For me this was a slow-burner
I was putting it down and not picking it back up. I read 3 other books that I whizzed through.
But I kept coming back to this book, it was nice, it was interesting. I thought about giving up on it, even at 50%, but I persevered and I’m so glad I did. The second half of the book is so much more gripping.
The writing is excellent, and the descriptions of the Devon countryside made me think about past holidays in cottages down narrow country lanes. Looking at the beautiful nature of the area, the trees, the birds, the dark night sky.
I liked getting to know all the residents, the locals.
Learning about the different trades was really interesting, architect, journalist, sheep farmer, health visitor etc. And even the workings of a pie factory.
The loose ends tied together beautifully, and in the end it was a pleasure to read.
Thank you to the publishers Little, Brown for the early copy of this book.

Lottie and Quentin seem to have it all - a good marriage, successful careers, gorgeous unproblematic children and an enviable life in London. Then the recession hits, Quentin messes around once too often and the oldest boy doesn't get his hoped for a level results. The family end up in the depths of rural Devon. This novel, unlike Lottie and Quentin, really does have it all: psychological thriller, commentary on contemporary Britain; literary referencing (largely via Quentin's poet father); likeable characters and super settings. I read this quickly because I really did want to know what happened - why was the rent so cheap on Lottie and Quentin's Devon farmhouse?; why could Dawn play the piano so beautifully but seemed to have nothing else going for her?; how did Janet get her job? Amanda Craig does a really good job of creating multi-faceted characters and dealing with discrimination (race, gender, class, disability, sexuality) in modern Britain. The thriller aspect of the story is perhaps a little far-fetched but I did not guess the detail in advance. I was interested to read in herr author's note that many of the characters in this novel have been in previous novels and I shall now look these out to get a more rounded picture of some of the characters developed here. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

First time I have read an Amanda Craig novel and really enjoyed this very varied and multi layered novel, From the heights of excellent careers and very successful lives in London to the breakdown of a marriage and moving to the so called "idyllic" life in the country. Thriller, comedy (mostly black), romance, family life, complex personalities, life-changing decisions, combines with the usual twists and turns that make compulsive reading. Read it within a week on holiday and will definitely be looking for more of her novels.

Victims of recession.
How awful would it be to want to divorce your adulterous husband but instead to have to continue living with him because you're caught in the housing trap?! That is the position that Lottie Bredin finds herself in after she catches Quentin sleeping around. She's lost her job as an architect in London and his journalist skills are no longer needed - the only solution is to rent out their London house and move down to rural Devon where they can afford a run-down house in the sticks.

Along with their two children and a teenage half-black son from a brief encounter when Lottie was much younger, they must fit in with an established community, very different from their London friends. The area is poor and there's almost no work available apart from a pie manufacturing plant. Their rent is low, but there's a reason for that - which none of the villagers will mention.

They set themselves a year, after which the house in London will be sold and they can separate. During that time there are various tensions and a who-done-it, to add interest to the narrative.
Apart from the who-done-it, which seemed to miraculously fall into place at the end, the rest of the book had rather a soap opera feel, not really 'a suspenseful black comedy' as described in the blurb. The style reminded me of books I've read by Anne Tyler, so fans of her books might well enjoy this. It is strongly character based and Amanda Craig does a good job of this - 3.5 stars from me as I'd have liked a little more action.

The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig is a black comedy about a couple Quentin and Lottie who are forced to rent out their London house and move to backwoods Devon after they are forced out of the capital having both lost their jobs. Quentin, a writer, is arrogrant, selfish, adulterous though a good father to his two small daughters and his teenage stepson. Lottie is resentful of all the wrongs Quentin has done to her but soon makes a home for the family in the ramshackle house they rent in the country. However, the house hides a tragic secret and the beautiful countryside as an underlayer of violence, poverty and lies. A fast paced black comedy with interesting characters.

I found this book took a little while to get involved in.. It has a lot of stories interlinking, and it took me a few rounds to get involved. However, once I did, the book was immensely enjoyable. I haven't read a book from Amanda before, and it was a pleasure to read a different style to what I tend to. The descriptions of Devon and Cornwall are quite realistic in some parts, but I found it was a bit over-caricatured at times. Also, I have worked as a health visitor in a rural West Country area, and while some areas of her work were painfully accurate, some were overdone slightly. I was gripped towards the end as the tension grew, and overall would absolutely recommend this

Quentin has cheated on his wife Lottie. They have both lost their jobs due to the recession, and can neither afford to divorce nor to continue to live in their upmarket London home. The best solution is to move to a cheaper rented house in rural Devon and let out their own house awaiting a market rise to achieve a realistic sale price.
In addition to Quentin and Lottie, who continue to destroy themselves solely because of their enforced proximity, Amanda Craig introduces a powerful cast of characters and stories, many with a comment on modern British life.
Lottie struggles with her addiction to the fast- paced convenience of London life. Her son Xan, having failed to meet his Oxbridge requirement by a whisker, now spends his time in bed. He takes a job in the local pie factory, where the employees struggle on zero hours contracts, and compete with the migrant workforce for hours.
Quentin’s father is terminally ill. Lottie’s mother, who still lives in London on her own, is independent but vulnerable. In Devon, Lottie’s path crosses with Sally, a social worker, and her two sisters, Marie Curie nurse and headmistress. They live close to an ageing rock star’s mansion, and for good measure, there is a murder mystery lurking too.
A fabulously entertaining, moving, funny and insightful read. I Look forward to reading Amanda Craig’s previous books.

In a low key way, this is a multilayered epic novel that gives us a window into modern contemporary Britain and how political and social issues impact the lives of ordinary people. We observe the urban and rural divide through London and Devon. Craig's talent opens up the interior lives of a wide range of characters that render them real and authentic. The disintegration of the marriage of the middle class couple, Quentin and Lottie Bredlin, is beautifully described amidst the straitened financial circumstances they find themselves in, as both experience the loss of their jobs in the recession. This triggers the need to move to Devon for their three children. They experience a culture shock and struggle to adapt. Amidst all the personal turmoil, there is the mystery of why their house was so cheap. In the period of a year, great changes are heralded into the lives of the central characters.

The narcissistic Quentin has indulged in extramarital activities that endanger his marriage to Lottie, who feels betrayed and full of anger. They cannot afford to divorce and move to Devon. Lottie reflects on her role as the supportive wife and feels she has a right to so much more. The health visitor, Sally Verity, gives us a glimpse into the state of sheep farming and her desperation to have a child. She goes on to find a discarded baby. Lottie's young teenage son, Xan, finds employment at the local pie factory, a real eye opener. He sees the poverty of workers whilst experiencing minimum wage and zero hour contracts. The factory conditions leave much to be desired and include visceral descriptions of the killing of animals for meat. There are an array of characters, such as a teacher, a midwife, and the family and household of an aging rock star. With the added suspense of an unsolved murder, the family encounter the challenges of revenge, abuse, poverty and violence.

Amanda Craig is a talented author whose skills lie in the characters she creates and develops. I love the way she tunes into their personal thoughts, providing us with incisive and nuanced psychological insights into relationships as they undergo change, the breakdown of a marriage, and the family dynamics when there are three children. The novel pertinently compares and contrasts urban and rural life painting a picture of the divisions in Britain whilst providing an adept political and social commentary. The mystery aspects of the story are minor but lend suspense and tension to the novel. A wonderful read that I highly recommend. Thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

Oh, how I enjoyed this book. It was a charming, quintessentially English cross between an aga saga and a blackly humerous farce. Lottie and Quentin are deep in self destruct mode at the start of the book. He's a faithless philanderer and and journalist to boot and she is a recently out of work architect. Their marriage is falling apart, they can't afford their London home anymore and so they up sticks to move to deepest darkest Devon. Quentin is not at all impressed, having spent some of his formative years living in The Hovel that is his parent's cottage on the edge of Dartmoor. No internet, a tight knit and suspicious village community, a murder, headless corpse, and an aging rock star sound an unlikely combination but Craig makes this work so well. It's deeply moving one minute and snort-inducingly funny the next. The writing is a delight - the sort of book where you want to savour every word. This is a brilliant tale of love and loss, family ties and the lesson that sometimes all we really need in life is sometimes what we already have.. I loved it.!

What seems at first a story about a divorcing couple and the effect this will have upon themselves and their three children, turns out to involve dying parents, an ageing rock star, an abandoned baby and a murder!
Quentin and Lottie Bredin are divorcing. They move to rural Devon, but why is the price of their new house so cheap ? This novel has Racism and sexual harassment , child abandonment issues and the pull of London as against the countryside. Marriage is about love and forgiveness and this novel explores the depths of nastiness and betrayal experienced by two people who once loved each other. Most of us know people who have gone or are going through such upheaval and there are no such surprises here, but not many also deal with a murder that occurred in their new home. The murderer is predictable, but the convoluted involvement of so many members of the community is unusual.
I enjoyed this book, but was left feeling that there was a gap in the story that hadn't been filled. It worked as a story of escape to the country, but not as a murder mystery. It was curiously flat as a story, it didn't have a spark that made it stand out amongst the other books of this genre. It was full of Sociological insights, but it didn't inspire or excite me.
I have left this review on Goodreads today.

DNF 35%. I'm sorry, but this book just isn't for me. I don't like the twee chapter titling, the subject matter is a bit too jolly hockey sticks middle class, and essentially, nothing has happened yet. I don't like any of the characters and don't care enough about what happens to them to continue. I know this book has been very popular with lots of reviewers, but sadly it's just not my cup of tea.

The one positive thing you can say about this book is that by the end of it, you don't thoroughly know the characters! The downside to that though, is that I thought there wasn't enough time spend on the actual plot of the book at all. For really 80% of the book it was about characters and only the final 20% was about the plot and what happens. I actually enjoyed that bit once we got to it, there just wasn't enough of it.

