Product Description

Having given up a high-powered job and the lifestyle to match, Tessa Hainsworth had no idea how hard she would struggle when, full of optimism, she fulfilled her dream of moving to rural Cornwall with her young family one September. Within months, she is almost ready to return to London, tail between her legs: her husband is still out of work, her children are struggling in a cold, damp, tumbledown house and the family is running out of money - fast. But a chance encounter in the local post office leads her to accept the unlikeliest of job offers. "Up With the Larks" charts Tessa's turbulent first year with the Royal Mail, and her transformation from outsider to 'Posh Postie', adopted Cornishwoman and much-loved member of her new community. She starts in the bitter darkness of midwinter, faced with the perils of the Christmas rush, a van with a mind of its own and a host of unfamiliar routes, local characters - and their animals, large and small. But, day by day and month by month, she meets and learns to love a wonderfully colourful cast of characters until her second Christmas in Cornwall is entirely different from the first, as the community goes out of its way to thank her with small gifts and other tokens of their affection. At last she feels Cornwall is home.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5319 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

About the Author
Tessa Hainsworth worked as a marketing manager at The Body Shop. She now lives in Cornwall with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews

A GLORIOUS ESCAPIST READ
I read about this book in the Daily Mail today and have just bought it and consumed it in 5 hours! It is utterly enchanting - it actually makes you cry and laugh which a lot of books promise but few really do. If you've ever thought about leaving the rat race and settling down in one of those idyllic-looking Cornish villages, then buy this book. It is incredibly funny and tells the truth about what it's like to be an 'incomer'. Deeply satisfying and a wonderfully truthful picture of Cornish village life; I recommend it to anyone as a perfect summer read.

the book for my holiday
This book was the perfect scene setter for my recent week in Cornwall. The sense of place is skillfuly evoked by good writing and the stories are colourful but at the same touching.I recommend this book to those who want a taster of the real Cornwall and anyone else, of course, who wants a good read.

Can't put it down!
A truly lovely read..many goosebumps and lumps in the throat!
I read for a few hours non stop and would not put it down.
The house looks a mess but it's been worth every single minute.
Well done Tessa and congratulations on one of the best books I've read in a long while!
From an avid fan who can't wait for the next one.