Compelling and hugely relatable family drama with realistic storylines & flawed characters.
Mothers and Daughter is both a compelling and hugely relatable family drama centred around recently widowed sixty-three-year-old Naomi and her thirty-something adult daughters, Martha and Willow, as they move forward with their lives. Just over two years ago, Naomi’s husband, Colin, and the father of both her daughters, died suddenly leaving her a widow in the Tilsham cottage the family once shared. Having rebuilt her life and reconnected by random chance with Ellis, a friend from university, Naomi is ready to start afresh but worried about both her daughter’s reaction to a new man, especially that of Martha who idolised her father. The truth of the marriage and the real man behind Colin’s bonhomie is something that Naomi has kept from both her daughters, but as Martha and Naomi each meet Ellis, they are harbouring concerns of their own..
Martha is married to Tom and she is her father’s daughter; driven, determined and efficient with a master’s degree and a successful career. She was also her father’s clear favourite whilst younger and more empathetic sister, Willow, was happy to drift along. Having decided the time is right for a baby, Martha is dismayed that after ten months of trying she still hasn’t conceived and it’s starting to feel like failure to a woman driven by perfectionism. The arrival of Ellis has also put a spanner in the works of her plans for Naomi to move closer and be a hands-on grandparent. Easy-going drifter, Willow, has finally met a new boyfriend in Rick, whom her family seem to approve of, so why doesn’t she too feel convinced by his obvious overtures to settle down?
This was my first read of an Erica James book and I was impressed with the emotionally powerful storylines and how grounded in reality the whole story proved to be, along with how well-drawn and flawed the characters were. The stories of all three women are woven together superbly and although the overall tone of the novel is heartwarming, they each face plenty of adversity along the way which affect them at an individual level and change the dynamic between them all. Each chapter is written from the perspective of an individual character and this allows the reader to get to know, and understand, the dilemmas they are each facing and their opinions on the unfolding dramas. The novel never strayed into twee territory despite the reader feeling relatively safe in the knowledge of an ultimately happy ending, regardless of the upheaval along the way. I can’t say I was surprised by any of the outcomes but although I usually demand a little more intrigue I was happy to sit back and indulge in a very readable and engaging story. Although I had several minor niggles, one in particular relating to the far too convenient disposal of a nuisance character that felt lazy, I was impressed with the storytelling ability of Erica James and would happily read more about these characters or another of her books.
Martha is married to Tom and she is her father’s daughter; driven, determined and efficient with a master’s degree and a successful career. She was also her father’s clear favourite whilst younger and more empathetic sister, Willow, was happy to drift along. Having decided the time is right for a baby, Martha is dismayed that after ten months of trying she still hasn’t conceived and it’s starting to feel like failure to a woman driven by perfectionism. The arrival of Ellis has also put a spanner in the works of her plans for Naomi to move closer and be a hands-on grandparent. Easy-going drifter, Willow, has finally met a new boyfriend in Rick, whom her family seem to approve of, so why doesn’t she too feel convinced by his obvious overtures to settle down?
This was my first read of an Erica James book and I was impressed with the emotionally powerful storylines and how grounded in reality the whole story proved to be, along with how well-drawn and flawed the characters were. The stories of all three women are woven together superbly and although the overall tone of the novel is heartwarming, they each face plenty of adversity along the way which affect them at an individual level and change the dynamic between them all. Each chapter is written from the perspective of an individual character and this allows the reader to get to know, and understand, the dilemmas they are each facing and their opinions on the unfolding dramas. The novel never strayed into twee territory despite the reader feeling relatively safe in the knowledge of an ultimately happy ending, regardless of the upheaval along the way. I can’t say I was surprised by any of the outcomes but although I usually demand a little more intrigue I was happy to sit back and indulge in a very readable and engaging story. Although I had several minor niggles, one in particular relating to the far too convenient disposal of a nuisance character that felt lazy, I was impressed with the storytelling ability of Erica James and would happily read more about these characters or another of her books.