Simona's Corner of Dreams: The Great Village Show

Wednesday, 9 September 2015

The Great Village Show – by Alexandra Brown

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Tindledale is in a titter. The Village Show competition is coming around again and after last year’s spectacular failure, the villagers are determined to win. Meg, teacher at the local school, is keen to help and to impose some much-needed order.

After a terse encounter with a newcomer to the village, Meg discovers that it is celebrity chef and culinary bad boy, Dan Wright. Meg thinks he is arrogant and rude but rumour has it that Dan is opening a new restaurant in the village which could really put Tindledale on the map!

As things come together, villagers old and new all start to come out of the woodwork, including new arrival Jessie, who seems to have it all. But first impressions can be deceptive and Meg discovers that when it comes to Tindledale – and Dan – nothing is ever quite as it seems…

My Opinion:

We are back in Tindledale!!!!

Can you feel my excitement?! We already got to know this lovely village in Alex Brown’s The Great Christmas Knit Off, where we heard the story if Sybs and her doctor. I have to admit that at first I was a bit disappointed that Sybs was not the main characters anymore, because I loved her and her story so much. However, that changed when I got to know, Meg, our new main character and Sybs and doctor Ben also appeared in several scenes.

Meg is a teacher, so I instantly felt connected to her. She’s the acting principal of the school in Tindledale and fighting for the school not to be shot down. She has a lot of energy, passion and is full of heart. I loved following her around.

The villagers get together to get ready and prepare for The Great Village Show, in the hope of being in the top 10 with their show, trying to get the village some more recognition and save the school. Its great to see how they all work together and build a wonderful team, the effort and motivation are definitely there. Of course this cannot go without some stones in the way.

First of all, there is celebrity chef Dan Wright, who suddenly arrives in Tindledale. Is he there to open a new restaurant?! He and Meg get off on the wrong foot! He is rude, arrogant and just not friendly. The get to know each other more and he also offers help for the village show. This doesn’t continue without a drama though, so be prepared!

Meg becomes great friends with Jessie, who is new in town. She has triplets and her husband Sebastian is often away in Zurich for work. He is not the easiest and the situation gets quite tense and dramatic there. It brings another level into this story, which makes it deeper and mysterious. I liked the two of them being friends, some great scenes and moments. We get to experience a wonderful portrayal of trust and friendship here.

Meg has a son, Jack. He is already at university. We get to know him pretty well through Meg and even though he is not there, we read about his story, which I think is great.

Tindledale is the place! It was a sweet surprise to see the map of this cute little city at the beginning of the book, it made me see the story even clearer. Alex has such amazing way to make a story feel alive and real. Beautiful descriptions, memorable scenes and much more. Thinking about Tindledale and it’s population always gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I want more!!!

Rating: