A lovely summertime read

In this the debut novel by Melanie Hewitt we meet Penny reading to her father from the book by Gerald Durrell "My Family and Other Animals. Her father used to read this book to her when she was a child, now it's her time to read it to him as he lies in a a hospice during the last days of his life. Describing the tranquility and magical life of the Durrells in Corfu is such a soothing gesture as she reads page by page to him and when he took his final breath she follows a childhood dream of hers and decides to visit Corfu for one month. One month to find herself again, one month to put the past behind her and start again. Her boyfriend (Bruce) was now a thing of the past, now her future was stretching before her and in what better place to do it than here on the island of Corfu, where she can relive the lifetime of the Durrell family back in the 1930s. Very soon she is enjoying the sunshine and the company on Corfu, from the staff where she is staying, together with the locals who are really enthusiastic about showing her where the Durrell family lived. The one person she doesn't miss is Bruce, so when he starts ringing her, this starts alarm bells ringing. Several people on the island make a great impression on her and I would love to read a follow up book to find out what happens next and tie up the loose ends.
Drawn into this storyline from the very first few pages and being a fan of Gerald Durrell books and I enjoyed watching "The Durrells " on television, I would definitely recommend this book, a lovely summertime read. You can pretend that you are in Corfu even if you are in your local park or own back garden and it really makes me want to dig out my own copy of "My Family and other Animals" to read the story of the Durrells once more.