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The Family
Devastatingly powerful and utterly unforgettable, THE FAMILY will hook you in from the very first page, and keep you there till the very last. Phillip Murphy is a family man. He worships his old mum; he takes care of his siblings who help run his business empire; he dotes on his two young sons who will one day take over. And then there's his wife and saviour Christine, whom he loves with a vengeance. To Phillip Murphy, family is everything. Christine has always understood this about her husband. But there is another side to Phillip, and it's a side he never wanted his wife to see. Though even if she did, could she do anything but stand by him? Because Phillip has rules, and he expects loyalty from his nearest and dearest. Once you're in the family, you're in it for life.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2008
263 people are currently reading
1486 people want to read
About the author
Martina Cole
112 books1,729 followersMartina Cole was born and brought up in Essex. She is the bestselling author of fourteen novels set in London's gangland, and her most recent three paperbacks have gone straight to No. 1 in the Sunday Times on first publication. Total sales of Martina's novels stand at over eight million copies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
December 9, 2022
Another romp through the East End of London / Essex world of gangster families and the urban crime realities they live in. This tale centres round a completely ‘straight’ law abiding, naïve and inexperienced, but infatuated and brow-beaten at home by a domineering mother, teenager marrying one of the most deadly criminals of his generation.
Although not as compelling as your typical Cole read, it's an interesting viewpoint to look at the rise and rise of a violent crime family from the viewpoint of an 'ordinary' woman, and the impact of such a lifestyle. What makes it a great read compared to many others in this genre is that the 'ordinary' woman is also of working class ilk, so we see this world through her lens and not through the lens of a middle class person. What is done well in this book is the impact of abuse and violence on mental health and what we/they do to overcome it. A Two Star, 4 out of 12 on first read; but now a 3 Star, 6 out of 12 ;)
Martina Cole
2021 read; 2013 read
Although not as compelling as your typical Cole read, it's an interesting viewpoint to look at the rise and rise of a violent crime family from the viewpoint of an 'ordinary' woman, and the impact of such a lifestyle. What makes it a great read compared to many others in this genre is that the 'ordinary' woman is also of working class ilk, so we see this world through her lens and not through the lens of a middle class person. What is done well in this book is the impact of abuse and violence on mental health and what we/they do to overcome it. A Two Star, 4 out of 12 on first read; but now a 3 Star, 6 out of 12 ;)
Martina Cole
2021 read; 2013 read
May 13, 2022
I love Martina Cole and the atmosphere she creates in her books. I will eventually read them all because between her pages, it feels like home.
Four stars.
Four stars.
July 17, 2012
This is probably the worst book I have ever read. The writing was completely awful, there was no character development, and the only suspense and mystery in the whole book was completely predictable by the end of the first 10 chapters (which is not kind of bad, considering it's 156 chapters long and it's marketed as a suspense/thriller novel). I was only thrilled when it was over.
The plot was too simple for a suspense/thriller novel. There were so many little off-shoots that the plot could have taken that would have been mildly interesting and suspenseful. Unfortunately, the author took none of these and we were left with the unfulfilled hope that the story would become complex and live up to what it was marketed as.
Let me go into a little more detail on how awfully written this book is:
1. I am convinced that the author assumes all of her readers are idiots. She described her characters an infuriating number of times. By chapter 10, you've already got the idea that Phil is a good-looking, but soul-less and cruel bastard. Instead of just leaving you with a few descriptions here and there of him, adding details to his character every now and then, she describes him in pretty much the same language every other chapter. People don't want to be told he's a complete jerk by every other character in the book, they want to see it in action! She did this for every character. It was horrible.
2. Can you say cliches? I'm pretty sure I will punch the next person who says, "Blood is thicker than water" or "it meant/means/was/is the world to me" in my presence. This is why English has thousands of words, so you can use different ones.
3. Character development. Rather than showing how and why her characters change, she just suddenly has them as different people. Now, I realize that she jumps forward in time four times in the book. That does not excuse her from not explaining why Breda suddenly loves her brother more than she loves her own son, especially when she said an irritating number of times previously that her son was the most important person to her and that he "meant the world" to her. She also had this infuriating habit of spending a chapter or two on a character and making that character seem important and then completely dropping said character from the plot never to return with nary an explanation to placate the reader. She lost her most interesting characters this way.
