"Taking in the two World Wars, this intimate and thoughtfully told novel focuses on two women, one a mother, the other the child she was forced to give up."
Set between 1917 and 1940, taking in the two World Wars and all the social and political upheaval between them, this intimate and thoughtfully told novel focuses on two women. A mother at 19, Alice is forced to give her up her baby, and that baby, adopted and living life miles away, grows up knowing she is different. As the two women live their lives, their two individual stories begin to intertwine. Rachel Hore shows immense compassion in her writing as this story about family, love, loss and hope travels through the decades. I found myself immersed in the story, hoping and willing for happiness to step into the end of the tale. Peppered with notes from history, the years between the wars were bright and alive in my mind. Simply, almost gently told, as bitingly fierce and emotional subjects are handled with sensitivity, The Love Child is a beautifully poignant and hopeful novel.
| Primary Genre | Family Drama |
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| Recommendations: |
Lovely relaxing book to read, start New Year off with this one.
A really enjoyable book to read, so good is the storyline I read it twice.
The author brings together two different stories and skillfully blends them together to give to the reader a great reading experience.
The book flows simply, the characters are described as if you know them personally and the author gently pulls the reader into the story making the reader feel that they themselves are part of the story.... Read Full Review
An endearing story of love and loss in the interwar years. A mother and daughter separated by social stigma find each other after twenty years. Atmospheric and beautifully told.
In 1917 Alice, a VAD in France, falls in love with a wounded soldier. They meet again on leave in England, consummate their love and Alice falls pregnant. Her lover is killed and she faces the stigma of bearing an illegitimate child. Her parents make her give the baby up for adoption.
Alice forges a new life for herself as a doctor, marries and has three sons but never forgets her secret child.
Irene is adopted and although well treated never feels as though she belongs.
This is written as a dual narrative by Alice and Irene as they come to terms with their incomplete lives. Adoption pre-1927 was not regulated as it is now and when Irene tries to find her mother she comes up against many difficulties.... Read Full Review
A book not to miss. A storyline that captures your heart and draws you in from the first page. Two women, two completely separate lives, one not knowing the other exists, finally reunited. Their journey is at times very emotive, almost unbelievable, but utterly captivating. If you do anything this month, then read this book, you will not be disappointed.
Oh my word, what a book, what a story!!!
This has to be the most heartwarming, thought-provoking and emotive novel I have read in a very long time.
I was drawn into the story and its characters from the very first page. It was as if I was watching the story unfold from the sidelines. I was drawn into and enthralled by the characterisation of the family and the layers of its history.
You could say it was too good to be true, but on another level was completely realistic, plausible and at times very emotional.
Two women, two completely separate lives, finally joined. Hope, despair, disbelief and lots of twists and turns, keep this book alive and the need to keep reading is overwhelming.
A great read, by a great author.... Read Full Review
