Read this if you love happy endings and a cast of female characters dealing with female issues, or as some would describe women’s fiction. It is told in the alternate voices of 3 generations of a family, Flo, Grace and Neva, who are all midwives. The voices are seamless as their stories are told, which are all centered on the theme of mothering. While being a good story I felt the story lacked the drama and twists of similar types of novels.
Emily returns to New Zealand from England to look after her father, Felix, who is suffering and deteriorating from Alzheimer’s. hanging over them is the mystery of Leah, who was a next door neighbour and disappeared 25 years ago. During his more lucid moments Felix reveals secrets he has kept about Leah. The descriptions of Felix, his disease and relationship with Emily were honest and well written and the heart of the story. The mystery of Leah has a surprising ending and at times makes an emotional read and also making it a great read.
After her grandmother’s funeral Flo discovers a box that contains vintage sewing patterns, fabric swatches and postcards from 1962 . They belonged to a relative Nancy Moon who she has not heard of before. As her marriage is also breaking down Flo decides to recreate the outfits of Nancy Moon and recreate the 1962 journey of Nancy. The story is told through the voices of both Flo and Nancy, anchored by the outfit they both wore. Family secrets are revealed, relationships are healed and it made me nostalgic about sewing with my mother.
This was such a heartwarming read. It is told through the alternating voices of Eloise and her daughter Valentina. Eloise had to leave Valentina when she was a child and it is only after Eloise’s death that Valentina can discover what happens. We are taken through Valentina’s healing journey as she takes over her mother’s bookshop in London. The love of community, friends and books shone through the story.
We are introduced to a serial killer and then to Sarah and her daughter Marni. What is the connection between them? Who is the serial killer and what is in Sarah’s past that she has hidden from her daughter? I did find this a bit of a struggle to read as I found the writing chunky, the sentences a bit abbreviated. I enjoyed the way the story unraveled, bringing it all together at the end.
This was quite an emotional read, it was a dive into a love story that ends with domestic violence. Lily meets Ryle and they fall deeply in love. As she does, we are taken on the journey of her first love Atlas. When these two stories meet, it changes everything. The author explores how complicated relationships can be, especially when the person you love hurts you. The characters stay with you after the last page is turned, a sign of a good story.
1888, the time when women could be committed to an institution for any reason, including being inconvenient or embarassing to the family, is the focus of this historical novel. Charlotte finds a way to have herself committed to Goldengrove Asylum to rescue her sister who was committed by their father. Once inside she discovers that the imates and conditions are not the same as the glossy brochure. I found the descriptions of Goldengrove and the treatments offered there interesting (and terrifying). How would Charlotte and her sister escape?
This is 14th in the series featuring detectives David Brock and Kathy Kolla and the first that I have read. It was easy to pick up the story and follow along without reading the previous books. Brock and Kolla have their own mysteries to solve – Brock, apparent suicides and art fraud and Kolla a corruption charge against her. An enjoyable read.
A good family saga, where the pain of the past reverberates through future generations. At the heart of the story is Irish cousins Sean and Brandon who have escaped their troubles in Ireland to try to make their mark in Australia. But the dreams and hopes they have are not fulfilled the way they expect.
I was looking forward to reading this alternate history about women fighting for their chance to be astronauts. It is 1952 and a meteorite has hit the earth. It is predicted that the the earth is now headed towards an extinction event and there is an need to colonize the moon to save humankind. Women are heavily involved in the space program as mathematicians (computers) but have ambitions of doing more. The problem with this story was not in the storyline but the characters emotions. Yes they were well described but they did not translate into me caring for them. The emotions and opinions of the characters became repetitive with not a lot of growth and change.
rrlreads 