4. This book was repetitive. It said the same thing over and over. Everything was repeated. Sometimes things were repeated twice right next to each other, in the same paragraph. It would be one thing to repeat things using different language, but it was as if the author copied whole segments of prose and randomly pasted them all over the book a bunch of times.
I will never read another Martina Cole book.
The plot was too simple for a suspense/thriller novel. There were so many little off-shoots that the plot could have taken that would have been mildly interesting and suspenseful. Unfortunately, the author took none of these and we were left with the unfulfilled hope that the story would become complex and live up to what it was marketed as.
Let me go into a little more detail on how awfully written this book is:
1. I am convinced that the author assumes all of her readers are idiots. She described her characters an infuriating number of times. By chapter 10, you've already got the idea that Phil is a good-looking, but soul-less and cruel bastard. Instead of just leaving you with a few descriptions here and there of him, adding details to his character every now and then, she describes him in pretty much the same language every other chapter. People don't want to be told he's a complete jerk by every other character in the book, they want to see it in action! She did this for every character. It was horrible.
2. Can you say cliches? I'm pretty sure I will punch the next person who says, "Blood is thicker than water" or "it meant/means/was/is the world to me" in my presence. This is why English has thousands of words, so you can use different ones.
3. Character development. Rather than showing how and why her characters change, she just suddenly has them as different people. Now, I realize that she jumps forward in time four times in the book. That does not excuse her from not explaining why Breda suddenly loves her brother more than she loves her own son, especially when she said an irritating number of times previously that her son was the most important person to her and that he "meant the world" to her. She also had this infuriating habit of spending a chapter or two on a character and making that character seem important and then completely dropping said character from the plot never to return with nary an explanation to placate the reader. She lost her most interesting characters this way.
4. This book was repetitive. It said the same thing over and over. Everything was repeated. Sometimes things were repeated twice right next to each other, in the same paragraph. It would be one thing to repeat things using different language, but it was as if the author copied whole segments of prose and randomly pasted them all over the book a bunch of times.
I will never read another Martina Cole book.
July 8, 2012
Before reading The Family I'd previously only read one of Martina Cole's books, Faceless, which I hated (but it was a giveaway with a newspaper). When I recently won a copy of The Family I thought I'd give it a go as it couldn't possibly be worse than Faceless - well, it could and it was.
I hated everything about this book. The characters, several generations of an Essex crime family, are all deeply unpleasant and carry out one atrocity after another. They're superficially glossy and care more about flashy cars and designer kitchens than about anything else. They're gangsters who are considered all right as, whatever else they do, they love their old Mum.
The writing is cliched and repetitive with many hackneyed old phrases trotted out over and over again. The dialogue is unrealistic,the plot is mainly composed of "a thing happened, and then another thing happened" stated in very bald terms mixed in with unpleasant violence and lots of bad language.
I really can't think why anyone would want to read this, unless it's for the vicarious thrill of observing violent and unpleasant people.
I've given it one star as I was worried that if I gave it none it might be misinterpreted as five - this is apparently what happens with print film reviews and it's generally understood that a one-star review is actually a no-star review.
I've learnt my lesson now and won't be reading any more of Martina Cole's books. My only comfort is that I didn't pay for either of those I read - I wouldn't want to reward her for producing this badly-written, deeply unpleasant nonsense.
I hated everything about this book. The characters, several generations of an Essex crime family, are all deeply unpleasant and carry out one atrocity after another. They're superficially glossy and care more about flashy cars and designer kitchens than about anything else. They're gangsters who are considered all right as, whatever else they do, they love their old Mum.
The writing is cliched and repetitive with many hackneyed old phrases trotted out over and over again. The dialogue is unrealistic,the plot is mainly composed of "a thing happened, and then another thing happened" stated in very bald terms mixed in with unpleasant violence and lots of bad language.
I really can't think why anyone would want to read this, unless it's for the vicarious thrill of observing violent and unpleasant people.
I've given it one star as I was worried that if I gave it none it might be misinterpreted as five - this is apparently what happens with print film reviews and it's generally understood that a one-star review is actually a no-star review.
I've learnt my lesson now and won't be reading any more of Martina Cole's books. My only comfort is that I didn't pay for either of those I read - I wouldn't want to reward her for producing this badly-written, deeply unpleasant nonsense.
October 18, 2019
Wow!
Not much to say that hasn't been said already.
Great story, great characters and a nice twist at the end.
