I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts about Mothers and Daughters by Erica James.
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- Publisher : HQ (17 Mar. 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 000841369X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0008413699
Even happy families have their secrets…
Since the sudden death of her husband, Naomi has steadily rebuilt the life they shared in the village of Tilsham by the sea.
Her eldest daughter, Martha, is sensible and determined – just like her father was – and very much in control of where her life is going. If she could just get pregnant with her husband, life would be perfect.
Willow, the youngest, was always more sunny and easy-going, yet drifted through life, much to her father’s frustration. But now, with charming new boyfriend, Rick, she has a very good reason to settle down.
The three women are as close as can be. But there are things Naomi has kept from her daughters. Like the arrival of Ellis, a long-lost friend from way back, now bringing the fun and spark back into her life. And she’s certainly never told them that her marriage to their father wasn’t quite what it seemed…
Book Review
I was so swept up in the ‘Miller girls’ lives that I felt sad when the story ended – I could have carried on reading for far longer 🙂
There are several things I really liked about this story.
Everyone has a narration (including Martha’s husband Tom and Ellis) so it’s not just the women’s thoughts and feelings we’re privileged to get a glimpse of. Tom fast became my favourite character.
Talking about characters, one of the characters made my skin crawl from the get go. The actions made me so uncomfortable I felt dread every time they stepped into the story.
Naomi, Martha and Willow are easy to relate to. Even though I’m closer to age with Naomi, I identified more with Martha. Naomi frustrated me a times although I did understand her motivation.
This is the first book I’ve read that touches on the pandemic. The pandemic itself isn’t a key theme but how it affects one of the characters thoughts and feelings is important.
Obviously family is at the heart of this story – and the roles that we fall into. They don’t always represent who we are or how our experiences in life shape us. Erica James portrays this so well for the Miller family. I was on tenterhooks at the dropped clues of secrets from the past. I loved how when they come to light, even though heart-breaking, they affect the family in a positive way drawing them closer together.
Mothers and Daughters is a story with so much heart, which for me came across in the smaller gestures (such as having a cuppa made just as you like it!). It’s not always the grander gestures that come from a place of love …
You’ll get caught up in this story too, I have no doubt. Another fabulous read from Erica James.
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Erica James is the author of twenty-three internationally bestselling novels, with recent Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers including Swallowtail Summer, Coming Home to Island House and, most recently the hardback bestseller, Letters from the Past. Her books are loved by readers looking for beautifully drawn relationships, emotionally powerful storylines and evocative settings.
In 2020, Erica received the Nielsen Silver Award for sales of over a quarter of a million copies for both Love and Devotion and Tell It to the Skies; she has previously won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award for Gardens of Delight and is a Number One bestseller in Norway.
A keen gardener herself, Erica lives in Suffolk and has a fondness for Lake Como, Formula One motor racing and travel.