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Her Mother's Daughter
1980: Josephine flees her home in Ireland, hoping never to return. She starts a new, exciting life in London, but as much as she tries, she can't quite leave the trauma of her childhood behind. Seventeen years and two children later, Josephine gets a call from her sister to tell her that their mother is dying and wants to see her - a summons she can't refuse. 1997: Ten-year-old Clare is counting down to the summer holidays, when she is going to meet her grandparents in Ireland for the first time. She hopes this trip will put an end to her mum's dark moods - and drinking. But family secrets can't stay buried forever and following revelations in Ireland, everything starts to unravel. Have Josephine and her daughter passed the point of no return?
- GenresFiction
304 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2018
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March 24, 2018
Her Mother’s Daughter is the story of a woman, Josephine, damaged by her own childhood in Ireland and follows her journey to London and recounts her struggle with a family secret that has marked her life and prevented her ever returning home. Seventeen years after fleeing Ireland with the intention never to return and now with two children and a husband of her own, Josephine has never come to terms or left the trauma of her old memories behind. Despite never having returned to see her family and with negligible contact through the years she is still irrevocably bound to her dark past and has nursed a silent and simmering rage that she has failed to disclose to a sympathetic and adoring husband, Michael Reilly. However, all it takes is one phone call from Josephine’s younger sister, Siobhan, and the news of their mother’s impending death to force her to make the return journey home.
The prospect of her forthcoming return sets Josephine on a path of remembering the final unhappy years in Ireland and she struggles to control her inner turmoil from her own family and maintain the facade of contentment. For a ten-year-old Clare the countdown to her inaugural visit to her mother’s family in Ireland brings excitement and the hope that it could bring an end to her mother’s turbulent emotions, black moods and reliance on “apple juice” from the spirits cabinet. As Clare tries to understand her mother and maintenance a semblance of a happy childhood for the sake of her younger brother, Thomas, her attempts are not well received and she bears the brunt of Josephine’s vicious tongue, explaining the children’s preference for their father, whose love is blissfully uncomplicated. The unfolding story chronicles family life and Josephine’s capricious mood swings are seen through the eyes of ten-year-old daughter, Clare, and her hopes for the holiday are mirrored by her father Michael who insists the return home is just what the doctor ordered for Josephine.
Narrated by mother and daughter, Clare’s part remains in 1997 and portrays her own delight at making the journey to Ireland and eventually meeting a benevolent grandfather. Josephine’s narrative opens in 1997 and then moves back to 1980 and progresses through the course of the years in order to illustrate key moments in her child and womanhood. The effects of these events bring greater clarity to her attempts to stifle the ever present feeling of not being worthy of love and explain her descent into mental illness and increasing reliance on alcohol. Yet the return home brings revelations of its own and Josephine is forced to come to terms with the fact that her assumptions on leaving Ireland were wide of the mark and that the person she has held responsible for the fragmentation of her family was not in fact the guilty party. As this stark realisation unleashes the full force of nearly two decades of bitterness and anger it wreaks havoc with her attempts at making a family life all of her own.
Personally I feel that comparisons to Jodi Picoult are significantly wide of mark for the very obvious reason that over half of the narrative comes from the voice of a ten-year-old Clare and there is a limit to how nuanced her insights can be without feeling overly contrived. Much of Clare’s story is a day to day tale of a very ordinary life and rightly simplistic and of minimal depth. For every one observation that proves revelatory there is an endless stream of hopscotch, sweet treats and anecdotes in the park and I frequently felt like I was waiting in hope for the odd moment of innocent insight. Although I recognise that this novel was one of a mother leaving the scars of her troubled life on her own daughter I do feel that another adult narrator, in the form of either friend or husband, would have brought a little more authority to proceedings.
My dismay is that is takes well over a third of the novel before the Reilly family even make the trip to Ireland, longer still until they reach Josephine’s childhood home and given that the seminal dark secret is eminently guessable and not without precedent (certainly given the era), I found myself irritated by Josephine’s wallowing self-pity. Arguably she made a rod for her own back by failing to have ever disclosed the secret truth to a husband who appears besotted with her and simply opting to paper over the cracks by starting a family of her own. Admittedly it does not help that the direction that the story is headed in is readily apparent and given is one that I been done explored many times over in contemporary fiction. Alice Fitzgerald wrings every bit out this single, admittedly horrific, event in Josephine’s life but during an interminable dissection I lost sympathy with her character. Rarely have I felt so untouched by a novel which is intended as revelatory, moving and emotive and with half of the narrative written from a child’s perspective I feel that critiquing the writing style is something of a non-starter. So whilst this is not an unworthwhile read and I never once thought of not seeing Josephine and Clare’s story to a conclusion, it sadly left me cold. I would struggle to recommend this novel as for me it felt low on insight and given its obvious predictability adds little to the swathe of literature which has already nigh on exhausted the topic.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
The prospect of her forthcoming return sets Josephine on a path of remembering the final unhappy years in Ireland and she struggles to control her inner turmoil from her own family and maintain the facade of contentment. For a ten-year-old Clare the countdown to her inaugural visit to her mother’s family in Ireland brings excitement and the hope that it could bring an end to her mother’s turbulent emotions, black moods and reliance on “apple juice” from the spirits cabinet. As Clare tries to understand her mother and maintenance a semblance of a happy childhood for the sake of her younger brother, Thomas, her attempts are not well received and she bears the brunt of Josephine’s vicious tongue, explaining the children’s preference for their father, whose love is blissfully uncomplicated. The unfolding story chronicles family life and Josephine’s capricious mood swings are seen through the eyes of ten-year-old daughter, Clare, and her hopes for the holiday are mirrored by her father Michael who insists the return home is just what the doctor ordered for Josephine.
Narrated by mother and daughter, Clare’s part remains in 1997 and portrays her own delight at making the journey to Ireland and eventually meeting a benevolent grandfather. Josephine’s narrative opens in 1997 and then moves back to 1980 and progresses through the course of the years in order to illustrate key moments in her child and womanhood. The effects of these events bring greater clarity to her attempts to stifle the ever present feeling of not being worthy of love and explain her descent into mental illness and increasing reliance on alcohol. Yet the return home brings revelations of its own and Josephine is forced to come to terms with the fact that her assumptions on leaving Ireland were wide of the mark and that the person she has held responsible for the fragmentation of her family was not in fact the guilty party. As this stark realisation unleashes the full force of nearly two decades of bitterness and anger it wreaks havoc with her attempts at making a family life all of her own.
Personally I feel that comparisons to Jodi Picoult are significantly wide of mark for the very obvious reason that over half of the narrative comes from the voice of a ten-year-old Clare and there is a limit to how nuanced her insights can be without feeling overly contrived. Much of Clare’s story is a day to day tale of a very ordinary life and rightly simplistic and of minimal depth. For every one observation that proves revelatory there is an endless stream of hopscotch, sweet treats and anecdotes in the park and I frequently felt like I was waiting in hope for the odd moment of innocent insight. Although I recognise that this novel was one of a mother leaving the scars of her troubled life on her own daughter I do feel that another adult narrator, in the form of either friend or husband, would have brought a little more authority to proceedings.
My dismay is that is takes well over a third of the novel before the Reilly family even make the trip to Ireland, longer still until they reach Josephine’s childhood home and given that the seminal dark secret is eminently guessable and not without precedent (certainly given the era), I found myself irritated by Josephine’s wallowing self-pity. Arguably she made a rod for her own back by failing to have ever disclosed the secret truth to a husband who appears besotted with her and simply opting to paper over the cracks by starting a family of her own. Admittedly it does not help that the direction that the story is headed in is readily apparent and given is one that I been done explored many times over in contemporary fiction. Alice Fitzgerald wrings every bit out this single, admittedly horrific, event in Josephine’s life but during an interminable dissection I lost sympathy with her character. Rarely have I felt so untouched by a novel which is intended as revelatory, moving and emotive and with half of the narrative written from a child’s perspective I feel that critiquing the writing style is something of a non-starter. So whilst this is not an unworthwhile read and I never once thought of not seeing Josephine and Clare’s story to a conclusion, it sadly left me cold. I would struggle to recommend this novel as for me it felt low on insight and given its obvious predictability adds little to the swathe of literature which has already nigh on exhausted the topic.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
March 25, 2018
The story is told from the points of view of Josephine and her daughter, Clare. Josephine's story starts back in time when she is just a teenager leaving her family in Ireland to start a new life in London.
I really enjoyed this book at first. I liked the point of view of Clare. She is very sweet and innocent, and the author is quite good at writing from a child's perspective. Although I would say that Clare does seem quite a bit younger than she is supposed to be. I like the way she knows how to deal with her mother so that she incurs the least amount of punishment. Of course, it is very sad what is happening to her and her life is sometimes terrible, but children simply do not think of the world like that. This is Clare's life the only way she knows it, and she loves her mum.
I also enjoyed the chapters about Josephine when she was young and had first left home. Everything was so exciting for her, and she acted as any young girl would have in her position. She really did have so much promise.
However, I found that as the story progressed I developed a strong distaste for Josephine and her inherently selfish nature. Yes, she had endured her share of suffering, but she seemed to me to have very little capacity for love or patience. This somewhat ruined my enjoyment of the book. I felt like there was no victory here for anyone. It was just a very sad book about a very troubled woman and her daughter. I would have liked to know what happened to them both, but the story stops in a place I was not really happy with. There was no ending as such.
Overall, the writing was okay but I have read better books with a similar premise, and although this book was most certainly upsetting, the emotions just weren't there for me. I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth, which thankfully I probably won't remember in a couple of months' time.
