Mothers and Daughters written by Erica James is a family drama about relationships, love, life, and the lengths a mother would go to keep a secret to protect her daughters.
Naomi, 63 years young, lives in a large wonderful house with a beautiful garden close to the sea. It has been the family home for all of her marriage to her husband Colin.
It is now two years since Colin died. Their marriage wasn’t perfect and there were things that happened behind closed doors that Naomi was sure no one knew about. Well, she hopes no one knows about!
As Naomi rebuilds her life, she finds that she is very happy and enjoying the freedom to make her own choices.
There is a new tenant in the cottage next door. It turns out to be an old friend from her university days. Ellis is now a widower. Naomi and Ellis do have history.
It seems that the time is right for them to continue their friendship, and maybe they will have a chance to have a future together.
But, Naomi worries about how she will explain her relationship with Ellis to her two daughters.
Naomi’s eldest daughter, Martha, is married to Tom. Martha is sensible, a high achiever, bossy and likes to take charge. In fact, she is very much like her father.
Martha is struggling to accept that motherhood hasn’t happened for her at the very moment she planned. Although she does have plans for her mother to sell the family home, downsize and move closer to her in readiness for babysitting.
Willow is Naomi’s youngest daughter. She is the opposite of her sister. Willow is empathetic, and a good listener. She has a sunny and easy-going nature and drifts through life. She is aware of how much she frustrated her father.
Willow has introduced her new boyfriend, Rick, to her family, who approve of him immediately. To them, he will be perfect for Willow.
Willow finds he is perfect, at least in the beginning, but he has secrets too. Willow has her own secrets that she should have shared with her family.
To protect her daughters Naomi has kept her own secrets, but she now realises that by keeping quiet, it didn’t really protect her daughters at all.
The time has come for Naomi to be truthful.
As the three women deal with the present and the past, they each are all able to move on and be their own person in their own right.
This is a great story. The book is easy to read. The characters are lovely and very easy to relate to. There are lots of happy times, but also sad times. It is lovely to see all their relationships move forward once the truth is told. The topic of manipulation and abuse in relationships is dealt with in a relatable and sensitive way.
Thank you to Harper Collins and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read this wonderful story.
ISBN: 9780008413705
Copy courtesy of Harper Collins
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Mothers and Daughters by Erica James. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
I was so pleased when I was chosen for Mothers and Daughters by Erica James, this story is a modern day read so for me that’s one of my favourite genres. It is a story that I could really relate to both from Martha’s point of view and trying to fall pregnant but also Naomi’s story of starting a new life in your 50’s and Willow being a free spirit. You will read this beautiful story and relate to each of the characters and find you won’t be able to put this book down. Thanks for choosing me to read this book and the opportunity to review it.
Wow! Wow! Wow! What a wonderful time I had reading Mothers and Daughters by Erica James. It’s one of those great stories that make you want to keep on reading until you find out what happens next. A totally relatable family and an insight into their true characters; sister rivalry and love; domestic violence; empty nest mother; rekindled first love. It has the lot all told delightfully, set in a rural English seaside.
Do yourself a favour and put this one on your ‘Must Read” list.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, I would recommend it highly!
Despite being a bestselling author, this is the first of Erica James’s books I have read, and it won’t be the last. Her ability to write about the complexities of family members and how, while we may feel we know someone because they are family, it’s important to remember there are always so many layers to an individual. James’ weaves many themes through the book from love to abuse to motherhood to new beginnings.
On the surface, sister’s Willow and Martha could not be more different. Martha, the eldest is organised, driven and a planner while Willow is laid back and drifts her way through life. Their recently widowed mother, Naomi is adjusting to life without her husband who we learn, was not a true reflection of the man, those around him thought they knew. A marriage full of secrets are gradually uncovered.
Anchor House, the idyllic family home, located on the beach is the picturesque setting for much of the book. Despite its beauty and appearance to the world, there is more than meets the eye between the bricks and mortar. Is it possible to live with someone and not really know them?
