A Random Act of Kindness

Sophie Jenkins

Jun 2019 · Sold by HarperCollins UK

About this eBook

‘Wonderfully uplifting’ Trisha Ashley

It only takes a moment to change a life for ever...

Fern is too busy making sure other people feel good about themselves to give much thought to her own happiness. But somehow, without her noticing, life has run away from her.

Suddenly, Fern realises her vintage clothes business is struggling, and the casual relationship she’d always thought she was happy in doesn’t look so appealing.

But sometimes, karma really does come through. And when Fern goes out of her way to help 85-year-old Dinah, little does she realise their new friendship will change her life.

Dinah may have troubles in her past, but she’s lived and loved to the full. Can Dinah show Fern that even the smallest acts of kindness can make the world a better place?

If you liked 59 Memory Lane or The Library of Lost and Found, you'll love this feel-good book!

Ratings and reviews

Three and a half stars. Fern has a stall selling vintage clothes at Camden Market in London, having lost her job as a personal shopper for a large department store. She has always had a love of fashion, probably because her mother Annabel is a former model. A random act of kindness to a stranger introduces Fern to: Kim; a pensioner buying a dress for his wife; Dinah, an 89 year old woman with an amazing haute couture wardrobe; and David. Told through sales blurb for different vintage clothes we see Fern find romance, friendship and a career. For anyone who loves fashion the talk of Westwood, Biba, Chanel, Lagerfield et al is divine but it's also mixed up with Top Shop bargain finds and repurposing. Fern is a genius at seeing what people want from clothes, how they want clothes to make them feel, from a job interview outfit, to a mother-of-the-bride ensemble to a prom dress - she helps each of her customers feel better about themselves. This is a feel good, fashion-forward, sweet romance, but TBH the romance is all about the clothes and our 'hero' is more of an afterthought. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Fern has a little stall in Camden Markets where she resells vintage clothing, often matching the outfit to the person with extraordinary results. While things aren’t necessarily easy for her and money is tight, she’s happy with her shop, lives in her parents’ apartment, and is using her talents in ways that make her proud. But not all is simple: a random second encounter with an older woman in couture bring her face to face with the adage ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ with a sting of bad luck, a fire in her building, some clothing destroyed and the all-consuming presence of her mother and father, never an easy set of visits. Cleverly played to introduce Fern to Dinah and Dinah’s tailor husband Moss, as well as a new stall occupant next door who crafts light boxes of the constellations and just happens to be dating and old schoolmate, things are at least hopping along on the work front. And, there are the moments he meets with her boyfriend, a catch you when I’m in town relationship that has few labels, fewer hours together and little to nothing in common between them. When he whisks her off to a naturist resort, after telling her that ‘clothes don’t matter” the gig is up there – and now Fern has choices to make. Pressure from her parents to get a ‘real’ job, the reliance of an elderly cross-dresser and his new friends acquired since his wife’s death, and everyone’s discovering just how much the clothes Fern shares with them bring them new outlooks, the loss of Fern would be a great one to her clients and friends. Clever for the interactions, the clothing and the attitudes that Fern inhabits when using her clothing as a way to ‘face’ the world, and her slow recognition of her own issues, her relationship with her mother, and the need she has to make the world a new and ‘happy’ place, where people can choose outfits that bring them confidence, bravery, shields and the opportunity to see new choices and options. Clever and light, with a character in Fern who should be in everyone’s dressing room, this is a wonderful read. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

This was an easy reading, quite light-hearted story about Fern and her vintage clothing business, but with a couple of quite eccentric side characters that really lifted the story. Fern used to work for a department store but got sacked when a delighted customer wrote a glowing review for a sale she made, but unfortunately it was for a dress that she'd sold from her own vintage clothes collection outside of work. So she then decided to set up her own business with a market stall at Camden Market. Fern currently lives in her parents flat (her Father used to stay in it during the week when he was working) and is struggling to make ends meet. Her parents were a bit odd really, even though they let her use the flat they were a bit distant and her Mother especially was a right pain, a very selfish sort of woman, nothing was ever good enough for her and she felt as though Fern was a disappointment to her, especially as she used to be a model in her youth. She really looked down her nose at Fern's market stall and her life choices in general. I actually preferred a couple of the side characters more than the main ones I must admit. Fern's inspiration to start her vintage clothes business was a very stylish woman she'd bumped into a while ago, Dinah. She had also recently bumped into her again and actually got to know her and her husband Moss, a tailor. The other great side character was Kim, an elderly guy who was the one who actually got her sacked (unbeknownst to him), when buying a dress for his wife (supposedly). But his wife had just died and he was spreading his wings and not hiding his true personality anymore. There is also a slow burning romance with another stall holder, and he was nice enough but just a bit... boring I suppose. This book is most definitely all about vintage fashion so there are lots of clothes descriptions, especially at the beginning of each chapter, but Fern's whole life revolved around what she was wearing so I suppose it was hardly surprising. All in all a pleasant, easy read, but with the side characters being much more interesting than the main character!

About the author

Sophie Jenkins is a serial joiner of writing groups and workshops and a prolific short story writer. To encourage her creativity she regularly enters half-marathons and trains by running from her home in North London to breakfast in the centre of town with a notepad.

The character of Nancy in The Forgotten Guide to Happiness is based on her experiences with her own mother, who was diagnosed with dementia fifteen years ago.