ANNA is an interior designer who has upped sticks and bought herself a major renovation project in the heart of the countryside. She ends up with a whole lot of work but also a new friend and a retired greyhound named Caroline. And then there s the men –

ANNA is an interior designer who has upped sticks and bought herself a major renovation project in the heart of the countryside.

She ends up with a whole lot of work but also a new friend and a retired greyhound named Caroline. And then there's the men - she's in love with her former lecturer Max (not that he knows it) but then the stroppy Rob Hunter appears in her life, causing her all kind of problems.

Essentially this is so-called 'chick lit', but Fforde is one of the best around at her genre. Her writing is absorbing and entertaining and both her characters and locations are well rounded and developed, drawing you and making you genuinely care what happens next. The plot may not be dazzlingly original but Practically Perfect is highly readable and well worth a look.

Thanks to Ottakar's of Stevenage 4/5