I really enjoyed this book at first. I liked the point of view of Clare. She is very sweet and innocent, and the author is quite good at writing from a child's perspective. Although I would say that Clare does seem quite a bit younger than she is supposed to be. I like the way she knows how to deal with her mother so that she incurs the least amount of punishment. Of course, it is very sad what is happening to her and her life is sometimes terrible, but children simply do not think of the world like that. This is Clare's life the only way she knows it, and she loves her mum.
I also enjoyed the chapters about Josephine when she was young and had first left home. Everything was so exciting for her, and she acted as any young girl would have in her position. She really did have so much promise.
However, I found that as the story progressed I developed a strong distaste for Josephine and her inherently selfish nature. Yes, she had endured her share of suffering, but she seemed to me to have very little capacity for love or patience. This somewhat ruined my enjoyment of the book. I felt like there was no victory here for anyone. It was just a very sad book about a very troubled woman and her daughter. I would have liked to know what happened to them both, but the story stops in a place I was not really happy with. There was no ending as such.
Overall, the writing was okay but I have read better books with a similar premise, and although this book was most certainly upsetting, the emotions just weren't there for me. I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth, which thankfully I probably won't remember in a couple of months' time.
April 2, 2018
I sincerely hope there is nothing autobiographical about this book. Not for the faint-hearted, it is a devastatingly realistic story of emotional and physical abuse and how its effects continue to be felt down the generations of women in one family. I have a low tolerance, though, for stories of abusive relationships, especially involving children, and was squirming with worry throughout as to where this was going. Well written with utterly convincing characters and situations, alternating narration between mother and daughter, often showing the same event from the two perspectives. It would be impossible to take sides - my heart went out to both Josephine and her daughter Clare as I think was the author’s intention - and my main concern was how the cycle could be broken. An accomplished debut novel.
Review copy courtesy of the author and Atlantic Books/Allen & Unwin via NetGalley.
Review copy courtesy of the author and Atlantic Books/Allen & Unwin via NetGalley.
October 16, 2018
What the absolute bejayzus! Talk about Mommie Dearest? If I'd had the misfortune to have been a daughter of either of these two Mothers(and believe me it was tempting to put MoFo's), I'd have put MYSELF up for adoption! Two Mums, two daughters - the first having suffered both mental and physical abuse at the hands of family; atrocities so abhorrent they are are almost unimaginable. And yet... Why oh why not speak up about it? Of course it would be difficult, but surely better to seek help? This was after all 1980 not 1920. And so, years later, having escaped her family home and met a wonderful caring man, the bile, poison and hurt which have laid dormant for so long, begins to seep out when she marries said lovely fella and goes on to have her own children. Husband soon suspects past family traumas are causing her problems, and wants to help. But does she let him? Does she ballcocks! The martyr in her keeps schtum instead choosing to take her pain out on her own children, treating them appallingly and cruelly. Have to say, at this point, even the wonderful Michael slightly dipped in my estimation over his lack of dealing with both his wife and protecting his children. Hopefully the tyrant in lipstick hasn't done any lasting damage to the three of them. Perhaps it's the sign of good writing that I feel such wide range of emotion reading this, including anger towards Josephine? It's certainly left me appreciating what a brilliant Mum I had!
April 9, 2018
‘Can you ever really leave your past behind?’
Her Mother’s Daughter is the debut novel from journalist and writer Alice Fitzgerald, just published with Allen & Unwin
It is a novel set across two decades telling the tale of ‘a troubled and emotionally abusive mother and her innocent ten-year-old daughter’ against the backdrop of London and Ireland.
Her Mother’s Daughter is described as a very ‘thought-provoking book-club read’ and I would be inclined to agree.
There are so many societal issues touched upon in this novel including emigration, family traumas, sexual abuse, food, alcohol abuse and of course that special relationship between mother and daughter.
Taking us on a journey across the 1980’s and 1990’s, we follow the stories of Josephine and Clare, a mother and daughter. Josephine leaves Ireland, a young impressionable girl with a secret to keep. She arrives in London full of hope that she can move on and live a rewarding life, filled with love and understanding. Reared in a family where little compassion was ever shown, Josephine couldn’t wait to leave her childhood home. As soon as she had funding, with the assistance from her grandmother, the one person she loved dearly, Josephine packed her bags and left Ireland with a pocket full of dreams.
Josephine soon settles into life in London, making new friends, discovering new styles and starting to like herself a little again. She moves into a flat with a bunch of other young girls and, with her new friends, Josephine feels ready to face the world. She meets a variety of young men, but it is Michael Reilly who finally catches her eye. Michael is the one that shows Josephine what it is to be loved, to be cared for, to be counted in life. After a brief courtship, Michael proposes and Josephine accepts, but not before she opens up to Michael and reveals her innermost secret, the secret that has consumed her for years and resulted in her having very little respect and confidence in herself.
With Michael, Josephine looks forward to a new beginning, a fresh start but can this really happen? Can Josephine forget her past completely and move on with her life?
Having a daughter proves a very challenging step for Josephine. Blighted with guilt and memories, Josephine gets bitter and angry, with her little girl Clare, baring the brunt of her mood swings.
Alice Fitzgerald expertly switches the narrative between the two, as we see the world through the eyes of mother and child. The innocence of Clare is in parallel to the emotional abuse thrown at her by her mother. Clare is old enough to absorb the hurt and let it sink into her mind. Clare watches her mother’s approach to food, her obsession with her figure and takes on board her mother’s negative attitude to eating. You cannot but think of the future that awaits Clare and the issues that will arise as she moves into her teenage years.
Josephine does love Clare, and her younger brother Thomas, and there are some very touching moments between them, but it is clear that Josephine is struggling. Michael, her husband, is understanding and patient with Josephine, but even his empathy has limits.
The issue of mental health plays a very strong role in this book. Josephine carried her secret around with her, never dealing with it, but that was very much a reflection of the time. In society today, people are hopefully a little more open about mental health issues and there are services available to assist folk when needed.
There is a domino affect to Josephine’s actions that ripple through her family. Those who love her the most, suffer the most from her intermittent disillusionment and sadness.
Alice Fitzgerald writes with a very expressive hand giving the reader an, at times, quite descriptive insight into the mindset of the abused. Josephine is clearly damaged and as a reader, my reactions toward her were a mix of sympathy, frustration and anger. In contrast Clare’s story didn’t carry the same emotional impact for me, as it is told in the factual manner of a child. This is her life. This is how it is.
I would have loved to see the ending of the novel fleshed out a little more (a very minor personal quibble), but overall Her Mother’s Daughter raises so many important issues for us all and how our actions, as adults and parents, can influence the future lives of our children.
An impressive debut, Her Mother’s Daughter, due to the subject matter, may not appeal to all, but it is a book that will make you stop and think…..and that can only be a good thing.
My Rating ~ 3.5*
Her Mother’s Daughter is the debut novel from journalist and writer Alice Fitzgerald, just published with Allen & Unwin
It is a novel set across two decades telling the tale of ‘a troubled and emotionally abusive mother and her innocent ten-year-old daughter’ against the backdrop of London and Ireland.
Her Mother’s Daughter is described as a very ‘thought-provoking book-club read’ and I would be inclined to agree.
There are so many societal issues touched upon in this novel including emigration, family traumas, sexual abuse, food, alcohol abuse and of course that special relationship between mother and daughter.
Taking us on a journey across the 1980’s and 1990’s, we follow the stories of Josephine and Clare, a mother and daughter. Josephine leaves Ireland, a young impressionable girl with a secret to keep. She arrives in London full of hope that she can move on and live a rewarding life, filled with love and understanding. Reared in a family where little compassion was ever shown, Josephine couldn’t wait to leave her childhood home. As soon as she had funding, with the assistance from her grandmother, the one person she loved dearly, Josephine packed her bags and left Ireland with a pocket full of dreams.
Josephine soon settles into life in London, making new friends, discovering new styles and starting to like herself a little again. She moves into a flat with a bunch of other young girls and, with her new friends, Josephine feels ready to face the world. She meets a variety of young men, but it is Michael Reilly who finally catches her eye. Michael is the one that shows Josephine what it is to be loved, to be cared for, to be counted in life. After a brief courtship, Michael proposes and Josephine accepts, but not before she opens up to Michael and reveals her innermost secret, the secret that has consumed her for years and resulted in her having very little respect and confidence in herself.
With Michael, Josephine looks forward to a new beginning, a fresh start but can this really happen? Can Josephine forget her past completely and move on with her life?
Having a daughter proves a very challenging step for Josephine. Blighted with guilt and memories, Josephine gets bitter and angry, with her little girl Clare, baring the brunt of her mood swings.
Alice Fitzgerald expertly switches the narrative between the two, as we see the world through the eyes of mother and child. The innocence of Clare is in parallel to the emotional abuse thrown at her by her mother. Clare is old enough to absorb the hurt and let it sink into her mind. Clare watches her mother’s approach to food, her obsession with her figure and takes on board her mother’s negative attitude to eating. You cannot but think of the future that awaits Clare and the issues that will arise as she moves into her teenage years.
Josephine does love Clare, and her younger brother Thomas, and there are some very touching moments between them, but it is clear that Josephine is struggling. Michael, her husband, is understanding and patient with Josephine, but even his empathy has limits.
The issue of mental health plays a very strong role in this book. Josephine carried her secret around with her, never dealing with it, but that was very much a reflection of the time. In society today, people are hopefully a little more open about mental health issues and there are services available to assist folk when needed.
There is a domino affect to Josephine’s actions that ripple through her family. Those who love her the most, suffer the most from her intermittent disillusionment and sadness.
