Filthy Rich by Wendy Holden is a hefty book. 598 pages long to be exact. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't put me off, it actually makes me look forward to a book more. For some reason I like a solid book in my hands - it makes me think I'm going to get a cracking story. So did Filthy Rich weigh up? Well some bits did and some bits didn't.
Based in a village in the East Midlands, there is a huge cast of characters that come together over the common ground which is to be made into allotments. There is Mary and Monty the aristocrats who live in the crumbling stately home, the American's Beth and Benny, who have decked out their cottage in head to toe Cath Kidston, Catherine, the new head teacher, Philip, who moved to the village after his wife died and Alexandra, a WAG and wannabe celebrity. Oh and Morag, a not very pleasant eco-warrior type person. Out of breath yet? There are even more characters but I haven't the room to mention them here.
The first 157 pages of this novel start out quite slow. There is lots of description, particularly about the stately home and how people look that it does become a little tedious. When I got to page 156 and was introduced to yet another character, this time the Reverend who I really didn't care less about, I was desperate for something to happen, sharpish, otherwise I was going to give up on the whole thing.
Thankfully the book then picked up pace, although for the plot it was still a little long winded. But still, I carried on, because now I was starting to enjoy the book. I liked Mary and Monty and Catherine and was amused by a few others. Not Morag though. I thought she was vile and wished some of the other characters would stand up to her more.
So there I was happily reading away, then it ended. The whole thing seemed to conclude in one chapter. Just before this we had one character behaving absurdly out of character - this annoys me as I feel it is something put in just for plots sake and doesn't feel natural. And the ending she gave for Morag, I didn't think that was fair. Not on Morag but on what she gave her.
It sounds, with all my criticisms like I didn't enjoy the book. I did enjoy it, but I think the first 150 pages could have been reduced and the ending maybe fleshed out a little more.
Like this? Try Kiss Chase by Fiona Walker
