaos. Tyler is perfect for Lottie, but her kids do not agree.
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Nice story, bad American accent
- By K. Overton on 07-24-15
By: Jill Mansell
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Staying On
- By: Paul Scott
- Narrated by: Paul Shelley
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Tusker and Lily Smalley stayed on in India. Given the chance to return ‘home’ when Tusker, once a Colonel in the British Army, retired, they chose instead to remain in the small hill town of Pankot, with its eccentric inhabitants and archaic rituals left over from the days of the Empire. Only the tyranny of their imposing landlady threatens to upset the quiet rhythm of their days.
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A Pleasant Meander
- By Ian C Robertson on 09-22-14
By: Paul Scott
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A Share in Death
- By: Deborah Crombie
- Narrated by: Michael Deehy
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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A week's holiday in a luxurious hotel is just what Scotland Yard's Superintendent Duncan Kincaid needs. But his vacation ends dramatically with the discovery of a dead body in the whirlpool bath. Despite a suspicious lack of cooperation from the local constabulary, Kincaid's keen sense of duty won't allow him to ignore the heinous crime, impelling him to send for his enthusiastic young assistant, Sergeant Gemma James. But the stakes are raised significantly when a second murder occurs....
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series readers, start here
- By connie on 02-09-13
By: Deborah Crombie
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The Scent of You
- By: Maggie Alderson
- Narrated by: Zara Ramm
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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A tale of perfumes, exploring life, love, loss and forgiveness - Maggie Alderson's new best seller. Are you still married if you haven't seen your husband for months? Polly's life is great. Her children are away at uni, her glamorous mother - still modelling at 85 - is happily settled in a retirement village, and her perfume blog is taking off. Then her husband announces he needs some space and promptly vanishes. As Polly grapples with her bewildering situation, she clings to a few new friends to keep her going.
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Okay for a light read
- By Robin on 10-26-17
By: Maggie Alderson
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The Cosy Teashop in the Castle
- By: Caroline Roberts
- Narrated by: Eloise Secker
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Can Ellie bake her way to a happy ever after? A deliciously heartwarming novel for fans of Lucy Diamond and Milly Johnson. When Ellie Hall lands her dream job running the little teashop in the beautiful but crumbling Claverham Castle, it’s the perfect escape from her humdrum job in the city. Life is definitely on the rise as Ellie replaces spreadsheets for scones and continues her Nanna’s brilliant baking legacy.
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What a disappointment
- By Samantha M on 01-04-20
By: Caroline Roberts
What listeners say about Stately Pursuits
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Heidi
- 04-29-12
Enjoyable story. Technically challenged.
Would you consider the audio edition of Stately Pursuits to be better than the print version?
I enjoyed the story and it was read well. My only issue was that it wasn't spliced together well and the narritive would jump from the middle of one sentance to the middle or beginning of another. Souding like it skipped, like a record would sometimes do.
What other book might you compare Stately Pursuits to and why?
I can't think of a particular book. Theme is a woman growing up, finding self and finding true love. So far the 2 books I have listened too from the Katie Fforde have same theme.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Karen
- 07-29-12
Decent story
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
This was a nice story overall, good for a long drive to some vacation time.
Would you recommend Stately Pursuits to your friends? Why or why not?
Hettie and the other characters are mostly believable, but the jumps in the narrative keep the listener saying "wha...?" at the start of a new chapter. I appreciated a modern setting of a nod to Jane Eyre and her fictional contemporaries, though.
Have you listened to any of Roe Kendall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
haven't heard Roe's other performances, but I thought it was well done with the multiple characters & personalities easily distinguishable.
Do you think Stately Pursuits needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No need for a follow-up book. Hettie got her act together, it was a happy ending.
Any additional comments?
There were MANY skips in the audio - very distracting!
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- Cyan
- 01-10-15
classic Katie Fforde
Would you listen to Stately Pursuits again? Why?
It's the kind of story that I would only listen to once but a fun listen.
What did you like best about this story?
The story is light yet interesting enough to keep you listening. The story plus narration made it worthwhile
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
It took couple of minutes to get into the way the narrator spoke/ read but soon as I heard all the different voices I understood her better and really appreciated at the end.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
no little bites as escape was good
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- Loy
- 04-01-12
good and cute
I really liked this book -
Katie Fforde has a way of describing the characters with just enough bad qualities that they seem real to the reader. I like books when the sweet female lead takes charge--
I would recomend this book and plan to listen to others by Fforde
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- Loy
- 04-01-12
good and cute
I really liked this book -
Katie Fforde has a way of describing the characters with just enough bad qualities that they seem real to the reader. I like books when the sweet female lead takes charge--
I would recomend this book and plan to listen to others by Fforde
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sarah
- 12-26-13
Great story, bad file
Any additional comments?
Love the story but the recording has several skips, as if the CD is skipping. Downloading again didn't help. Checked out the book from Overdrive and it has the same problem. Bah.
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- K.
- 03-25-12
A charming British 'cozy' romance
Hetty doesn't have much going for her at the beginning of the book; her boyfriend has dumped her in a particularly painful way, and since he was also her boss, she's out of work too. She finds herself in an elderly relative's country estate, trying to get ready for the annual spring open house tours while he is ill. Soon the entire village is helping Hetty and dreading the arrival of the heir, who wants to pull the house down.
I found the characters appealing and the dialog surprisingly realistic and in parts extremely funny. The description of the house and its revival was charming. The pace was a little slow at times, but I enjoyed Hetty's progress as she acquired skills and confidence.
There's a hint of Bridget Jones, a little Cinderella, and maybe a nod to the houses of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries. I thought the narrator was excellent.
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1 person found this helpful
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- SUZANNE
- 04-30-12
GOOD FOR A LONG CAR JOURNEY
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
NOT A GREAT STORY IT WAS A BIT DULL. I WAS EXPECTING MORE, IT WASN'T THE FUNNY ROMANCE I EXPECTED.
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- Shannon GC
- 02-23-20
Story is good, narration is terrible
I like the story itself a lot but the narration ruins it. The voices are wrong all the way through. The narrator was absolutely the wrong person to do this. It needed someone who understands the humor and can do sexy voices. Connor sounds like a stuffy, 60 year old prig. Hetty's voice is all wrong. No way would that speaking voice sing the songs Hetty sings. Caroline sounds like she's a 50 year old, vapid woman.
Also, the recording skips periodically and misses sections. REALLY annoying.
I kept thinking what this would have been like if it was read by Mary Jane Wells. She would have gotten the humor right.
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