I totally loved this book from beginning to end. Maybe it's because it was set on Dartmoor, my favourite place, but I would still have been happy if it had been a different setting. The characters were truly wonderful The depth of understanding and complexities of each and every character was fantastic as were the fascinating, intertwining story lines. I was really sorry when it came to the end, I could have easily read another full book with the same cast. This is a new author for me so I will definitely be reading more of hers.I highly recommend it.

This is a well written book about a disfunctional family having to move to the countryside from London. There is a mystery story woven in although it is quite easy to solve. It shows the problems of moving into a small village and becoming incomers. Lottie is the main character and is a strong woman who is capable of turning her life round. She is married to Simon who is weak and nearly leaves it to late to turn his life round and has to cope with the imminent death of his father and the collapse of both his job and marriage. His children no longer respect him and he questions his role in all their lives. Eventually, through events, he becomes a much better person. Sometimes a move and a new life is better for all.

An amazing book. The opening sentence says so much and sets the scene for the main story. Marriages are not founded on playing at love but encompasses so much more. The main story of the relationship between Lottie and Quentin was so real. To bring both sets of parents and the children into this was first class. The descriptions of Devon and the village life were so real and yet so horrific when they discovered the story behind the rented cottage. My mind linked the hook with the headless man very early on. There is no predicting the ending of the story, although guessing the murderer became easier towards the end but the why was incomprehensible until the very last few chapters when the unfolding began. Amanda has paced the story well and leaves each chapter on a cliff edge with the next chapter going to another topic. This would make a fantastic TV series as there are enough places that hanging the 'until next time' would leave viewers in total suspense. For many different reasons I loved so many of the characters and understood their idiosyncrasies but Lottie was my favourite all the way through, strong personality and determined to do the best for all her children. Did she take Quentin back or not is the question all the way through but is only answered when the reader is 99% through the book and then in a most dramatic way. Loved the book.

I found this book genuinely engaging immediately because for the most part, the characters felt very real. Having just left London for the countryside myself, I certainly felt a kinship in a lot of ways, and laughed several times as I found musings on changing city life amongst my own circle of friends echoed in the dialogue of the text. I wish that the strong start had continued, as I do believe my interest began to wane by the second act.

Even though the setting and observations are current and astute, I did feel that the characters, and women in particular, felt a little dated which is unfortunate. Especially from a female writer, I wish that we could have seen stronger central figures, but every single one serves as only a downtrodden counterpart to an overbearing, selfish man. Particularly as the book progressed I did feel the plot went a little off the rails, with a strange to me ending that seemed out of place.

A solid effort, with some bright spots, keen insights and even a few laughs.

A good holiday read. It really highlights the difficulties married people wanting a divorce, but with only their house as their savings, face. So they let out their expensive London home ,the income from which allows them to pay their mortgage and have over enough monies to live in a hovel in Devon and then the fun begins with a skull in the garden, a famous pop star living in the village and wonderfully delightful elderly parents. The book is lots of fun and beautifully written.

The Lie of the Land is a lovely read. The description of life in rural Devon in all its aspects is great. Sometimes I had the feeling that it tried to cover too many of all these aspects, and it could have done with a bit less. Mixing a murder mystery into a divorce drama, social problems, struggles of villages and its inhabitants is done well. Recommendable.

I floundered and struggled a bit with this book which seem to be padded out with a lot of unnecessary descriptions, albeit well written, it seemed to jump about with the viewpoint from different characters but not of the same event and timing also jumped so a few hours/days/weeks may have passed between paragraphs. It just didn't flow very easily. Characters were introduced and actually had no real input in the plot or added in some detail only to tie up a loose end at the finish. I did read about Amanda Craig's previous works on line and find that some of the superfluous characters in this novel are at the centre of other books, maybe this should be read as a series in sequence. The plot seemed to muddle through until about the last 5-10% of my kindle when all plots, sub-plots seemed to clash with a rush to the end with some rather involved thought processes going through peoples heads, which in an emergency, would not have happened. I was glad to be reading it on my kindle as there were a few words I did not know, I believe I am well educated and certainly fluent in English but found myself referring to an online dictionary then trying to put the meaning in context and found another, a more commonly used word/phrase would have made the work flow better. The main characters were somewhat stereotypical Londoners moved to country types, and being born, bred and still living in the country myself (not Devon) recognise them. There were a lot of contentious topics, farmer isolation, slave labour, immigrant workers, dying from cancer, life threatening asthma, violent deaths, hidden births, abuse, rock stars..... the list goes on. Possibly less is more with only some of the topics being covered in maybe more books. Reading in the acknowledgements that it had taken a few years to complete I think it showed signs of being overworked. Sorry, it just wasn't a book I enjoyed and it doesn't entice me to read more from this author,

Totally lost myself in this book. Beautifully written and compelling

Excellent use of multiple narratives to weave the story.

Now I'm going to read everything Amanda Craig has ever published.