Alice Fitzgerald writes with a very expressive hand giving the reader an, at times, quite descriptive insight into the mindset of the abused. Josephine is clearly damaged and as a reader, my reactions toward her were a mix of sympathy, frustration and anger. In contrast Clare’s story didn’t carry the same emotional impact for me, as it is told in the factual manner of a child. This is her life. This is how it is.
I would have loved to see the ending of the novel fleshed out a little more (a very minor personal quibble), but overall Her Mother’s Daughter raises so many important issues for us all and how our actions, as adults and parents, can influence the future lives of our children.
An impressive debut, Her Mother’s Daughter, due to the subject matter, may not appeal to all, but it is a book that will make you stop and think…..and that can only be a good thing.
My Rating ~ 3.5*
March 19, 2018
1.5 stars
DNF
It isn't that this was a bad book...it was more of its me not you kind of book.
I initially really liked the premise of this book but I just found it too uncomfortable to read since I'm getting the impression that From what I have read, I did like the way Clare's part is written because I do feel she would tell rather than show and her narrative was believable.
From what I have read, the writing is okay but I don't feel uncomfortable reading this which is why I DNFed and I do think that some people might enjoy this but the way this book was written just made me really uncomfortable despite the fact that I was ONLY 13/14 pages in. I don't think I could have finished this. It was definitely not what I was expecting.
DNF
It isn't that this was a bad book...it was more of its me not you kind of book.
I initially really liked the premise of this book but I just found it too uncomfortable to read since I'm getting the impression that From what I have read, I did like the way Clare's part is written because I do feel she would tell rather than show and her narrative was believable.
From what I have read, the writing is okay but I don't feel uncomfortable reading this which is why I DNFed and I do think that some people might enjoy this but the way this book was written just made me really uncomfortable despite the fact that I was ONLY 13/14 pages in. I don't think I could have finished this. It was definitely not what I was expecting.
March 29, 2018
Her Mother’s Daughter, by Alice Fitzgerald, tells the story of a woman’s unravelling from the points of view of both her and her young daughter. It is a tense and often uncomfortable read yet is chillingly compelling. The depiction of the mother as seen through her daughter’s eyes will likely give any parent pause for thought as they try to instil in their offspring what they consider acceptable behaviour.
The tale opens in 1997. Clare is ten years old and her little brother, Thomas, is six. They live in London with their mummy, Josephine, and their daddy, Michael. It is nearly the summer holidays and Clare is counting down the days until they travel to Ireland. Each year they go to stay with her daddy’s relatives, spending long, carefree days playing with their cousins. This year they are also to visit her mummy’s parents for the first time. Clare is excited about meeting grandparents as those on her daddy’s side are dead.
Josephine is considered beautiful but has put on weight since she had her children. She is constantly dieting and frets over Clare’s girth. Determined to raise children she can be proud of she berates them for any ill-mannered or exuberant behaviour. When they show happiness at being with their daddy, who allows them treats and to relax and play as they wish, Josephine feels sidelined and resentful.
Clare is on constant alert for her mother’s moods which are volatile and oppressive. She enjoys the evenings they spend as a family when her parents drink, dance and appear happy. Michael does what he can to help his wife but must work long hours to provide for his family. He tells the children that the holiday in Ireland is just what they all need.
The timeline goes back to 1980 when Josephine left Ireland. She carried with her a memory from the night her little brother was born, a terrible secret she tried to share with her mother at the time but was told never to talk of again. Free from the drudgery inflicted on her as the eldest sibling, by a mother who never showed her the love she longed for, Josephine relishes her new life in London. When she meets Michael she determines to create for them the home she craved.
The fallout from that pivotal night in Ireland is hinted at but never fully explained. Likewise exactly what Josephine tells Michael before they marry remains hazy. What is clear is that Josephine feels she is shouldering a burden that nobody else acknowledges or understands. She feels underappreciated in the home she has worked so hard to make clean and desired.
In attempting to warn Clare of the darker side of life as a woman, and to encourage her daughter to show some gratitude for the sacrifices Josephine considers she has made, the mother frightens her child and transfers many demons. Josephine appears blind to the unfairness and potential damage caused by her behaviour, so caught up is she in her own discontent.
The holiday in Ireland is mostly fun for the children whilst with Michael’s family but turns sour when Josephine must confront the parents and siblings she has not seen for seventeen years. Clare and Thomas struggle to fathom the darkening atmosphere, and then the crisis that follows them back to London. Their mother struggles to hold in her anger at the gift of a puppy she didn’t want but is expected to care for.
“All day it’s at it. Clawing for a piece of me, like the rest of them. There will be none of me left.”
Although Josephine’s parenting may appear toxic it is hard not to feel some sympathy. The question remains as to what damage it will have inflicted on Clare.
The child’s voice is mostly well done for the ten year old depicted. The underlying tension is well balanced with moments of happiness which are transient and brittle. Neither Michael nor Thomas are fully developed – the story is about the women.
This is a deft evocation of the damage caused by family. It is a disturbing yet engaging read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Allen & Unwin.
The tale opens in 1997. Clare is ten years old and her little brother, Thomas, is six. They live in London with their mummy, Josephine, and their daddy, Michael. It is nearly the summer holidays and Clare is counting down the days until they travel to Ireland. Each year they go to stay with her daddy’s relatives, spending long, carefree days playing with their cousins. This year they are also to visit her mummy’s parents for the first time. Clare is excited about meeting grandparents as those on her daddy’s side are dead.
Josephine is considered beautiful but has put on weight since she had her children. She is constantly dieting and frets over Clare’s girth. Determined to raise children she can be proud of she berates them for any ill-mannered or exuberant behaviour. When they show happiness at being with their daddy, who allows them treats and to relax and play as they wish, Josephine feels sidelined and resentful.
Clare is on constant alert for her mother’s moods which are volatile and oppressive. She enjoys the evenings they spend as a family when her parents drink, dance and appear happy. Michael does what he can to help his wife but must work long hours to provide for his family. He tells the children that the holiday in Ireland is just what they all need.
The timeline goes back to 1980 when Josephine left Ireland. She carried with her a memory from the night her little brother was born, a terrible secret she tried to share with her mother at the time but was told never to talk of again. Free from the drudgery inflicted on her as the eldest sibling, by a mother who never showed her the love she longed for, Josephine relishes her new life in London. When she meets Michael she determines to create for them the home she craved.
The fallout from that pivotal night in Ireland is hinted at but never fully explained. Likewise exactly what Josephine tells Michael before they marry remains hazy. What is clear is that Josephine feels she is shouldering a burden that nobody else acknowledges or understands. She feels underappreciated in the home she has worked so hard to make clean and desired.
In attempting to warn Clare of the darker side of life as a woman, and to encourage her daughter to show some gratitude for the sacrifices Josephine considers she has made, the mother frightens her child and transfers many demons. Josephine appears blind to the unfairness and potential damage caused by her behaviour, so caught up is she in her own discontent.
The holiday in Ireland is mostly fun for the children whilst with Michael’s family but turns sour when Josephine must confront the parents and siblings she has not seen for seventeen years. Clare and Thomas struggle to fathom the darkening atmosphere, and then the crisis that follows them back to London. Their mother struggles to hold in her anger at the gift of a puppy she didn’t want but is expected to care for.
“All day it’s at it. Clawing for a piece of me, like the rest of them. There will be none of me left.”
Although Josephine’s parenting may appear toxic it is hard not to feel some sympathy. The question remains as to what damage it will have inflicted on Clare.
The child’s voice is mostly well done for the ten year old depicted. The underlying tension is well balanced with moments of happiness which are transient and brittle. Neither Michael nor Thomas are fully developed – the story is about the women.
This is a deft evocation of the damage caused by family. It is a disturbing yet engaging read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Allen & Unwin.
April 26, 2018
It is 1980 and Josephine leaves Ireland for the hustle and bustle of London. Clasping a fragile hope, she is determined to make a fresh start of things in the city. She has left behind her family and the future is bright. She has a new job, new friends and perhaps even a burgeoning romance. But has she really left behind her past? The trauma she suffered as a girl stamp her days with grief and every new step in this life she has built, takes her further from her past but closer to the torment.
Seventeen years later, Josephine is a wife and mother to two children, Clare and Thomas. When she receives a call from her sister, telling her that their mother is dying, Josephine’s only choice is to return to Ireland. And the secrets she has struggled to bear for two decades, might finally burst into the open. After all, secrets can only be kept for so long.
Ten-year-old Clare is ticking off the days to her family holiday, marking her calendar every morning and looking forward to meeting her grandparents for the first time. Stricken with worries that are impressed upon her by her mother, Clare self-consciously watches her weight and tries her hardest to please her parents, secretly hoping the trip to Ireland will seal the chasm that has opened up in her family and ease her mother’s torment.
Touching on themes such as emotional and physical abuse, emigration and trauma, Her Mother’s Daughter is a chilling and compelling book, written with searing emotion. I really enjoyed it and I think Alice Fitzgerald’s evocation of Josephine and Clare’s relationship was beautifully portrayed. I wish it was just a little bit longer, I really wanted to see what happened to them both later on. Clare’s hope and innocence was something that really moved me and made me fall in love with her, and seeing Josephine’s emotional abuse and the way it affected her, completely devastated me. I think this book will hit a nerve with a lot of readers.
A beautifully told tale of hidden secrets, trauma and the power the past has to unravel the future, Her Mother’s Daughter by Alice Fitzgerald is a poignant, shocking and unforgettable novel.
Poignant. Devastating. Remarkable.
