Gosh I was disappointed by this book. The characters were two-dimensional and unconvincing, there was the suggestion of an interesting subplot involving disgruntled locals with a grudge, of which we heard nothing more, ditto the hinted at marital infidelities and the background to Stella's flit from london to the countryside. The first-person narration was plodding and dull - Stella's observations were pedestrian and her problems (sunburn, hunger, an insalubrious suitor) uninteresting. I've seen lots of glowing reviews of this book on amazon and honestly can't see why. Avoid at all costs, life is too short for dross like this