Couldn't put it down.
Enjoy
Not much to say that hasn't been said already.
Great story, great characters and a nice twist at the end.
Couldn't put it down.
Enjoy
June 8, 2013
This is the first time I've read anything by Martina Cole, and I found myself quickly sucked into what is a very compelling story about gangsters in the East End. Throughout, the novel focuses predominately on the wife of mob boss Phillip Murray, and the transition she goes through from a young and innocent 15 year old girl, to a woman ravaged by drink and drugs. The story is powerfully told, and with each chapter being no longer than 4 pages, it's an easy book to pick up and put down, meaning that you can easily read it whilst moving round the house: cooking; making a cup of tea; sitting on the toilet etc.
Of course because the chapters are so short, you're not to expect much in terms of content, and the impact of key events in the novel is often lost. Nevertheless, the characters and the story are what hook the reader, and see them through to what is a very interesting and effective ending, the author achieving the desired crescendo in an otherwise slow paced story.
I'd admittedly be dubious about reading anything by Cole again, whilst 'The Family' was a very good story, the content was too thin for my liking, and I found the short and choppy chapter format a bit irritating at times. For a book to have over 150 chapters is a bit extreme!
Of course because the chapters are so short, you're not to expect much in terms of content, and the impact of key events in the novel is often lost. Nevertheless, the characters and the story are what hook the reader, and see them through to what is a very interesting and effective ending, the author achieving the desired crescendo in an otherwise slow paced story.
I'd admittedly be dubious about reading anything by Cole again, whilst 'The Family' was a very good story, the content was too thin for my liking, and I found the short and choppy chapter format a bit irritating at times. For a book to have over 150 chapters is a bit extreme!
July 8, 2012
A good book but very much reads more as a screenplay at times than a novel.
May 27, 2011
Phillip Murphy is a family man. He worships his old mum; he takes care of his siblings who help run his business empire; he dotes on his two young sons who will one day take over. And then there's his wife and saviour Christine, whom he loves with a vengeance. To Phillip Murphy, family is everything.
Christine has always understood this about her husband. But there is another side to Phillip, and it's a side he never wanted his wife to see. Though even if she did, could she do anything but stand by him? Because Phillip has rules, and he expects loyalty from his nearest and dearest. Once you're in the family, you're in it for life.
Read this book in a couple of days - very short chapters - I love that in a book as it means I can pick it up and read a chapter whenever I have a spare couple of mins.
Fab book really gripped me from the start.
Christine has always understood this about her husband. But there is another side to Phillip, and it's a side he never wanted his wife to see. Though even if she did, could she do anything but stand by him? Because Phillip has rules, and he expects loyalty from his nearest and dearest. Once you're in the family, you're in it for life.
Read this book in a couple of days - very short chapters - I love that in a book as it means I can pick it up and read a chapter whenever I have a spare couple of mins.
Fab book really gripped me from the start.
January 9, 2013
Technically speaking, this book is downright awful. The plot is dreadful, the characters are hideously stereotyped and the writing itself is just terrible. Yet, it falls into that 'trashy-reads' category that makes it difficult to stop reading it, however much you despise it. The Family is like one of those really bad straight to TV gangster dramas, you want to switch it off, but once you start watching it, you find yourself wrapped up in the cheesiness of it all. I still refuse to give this anymore than 2/5 though!
April 6, 2020
The Family (2010) by Martina Cole is a really outstanding read which is so realistic of life.
This is only the second book I have read by this author and already I am a huge fan and want to read more. Her writing is amazing and I am intrigued by what her other work has to offer.
This particular outing, which was Cole’s 17th novel, is set in Southend in England and tells the story of the Murphy family. Christine marries Phillip Murphy and finds herself in a dangerous situation which goes on for many years. The Murphys are involved in everything including murder and all manner of gangland activities. In Cole’s signature style of gritty, honest crime fiction, she gives us fantastic background on each of the characters and what makes them all tick. Phillip is an evil nutjob who is obsessed with public image and everyone is in danger if they do not obey him. Cole manages to really bring the reader into this very claustrophic world everyone is living in.
I particularly liked Christine and Breda. These two women are very different but both incredibly strong women in their own ways and though the two go on a bit of a journey to find a respect for each others’ approaches, they eventually do and form a friendship. Watching their relationship was fascinating and nice among all the choas in the book. Phillip’s mother has always backed Phillip which has not been helpful to his behavior or especially to anyone else and their mental wellbeing. His father has not been much help as he takes little interest in sorting things either. In their own way, everyone is afraid of Phillip and it is easy to see why.