Seventeen years later, Josephine is a wife and mother to two children, Clare and Thomas. When she receives a call from her sister, telling her that their mother is dying, Josephine’s only choice is to return to Ireland. And the secrets she has struggled to bear for two decades, might finally burst into the open. After all, secrets can only be kept for so long.
Ten-year-old Clare is ticking off the days to her family holiday, marking her calendar every morning and looking forward to meeting her grandparents for the first time. Stricken with worries that are impressed upon her by her mother, Clare self-consciously watches her weight and tries her hardest to please her parents, secretly hoping the trip to Ireland will seal the chasm that has opened up in her family and ease her mother’s torment.
Touching on themes such as emotional and physical abuse, emigration and trauma, Her Mother’s Daughter is a chilling and compelling book, written with searing emotion. I really enjoyed it and I think Alice Fitzgerald’s evocation of Josephine and Clare’s relationship was beautifully portrayed. I wish it was just a little bit longer, I really wanted to see what happened to them both later on. Clare’s hope and innocence was something that really moved me and made me fall in love with her, and seeing Josephine’s emotional abuse and the way it affected her, completely devastated me. I think this book will hit a nerve with a lot of readers.
A beautifully told tale of hidden secrets, trauma and the power the past has to unravel the future, Her Mother’s Daughter by Alice Fitzgerald is a poignant, shocking and unforgettable novel.
Poignant. Devastating. Remarkable.
March 17, 2018
Her Mother's Daughter is the moving story of how, many years after the event, a woman's childhood can directly affect her own daughter. It moves between the 1980s and late 90s and is told from the point of view of the mother, Josephine, who leaves Ireland to make a life for herself in London, and her daughter, ten year old Clare.
Thanks to events in Josephine's past and even though she is married to the very caring Patrick, she is unable to be a good parent to Clare and her brother Thomas. Things come to a head when Josephine learns that her own mother is dying and she reluctantly agrees to take the family back to Ireland and face her demons.
Although I sympathised with Josephine's plight and understood the reasons for it, I found it hard to forgive her treatment of Clare in particular. But Clare's voice rings out so clearly it makes the book a winner to me and I hope this remarkable debut by Alice Fitzgerald gets the attention it deserves. Thanks to NetGalley, Atlantic Books and Alice Fitzgerald for the opportunity to read and review Her Mother's Daughter.
Thanks to events in Josephine's past and even though she is married to the very caring Patrick, she is unable to be a good parent to Clare and her brother Thomas. Things come to a head when Josephine learns that her own mother is dying and she reluctantly agrees to take the family back to Ireland and face her demons.
Although I sympathised with Josephine's plight and understood the reasons for it, I found it hard to forgive her treatment of Clare in particular. But Clare's voice rings out so clearly it makes the book a winner to me and I hope this remarkable debut by Alice Fitzgerald gets the attention it deserves. Thanks to NetGalley, Atlantic Books and Alice Fitzgerald for the opportunity to read and review Her Mother's Daughter.
March 26, 2018
In 1980, following an unhappy and traumatic childhood, Josephine leaves Ireland, determined never to return. Her new life in London is exciting but, however hard she tries, she discovers that it is impossible to leave the effects of the past behind. Seventeen years later, now married with two children, Clare and Thomas, she gets a phone call from her sister to let her know that their mother is dying and wants to see her. Reluctant as she is to return to Ireland and re-visit her past, she cannot ignore this request but approaches the visit with increasing feelings of dread. On the other hand, ten-year-old Clare is increasingly excited about the forthcoming summer holiday, when she will meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. Aware that her mother is often unhappy, she hopes that this trip will cheer her up and will, consequently, make life easier for everyone.
Set across two decades this story explores how the lives of a troubled, emotionally and physically abusive mother and her innocent ten-year-old daughter change forever following this fateful holiday, when long-kept family secrets are exposed in a dramatic and intensely disturbing way.
Told through the alternating voices of Josephine and Clare this is a dark and disturbing story about the ways in which abusive relationships are so often repeated from generation to generation. In an ideal world, Josephine’s experiences as a child should have ensured that she would treat her children with love and kindness. However, her own struggles with depression and her addiction to alcohol result in her interactions with them, her daughter in particular, being unpredictable, tainted by memories of her own experiences of abuse. In her attempts to protect Clare from life in general, and men in particular, she in fact teaches her to become almost fearful, thus passing on her own dysfunctional beliefs. Her frequent, negative comments about Clare’s physical appearance and her daughter’s completely normal enjoyment of food, felt extremely upsetting as it became clear that the child felt tormented by them and was already developing disturbing problems with her self-image. Josephine was capable of showing warmth and kindness but all too often was both physically and emotionally abusive and, the more depressed and anxious she became, the more unreasonable her behaviour became.
Although the focus of the story was on the mother/daughter relationship, the frequently toxic relationship between Josephine and her husband Michael, as well as the sibling relationship between Clare and Thomas, were also convincingly well developed. The fact that Michael was able to tolerate his wife’s unreasonable, unpredictable behaviour may in part have been due to the fact that “saving face” was important to both of them, but the result did at least provide some consistency for the children – at times it also felt like something of a minor miracle!
The author captured the two narrative voices in a powerful and convincing way throughout the story, maintaining each in a very distinctive way. Perhaps this was especially potent in the way in which she captured Clare’s innocent, but perceptive, musings about the reasons behind her mother’s unpredictable moods; her relationship with her younger brother (beautifully captured), which alternated between at times wanting to protect him from their mother’s behaviour, intense irritation with his “childish” behaviour and her own obsession with sweets and playing childhood games. It was interesting that whilst Clare’s narrative demonstrated that she often tried to see things from her mother’s perspective, Josephine’s showed that she was far too engaged in her own concerns to take much time to think about the effects of her behaviour on the family.
As a result of the way in which the author so vividly explored the ongoing effects of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, the struggle with feelings of guilt and shame, the distress of not being listened to and heard, mental illness and the enduring power of secrets in families, this was not an easy book to read. However, as I became immersed in this moving and disturbing story, there was never a moment when I felt anything other than totally engaged with the authenticity of the characters’ struggles as they tried to make sense of what felt like a very brutal world.
My thanks to Readers First and Allen and Unwin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 20, 2018
I really enjoyed the first half of this book and I was
Totally gripped by the plot and the writing style. But unfortunately the more the book went on, I found the pacing to be a little off and it felt a little ploddy at the end.
The book had a lot of heart and feeling and I really felt for the characters. However I did find the plot slightly lacking. It is definitely a character driven novel, whereas usually I prefer something a little more plot driven.
I did enjoy it, however the latter half and the ending let it down for me.
Totally gripped by the plot and the writing style. But unfortunately the more the book went on, I found the pacing to be a little off and it felt a little ploddy at the end.
The book had a lot of heart and feeling and I really felt for the characters. However I did find the plot slightly lacking. It is definitely a character driven novel, whereas usually I prefer something a little more plot driven.
I did enjoy it, however the latter half and the ending let it down for me.
April 5, 2018
In the 1980s Josephine cant wait to get away from her family in Ireland and leaves for London where she gets married and has two children.....but can she really escape her troubled childhood? In 1997 Josephine's daughter Clare is 10 years old and already knows how to avoid her mother's mood swings and drinking, so when she finds out that they are going to Ireland to visit the grandparents she is very excited....but what secrets will come out of the woodwork!
A good book but definitely harrowing in parts - it is told by both Josephine and Clare so you get the real impact of the child's thoughts and also the backstory
A good book but definitely harrowing in parts - it is told by both Josephine and Clare so you get the real impact of the child's thoughts and also the backstory
January 21, 2018
Review to follow
October 17, 2018
WOW, I felt every emotion possible reading this story. I read it in one sitting as I couldn't put it down until I finished it. My heart ached for Josephine and in particular her poor innocent daughter Clare. Her husband Michael is also a brilliant character, such a kind hearted caring man who only wants the best for his family. I don't want to say too much and spoil the book for anyone but I would urge you to read this amazing, beautifully written book. I take my hat off to the author for writing about mental illness and the effect it has on, not only the person but the entire family. If I could give more than 5 stars I would.
April 4, 2018
Fitzgerald's debut novel is ambitious. She writes a story which spans two decades, uses two narrative voices - one of which is a ten year old girl - and explores the continuing consequences of physical and emotional abuse on the characters' lives, relationship with each other and also within their family. However, Fitzgerald is a confident, accomplished writer and she expertly handles the converging story lines, the emotional heartache of the characters and the complex issues they face. The prose is clear, fluent and captures both the voice of a young girl trying to make sense of what is happening around her, as well as the voice of a mother who is suffering deep psychological pain.
I think the most impressive thing about this novel is Fitzgerald's ability to create characters who feel
heartbreakingly real. It is impossible not to be affected by both Clare and Josephine's narratives. Clare's suffering at her mother's temper, anger and deep unhappiness are hard to read at times but as the reader then goes back to learn more about Josephine's history, it becomes easier to see just why and how the situation has become so desperate. Josephine's complex psychologically is portrayed very effectively. Her behaviour and emotional responses are raw, brutally honest and capture the intensity of her mental health with an authenticity and conviction which has an incredible effect on the reader.
There were a few passages and scenes that were hard to read. The relationship between a mother and her daughter is such a complicated relationship, and one that is so difficult to navigate even when there are no deep or dark secrets lurking threateningly in the past, that Fitzgerald cannot avoid provoking an emotional response from her readers but this real sense of hurt and pain is what makes it such a strong novel. The relationship between mother and daughter is also one that will always fascinate and intrigue readers, as will a story looking at the repercussions of deep family secrets; Fitzgerald therefore takes both these things and delivers a moving and thought provoking novel.
