Homecoming

Swansea Girls #3

by Catrin Collier

It is January 1957 and Helen's husband Jack returns from National Service. Happy to be reunited, they resume their life together with their friends. Then Helen is utterly shattered when Jack tells her that a brief fling with a sergeant's widow has left the woman pregnant. Helen can't have children, so this is more than she can bear. She starts divorce proceedings, but their fierce love for each other cannot be extinguished. Finally she has to make a decision which requires courage, but could be the answer to their differences.

Genres: Marriage

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published April 1, 2003

About the author

Catrin Collier is Wales' most prolific and well-known author of historical, romantic fictions. The daughter of a Prussian refugee and Welsh father, she grew up in Pontypridd. Her first historical novel Hearts of Gold, was filmed as a mini-series by the BBC in 2003. Her crime book, By Any Name, written as Katherine John was filmed by Tanabi and released on Amazon Prime in 2017. She lives with her family on the Gower Peninsula, near Swansea. More information on Catrin Collier, Katherine John and Caro French's books can be found on her website www.catrincollier.co.uk

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have given this more stars but absolutely hated how the author character assassinated Sam, completely villainizing him when he started out as such a great guy. For that reason I also started to vehemently dislike Judy. Sam was not irrational, baseless, or wrong in what he observed in Judy once Brian was back in the picture. I don't know why it was necessary to turn him into an a-hole, would be rapist, and arsonist, when in the end HE was the party taken advantage of and made to look like a fool.

Additionally, I didn't like not knowing what became of Robin (and his awful sister) and if he ever thought of Emily and how he treated her and their unborn child. I find it completely stupid and unlikely that he never confronted Thompson about what he walked in on (considering how prideful those spoiled rich dicks are) and get the truth that his sister set Emily up and that she had never previously had any relations with him.

[Dellaneira · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's with this people in this book? Apart from disfungsional family tree, some asshole of a husband who want to marry up his baby mama aka his dead boss pregnant widow right after her wife kick him out. Some nasty lady, confused and angry, sleep with the one that got away right after her ex fiance beat the guy up. I always thought that calling a lady an asshole is rude. But this lady is right to be called one. Great book actualy, for when you want to feel some risks.

[Becky Schulman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the trilogy...after becoming completely involved in the lives of the four friends, I was sorry to see their stories end. It seemed to conclude a little abruptly, but it also allowed you to make some assumptions about how their futures were going to unfold.

[Adensanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER



Just asking, why writer ALWAYS make a plot where the husband cheating and then the OW is pregnant, then the wife (h) have had a history about being pregnant but then misscariage and then she cant have any baby again bcoz of that. so the end is always she took back the cheating aHole and raising the OW baby, bcoz.. why not.? God give her the baby she want.

WHY???????????????

you can adopt hundreds of stray dogs! and search another husband.
sometimes i felt like writer like this is just dont knw how to wrap it up. so they always used the same template. they dont knw how to make a good grovel, but want to make a 2nd chance theme. ofc they need to spice it up by throwing a plot where the OW is pregnant. but then they got lost at how they can fix this, so the H and h can b together? ofc by plotting that the wife cant hv a baby.
i read this in 2024. i wish i read this in 1985. so i can accept the plot. but i'll be 1 year old then. my silly brain maybe also can understand why love is good, take the ahole back, raising the Affair baby, all is good. sigh

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite not reading the two books that go before this one, I didn't feel like I'd missed out on anything in this story. It was a great read! Even though it has a mumsy looking cover, the story was addictive, and I liked how the characters were all connected! It's hard to believe how much relationships have changed since the 50's when this book was set.

[Maureen Vincent-Northam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the 1950s this follows the lives of four main female characters, Helen, Lily and Katie and Judy. Each character is well drawn and each has a story - friendships, impending motherhood, weddings, secrets and difficult choices - that pulls the reader in. Lovely nostalic novel.

[Elsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't really like how the author made Sam the "villain" of this book, 'cos he seemed to be a cool guy in Swansea Summer, just so that Brian could swoop in. And the end seems to be forced and rushed, with Helen accepting the child so easily.

[Dmareen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have like to have felt less fustrated with the main characters in this one but overall
it was still a great read.