Book review: A Year on Ladybug Farm

A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

Review by Walking on Sunshine

3 women + 1 mansion + 1 year = an incredibly sweet story about finding out that change is always a good thing.

Lindsay, Cici and Bridget are women who have raised families, cared for their husbands and worked for the majority of their adult lives. But now their husbands are gone (either deceased or have run off with other women), their children are grown and these three best friends have decided that purchasing a run-down mansion together is the solution to all their problems. As the friends view the house, which they name “Ladybug Farm” they anticipate making a profit in one years time, a profit which they hope will allow them to live a life filled with worry free problems and ultimate happiness surrounded by one another. But as we all know, keeping your eye on the prize can be difficult when you run into problem after problem.

When I first started reading Donna Ball’s “A Year on Ladybug Farm”, I thought it was a little too sugar coated, meaning there were lots of “I love you” and “I couldn’t do anything without you” moments, but as the plot thickened so did the characters and I grew to care for each of them separately. I found the novel to have a lot of similarities with Frances Mayes’ novel, “Under the Tuscan Sun”, which was a great novel (and a great movie). Lindsay, Cici and Bridget were charming, sweet and always had each other’s best interest in mind. The story grew into a charming novel about rediscovering who you are and what your friends really mean to you.

I’d highly recommend this book to people who have an afternoon of nothing planned, but this book and a cup of coffee.

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