Cole tackled many issues in this book from murder and gangland situations to gaslighting. She writes of the gaslighting Christine has faced throughout all her life. First from her mother and then from her husband. Breda also faces a lot of gaslighting throughout her life from her family. As someone who has faced gaslighting, I admired Cole’s truthful way of telling the mental abuse they faced and for talking about and hightlighting an issue that is not hightlighted enough in fiction.
This is an incredible write. It is hard-hitting and draining and superb. I can’t praise this book highly enough. The background information really helps the plot run along with ease and creates a tension that is needed in a book like this.
The book also has a very interesting interview with the author.
Absolutely amazing job. A must read.
This is only the second book I have read by this author and already I am a huge fan and want to read more. Her writing is amazing and I am intrigued by what her other work has to offer.
This particular outing, which was Cole’s 17th novel, is set in Southend in England and tells the story of the Murphy family. Christine marries Phillip Murphy and finds herself in a dangerous situation which goes on for many years. The Murphys are involved in everything including murder and all manner of gangland activities. In Cole’s signature style of gritty, honest crime fiction, she gives us fantastic background on each of the characters and what makes them all tick. Phillip is an evil nutjob who is obsessed with public image and everyone is in danger if they do not obey him. Cole manages to really bring the reader into this very claustrophic world everyone is living in.
I particularly liked Christine and Breda. These two women are very different but both incredibly strong women in their own ways and though the two go on a bit of a journey to find a respect for each others’ approaches, they eventually do and form a friendship. Watching their relationship was fascinating and nice among all the choas in the book. Phillip’s mother has always backed Phillip which has not been helpful to his behavior or especially to anyone else and their mental wellbeing. His father has not been much help as he takes little interest in sorting things either. In their own way, everyone is afraid of Phillip and it is easy to see why.
Cole tackled many issues in this book from murder and gangland situations to gaslighting. She writes of the gaslighting Christine has faced throughout all her life. First from her mother and then from her husband. Breda also faces a lot of gaslighting throughout her life from her family. As someone who has faced gaslighting, I admired Cole’s truthful way of telling the mental abuse they faced and for talking about and hightlighting an issue that is not hightlighted enough in fiction.
This is an incredible write. It is hard-hitting and draining and superb. I can’t praise this book highly enough. The background information really helps the plot run along with ease and creates a tension that is needed in a book like this.
The book also has a very interesting interview with the author.
Absolutely amazing job. A must read.
March 23, 2021
Only read if you're way into violence and be ready to see assault, assassination, family murder and blah blah.. Character formation is way way idiotic and so the story formation.
You can actually have a idea of how it's end going to be after 30-40 pages.
Only good thing about this book was its cover(which i found now dark too) and that i finished it.
I was actually feeling depressed and depressed the more i was reading it.
Don't go for this just don't.
You can actually have a idea of how it's end going to be after 30-40 pages.
Only good thing about this book was its cover(which i found now dark too) and that i finished it.
I was actually feeling depressed and depressed the more i was reading it.
Don't go for this just don't.
February 28, 2021
Once when I was in year six we had a supply teacher who asked us to write a story. Someone asked if we could swear in it and, largely not caring, the supply teacher said yes. Martina Cole’s writing here reminds me of the stories produced that day.
This book has all the character depth of Mrs Brown’s Boys doing a cockney gangster episode.
Probably one of the worst things I’ve ever read. One star because there is at least a storyline that rollicks along reasonably well.
This book has all the character depth of Mrs Brown’s Boys doing a cockney gangster episode.
Probably one of the worst things I’ve ever read. One star because there is at least a storyline that rollicks along reasonably well.
August 17, 2017
3 1/2 stars. I didn't enjoy all the slang.
January 31, 2018
Read The family before, it was so much better 2nd time around. Brilliant
March 22, 2022
Although Cole has never been one to provoke thought, or make my mind surpass its small limits, sometimes a crime novel is something I savour for its simplicity.
And this was something different; Cole shuns her usual plot-driven structure and focuses entirely on her characters. We meet a young, naive fifteen year old girl and journey with her as she falls in love with a dangerous man who will ultimately become the king of his own criminal empire.
