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Naomi's daughters are very different: Martha is determined and driven like her father, while Willow is a free spirit. Even happy families have their secrets… A sweeping family drama of old secrets and new beginnings from the Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James. She and Tom are trying for a baby but things are not going as Martha planned and this is causing a little stress for her. Her father would approve of Rick, Willow’s not sure if she and Rick are really suited, she has a more laid back and casual approach to life. Mothers and Daughters, the latest novel by Erica James, is a contemporary family drama packed with plenty of secrets, lies and romantic misadventures.
Her characterisation is excellent, the setting is beautiful and the slow reveals are delicately and sensitively handled. Her daughters are chalk and cheese; Martha, the eldest, is a chip off the old block with her father’s characteristics, holding down a responsible job, and with a solid marriage the only thing not going her way is her need for a child.Little by little the women use the insights they gain to begin to let go of well-established but dysfunctional patterns of behaviour, to adjust their perceptions of each other and to let go of guilt, anger and misplaced loyalties. I was so pleased to be approved to read this book as in the past I used to read every new Erica James book that came out.
I must say I thoroughly engaged with Willow’s character as I think women too often are negative about themselves and she seemed such a believable character, although I suspect she may annoy other readers! Without introducing any spoilers by giving examples, there were moments when I found myself feeling furious with Martha’s controlling, manipulative behaviour as she attempted to derail her mother’s relationship with Ellis!There is mention of the coronavirus pandemic, but it isn’t really about that, and it seems to take place when we’re all out of this mess! At the beginning, there is a lot of distance between the family but by the closing, events have occurred that makes them even stronger as a family unit.
The novel never strayed into twee territory despite the reader feeling relatively safe in the knowledge of an ultimately happy ending, regardless of the upheaval along the way. 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.
The truth of the marriage and the real man behind Colin’s bonhomie is something that Naomi has kept from both her daughters, but as Martha and Naomi each meet Ellis, they are harbouring concerns of their own. This is a compelling and fabulous story about relationships and life and what mothers will do to protect their children, I loved it from start to finish, it was a hard book to put down and what a beautiful setting, a beautiful cottage Anchor House on the coast of a small English village Tilsham.
These are my own honest and considered opinions that are uninfluenced by any other reviews or publicity. Relationships that appear to be wonderful on the outside can be very dark and damaging behind closed doors and keeping up cheery appearances when the one thing you long for isn’t happening can be exhausting. Some I felt so much sympathy for and I was so hoping that they wouldn’t sabotage their own chance of happiness.
As a woman the same age as Naomi, it’s she I feel the greatest empathy for, and I must admit that at first I did not take to Martha at all.
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