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Finding Nina
1943:
A broken-hearted teenager gives birth in secret.
Her soldier sweetheart has disappeared,
and she reluctantly gives up her daughter for adoption.
1960:
A girl discovers a dark family secret,
but it is swiftly brushed back under the carpet.
Conventions must be adhered to.
1982:
A young woman learns of the existence of a secret cousin.
She yearns to find her long-lost relative, but is held back by legal constraints.
Life goes on.
2004:
Everything changes…
FINDING NINA is part-prequel, part-sequel to the bestselling NICE GIRLS DON’T,
but can also be read as a stand-alone story.
175 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 3, 2019
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 6, 2019
I recently treated myself to a pile of books by a group of my favourite authors amongst those books was the most recent novel by Sue Barnard, Finding Nina.
Finding Nina is a relatively short book, but that is not a critism. The novel deals with the life of a woman, given up for adoption and explores the emotions of her birth mother, her adotive mother and her own emotions as she matures. I find the raw and realistic way the emotions in this novel are discussed. The author really gets into the heads of the different characters.
I found the book extremely interesting. So much so that I read it in one sitting. I have already recommended it to several bookish friends and I do so again now.
Sue Barnard is a British novelist, editor and award-winning poet. She was born in North Wales but has spent most of her life in and around Manchester. After graduating from Durham University, where she studied French and Italian, Sue got married then had a variety of office jobs before becoming a full-time parent. If she had her way, the phrase “non-working mother” would be banned from the English language. Sue has a mind which is sufficiently warped as to be capable of compiling questions for BBC Radio 4’s fiendishly difficult “Round Britain Quiz”. This once caused one of her sons to describe her as “professionally weird.” The label has stuck. In addition to working as an editor for Crooked Cat Publishing, Sue is the author of four novels: The Ghostly Father, Nice Girls Don’t, The Unkindest Cut of All and Never on Saturday. She is also very interested in Family History. Her own background is far stranger than any work of fiction; she’d write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her. Sue lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.
Finding Nina is an original novel, published by Crooked Cat Books, where the characters are divinely shared and explored with the reader.
Val Penny
Finding Nina is a relatively short book, but that is not a critism. The novel deals with the life of a woman, given up for adoption and explores the emotions of her birth mother, her adotive mother and her own emotions as she matures. I find the raw and realistic way the emotions in this novel are discussed. The author really gets into the heads of the different characters.
I found the book extremely interesting. So much so that I read it in one sitting. I have already recommended it to several bookish friends and I do so again now.
Sue Barnard is a British novelist, editor and award-winning poet. She was born in North Wales but has spent most of her life in and around Manchester. After graduating from Durham University, where she studied French and Italian, Sue got married then had a variety of office jobs before becoming a full-time parent. If she had her way, the phrase “non-working mother” would be banned from the English language. Sue has a mind which is sufficiently warped as to be capable of compiling questions for BBC Radio 4’s fiendishly difficult “Round Britain Quiz”. This once caused one of her sons to describe her as “professionally weird.” The label has stuck. In addition to working as an editor for Crooked Cat Publishing, Sue is the author of four novels: The Ghostly Father, Nice Girls Don’t, The Unkindest Cut of All and Never on Saturday. She is also very interested in Family History. Her own background is far stranger than any work of fiction; she’d write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her. Sue lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.
Finding Nina is an original novel, published by Crooked Cat Books, where the characters are divinely shared and explored with the reader.
Val Penny
July 8, 2019
A sad but uplifting story of a woman who was adopted in the 1940s, when a stigma attached to single mothers, and the effects this has on her family later on. The story is told from several characters' perspectives, which gives it additional depth. Sue Barnard writes in an accessible and absorbing style. The novel also dovetails neatly with her earlier book, Nice Girls Don't. Recommended for readers who like stories about family secrets and seeking out your roots.
June 16, 2019
This book is so addictive that I finished it in a 24 hour period in two sessions (and dreamt of it in the night between). Told as a series of letters and diary entries that are cleverly woven together, this story had me hooked from the very first page. The characters and their predicaments felt so real and gave me a deeper understanding about what it must have been like to give birth as a single mother in the 1940s. It was such a heartbreaking story, yet managed to be uplifting at the same time, leaving me feeling both happy and sad for the characters involved. The companion novel, Nice Girls Don't, has moved immediately to the top of my reading pile! I need more of this fascinating story.
July 22, 2020
I enjoyed this pacy, heartwarming tale. Nina’s story is revealed gradually through the letters and diary entries of the different protagonists, which the author cleverly weaves together to make a coherent whole. From 1943 when a child was given up for adoption, through the 1960’s, the 80’s, then into the 21st century, we are shown what happens to the child and the impact of this dark family secret on the main characters. The author’s writing, which is lucid and engaging, conveyed all the intricacies of the complicated plot with ease. I particularly liked the way the atmosphere of each time period was accurately evoked, and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
December 31, 2019
Intriguing followup...
In this intriguing follow-up to the author's previous novel, “nice girls don’t", we following the unwinding of a family's history - secrets uncovered by the need to be in touch with origins. Very well written and enjoyable.
In this intriguing follow-up to the author's previous novel, “nice girls don’t", we following the unwinding of a family's history - secrets uncovered by the need to be in touch with origins. Very well written and enjoyable.
July 20, 2020
This is a touching story written as letters or diary entries, with a twist. It has a uniquely enthralling flow to it that makes me not want to stop! While this isn't my usual genre, it's so good! I'm going to go look up more from this author!
June 5, 2019
A well-designed plot, full of twists and surprises, and writing that flows so well that it slips past your eyes. What more could I want?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews