Michelle Blanchard Ardillo

Of the 46 or so novels written by British author Katie Fforde, Life Skills is my 6th. Life Skills was published in 1999 and has been reprinted several times since, so I chose this light, breezy rom-com from Fforde’s back list. Quite a few of her novels have been adapted for German TV, but I haven’t been able to trace any produced for an American (or British) audience. Fforde didn’t start writing until after the birth of her third child, and is now in her 70s, so she has had a prolific writing career. Her latest book, From London with Love, was just recently published in February of this year, so Katie Fforde is still cranking them out.

Life Skills is the story of Julia Fairfax, who decides it is time for a fresh start. She quits her job, breaks her engagement, rents out her cottage, and takes a job as the cook on a pair of old hotel boats that cruise along the English canals. For anyone fed up with their present life, the premise is intriguing, but in reality, it is quite the gamble.

I enjoyed this Kindle read, but perhaps not quite as much as I’ve enjoyed the other 5 of hers that I’ve read. The romance part of this plot line fell short for me. It is quite believable why she broke off her engagement, but when presented with someone who is the opposite of her former fiancé, a man who is clearly in love with her, she spurns him as well. This is what I think is supposed to be the main conflict of the book, not the fact that she has given up a high level professional job for being the cook and crew member of a failing enterprise with a ditzy and broke blonde as her boss.

Her boss, Suzy, has abandoned the cozy cocoon of a life created by her doting but controlling wealthy father to strike out on her own, while loving and leaving behind a trail of young men desperate to do anything to curry her favor.

I felt that this book, while a good palate cleanser between heavier historical fiction and family dramas, dragged a bit. We can all see where Julia is headed, so why does it take so long for Julia to see it as well? Suzy’s side of the coin is much more interesting, but as the sidekick, she can’t control the narrative.

Since this book was written and published more than 25 years ago, perhaps the subject matter behind this plot hasn’t aged so well. Perhaps Fforde’s much later works are crisper and sharper. I’ll have to check out one of her more recent novels to see how I feel. In any event, if you need something to take your mind off of heavier themes, this may be just the ticket!