Although this story depicts the effects of emotional and physical abuse with brutal honesty, it is also a novel which reflects on a wider, more universal exploration of mental health, the role of a mother, parenting and formative experiences. It also captures the time and place very convincingly. The details about location and setting make the book feel even more real and immerse the reader further within the stories of Clare and Josephine.
I was reminded of Once in a House on Fire by Angela Ashworth - although it is a very long time since I read this book, and there are many novels out there which deal with some of the issues Fitzgerald tackles here. However, this novel does stand out. Perhaps it is the contrast of Clare's young voice and her recounting of events which lead the reader to begin to join the dots, particularly when further revelations are shown from Josephine's back story that makes it stand out. Perhaps it is this contrast which creates both tension and sometimes reprieve from each storyline which makes it feel more original. Perhaps it is just the sheer honesty, determination not to hide the messy, desperately difficult and desperately sad moments in the characters lives which will go on to define them, shape them and haunt them as their journey continues.
Despite the bleakness of the novel, it is one that warrants reading. I keep finding myself using the words convincing, authentic, moving and emotive but these are the words that capture the atmosphere and tone of the pages. This is a novel which is hard to forget and with characters that you form a relationship with, reluctant to leave them but satisfied they are safe as the novel comes to a close. For a debut novel it is impressive and I would be interested to see what Fitzgerald writes next.
March 16, 2018
Her Mother's Daughter is a very emotional book told from the perspective of two generations of one family - the mother damaged by her childhood and the daughter damaged by her mother's childhood. The insight by the author in to the events themselves and their knock on effects in Josephine's adult life are well thought through and are revealed to us piecemeal by Josephine herself. We also get to hear her daughter, Claire's, perspective on how her mother's sudden mood swings affect her daily life.
This book serves as a reminder that what we say and how we conduct ourselves is noticed and felt by our children in more ways than we can ever imagine. The two voices are entirely distinct and clear throughout the book, my only real reservation was that Claire sometimes felt like a device to show just how far Josephine was sinking beneath the weight of her trauma rather than an individual in her own right.
The relationship between Claire and her brother Thomas is entirely believable, veering between the desire to protect him from the worst of her mother's anger and then being completely infuriated with him herself. The natural jealousy between the siblings is well captured and even though we never get to hear Thomas's voice we do get a sense of the little boy through Claire's eyes. Tellingly, we never really get more than a fleeting glimpse of the children from Josephine, she is too locked in her own past to really engage with the present in anything but the most superficial way.
It felt to me that most of the tale is told by Claire but this could be simply because I enjoyed her sections so much more than those written from Josephine's perspective. Her innocent and yet somehow knowing voice reaches out to you and pulls you deep in to the story and refuses to let you go with her simple joy in sweets and her burgeoning self-image issues generated by her mother's barbed comments and her own pleasure in being told that she looks just like her mother who is acknowledged to be a beauty.
The enduring strength of the relationship between Michael and Josephine comes as a relief. No matter how frustrated they get somehow they have managed to cleave together, even if sometimes it is just their upbringing keeping them together to "save face" they seem to power through it. No quick throwing in of the towel when things get bumpy. Not enough is made of Michael's strength in holding the family together as best he can with two young children who are old enough to see the cracks and question the flimsy paper over them whilst supporting a traumatised wife who cannot move past the horrible events in her formative years.
In some respects this is a very uncomfortable read but one that I raced through and was unwilling to put down. It also made me very grateful for my secular upbringing and that there were no predators lieing in wait for me to wreak havoc with my mental wellbeing down the years.
I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM READERS FIRST IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
This book serves as a reminder that what we say and how we conduct ourselves is noticed and felt by our children in more ways than we can ever imagine. The two voices are entirely distinct and clear throughout the book, my only real reservation was that Claire sometimes felt like a device to show just how far Josephine was sinking beneath the weight of her trauma rather than an individual in her own right.
The relationship between Claire and her brother Thomas is entirely believable, veering between the desire to protect him from the worst of her mother's anger and then being completely infuriated with him herself. The natural jealousy between the siblings is well captured and even though we never get to hear Thomas's voice we do get a sense of the little boy through Claire's eyes. Tellingly, we never really get more than a fleeting glimpse of the children from Josephine, she is too locked in her own past to really engage with the present in anything but the most superficial way.
It felt to me that most of the tale is told by Claire but this could be simply because I enjoyed her sections so much more than those written from Josephine's perspective. Her innocent and yet somehow knowing voice reaches out to you and pulls you deep in to the story and refuses to let you go with her simple joy in sweets and her burgeoning self-image issues generated by her mother's barbed comments and her own pleasure in being told that she looks just like her mother who is acknowledged to be a beauty.
The enduring strength of the relationship between Michael and Josephine comes as a relief. No matter how frustrated they get somehow they have managed to cleave together, even if sometimes it is just their upbringing keeping them together to "save face" they seem to power through it. No quick throwing in of the towel when things get bumpy. Not enough is made of Michael's strength in holding the family together as best he can with two young children who are old enough to see the cracks and question the flimsy paper over them whilst supporting a traumatised wife who cannot move past the horrible events in her formative years.
In some respects this is a very uncomfortable read but one that I raced through and was unwilling to put down. It also made me very grateful for my secular upbringing and that there were no predators lieing in wait for me to wreak havoc with my mental wellbeing down the years.
I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM READERS FIRST IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
August 31, 2018
The tantalising thought that this could be an autobiography, along with the fact that I had recently met the author, was the perfect catalyst for pushing this debut novel to the top of my TBR list. Yet rarely have I read fiction so raw; any notion that it could be autobiographical evaporated within minutes of beginning the book. I sincerely hope that Alice Fitzgerald has been spared some of the more difficult experiences she so clearly and bravely narrates in Her Mother’s Daughter.
Although the novel is set in a London suburb in 1997 and the main character is a ten year old girl called Clare who narrates first person episodes leading up to and including a family holiday to Ireland, there is a parallel portrayal that adds context to the dramas we see unfolding in Clare’s 1997. We get to know Clare’s mother, Josephine, as a young woman who, in 1980, escapes her hometown in Ireland to build a new life in London. She meets and falls in love with Michael, they have two children and she never once wishes to return to Ireland with her new, English, family.
As we join the story Clare is aware of many inconsistencies in her family life, from minor inconveniences like her Mum not always getting them up for school, to big deals such as the fact that they never spend their summer holidays in Ireland with her Mum’s family. However the school summer holidays of 1997 promise to be different because they are finally going to go to Ireland to meet the family. Clare and her younger brother Thomas are thrilled by the thought of this adventure. But for their parents it appears to be taking a toll.
What unfolds is a tragedy that does not lose any merit for having been told countless times before. If there is anything we can learn from the #metoo movement of 2018 is that abuse may be ubiquitous, but each victim is unique. The most difficult passages to read in this remarkable novel aren’t the obvious injustices which pepper Clare’s life; they are the moments when Clare’s mother and, also, her grandmother, unwittingly scar their children as they strive to survive. And so the story continues, and so there never will be an end to innocent children unquestioningly learning and later replicating behaviour that can lead only to heartache.
By giving this novel 3 stars I am doubtless underestimating its appeal for book clubs. Indeed, had I read this Her Mother’s Daughter as part of a club I may not have had misgivings about the deliberate, almost provocative, manner in which Alice Fitzgerald tugs at our heartstrings as mothers and daughters. Reading this novel in a group setting would doubtless lend to debate and an easing of conscience. However I believe it will take a strong mother to read Her Mother’s Daughter and not feel stabs of guilt about having at one time or another caused our children some pain with a harsh word, criticism or slap. Alice Fitzgerald delivers a confident debut; she is a new author to watch. I am curious to read her next novel, which I hope will not be long in its appearance.
Although the novel is set in a London suburb in 1997 and the main character is a ten year old girl called Clare who narrates first person episodes leading up to and including a family holiday to Ireland, there is a parallel portrayal that adds context to the dramas we see unfolding in Clare’s 1997. We get to know Clare’s mother, Josephine, as a young woman who, in 1980, escapes her hometown in Ireland to build a new life in London. She meets and falls in love with Michael, they have two children and she never once wishes to return to Ireland with her new, English, family.
As we join the story Clare is aware of many inconsistencies in her family life, from minor inconveniences like her Mum not always getting them up for school, to big deals such as the fact that they never spend their summer holidays in Ireland with her Mum’s family. However the school summer holidays of 1997 promise to be different because they are finally going to go to Ireland to meet the family. Clare and her younger brother Thomas are thrilled by the thought of this adventure. But for their parents it appears to be taking a toll.
What unfolds is a tragedy that does not lose any merit for having been told countless times before. If there is anything we can learn from the #metoo movement of 2018 is that abuse may be ubiquitous, but each victim is unique. The most difficult passages to read in this remarkable novel aren’t the obvious injustices which pepper Clare’s life; they are the moments when Clare’s mother and, also, her grandmother, unwittingly scar their children as they strive to survive. And so the story continues, and so there never will be an end to innocent children unquestioningly learning and later replicating behaviour that can lead only to heartache.
By giving this novel 3 stars I am doubtless underestimating its appeal for book clubs. Indeed, had I read this Her Mother’s Daughter as part of a club I may not have had misgivings about the deliberate, almost provocative, manner in which Alice Fitzgerald tugs at our heartstrings as mothers and daughters. Reading this novel in a group setting would doubtless lend to debate and an easing of conscience. However I believe it will take a strong mother to read Her Mother’s Daughter and not feel stabs of guilt about having at one time or another caused our children some pain with a harsh word, criticism or slap. Alice Fitzgerald delivers a confident debut; she is a new author to watch. I am curious to read her next novel, which I hope will not be long in its appearance.
