The Great North Road

by Annabel Dore

Two babies abandoned at birth. Two extraordinary women, bound together and torn apart by a decision that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Greta Korda is fleeing her sadistic husband, Dick. Sylvia Sharp, no more than a child herself, is burdened by delusions that grow more shattering by the day. Eventually Sylvia’s love for her daughter Alice draws her back to her estranged family—to the boy she still loves and the world she left behind. But then Alice vanishes, and a whole cast of characters, including Greta, come under suspicion. Has the little girl been abducted, or has she met a much darker fate? Gripping, compassionate, and unfailingly dramatic, it is a searing and addictive debut novel.

Genres: Fiction

688 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two baby girls are born on the same day at the same hospital and then both abandoned by their mothers. However the babies were left together in one cot and all identification removed (this was before DNA sorted these things out easily). As the mothers went on the run to escape their old lives the babies futures had to be settled. This is a saga of families and generations, of love and lust, of fear and fortune, of friendship and blood ties. Alice and Jan, as the babies are named, once unwanted are now wanted by everyone and fights for them begin which cost everyone dearly. Sylvia and Greta, the mothers, try to start new lives but are drawn into the past and enter the fight for the girls a few years down the line. A book of great sadness, most of which could have been avoided if there had simply been enough love and understanding in one of the families for a teenage mother. A very good read.

[Victoria Hennen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many twists and turns to be believable. Too much like a soap opera and not one sympathetic character.

[Emma C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the dramatic, dark, grotesque and gripping adventure that the women in this novel go through. It’s a book I will remember for a long time. The twist and turns are great - it does get quite jumpy and erratic in places but I was so desperate to know about the plight of the characters I didn’t mind the jumping around too much.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

To begin the voice was fresh and intriguing but very soon the breathlessness of it and the farcical appearances, disappearances and activities of the characters began to irritate so that I ceased to care what was happening to who.

[Wendy]

I loved this so many twists and turns, there was really only one villan but so many bad decisions. Beautifully written too

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good light read though a bit long

[Joanna Lovegrove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, lots of twists and turns.