There’s a lot of layers here, and a lot of jarring family dynamics. The dangerous ways the characters relate to one another, how they love and betray, are thrown bare for us to see. As Cole continues to remind us of the family’s rules on privacy and secrecy, this is something which feels voyeuristic, almost like peering into the personal spaces of the royal family.
It’s a nice whirl through the criminal underworld from the perspective of familial connection, but nothing overwhelmingly excellent. Easy to read, fairly engaging, but predictable and unsurprisingly gratuitous.
And this was something different; Cole shuns her usual plot-driven structure and focuses entirely on her characters. We meet a young, naive fifteen year old girl and journey with her as she falls in love with a dangerous man who will ultimately become the king of his own criminal empire.
There’s a lot of layers here, and a lot of jarring family dynamics. The dangerous ways the characters relate to one another, how they love and betray, are thrown bare for us to see. As Cole continues to remind us of the family’s rules on privacy and secrecy, this is something which feels voyeuristic, almost like peering into the personal spaces of the royal family.
It’s a nice whirl through the criminal underworld from the perspective of familial connection, but nothing overwhelmingly excellent. Easy to read, fairly engaging, but predictable and unsurprisingly gratuitous.
March 13, 2021
Typical Martina Cole. Easy reading but with a story that grips from the beginning. I love the short chapters especially.
September 23, 2023
3.5 stars
Page turning but...
Page turning but...
May 25, 2013
This book is probably the worst book I've ever read. Literally. I read "The Graft" when I was a teenager and I thought it was alright, so when I did a book swap with this book, I thought it would be an easy read, but okay.
If I had any kind of interest or respect for Cole, I lost it when I saw the blatant mistake early on in the book where a character changes name completely. Like what?
Also, in this book there is an extract from her future book and she clearly writes the word "noice" instead of "noise." Grammar and spelling mistakes in this book made it completely unreadable.
Aside from this, character and plot development were non-existent in this book. The author was still writing by page 100 "Christine was this...Christine was that" and repeating names like "Phillip Murphy"...he's the main character...I get that his name is Murphy. Characters are also described through the views of other characters and not by internal thought or third person view (which also switches from one character to the other through the same chapter). There are too many cliches, such as two people smoking weed and listening to Bob Marley (really, Cole?). Characters are portrayed too predictably too. A bouncer who isn't afraid of anything and is built really muscular and "likes hurting people". Bouncers aren't like that at all. Only in Martina Cole Land.
We are told incessantly that Christine is naive, and that she's changing whilst married to Phillip, but I skipped 200 pages of this drivel, and apart from still knowing exactly what was going on (two characters talking about drivel and the words "he hoped it wouldn't be bad" or other variations of this at the end of every chapter)...I read the end of the book quickly and Christine was still the same person, everyone was still the same, I saw no change in any of the characters because they seemed to be defined by situation and circumstance, which was also weakly described.
The action in this is about as thrilling as watching a teabag brew. Violence is not shocking. Language is not abusive. I didn't care about the characters or who they were. I sort of forgot who was who, because the characters weren't developed enough.
I opened this book expecting to be pleasantly surprised by this "family" - like perhaps all my preconceptions of what the book would be about would be debunked. But all my predictions were correct, and even then I was disappointed by the writing.
Even if you like easy-reading novels. Even if you enjoy "summer reads." Even if you are a die-hard Cole fan. Do not read this book. Or forever bathe in your own wasted time of badly written words and a weak storyline.
500+ pages. Not a significant point was made.
If I had any kind of interest or respect for Cole, I lost it when I saw the blatant mistake early on in the book where a character changes name completely. Like what?
Also, in this book there is an extract from her future book and she clearly writes the word "noice" instead of "noise." Grammar and spelling mistakes in this book made it completely unreadable.
Aside from this, character and plot development were non-existent in this book. The author was still writing by page 100 "Christine was this...Christine was that" and repeating names like "Phillip Murphy"...he's the main character...I get that his name is Murphy. Characters are also described through the views of other characters and not by internal thought or third person view (which also switches from one character to the other through the same chapter). There are too many cliches, such as two people smoking weed and listening to Bob Marley (really, Cole?). Characters are portrayed too predictably too. A bouncer who isn't afraid of anything and is built really muscular and "likes hurting people". Bouncers aren't like that at all. Only in Martina Cole Land.
We are told incessantly that Christine is naive, and that she's changing whilst married to Phillip, but I skipped 200 pages of this drivel, and apart from still knowing exactly what was going on (two characters talking about drivel and the words "he hoped it wouldn't be bad" or other variations of this at the end of every chapter)...I read the end of the book quickly and Christine was still the same person, everyone was still the same, I saw no change in any of the characters because they seemed to be defined by situation and circumstance, which was also weakly described.
The action in this is about as thrilling as watching a teabag brew. Violence is not shocking. Language is not abusive. I didn't care about the characters or who they were. I sort of forgot who was who, because the characters weren't developed enough.
I opened this book expecting to be pleasantly surprised by this "family" - like perhaps all my preconceptions of what the book would be about would be debunked. But all my predictions were correct, and even then I was disappointed by the writing.
Even if you like easy-reading novels. Even if you enjoy "summer reads." Even if you are a die-hard Cole fan. Do not read this book. Or forever bathe in your own wasted time of badly written words and a weak storyline.
500+ pages. Not a significant point was made.
May 25, 2022
OOF. This was my first Martina Cole novel and probably my last.
It was wayyyy too lengthy firstly.
Second, all that gang scene isn't really my preferred reading choice.
I couldn't understand the characters or the motivation behind their actions at all and I was simply bored through major part of the book.
3 stars only for Christine's bravery towards the end
It was wayyyy too lengthy firstly.
Second, all that gang scene isn't really my preferred reading choice.
I couldn't understand the characters or the motivation behind their actions at all and I was simply bored through major part of the book.
3 stars only for Christine's bravery towards the end
June 16, 2013
I am reviewing the novel The Family by Martina Cole which is an excellent thriller which I bought from a car boot sale. This novel must be one of Martina's best and was the biggest selling hardback novel of the year in the UK in 2010. It's a bit of an epic novel that spans many years and is around 580 pages so is quite satisfying to read. The plot is the main character is Christine who is 15 years at the beginning and she is in a relationship with Phillip who is 21. He is a bit of a crook who gives her and his family a good lifestyle but demands total loyalty. At first she is attracted to this although she understand the nitty gritty of what he is up to. He got into organised crime when someone tried to offer him £40,000 to assassinate a pregnant lady. He knew he was being stitched up and told a local gangster who offered him a job for doing the right thing. There was no way he was murdering a pregnant lady. Anyway later on his sister, Breda is warning Christine about his criminal lifestyle because she doesn't want her to crack if questioned by the police and land them all in it. Her husband does get 7 years for conspiracy to commit murder but is lucky not to get life. She has a son who has grassed the dad up and is in fear for his life and she is torn between them. One of her other sons gets expelled from his private school for selling drugs and makes out he was forced to do it which later he has to admit the truth. Her husband has an industrial furnace fitted in the barn at their farm which he uses to dispose of bodies. Christine turns to drink but stays loyal to her husband although he has affairs. She also loses a baby probably at least in part through drink. Her sons get involved in crime with their dad and the one isn't very discrete about it. She does get her life together at the end in what is only partly a happy ending. In the back of the book is an interview with Martina which is quite interesting. Apparently her family came from Ireland and lived on a tough council housing estate in Grays near London which provides inspiration for her novels. She is a fan of the authors Mandasue Heller & Val McDermid & even though the bad characters in her books do bad things she tries to stress at the end of the day there is a certain normality about them that she tries to get across in her novels.
December 4, 2013
Whoa! Have I read a different novel that this one users rated 3 stars with? This book is horrible! I managed to read 25% of this book and decided that it's not getting better.
I admit I bought the book because of the intriguing cover and because Martina seems to be a famous author, so I gave her a shot.
The book incorporated flashbacks to the past intertwined with the present. It tries (and failed) to have that feel of a historical saga of a crime family. Sorry, but pick me a more serious crime/mob fiction work like Mario Puzo's the Godfather.
Writing is poor, character development poor, flashbacks confusing and have no smooth transitions with the present. I gave up because I really didn't give a damn anymore to what happens to the characters.
Some people discipline themselves in finishing a novel. As a voracious reader of novels, I have long decided that some novels are not worth it and are money down the drain. Cut your losses with this one and go find another book.
I admit I bought the book because of the intriguing cover and because Martina seems to be a famous author, so I gave her a shot.
The book incorporated flashbacks to the past intertwined with the present. It tries (and failed) to have that feel of a historical saga of a crime family. Sorry, but pick me a more serious crime/mob fiction work like Mario Puzo's the Godfather.
