NEW RELEASE
This Child of Mine - Sinead Moriarty (2012)
Anna teaches disadvantaged children and what she wants most is to have a child of her own. Now nearly two decades later she is the devoted mother of Sophie, who is about to head off to art college. Laura is only a teenager when she discovers she's about to become a mother and she's having trouble coming to terms with missing out on what her carefree friends are up to. Now she is a talented artist and keeps a tight rein on feisty daughter Mandy. But a chance encounter opens the window on what happened when Anna and Laura's paths crossed all those years ago. This is an absolutely fabulous read. While some may nitpick about the probability of events unfolding as they do, Moriarty does offer explanations that cover all the plot developments. She also relates the stories of both mothers well, so each can be empathised with. There are also some great minor characters, such as the outspoken children at Anna's school and the all-too-honest WAG.
This Child of Mine, by Sinead Moriarty, is about the ferocity of motherly love.The summary says: "Sophie is a happy 18-year-old living in London with Anna, her Irish mother. Anna has devoted her life to Sophie. It may be just the two of them but Anna has more than enough love to give. Sophie has everything she could ever need. Laura is a not-so-happy artist. She too has a daughter, Mandy. But Laura is haunted by the loss of her first child, Jody. Happy-go-lucky as she is, Mandy lives in Jody's shadow and wonders why her mother can never let go. Both mothers carry secrets and cannot forget the day their paths crossed. But a chance discovery is about to bring everything into the open and mothers and daughters, love and lies, past and future, will spectacularly collide." This Child of Mine is out in August.