August 31, 2018
The tantalising thought that this could be an autobiography, along with the fact that I had recently met the author, was the perfect catalyst for pushing this debut novel to the top of my TBR list. Yet rarely have I read fiction so raw; any notion that it could be autobiographical evaporated within minutes of beginning the book. I sincerely hope that Alice Fitzgerald has been spared some of the more difficult experiences she so clearly and bravely narrates in Her Mother’s Daughter.
Although the novel is set in a London suburb in 1997 and the main character is a ten year old girl called Clare who narrates first person episodes leading up to and including a family holiday to Ireland, there is a parallel portrayal that adds context to the dramas we see unfolding in Clare’s 1997. We get to know Clare’s mother, Josephine, as a young woman who, in 1980, escapes her hometown in Ireland to build a new life in London. She meets and falls in love with Michael, they have two children and she never once wishes to return to Ireland with her new, English, family.
As we join the story Clare is aware of many inconsistencies in her family life, from minor inconveniences like her Mum not always getting them up for school, to big deals such as the fact that they never spend their summer holidays in Ireland with her Mum’s family. However the school summer holidays of 1997 promise to be different because they are finally going to go to Ireland to meet the family. Clare and her younger brother Thomas are thrilled by the thought of this adventure. But for their parents it appears to be taking a toll.
What unfolds is a tragedy that does not lose any merit for having been told countless times before. If there is anything we can learn from the #metoo movement of 2018 is that abuse may be ubiquitous, but each victim is unique. The most difficult passages to read in this remarkable novel aren’t the obvious injustices which pepper Clare’s life; they are the moments when Clare’s mother and, also, her grandmother, unwittingly scar their children as they strive to survive. And so the story continues, and so there never will be an end to innocent children unquestioningly learning and later replicating behaviour that can lead only to heartache.
By giving this novel 3 stars I am doubtless underestimating its appeal for book clubs. Indeed, had I read this Her Mother’s Daughter as part of a club I may not have had misgivings about the deliberate, almost provocative, manner in which Alice Fitzgerald tugs at our heartstrings as mothers and daughters. Reading this novel in a group setting would doubtless lend to debate and an easing of conscience. However I believe it will take a strong mother to read Her Mother’s Daughter and not feel stabs of guilt about having at one time or another caused our children some pain with a harsh word, criticism or slap. Alice Fitzgerald delivers a confident debut; she is a new author to watch. I am curious to read her next novel, which I hope will not be long in its appearance.
Although the novel is set in a London suburb in 1997 and the main character is a ten year old girl called Clare who narrates first person episodes leading up to and including a family holiday to Ireland, there is a parallel portrayal that adds context to the dramas we see unfolding in Clare’s 1997. We get to know Clare’s mother, Josephine, as a young woman who, in 1980, escapes her hometown in Ireland to build a new life in London. She meets and falls in love with Michael, they have two children and she never once wishes to return to Ireland with her new, English, family.
As we join the story Clare is aware of many inconsistencies in her family life, from minor inconveniences like her Mum not always getting them up for school, to big deals such as the fact that they never spend their summer holidays in Ireland with her Mum’s family. However the school summer holidays of 1997 promise to be different because they are finally going to go to Ireland to meet the family. Clare and her younger brother Thomas are thrilled by the thought of this adventure. But for their parents it appears to be taking a toll.
What unfolds is a tragedy that does not lose any merit for having been told countless times before. If there is anything we can learn from the #metoo movement of 2018 is that abuse may be ubiquitous, but each victim is unique. The most difficult passages to read in this remarkable novel aren’t the obvious injustices which pepper Clare’s life; they are the moments when Clare’s mother and, also, her grandmother, unwittingly scar their children as they strive to survive. And so the story continues, and so there never will be an end to innocent children unquestioningly learning and later replicating behaviour that can lead only to heartache.
By giving this novel 3 stars I am doubtless underestimating its appeal for book clubs. Indeed, had I read this Her Mother’s Daughter as part of a club I may not have had misgivings about the deliberate, almost provocative, manner in which Alice Fitzgerald tugs at our heartstrings as mothers and daughters. Reading this novel in a group setting would doubtless lend to debate and an easing of conscience. However I believe it will take a strong mother to read Her Mother’s Daughter and not feel stabs of guilt about having at one time or another caused our children some pain with a harsh word, criticism or slap. Alice Fitzgerald delivers a confident debut; she is a new author to watch. I am curious to read her next novel, which I hope will not be long in its appearance.
December 17, 2018
This is a thoroughly engaging Family Drama full of emotion and individual situations. Although not a long book, this is certainly full of character.
The story is told alternately from the Mother and Daughters perspective, mixing the story from then and the one from now. There are some disturbing elements including abuse, so perhaps consider this before reading if it may negatively impact you.
The themes of family ties and connections are well handled, and I found the reactions intriguing, as well as how the Author has handled the backlash the children experience. With a Mother going through so much and struggling to deal with the Mental Health implications for herself, it is understandable that there would be some effect on the children.
The Characters within this story were well created, I felt drawn into their lives and like I could empathise with both Mother and Daughters predicament. Their worries and habits are well told, so that the reader feels as if they are there with them, confused, angry or sad, the reader feels the emotions along with the Characters in the story. A talent of the Author certainly, although perhaps not the most comfortable feeling in this regard.
Emotions of children can be difficult to represent believably, because a balance between having and understanding the emotions isn’t necessarily there, so confusion is a key part and unpredictable responses, whilst maintaining an air of innocence. I often find that children are represented to be too clueless, or too knowledgeable in such tales, but in this case I was awestruck by the Authors ability to create the perfect balance.
Several themes are maintained through the story, and the Author has not shied away from difficult topics or concepts. Rather, she has approached them in a way that is not overly descriptive, and the more disturbing for it. But readers should perhaps be aware that there is an element of Sexual Abuse involved.
Personally I felt that the Author handled this well, and the ay she considers the possible future ramifications, not just for the person involved, but from a family perspective and how this can effect emotions and life for a long time after.
The parent side of me wishes that the father had stepped up a bit more rather than merely be supportive, but as the saying goes, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
That being said, as much as I was engaged and enjoyed the read, I did find that the story stops rather abruptly. I stared at the last page for a while wondering if I had missed something, and even reread the last couple of chapters, but the ending is very odd. Personally, it felt like the story had cut off rather than ended, which leaves me wondering why.
Well worth reading as the story is well crafted and the storyline interesting other than this, but due to the ending, this sadly isn’t one I would reread.
The story is told alternately from the Mother and Daughters perspective, mixing the story from then and the one from now. There are some disturbing elements including abuse, so perhaps consider this before reading if it may negatively impact you.
The themes of family ties and connections are well handled, and I found the reactions intriguing, as well as how the Author has handled the backlash the children experience. With a Mother going through so much and struggling to deal with the Mental Health implications for herself, it is understandable that there would be some effect on the children.
The Characters within this story were well created, I felt drawn into their lives and like I could empathise with both Mother and Daughters predicament. Their worries and habits are well told, so that the reader feels as if they are there with them, confused, angry or sad, the reader feels the emotions along with the Characters in the story. A talent of the Author certainly, although perhaps not the most comfortable feeling in this regard.
Emotions of children can be difficult to represent believably, because a balance between having and understanding the emotions isn’t necessarily there, so confusion is a key part and unpredictable responses, whilst maintaining an air of innocence. I often find that children are represented to be too clueless, or too knowledgeable in such tales, but in this case I was awestruck by the Authors ability to create the perfect balance.
Several themes are maintained through the story, and the Author has not shied away from difficult topics or concepts. Rather, she has approached them in a way that is not overly descriptive, and the more disturbing for it. But readers should perhaps be aware that there is an element of Sexual Abuse involved.
Personally I felt that the Author handled this well, and the ay she considers the possible future ramifications, not just for the person involved, but from a family perspective and how this can effect emotions and life for a long time after.
The parent side of me wishes that the father had stepped up a bit more rather than merely be supportive, but as the saying goes, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
That being said, as much as I was engaged and enjoyed the read, I did find that the story stops rather abruptly. I stared at the last page for a while wondering if I had missed something, and even reread the last couple of chapters, but the ending is very odd. Personally, it felt like the story had cut off rather than ended, which leaves me wondering why.
Well worth reading as the story is well crafted and the storyline interesting other than this, but due to the ending, this sadly isn’t one I would reread.
March 18, 2018
Her Mother’s Daughter is a very hard-hitting book about the intertwined lives of two generations. The story shows that no matter how different it can seem they are closer than you think. A mother traumatised by a horrific upbringing and a daughter suffering from her mother’s ways. The knock on effects throughout the mother's life are well written and thought threw. The daughters insights into how her mother’s lifestyle can destroy there normal life.
The way this book has been written in two parts could have been confusing but it has been very well done and gives two clear and distinct voices throughout. The heartbreaking way Clare sometimes thought she was a pawn in her mothers game, really helped show that the way adults act around children influences them more than it is often thought.
My favourite character throughout the book had to be Clare, her innocent voice that also knows more than she should pulled me right into the story. She is just a little child who loves playing and sweets but her self-image issues that are starting to be generated by her mother's unthoughtful comments come with her pleasure in being told that she looks like her mother who is to her the most beautiful woman. All the relationships in the book felt realistic, especially the one between Clare and her brother Thomas. Through Clare’s eyes we see her desire to protect him but also the natural rivalry between siblings. The snap shots of their lives are well captured. The story throughout although uncomfortable at times was it was one I raced Michael and Josephine enduring relationship really helped put positives in this heartbreaking book. No matter how many times it would have been easy to throw in the towel they kept together , even if at times it was just to ‘save the face’.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a very simple read that took a while to get into but when I did I was absolutely gripped.
