Poppy Jenkins

I try not to be a vacation snob. I’ve done the regular touristy type things, like taking a cruise to a foreign country and trying some of the day trips. 

But I find it’s much more enjoyable to just go somewhere and explore. For example, on a trip to Australia we just rented a car and drove around for a couple weeks. We stumbled upon some of the most delightful places and experiences (a county fair; an island only accessible by passenger boat) that I have no idea how to find if I even thought to seek them out. 

Poppy Jenkins provided me exactly that wander-y, exploratory feeling for the small country of Wales. Even though the writing felt a bit choppy at times, the experience of living within the lives of the titular Poppy and Rosalyn, made this book irresistible.

I want to walk down to the local shop for some sweets.

I want to roll down the hill atop the long grass, splash my feet in the river. And of course, I want to taste some of the delectable delights from Poppy’s café. It’s hard not to see the landscape, the town, the whole country, really, as a character in its own right. 

But as far as humans go, Poppy is one of the better main character heroines I’ve read in a while. An endless source of happiness and optimism for seemingly the entire village, her experiences in dating probably resonate with anyone who lives in a small town with no larger ones nearby. Rosalyn, by contrast, never really fit into the countryside as well as she might’ve liked. 

The friction between the two served to sand off their respective rough edges. Both complement each other in a way that only a perfectly matched pair can. 

That’s not to say there’s no conflict, because basically three-quarters of the book deals with issues that swirl around, but are not directly related to them. I thought they were entertainingly presented, though I might’ve done with a bit less village gossip and descriptions of chamber of commerce meetings. 

But overall, Poppy Jenkins’ story is so delightful and uplifting it’s got me trying (and failing) to learn Welsh. I guess I’ll have to just suffice with making a return trip every now and then on rereads of this delightful little romance.