Writing is poor, character development poor, flashbacks confusing and have no smooth transitions with the present. I gave up because I really didn't give a damn anymore to what happens to the characters.
Some people discipline themselves in finishing a novel. As a voracious reader of novels, I have long decided that some novels are not worth it and are money down the drain. Cut your losses with this one and go find another book.
October 17, 2014
audio
Phillip Murphy is a gangster.
His is also very much a family man. He worships his old mum; he takes care of his siblings who help run his business empire in Southend; he dotes on his two young sons who will one day take over the reins. And then there's his wife and saviour Christine, whom he loves with a vengeance.
Christine has always understood this about her husband; it was one of the things that first attracted her to him.
But there is another side to Phillip, and it's a side he never wanted his wife to see. Though, even if she did, could she do anything but stand by him? Because Phillip has rules, and he expects loyalty from his nearest and dearest.
I am not a great fan of Martina Cole, and I really don't enjoy books about gangsters.
It was easy listening but pretty predictable, and I got sick of all the swearing (not all of it was necessary).
Phillip Murphy is a gangster.
His is also very much a family man. He worships his old mum; he takes care of his siblings who help run his business empire in Southend; he dotes on his two young sons who will one day take over the reins. And then there's his wife and saviour Christine, whom he loves with a vengeance.
Christine has always understood this about her husband; it was one of the things that first attracted her to him.
But there is another side to Phillip, and it's a side he never wanted his wife to see. Though, even if she did, could she do anything but stand by him? Because Phillip has rules, and he expects loyalty from his nearest and dearest.
I am not a great fan of Martina Cole, and I really don't enjoy books about gangsters.
It was easy listening but pretty predictable, and I got sick of all the swearing (not all of it was necessary).
March 5, 2016
This is a story of Phillip Murphy a leading gangster who falls in love with Christine. Christine does not realize what she is getting into and finds herself becoming a shadow of her former self, with no escape from her situation. Phillip is ruthless in business but loyal and affectionate with his family. He adores his two sons and manages to maintain a decent relationship with his parents, brother and sister as well. Christine falls into depression as she finds the influence Phillip has on his sons. The book tends to drag in the middle simply reinforcing Phillip's reputation as a gangster who does not forgive or forget those who deal with him. The story does have a twist towards the end - but overall it is an average read, not really managing to captivate attention for the most part..
January 26, 2014
First Martina Cole book I've ever read. Picked up from a book swap, the plot appealed to me and I thought I should try this author out. I was very disappointed. The writing jarred, the characters were shallow and cliched stereotypes, and the sentiments were very repetitive. I am unlikely to read any more of Cole's books.
March 7, 2016
Very unusually for me I have given up on this book...but having read to page 316 first I feel I gave it a fair chance! There is no real plot, characters' traits are described repeatedly without actually developing them and the story so far has completely failed to elicit any sense of excitement. Sorry - life is too short!
May 1, 2020
As an avid reader (at least 2 books a week) I have a rule that I never quit on a book - no matter how much I’m not enjoying it I always see it through......this was my first Martina Cole book and will categorically be my last. The book felt like it was never going to end and I can’t really say the storyline was any good if I’m honest 😬 sorry but it’s a 👎🏼 from me
August 4, 2011
Interesting, but not as good as some of Martina's previous books.
Her sense of humour is still evident though, with one particular 'one liner' that made me laugh:
In discussing a lady of indeterminate age, Martina quoted:
"If she gets another face lift she will have a beard"
Her sense of humour is still evident though, with one particular 'one liner' that made me laugh:
In discussing a lady of indeterminate age, Martina quoted:
"If she gets another face lift she will have a beard"
June 23, 2018
4.5 stars
This was a really good book, in the same vein as the authors other books. The characters were well defined by the author and you were really able to love, loathe and feel pity for them. If you are a fan of Martina Cole then you should read this.
This was a really good book, in the same vein as the authors other books. The characters were well defined by the author and you were really able to love, loathe and feel pity for them. If you are a fan of Martina Cole then you should read this.
January 7, 2011
Not brilliant but not as bad as her some of her others (Faces):( her earlier novels were waaay better than the ones she writes nowadays.
April 18, 2011
i have many of her books and they became very 'samey' but not long started this one and enjoying ...so far!!
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