A Small Part of Me

by Noëlle Harrison

Christina's mother walked out on her when she was just six years old. Now in her early thirties Christina, herself, has reached a desperate crossroads as a mother. Having lost custody of her two sons, she goes on the run with her youngest in a bid to find her own mother, Greta, and sanctuary from her husband and family.

Genres: Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

pseudonym: Evie Blake

Born in London, I moved to Ireland in 1991, shortly afterwards setting up the theatre company Aurora. I have written four stage plays, Northern Landscapes, Black Virgin, Runaway Wife and The Good Sister, and one short film, Blue Void. I have also written extensively on visual art in Ireland, contributing to various journals and artists’ catalogues over the years.

In August 2004 my first novel Beatrice was published by Tivoli/ Pan Macmillan. My second novel, A Small Part Of Me, was published by Tivoli / Pan Macmillan in September 2005. My third novel I Remember was published by Pan Macmillan in September 2008. The Adulteress an erotic ghost story set now and in 1941 in Ireland was published by Pan Macmillan in September 2009. The Secret Loves of Julia Caesar is an illustrated limited edition novella, a companion book to The Adulteress as well as a novel in its own right. It is published October 2012.

I currently live in Bergen in Norway. In September 2012 Beatrice was published by Juritzen Forlag in Norwegian. My books have also been translated and published in Italy, Germany, Holland, and Hungary.

I offer a critiquing service for budding writers and teach various creative writing workshops through Inkwell Writers.

I also write under the pen name of Evie Blake, author of Valentina published by Headline in October 2012, Valentina on the edge (March 2013) and Valentina Unlocked (October 2013). The Valentina Trilogy will be translated and published in Italy, Germany, Holland, Spain, France, Portugal, Brazil, and Serbia.

Reviews

[Alessandra Napolitano · Rating 2 out of 5]

È un libro che parla di sentimenti e di rapporti. Il sentimento che una madre prova verso i propri figli, il sentimento dei figli verso la madre. Si ha sempre bisogno di sapere e conoscere la propria madre , quando si viene 'abbandonati'.
Un figlio ha bisogno di conoscere le motivazioni, con la speranza di sentirsi dire che non è stato lui la causa. Il desiderio di riconciliazione e di recuperare il tempo perduto è quello che spinge un figlio a cercare il genitore.
Putroppo però queste ferite dell' anima del bambino, non saranno mai sanate, chi più chi meno, come accade a Christina, una delle protagoniste del libro.
Il dolore dell' abbandono da parte della mamma sarà riversato sul sentirsi abbandonata in un certo senso anche dal marito.
Passeranno molto anni prima che si decida a cercare sua madre Greta. Il momento giusto lo trova quando si rende conto che sta sprofondato nell abisso della disperazione e sarà costretta a lasciare i figli al marito per ordine del tribunale. Decide così di partire alla ricerca, portando con sé il piccolo Cian. Il primogenito, troppo arrabbiato deciderà di non seguirla.
La vita di Greta invece, costretta ad aver abbandonato la figlia, sarà quella della ricerca della serenità, lontano dalla ex marito e dalla figlia, con la speranza di tener a bada il dolore.
Riusciranno ad incontrarsi madre e figlia?
Questo viaggio comunque darà a Christina una nuova chance per il suo futuro.
Questo libro mi è piaciuto abbastanza. In fondi i sentimenti fanno sempre presa. Trovo un po ' eccessiva la continua suddivisione in piccoli capitoli, a volte quasi inutili. I personaggi ben delineati sono credibili.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for a long time and it sat there unread for over 10 years. I finially got around to reading it. Honestly, I'm glad I waited to read this as I don't think my teenage self would have enjoyed it as much as 25 year old me did.
This book did take me a while to finish, but I think that was mostly because I was reading other things at the same time which attracted my attention more.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It gave me all the feelings that a good book should give you. The twist towards the end got me good.

[F. Hepton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching and insightful story.

[Bookworm with Kids · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second year bringing this book on holiday and I was determined not to bring it home unread again. The story is an unusual one switching between Christina and her son going to look for her mother, Greta, who walked out on her when she was six and Greta's story which unfolds through the book. The descriptions of the scenery in the US is fantastic and would make you want to visit! The story is good but not exceptional. I enjoyed reading it.

[Carmen8094 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chistina non ricorda bene come siano andate le cose; molte altre nemmeno le sa; ciò che è certo è che, quando era solo una bambina, sua madre uscì per sempre dalla sua vita.
Da allora la sua mamma fu Angeline, già amica e dipendente come cuoca e aiutante della madre.
La vita di Christina sembra essere stata del tutto serena e normale, ma il disagio e la perdita dell'infanzia ne hanno fatto una donna insicura, timorosa, che ha finito col perdere suo marito, e, cosa più importante, i suoi figli.
Ma un giorno Christina decide di fare in modo che le cose cambino: prende con sè pochi soldi e il suo bambino, Cian, e parte alla ricerca di sua madre, della verità e di se stessa.
Intraprende così un viaggio che dall'Irlanda va agli Stati Uniti, e da qui in Canada.
Un libro per alcuni versi simile a Senza lasciare traccia, con i capitoli che prendono il nome dei vari protagonisti, i quali raccontano le vicende dal proprio punto di vista. Simile è anche la perdita della figura materna, la sua ricerca, l'assenza di giudizio verso le azioni dei personaggi -Angeline la si può odiare, ma alla fine riesce a riscattarsi, o la sua è solo una scelta di comodo per non perdere del tutto l'affetto di Christina?-, in particolare verso la scelta finale di Christina, che ad alcuni potrebbe sembrare giusta, ad altri irresponsabile od egoista.
Una storia sulle mille facce della verità, e sul bisogno di amore, a ogni costo.