This was a tough book to put down and I thoroughly enjoyed it from the first page through to the very end. A story of family drama with relatable characters, this one is highly recommended.
As a family drama, Mothers and Daughters ticked a lot of boxes for me. I enjoyed reading about the three central women characters – Naomi the mother, and her two adult daughters, Martha and Willow.
It is a story about motherhood, relationships behind closed doors, love and happiness.
It has moments where characters are enveloped in sadness or uncertainty and past secrets are quite horrific. However, it is written in such a way that you are driven to turn the pages to find out whether the character’s issues are to be resolved.
It is all very relatable – imagine how you would react to your mother having a new partner? Or how you would feel if you can’t get pregnant? I suppose this story has a somewhat predictable outcome but I can honestly say I loved it – so easy to read – the kind of book you could easily read in one or two sittings.
I would recommend the book for anyone who loves family sagas or those centring on female characters. I will be looking out for Erica James’ next novel now! Thank you to Harper Collins and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read it.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the offer to review Mothers and Daughters by Erica James.
In this novel there are new beginnings and old secrets that emerge. Naomi has tried to rebuild her life she shared with her husband since his sudden death in the seaside village of Tilsham. Martha her oldest child is a resolute young lady who is looking to get pregnant with her husband. She reminds Naomi of her Dad. Willow is the youngest and has an easy going character. Willow has a new boyfriend Rick who she wants to settle down with. They are a tight knit family but Naomi has secrets she hasn’t told her daughters. One of her secrets is Ellis a friend who she met a long time ago who is now bringing some fun into Naomi’s life. Naomi has also neglected to tell her daughters that her marriage wasn’t quite like it seemed. I enjoyed this book it is a riveting family drama with twists and turns. It is a story of a family with multigenerational secrets.
‘Mothers and Daughters’ by Erica James was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Having 3 sisters myself (& one very stubborn mother!), I could totally relate to the family dynamic and the clash of personalities at times.
There’s oldest sister, head strong & practical Martha, desperate for a baby but having trouble conceiving.
Then there’s the younger sister, fun & flighty Willow, who prefers to take life as it comes without any real plans.
Of course the matriarch of the family, widower Naomi, sometimes has trouble pulling them into line and letting them know she is very capable of running her own life, including rekindling a romance with old flame Ellis.
This book felt like a nice, warm blanket or a cup of tea, cosy and familiar and easy to settle in with.
A great tale by a very enchanting author, I’ll be picking up more of her books!
Mothers and Daughters
By Erics James
Thankyou beauty and lace for giving me the opportunity to read this great book
The title says it all I loved settling in and learning about each character and picturing them perfectly in my head.
Easy to read and reminded me alot of my family.
With all the dramas and secrets they kept from each other.
A real page turner right until the end .
You will be pleasantly surprised with this story as I was .
Will be passing this book onto to my sister to read as the character Martha the older sister of Willow is her to the tee .
I just finished Mothers and Daughters by Ericia James and found it to a wonderfully written piece of contemporary fiction. I enjoyed how easy it was to read and felt invested in the characters. A perfect read for our Autumn days with a warm cuppa.
The book tells the story of Naomi a widower, who is trying to find her place after a not so perfect marriage. The other two main characters are her daughters, assertive Martha and dreamer Willow. Very real themes are present in the book and I felt they were handled with much sensitivity. The book captured me and took me on the twists and turns that was provided by the family secrets and the things that have remained unsaid.
This is the first time I have read one of Erica’s books and I look forward to reading more. Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review Mothers and Daughters.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for this book to read.
Mothers and Daughter is a relatable family story about recently widowed Naomi and her adult daughters Martha and Willow.
Even though they are sisters Willow and Martha are opposites in how they enjoy their life and how they live it.
I did find the story a little slow to begin with but once I got more involved in the story I began to really enjoy it and the characters became more alive.
Erica James has written a beautiful story about love, loss and all the wonders being part of a family brings.
This is a delightful story that held me all the way to the end.