I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM READERS FIRST IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
The way this book has been written in two parts could have been confusing but it has been very well done and gives two clear and distinct voices throughout. The heartbreaking way Clare sometimes thought she was a pawn in her mothers game, really helped show that the way adults act around children influences them more than it is often thought.
My favourite character throughout the book had to be Clare, her innocent voice that also knows more than she should pulled me right into the story. She is just a little child who loves playing and sweets but her self-image issues that are starting to be generated by her mother's unthoughtful comments come with her pleasure in being told that she looks like her mother who is to her the most beautiful woman. All the relationships in the book felt realistic, especially the one between Clare and her brother Thomas. Through Clare’s eyes we see her desire to protect him but also the natural rivalry between siblings. The snap shots of their lives are well captured. The story throughout although uncomfortable at times was it was one I raced Michael and Josephine enduring relationship really helped put positives in this heartbreaking book. No matter how many times it would have been easy to throw in the towel they kept together , even if at times it was just to ‘save the face’.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a very simple read that took a while to get into but when I did I was absolutely gripped.
I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM READERS FIRST IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
March 18, 2019
This book tells the story of Josephine, who leaves Ireland for London, in an attempt to escape an abusive childhood and start over. The book is told from Josephines perspective, alternating with her 10-year-old daughter Clares perspective.
When Josephine, seventeen years later, gets a phone call from her sister informing her that their mother is dying, she goes back to Ireland with her new family, and is forced to talk about traumatic events in the past, that she had tried to sweep under the rug.
But things rarely work like that, do they? Some things can’t be tucked back in the past hoping that if you don’t think about them, you’ll forget them. You have to talk about trauma and feel your emotions in order to move on. The book shows this really well.
I liked both Josephines and Clares “voices”, I feel that they were believable. I instantly got the paranoic feeling of “somethings wrong”, both in Clares and Josephines early writing. The way they were always vigilant around their mothers, not knowing in which mood she would be, reading the small signs... that constant vigilance is exhausting and it’s cruel. I think this feeling was very well portrayed, especially from the 10-year-old girls perspective.
It was heart-braking to see how Josephine was slowly filled with resentment and feeling neglected, something that manifested itself in bitterness, cruelty towards her family, and partly contributed to her alcoholism. It was also sad to see both Clare and Josephine repeat the circle of belittling others (Josephine towards Clare, and Clare towards her brother) - not voluntarily but nonetheless, they did.
I was left with a feeling of... surprise? I did not quite understand what drove Josephine to take the last, drastic decision that she did, and I wanted to read more from her point of view, to understand her better. But all in all, this book was a beautiful portrait of mother-daughter relations and childhood trauma carried into adulthood.
When Josephine, seventeen years later, gets a phone call from her sister informing her that their mother is dying, she goes back to Ireland with her new family, and is forced to talk about traumatic events in the past, that she had tried to sweep under the rug.
But things rarely work like that, do they? Some things can’t be tucked back in the past hoping that if you don’t think about them, you’ll forget them. You have to talk about trauma and feel your emotions in order to move on. The book shows this really well.
I liked both Josephines and Clares “voices”, I feel that they were believable. I instantly got the paranoic feeling of “somethings wrong”, both in Clares and Josephines early writing. The way they were always vigilant around their mothers, not knowing in which mood she would be, reading the small signs... that constant vigilance is exhausting and it’s cruel. I think this feeling was very well portrayed, especially from the 10-year-old girls perspective.
It was heart-braking to see how Josephine was slowly filled with resentment and feeling neglected, something that manifested itself in bitterness, cruelty towards her family, and partly contributed to her alcoholism. It was also sad to see both Clare and Josephine repeat the circle of belittling others (Josephine towards Clare, and Clare towards her brother) - not voluntarily but nonetheless, they did.
I was left with a feeling of... surprise? I did not quite understand what drove Josephine to take the last, drastic decision that she did, and I wanted to read more from her point of view, to understand her better. But all in all, this book was a beautiful portrait of mother-daughter relations and childhood trauma carried into adulthood.
October 1, 2018
Written in 2 voices- 10 year old Claire and her mother Josephine this story describes how one family is torn apart by the mothers childhood experiences and subsequent coping methods (or lack of coping, resorting to alcohol).
The parts of the story told by Clare are very sad to read. She describes how best to deal with her mum when she is in a dark mood to escape punishment. Her childhood is clearly a difficult one but she seems a sunny child on the whole, perhaps because she knows no different.
The mother’s story in comparison is very hard to read. Her childhood seems to be lacking in love and her own mother is focussed totally on herself rather than on her children, resulting in the trauma Josephine suffers going completely unacknowledged until after her mother dies.
Conversely the chapters covering her move from Ireland to London and the period in her late teens/early 20’s as she forges a new life are a lovely read but again, as the story progresses and she becomes a wife and mother she becomes more and more unstable and seems to have lost the ability to care for her children, mired as she is in events of the past. The result of this is a repetition of the childhood she had for her own children, with no maternal love or compassion, albeit with a much stronger and better father figure.
The characters in the book are well written and the voices of the child and the woman are clearly very different, one written with naivety and one world weary and traumatised. The subject matter is a hard read but is sensitively tackled and the book itself in un-put-down-able as a result.
The parts of the story told by Clare are very sad to read. She describes how best to deal with her mum when she is in a dark mood to escape punishment. Her childhood is clearly a difficult one but she seems a sunny child on the whole, perhaps because she knows no different.
The mother’s story in comparison is very hard to read. Her childhood seems to be lacking in love and her own mother is focussed totally on herself rather than on her children, resulting in the trauma Josephine suffers going completely unacknowledged until after her mother dies.
Conversely the chapters covering her move from Ireland to London and the period in her late teens/early 20’s as she forges a new life are a lovely read but again, as the story progresses and she becomes a wife and mother she becomes more and more unstable and seems to have lost the ability to care for her children, mired as she is in events of the past. The result of this is a repetition of the childhood she had for her own children, with no maternal love or compassion, albeit with a much stronger and better father figure.
The characters in the book are well written and the voices of the child and the woman are clearly very different, one written with naivety and one world weary and traumatised. The subject matter is a hard read but is sensitively tackled and the book itself in un-put-down-able as a result.
February 27, 2018
Her Mother’s Daughter is the story of how a family holiday brings reminders of a mother’s traumatic childhood and unravels the threads of her family that she is trying to hold onto. Josephine came over from Ireland to London and marries Michael, escaping home and the abuse of her past. Now she has her children, Clare and Thomas, but is battling her demons and cannot look after her children properly. Ten-year-old Clare can’t wait for their summer holiday to visit family in Ireland, hoping that it’ll make her mummy feel better, but things don’t go as smoothly as they all might hope.
The narrative moves between Clare’s point of view in 1997 as she tries to navigate her mother’s mood swings and emotional abuse and Josephine’s point of view starting in the early 80s and moving to catch up with the other story, showing her coming to London and dealing with the trauma of her past and the difficulties of motherhood. Clare’s sections are the more compelling partly because you are given only the view of a ten-year-old, and must piece together details in a way similar to other books with a child’s point of view. Josephine’s sections also try and reflect her mental state, particularly once her narrative has caught up with Clare’s.
Her Mother’s Daughter isn’t necessarily the kind of story I would typically pick up, but it makes a good read, using perspective to show emotional abuse and the lingering aftermath of assault as well as the ways in which they affect other family members.
The narrative moves between Clare’s point of view in 1997 as she tries to navigate her mother’s mood swings and emotional abuse and Josephine’s point of view starting in the early 80s and moving to catch up with the other story, showing her coming to London and dealing with the trauma of her past and the difficulties of motherhood. Clare’s sections are the more compelling partly because you are given only the view of a ten-year-old, and must piece together details in a way similar to other books with a child’s point of view. Josephine’s sections also try and reflect her mental state, particularly once her narrative has caught up with Clare’s.
Her Mother’s Daughter isn’t necessarily the kind of story I would typically pick up, but it makes a good read, using perspective to show emotional abuse and the lingering aftermath of assault as well as the ways in which they affect other family members.
April 10, 2018
I didn't know much about this book before picking it up and have to say that I really enjoyed the story. Like others have said, Her Mother's Daughter is about a woman's long-held secret and how it affected her whole family.
One thing that worked so well in this novel is the narration from the perspectives of Josephine (the mother) and Clare (the daughter), as well as getting Josephine's point of view from multiple places in time. I don't think I've seen this too many times and thought it was an interesting way to examine the same event (and its repercussions) from multiple angles.
I also think Fitzgerald brilliantly tackled a very difficult task with Josephine's character. It's obvious she loves her husband and children and wants to be a good mother but she also is coming apart from the years she's spent carrying around her secrets. There were some parts that were hard to read, especially from Clare's perspective. However, the unflinching look at these dark corners, while uncomfortable, was convincing and an inescapable part of the story. I have to disagree with another reviewer who said Clare seems younger than she's supposed to be. Her thoughts were about treats and fun and play, but her awareness and managing of her mother's unstable moods showed the involuntary maturity of someone who grew up coping with abuse.
Lastly, I like stories that leave me a bit uncomfortable and with some loose ends to wonder over. That said, I liked where the book left us, which I took as the first little step toward Josephine's healing and closure over her past.
