Lovely relaxing book to read, start New Year off with this one.
A really enjoyable book to read, so good is the storyline I read it twice.
The author brings together two different stories and skillfully blends them together to give to the reader a great reading experience.
The book flows simply, the characters are described as if you know them personally and the author gently pulls the reader into the story making the reader feel that they themselves are part of the story. This is a brilliant move by the author.
The story covers many genres and many readers will find themselves on an emotional rollercoaster as the story unfolds.
I'm not giving away any part of the story as this is a book best read with as little prior knowledge as possible of the story.
This is one for your New Year reading list.
An endearing story of love and loss in the interwar years. A mother and daughter separated by social stigma find each other after twenty years. Atmospheric and beautifully told.
In 1917 Alice, a VAD in France, falls in love with a wounded soldier. They meet again on leave in England, consummate their love and Alice falls pregnant. Her lover is killed and she faces the stigma of bearing an illegitimate child. Her parents make her give the baby up for adoption.
Alice forges a new life for herself as a doctor, marries and has three sons but never forgets her secret child.
Irene is adopted and although well treated never feels as though she belongs.
This is written as a dual narrative by Alice and Irene as they come to terms with their incomplete lives. Adoption pre-1927 was not regulated as it is now and when Irene tries to find her mother she comes up against many difficulties. Finally, they find each other almost by accident and eventually meet.
The book highlights the social situation between the two wars and the difficulties faced by women when their rights were fewer than today. An engrossing read with strong characters and vivid writing. Heartfelt and yet hopeful. I loved it.
A book not to miss. A storyline that captures your heart and draws you in from the first page. Two women, two completely separate lives, one not knowing the other exists, finally reunited. Their journey is at times very emotive, almost unbelievable, but utterly captivating. If you do anything this month, then read this book, you will not be disappointed.
Oh my word, what a book, what a story!!!
This has to be the most heartwarming, thought-provoking and emotive novel I have read in a very long time.
I was drawn into the story and its characters from the very first page. It was as if I was watching the story unfold from the sidelines. I was drawn into and enthralled by the characterisation of the family and the layers of its history.
You could say it was too good to be true, but on another level was completely realistic, plausible and at times very emotional.
Two women, two completely separate lives, finally joined. Hope, despair, disbelief and lots of twists and turns, keep this book alive and the need to keep reading is overwhelming.
A great read, by a great author. Enjoy.
A lovely story of two strong, female characters who are both determined to get what they want from life.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting from this book as the story did not match the style of the front cover at all. The story starts by introducing us to Alice, a 19-year-old who was a nurse in France during World War 1. It was whilst in France that she fell in love with a soldier and soon after became pregnant. Unfortunately, she was forced to give the baby up for adoption.
We meet this girl who is now called Irene and see her grow up into a strong and determined young lady. Her adopted family come from good social standing however her relationship with her adoptive mother is far from loving and so when Irene discovers she is in fact adopted, the search for her real mother begins.
The story swaps between Alice and Irene's perspective and we go on a beautiful journey with the mother and daughter as they both search for what they want in life. This ranges from progress in their career, falling love and discovering more about their family. Although there are some sad and emotional sections of the novel, overall this book is extremely uplifting and optimistic.
This feel-good novel spans from 1917- 1940 so we get to learn a lot about these two main characters over two decades. Both the main characters are extremely driven and are likeable. The way the book swapped from the different perspectives happened very smoothly and I found the style of writing very engaging.
It gave a good depiction of how women were sometimes perceived within society during the early 20th Century and I think the book described the times in great detail.