Customer Reviews
'Chick Lit' - By: LindyLouMac, 26 Jul 2008 
Katie Fforde is in my opinion one of the better writers of `chick lit' This is her thirteenth novel & I admit to having read most of them, as her writing has always been enjoyable when I feel the need for some romantic escapism. However I was disappointed with this one as it even lacked a plot just a typical theme, take two very different women Jo & Dora, both sworn off men until they falll for the charms of Marcus & Tom. Neither of the romances felt convincing either, just alll rather predictable. I also found more than a few of the comments & use of words irritating such as the over use of `perimenopausal' I think we got the message. As for the description on p114 when Dora was changing for the karaoke did we reallly need to know about `stray armpit hair' surely quite irrelevant?
The most interesting parts were those about the barge Jo & Dora lived on `The Three Sisters', most especiallly when it was sailed to Holland.
A pleasant enough read for an afternoon in the sun but not one of Katie Fforde's best, as once again lacking some of the spark of her earlier novels. I have mentioned this fact before in my review of `Practicallly Perfect' last year.
Maybe I am just outgrowing Katie Fforde, I hope not as I have been reading & enjoying her books since she was first published in 1995.
One last point to be aware of is that the ending comes sooner than expected. Due to the dire habit of the publisher treating us to an extract of the author's next novel. A fairly new practice that personallly I find particularly irritating.
A romance too far? - By: Kizzy, 10 Jul 2008 
I am a long-standing fan & have avidly bought & read every book as it comes out. It seems to me the earliest are the best, with wittier, more 'real' heroines & men I want to meet. As KF's popularity has increased, so her characters have become more bland & the books more formulaic - as if she is being 'edited' to fit the generic chick lit market. I was excited by the prospect of an older heroine in Going Dutch, now I am in my 40s, but she (and Dora) lacked depth & complexity. Katie - if you read your reviews - I'd love to see you return to the form of Living Dangerously & Wild Designs, which are my favourites.Going Dutch
A definate miss - do not buy this book if you want romance read - By: Ms. V. Cistiakovaite, 02 May 2008 Am a through & through romance novel consumist & this book has more or less none of it (except maybe a 50 year old woman having if off with a guy with alll the juicy bits being completely overlooked & missed out). Its so frustrating when things don't do what they say on the label (or in this case the cover). It takes me a few days to read a good romance yet this one was dragged out for weeks. At some points the language just got plain annoying, I mean the cover says 'hey am a modern chilled out romance novel' yet the language is smeared with 'golly' 'oh heavens' 'gosh' 'cherub' etc etc... I would recomend this book to the middle classes with a 'proper' way about life & the over 50 ladies. Anyone outside these categories - stay away for your own sake!
Very disappointing - By: Avid reader, 15 Apr 2008 
I was expecting a light, easy-to-read romance & was disappointed by a very weak plot, silly, one-dimensional characters & endless meals & cups of tea.
I'm a big fan of Katie Fforde, but... - By: Mrs. J. L. Howard, 01 Apr 2008 ...Going Dutch was a big disappointment. I've always enjoyed Katie Fforde's books but I felt that this book had been written by someone who didn't much care what she was writing. A lot of the dialogue was long-winded & could have been cut out. In fact, I'm sure about a third of this book could have been cut out without affecting the story.
I remained confused about the character's names to the very end - I kept thinking that Dora was the older of the two women! It seemed a strange choice of name for a young woman & I couldn't empathise with her at alll. Previous characters in Katie Fforde's novels have been strong & believeable, but Dora seemed too timid to have had the strength to walk away from an unhappy relationship just before her wedding.
I don't feel comfortable writing this review as I've always been a big fan, but this book had a forced air about it, as if the author never reallly settled into the story. The book improved slightly when the characters embarked on a voyage to Holland, but then slipped back into tedium when Jo returned to England.
Highland Fling was my favourite of Katie Fforde's books & I shalll continue to read her novels, despite this hiccup.
