Just to be a complete literary snob for a second, The Secret of Happy Ever After is not the type of book I normally buy. I’m more than happy to read “chick-lit” (although I do hate that title) if someone’s recommended a particular book and lent it to me, but I don’t normally seek it out.
So why did I buy this one? Firstly, the fairy tale sound of the title drew me in enough to pull the book off the shelf. Then the picture of the Dalmatian on the front cover (I can’t resist a story about animals) persuaded me to read the blurb. Finally, once I’d discovered that the story was set in a bookshop, I was sold!
My mum has wanted me to read Trollope for years. I’m not sure why I resisted the recommendation really, as she usually knows what I’ll like: she did introduce me to the wonderful Rebecca after all. I think the idea I’d formed of what the Barchester Towers series would be about didn’t really appeal. A load of books set in a church? What’s really going to happen with a setting like that? It seemed a bit too safe and quiet.
TheBrontëSister 