Practice Makes Perfect by Penny Parkes

Whilst it was nice to be back in Larkford with a cast of characters that I have become familiar with, there was something missing in this second novel about Holly and her fellow GPs.  Maybe it was the lack of Elsie because, make no mistake about it, Elsie is the humour in the book; the indomitable spirit that charges all around her to be better, to be selfish.  She does appear but in muted form and we spend far more time with Holly and Julia and for a laugh-fest this does not make.

Both women are flawed, quite seriously flawed in all honesty and whilst I don't mind this it did all become a bit unrelentingly grim at times.  From Julia's alcoholic mother making an appearance to Holly second guessing absolutely everything it all became a tiny bit depressing.  This may have been less apparent if I hadn't re-read the first of the Larkford series prior to starting this second offering, but I did so it is what it is.

The author is good at getting under the skin of her characters so the different degrees of response to visiting Taffy's childhood home are well described.  From the way Taffy responds to the family dynamic to Holly's more removed appraisal of the situation, it is one we can relate to if we have ever met our significant other's family.  Unfortunately, this only 2 chapters or so of the whole book and yet they are probably the best (and most realistic) section of the whole book.

The main plot this time seems to centre firmly around The Practice and all the personal "stuff" takes second place to it.  Maybe this is why I liked it less.  The whole things around the model practice just takes up too much page space with the same brow beating from various characters as they come to terms with what this designation means.  Frankly I got sick of hearing about it; almost as fed up as I was with the plotline centering around Julia and the TV crew.  So much so I started skimming those bits rather than actually reading them.

Things are saved a little by the various daft bets Taffy and Dan set up and the glimpses of Elsie.  Lizzie is very quiet in this book and she rarely makes an appearance, this is dealt with as she is struggling to "find herself" after quitting her Editorial job.  Holly is worried she is being a bad friend to Lizzie and I have to say from my judgmental stool she is. 

I was left feeling a little disappointed by this book, mainly because the stuff I loved so much from the original is in short supply here - the people.