http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Long winded account of a daughter’s search for her mother who left home when she was just six years old. Christina’s marriage is in trouble due to her drinking and an affair ( just for the sex so that’s alright then) and she loses custody of her children as a result. One day she decides to kidnap her youngest son Cian and travel to America to find her mother. She finds all sorts of excuses for her bad behaviour and feels very sorry for herself. The reader is subjected to Christina’s rambling introspection as she mentally delves into her past and analyses her own character and that of her various family members. Then there’s Greta – Christina’s mother’s side of the story told to us in the first person and bringing us up to date on why she disappeared from her daughter’s life. Some parts held my attention but for the most part all I wanted was that Christina to pull herself together and get on with her life. Dramatically her mother dies the day before Christina finds her , I fear she will never get over this. Luckily she has met Luke on her travels ( many chapters are devoted to Luke’s telling us what brought him to the point where they meet – yawn -) and I hope they live happily ever after as a sequel would be asking too much of Noelle Harrisons fans.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of Noelle Harrison's novels that I have read. I really enjoyed Beatrice and was looking forward to more of the same. I was not disappointed, this is another great story from a really great author.

Told in a similar way as her first novel, in the different voices of her lead female characters, this works really well, although sometimes I did have to stop and think about who was narrating. The three women are Greta, Christina and Angeline - three very different characters but all very closely linked.

Christina was abandoned by her mother Greta as a child - Angeline (Greta's best friend) stepped in and brought Christina up as her own child. Although loved throughout her childhood, Christina never quite got over the loss of her mother and is determined to find out the true story. Her marriage is broken and she runs away with her youngest child to track down Greta. It is during this journey that Christina finds out the truth about her mother and Angelina, and also a little more about herself.

A great read, maybe not quite as good as Beatrice, but nevertheless a real human drama, plotted with suspense and intrigue.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Small Part of Me tells the story of Christina, who runs away from Ireland with her youngest child to America to find her mother, who ran away when Christina herself was a child.

This book was fine, average, decent... perhaps a little non-descript. After I finished reading it I didn't long for that time spent on it back again but neither did I think "Ooh, that was amazing!" I found the ending rather annoying and, as a reader, thought she cheated me out of a definite resolution and a final confrontation. (This is really a 2.5 star book - 50% through and through.)

I'm finding it hard to write a review of this novel without giving away any plot points, but if you are a big fan of women's contemporary fiction (and I do not mean chick lit by that!) then you could do a lot worse than read this book. I wouldn't recommend it at all but it's by far from being the worst thing I've ever read. And that's about as far as my backhanded compliments go, I'm afraid.

[Kellyh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this book by chance, but I'm glad that I read it and I would now like to read the author's earlier book, Beatrice. This book is lifted from the ranks of ordinary romances through its exploration of mental health problems, faith, motherhood and Pacific coast native culture. The chapters are written from the viewpoint of different characters, often Christina or her mother, Greta and changes from first to third person perspective. This could be confusing, but works quite well and suits the emotion of each chapter.

[Caroline Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I look forward to the discussion next week. I found this a bit predictable. I suspected Greta wasn't destined to be reunited with Christina when unpredictable weather & treacherous seas were mentioned. All the women seemed doomed for various reasons & the male characters two dimensional. Guilt all round. Not sure I could believe in Luke as the answer to all Christina's prayers. Also not convinced Declan will stop looking for Cian.

[Danalisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SO Good...I couldn't put it down! A really great way to see past and present in a relationship between mother and daughter come together. A great read...but have a box of tissues nearby.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant, very readable story about family relationships, mothers, abandonment, childhood memories and more. Past and present intertwine in a style that's slightly confusing at first, but the whole makes an enjoyable - if bittersweet - novel. Recommended.

[Rebecca Haslam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another night shift = another book done and dusted. For me this story was just a little too long winded for me to stick with like I usually do with most books, but it passed a few hours easily enough. I have not read Harrison's other book, but, if I do, I hope it is slightly better than this.

[Lisibo]

hope she makes it this time!

[Shay Noble]

I just couldn't 'get into' this book at all; managed to get through about 40 pages and couldn't get any further :(

[Juveriya]

i wasn't able to go down the road with it.25 pg was the total tolerance before the story got rubbish for me.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it initially hard to get into but once I started I enjoyed reading it. However I felt it dragged a bit at times and the ending was disappointing :-(

[Maureen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.

[Anna Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part of the 2015 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge: A book with bad reviews.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read .

[Captain I · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who threw plot, character and atmosphere at the ground and hoped to make a novel omelette???