Lessons in Duck Hunting [Large Print]

By Jayne Buxton

Book Overview

A harried single mother of two young children in London, Ally James is less than thrilled with her lackluster life. Her job marketing marmalade is a yawn fest and the domestic front seems to streak by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: 078628661X
• ISBN13: 9780786286614
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Craving Marmalade

What a treat to read this book and while it's perfect for summer reading, I'm longing for more regardless of the time of year. Maybe a sequel on Ally and Tom's success blending families and making it work the 2nd time around? The detail with Ally's Marmalade marketing career made me long for some toast, butter and marmalade (thick cut of course). The storyline was great, real and inspiring. Empowering to women that we can put our necks out there and still come through never straying far from who we truly are. Jayne's writing was really enjoyable too, loved all the well thought out descriptions of everything from marmalade to thoughts of sex on the kitchen floor. Can't wait to read her next book!

The perfect beach read and well-written also!

The Chick Lit genre has exploded, and as a result, a lot of really good novels have been released--and some that are not so good. Happily, Jayne Buxton's Lessons in Duck Hunting is one that you won't want to miss. Single, mother of two young children, Ally James, is disappointed in the life she's living. Her London job marketing marmalade is boring and her home life revolves around her children with nothing exciting or even remotely interesting happening personally. At the post office she picks up a pamphlet titled "Are you raising children on your own?" It provides practical information, but the most glaring omission is a section to help find another man. Life is unfair. In the two years since her divorce she has had two bad dates, while her former husband David's life is a revolving door of serial relationships. Ally reluctantly decides to help her friend Mel with a magazine story on finding a partner. She signs up for a dating seminar where she just might meet a good man, or she could be embarking on a really bad plan that could result in disaster. Ally's journey into the world of dating brings with it some interesting "men" experiences and she learns that she's perfect just as she is. And when her former husband takes notice of the new Ally, she must decide between the "old" and the "new." Jayne Buxton's well-written novel will make you laugh, and it will make you think about your own life. Ally delicately balances children and career while looking for Mr. Right and learns that sometimes it is just a matter of taking a risk and taking control of your own future. Armchair Interviews says: Lessons in Duck Hunting is the perfect beach read. You'll turn the pages as fast as you can and when the ride is over, you'll want more. This is a wonderful debut novel.

fine chick lit tale

In London thirty-seven years old divorcee Ally James raises her two children, Millie and Jack while her ex plays new female flavor of the month. To spend time with her kids, Ally gave up her long hours at Chanel to market marmalade. At the same time her best friend Mel begs her to help her with an assignment for a woman's magazine on the "Proactive Partnership Program"; her former husband David introduces his latest squeeze to the kids, a first for the philanderer. Following the Proactive Partnership Program's four P's: Product, Packaging, Place and Promotion, Alley tests her new knowledge with three "Duck Decoy" dates: a fireplace installer, an electrician and her widowed neighbor, Tom. Being a great marketer she plies her skills to her package; David and Tom quickly desire what they see, but Ally feels that supermom, work, and dating should not bury alive the real person. LESSONS IN DUCK HUNTING is a fine chick lit tale starring a likable lead protagonist who struggles with balance and harmony in her life once she adds dating to her already overfilled activity list. The dates are lighthearted fun that juxtapose against the serious theme of a woman balancing single motherhood with employment and goals (for herself that is). Jayne Buxton provides a delightful charmer because readers know in Ally in spite of the glimmering up what you read is what you get. Harriet Klausner