One thing that worked so well in this novel is the narration from the perspectives of Josephine (the mother) and Clare (the daughter), as well as getting Josephine's point of view from multiple places in time. I don't think I've seen this too many times and thought it was an interesting way to examine the same event (and its repercussions) from multiple angles.
I also think Fitzgerald brilliantly tackled a very difficult task with Josephine's character. It's obvious she loves her husband and children and wants to be a good mother but she also is coming apart from the years she's spent carrying around her secrets. There were some parts that were hard to read, especially from Clare's perspective. However, the unflinching look at these dark corners, while uncomfortable, was convincing and an inescapable part of the story. I have to disagree with another reviewer who said Clare seems younger than she's supposed to be. Her thoughts were about treats and fun and play, but her awareness and managing of her mother's unstable moods showed the involuntary maturity of someone who grew up coping with abuse.
Lastly, I like stories that leave me a bit uncomfortable and with some loose ends to wonder over. That said, I liked where the book left us, which I took as the first little step toward Josephine's healing and closure over her past.
July 2, 2018
Wonderful book. I think the point of view chapters work really well for a story like this. Having two characters that are so different and in such contrasting moments of their lives, telling the same story is very effective.
I enjoyed the character of Josephine more than Clare. Her arc is well explained but i wish there were more chapters about her transition from eager young immigrant to frustrated mother.
The innocence in Clare is wonderfully portrayed, and had me on the edge during the chapters in Ireland, hoping nothing would happen to her. The way her chapters flow from seemingly pointless descriptions, to self deprecating comments, to her protective attitude towards Thomas, is very representative of that age (especially with a mother like hers).
The whole story felt very real and is very well written. Well done!
I enjoyed the character of Josephine more than Clare. Her arc is well explained but i wish there were more chapters about her transition from eager young immigrant to frustrated mother.
The innocence in Clare is wonderfully portrayed, and had me on the edge during the chapters in Ireland, hoping nothing would happen to her. The way her chapters flow from seemingly pointless descriptions, to self deprecating comments, to her protective attitude towards Thomas, is very representative of that age (especially with a mother like hers).
The whole story felt very real and is very well written. Well done!
October 4, 2018
A family saga with loneliness at its heart. A strong story of three generations of a large but often unhappy Irish family.
We hear the story through Josephine and her young daughter, Clare. On the surface, they are a happy, loving family unit, completed by Clare's father Michael and her little brother, Thomas. However, things are not as they seem.
Clare's mother, Josephine, was traumatised in childhood by various events concerning her parents. Her mother was a bitter, hateful woman worn out by having too many children, her husband too busy running the family farm in Ireland to realise that she couldn't cope. Neither can Josephine. Just like her own mother, young Clare grows up shielding her sibling from the worst of their mother's episodes of violence. Though there are happy family times when they all have fun together, there is always a price to pay. Usually it is paid by Clare.
The female characters are well-rounded. As their stories unfold, you can see how they ended up as they did. The men, on the other hand, are rather one-dimensional, seen as being unable to stand up to their troubled women and powerless to sort out bad situations for their children.
The strong story-line is spoilt by a rather abrupt ending, almost as though the author changed her mind at the last minute. An emotional and often disturbing story of abuse through the generations.
We hear the story through Josephine and her young daughter, Clare. On the surface, they are a happy, loving family unit, completed by Clare's father Michael and her little brother, Thomas. However, things are not as they seem.
Clare's mother, Josephine, was traumatised in childhood by various events concerning her parents. Her mother was a bitter, hateful woman worn out by having too many children, her husband too busy running the family farm in Ireland to realise that she couldn't cope. Neither can Josephine. Just like her own mother, young Clare grows up shielding her sibling from the worst of their mother's episodes of violence. Though there are happy family times when they all have fun together, there is always a price to pay. Usually it is paid by Clare.
The female characters are well-rounded. As their stories unfold, you can see how they ended up as they did. The men, on the other hand, are rather one-dimensional, seen as being unable to stand up to their troubled women and powerless to sort out bad situations for their children.
The strong story-line is spoilt by a rather abrupt ending, almost as though the author changed her mind at the last minute. An emotional and often disturbing story of abuse through the generations.
February 4, 2019
Past but not forgotten.
I have just listened to the closing passages of this book and I'm conflicted as to how to review it. There was a lot to commend, particularly the images of Ireland in the 1980s and of the life of an Irish girl, newly arrived to London. The narrative also works well, spoken from the perspective of Josephine, born and raised in Ireland, and her daughter, Clare, who seems mature beyond her years at times.
Unfortunately I was not a fan of the narrator, who had a very twee voice, suitable possibly for the child, but not for her angry mother. And inevitably, my feelings about the book are going to be affected by the ending, as that is currently uppermost in my mind - I just listened to a book that seemed to have two endings and I had just come to terms with the first, when I was presented with a second. I'm left wondering which is true.
It was tragic how the incident that Josephine ran from in Ireland, followed her through life and affected the way she interacted with her children. I really felt for them. Clare does an amazing job of protecting her younger brother, Thomas, from their mother's rages and dark moods. Michael, their father, was a great dad, but completely out of his depth.
As a debut novel this was a worthwhile read and I would certainly read this author again.
I have just listened to the closing passages of this book and I'm conflicted as to how to review it. There was a lot to commend, particularly the images of Ireland in the 1980s and of the life of an Irish girl, newly arrived to London. The narrative also works well, spoken from the perspective of Josephine, born and raised in Ireland, and her daughter, Clare, who seems mature beyond her years at times.
Unfortunately I was not a fan of the narrator, who had a very twee voice, suitable possibly for the child, but not for her angry mother. And inevitably, my feelings about the book are going to be affected by the ending, as that is currently uppermost in my mind - I just listened to a book that seemed to have two endings and I had just come to terms with the first, when I was presented with a second. I'm left wondering which is true.
It was tragic how the incident that Josephine ran from in Ireland, followed her through life and affected the way she interacted with her children. I really felt for them. Clare does an amazing job of protecting her younger brother, Thomas, from their mother's rages and dark moods. Michael, their father, was a great dad, but completely out of his depth.
As a debut novel this was a worthwhile read and I would certainly read this author again.
March 23, 2018
Her Mother's Daughter is the debut novel of Alice Fitzgerald and I think that the cover picture depicts the story very well, as we see a mother and daughter together but at the same time so very far apart. The story has family secrets which stem back to the time of Josephines mum giving birth to her brother and something unthinkable happens that stays with Josephine all her life. She ends up leaving the family home in 1980 and goes to London to build a new life for herself. Then seventeen years later she receives a call from her sister saying she should return home as her mother is dying and wishes to see her. By now Josephine is married and has two children Clare who is ten and her brother Thomas. Part of the story is written with Josephines story and part in Clare's story and we find out what did happen all those years ago and the fact that it is still haunting Josephine and now she has her daughter to protect as well. The effects have Josephine turning to drink and family life is not a happy place for the children. We always get the picture that mother and daughter from both generations have a lot of healing to do and you have to hope that they will reach a loving relationship.
March 27, 2018
This was a hard read for me at times. Not because the story was boring but because the detail was so graphic. For example when Josephine, as a child has her teeth chiseled down by her father, using an actual chisel, because they couldn't afford the dentist, my god that sent my teeth right on edge! This story is about a mother and daughter and the relationship between the two. Josephine's (mother) past haunts her through her adult life and taints the relationship she has with Clare (daughter). Josephine mistreats both her children but especially Clare, in trying to protect Clare from life and men, she actually teaches her to become body conscious and passes on some.of her own issues along the way. Josephines mental problems result in a very toxic relationship with her very down trodden husband Michael, how he put up with it all god only knows! You are transported back in time to when Josephine was a little girl and are taken through step by step her harrowing experiences. As a reader you become emotionally involved, you feel her pain, her anguish, her frustration. The way she then goes on to treat her daughter makes you want to save Clare from this awful situation. Literally put your hand inside the book and drag her out. I highly recommend this book, a great if not sad story where past meets present.
April 5, 2018
It's impossible to be indifferent to the unquestioning love and trust between Clare and her little brother Thomas. They have a lot of joy and security in their lives but something is definitely out of kilter.
Mother Josephine and father Michael are often openly affectionate to one another but at times Josephine is moody and angry. The story of the young Josephine and Michael, meeting in London as migrant workers from Ireland in 1980, develops in a parallel thread.
The long-awaited first visit to meet the children's maternal grandparents in Ireland in 1997 is certain to bring the situation to a head. But that may not be a good thing.
This is a complex story and yet it flows easily, gradually untangling. There certainly are mysteries, secrets, spoiled relationships, frustrations, guilt and neglect. But there are also games and treats, love and caring. Throughout the scenes from Clare's point of view there is a real sense of presence as the child experiences everything (food, cuddles, travelling, the weather, animals, cousins, school, clothes, nightmares) with a sharp intensity.
Mother Josephine and father Michael are often openly affectionate to one another but at times Josephine is moody and angry. The story of the young Josephine and Michael, meeting in London as migrant workers from Ireland in 1980, develops in a parallel thread.
The long-awaited first visit to meet the children's maternal grandparents in Ireland in 1997 is certain to bring the situation to a head. But that may not be a good thing.
This is a complex story and yet it flows easily, gradually untangling. There certainly are mysteries, secrets, spoiled relationships, frustrations, guilt and neglect. But there are also games and treats, love and caring. Throughout the scenes from Clare's point of view there is a real sense of presence as the child experiences everything (food, cuddles, travelling, the weather, animals, cousins, school, clothes, nightmares) with a sharp intensity.
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