Hidden Treasures: The heartwarming romantic comedy novel set in a Cornish village

I was at a loss as to how to rate it. Four stars for how Fern brought Pendruggan alive in a natural way through her interesting and quirky characters' involvement in it, not through long, lyrical (boring) descriptive passages. But two stars for main character Helen's bad judgment. Her long-term ex was a serial philanderer. Her "best friend" periodically launched mean attacks on her. None of her London "friends" contacted her after she moved away. The new man who tickled her fancy was not the charming and mature one, but the one who ~ in his 40s ~ was incapable of ending a relationship with a woman he wasn't interested in and hung around with his mates when he was supposed to be spending time with Helen. in other words, he had the social skills and emotional depth of a teenage boy. The only explanation given for Helen's attraction to him was his looks. It was hard to empathize with her when she brought hurt on herself through sloppy choices and superficiality.

Nothing too heavy but a good enjoyable read. Some interesting characters in the village. Was the first Fern Britton book I have read and I would read another one next time I want a light read

A wonderful read - funny, light, fast paced and unputdownable! A really super holiday read. I can highly recommend it.

This is a fun light read.Perfect for a day at the beach or under the covers when you don't feel like anything that makes you think.

Lovely light read - thanks

An enjoyable book, a real page turner, would make a good holiday read. Perfect to read on a plane journey or on the beach.

Helen Merrifield has just separated from her husband of over twenty years and is making a fresh start in the quaint Cornish town of Pendruggan. Her arrival causes quite a stir in the small community, especially when the kindly vicar starts trying to kindle a relationship with her, and the mysterious Piran manages to aggravate and intrigue her at the same time. When her friend Penny arrives to produce a TV special in the small town, all their lives are changed by the sudden fame of their village, and people start to believe in themselves and their dreams, all at the magical time of Christmas.This was a sweet, charming novel. I loved the seaside setting of Pendruggan and found myself wishing I hada cottage there myself. The characters were all kind hearted, even when they were slightly quirky, and this was a nice, quick Christmas read. Get yourself some hot chocolate and get cozy with this novel for the holiday season.

This is s charming story, told with wit and with delightful and lovable charactors. I would enjoy living in this seaside village with good neighbors. Helen cries too much which seemed out of charactor for such a resouceful woman, but that is only a small compliant. Recommended.

‘Hidden Treasures’, which I downloaded on a special offer, free for my Kindle, starts with an intriguing prologue about an elderly lady. However most of the book is about a middle-aged woman called Helen who has just moved to a small village after leaving her philandering husband. She meets local folk and settles in, then her friend Penny comes for a visit...There's a lot of potential for a pleasant light village-style book here, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work. After the first chapter, which I enjoyed, the writing meanders into irrelevant and tedious details of day-to-day life, a village talent night, and a long, drawn out description of a TV production which takes place in the village.By the time I was half-way through the book I was almost ready to give up - except that I had been intrigued by the start, and I was rooting for the nice Vicar character, one of two people who felt real in the early stages of the book. I didn’t much like the outcome or the ending, but I did, at least, keep reading.My overall feeling is that it's a great pity that this book was not thoroughly edited, as it could have been a great story. There are some interesting and memorable characters, and the hint in the prologue could have been so much more significant than it was.But clichés abound, viewpoints switch almost at random, and the majority of the book is irrelevant and unnecessary. Cut to about half its length and with some significant editing of the remainder, it could have been so much better.Not recommended. But at least I didn't pay for it.

I picked Fern Britton book on a whim , because as a presenter I loved her open,funny ,caring nature.I started with books from our local library & yesterday having a sick day (chest infection) decided I need to finish all her books.So I bought the last 2 on my kindle.I have loved her characters especially Queenie , Penny, Simon,Helen,Piran.I truly can't wait for their next adventure . Even though I haven't read the books in the right order it did t spoil the storyline.I have shared these books with my sister who also can't get enough of them.I am usually more a wilbur Smith reader but I can truly say Fern u didn't disappoint.Wishing u all the best , Sarah x

Although fairly well written, this book is formulaic and I feel like I've read it before. It's about a newly divorced woman who moves to Cornwall where all the men fall at her feet. She brings her London friends, who laugh at the locals, and her ex husband turns up too. It's all quite cheesy and full of clichés.I suspect that Fern Britton sells on the back of her career in TV and is part of the 'celebrity novelist' culture that we must learn to accept these days. Sadly, there are many, many better writers out there who will have been overlooked whilst publishing houses chase the easy money.

This is my 3rd Fern book after New Beginnings and the Seaside Affair but unfortunately it was the one I least enjoyed. The plot seemed weak and the pace was slow, I almost gave up half way through but stuck at it. It wouldn’t put me off reading more of Fern’s work but I wouldn’t recommend this one.

I have only recently received this book and I am so very glad I bought it I have read the first chapter and already know that I am going to love this book as I really like Fern Britton seems such a nice lady !written in a friendly chatty format like your sat with a nice cup of tea nattering away really- as this book is quite fast paced really lots happens so quickly, but that can be forgiven, as its written in a friendly way !I haven't read any of Ferns books before, but this is a real gem very enjoyable and maybe some things we can relate to here as well ! so all in all very pleased with my purchase but shame the condition of the book wasn't so great although there was a dust jacket the book looked like it had suffered water damage and someone had tried to dry the book out .. but at least its readable