I have read a number of Jo Thomas's books now and really enjoy them. They are always fun stories, with lots of food and quite often interesting settings! I have decided that while I wait for each new book, I will work my way through her backlist, starting with her first book, The Oyster Catcher.
When Fiona Clutterbuck's husband dumps her at their wedding, she takes the campervan that they were supposed to be honeymooning in and just drives. She ends up in a small town named Dooleybridge that has seen better times on the shores of Galway Bay. After crashing into a brick wall, and being admonished by the local police because the van has now been reported stolen, Fi realises that she is broke and homeless.
In the local pub she overhears that there is a job going with one of the local farmers, Sean Thornton. Desperate, she very quickly agrees to take the job, which is especially handy given that it comes with accommodation. She soon realises that she should probably have asked more questions because it turns out that Sean is an oyster farmer. Fi doesn't like oysters and she has an extreme fear of water and boats.
Sean has his own reasons for employing a stranger. Years before, the oyster industry of Dooleybridge had collapsed, with lots of repercussions for the town. Sean is now trying to keep his uncle's farm going, but it is hard work and isn't that profitable, but he loves it. He does feel like he is on the brink of being able to turn things around but he doesn't want the locals to know what he is doing just yet.
While there might be a spark of attraction between them, Fi is staying far away from Sean, not least because of his very ambitious oyster broker/business partner/girlfriend, Nancy.
It was interesting to see the parallels between this, Jo Thomas's first book, and her latest book which I reviewed here. Both feature communities where the town has seen better days, and feature that same community coming together to organise an event which will help revitalise the town. In this book, the event is a revival of the Oyster festival which had been scrapped years before after the oyster industry was pretty much closed down. It's not all smooth sailing though. Some people want a slick, high class oyster festival and others want a rustic festival with a nostalgic feel.
There are lots of really fun characters who make up the population of Dooleybridge, as well as a couple of "baddies" like Nancy, who probably could have done with some nuance in their characterisation. There are also some really fun animal characters including donkeys Freddie, Mercury and Juliet, who have a nasty habit of escaping their enclosure at very inconvenient times!
I love most seafood, but oysters is one of the things I don't love. Give me prawns any day over oysters. I did, however, really like learning more about oyster farming. It was interesting because whenever you travel in certain parts of Australia you will see oyster farms advertised as tourist destinations. We have never stopped at one before, although we did go to a pearl farm in Broome in Western Australia which is same same but different. We might next time we come across one of them
I already have my next Jo Thomas read out of the library. That book will take me to Italy, and I am really looking forward to it!
I am sharing this review with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story.
Rating 4/5
Saturday -
Sunday - Pork chop, mash, beans and gravy
Monday - Mac and Cheese
Tuesday - Steak Egg and Chips
Wednesday - Takeaway
Thursday - Pad See Ew
Friday - Takeaway
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