Cathy Kelly

News Story

Newsletter Feature: Books

Posted on 14 Jun 2010

Books...

I'm loving...

Fiona O’Brien’s Without Him.  I got to read it early on and I loved it. Just got a finished copy and am going to reread.  You honestly won’t be able to put it down. It’s grown up, wise and clever fiction, yet very warm and funny.  She’s a star. Here’s the blurb:

Shelley Fitzgibbon has it all – a charismatic, successful husband, three beautiful children and the lifestyle of her dreams. But then her husband, Charlie, disappears, leaving behind more than just a business empire in crisis . . . The luxurious family home is sold and while Shelley’s daughters Olivia and Emma come to terms with being broke, eleven year old Mac refuses to talk about what happened.
 When Charlie’s estranged mother, Vera opens her doors to the broken family, secrets from the past emerge that reveal there was more to the Fitzgibbon family than meets the eye. And while Shelley struggles to keep her family together, she wonders if she ever really knew the man she married.
Meanwhile, six thousand miles away in sunny Cape Town, Charlie is wrestling with life-changing decisions of his own. Can you ever really know anyone? Is blood is always thicker than water? Maybe Charlie’s family are simply better off without him...

Emma Hannigan’s Miss Conceived.  Emma’s debut novel, Designer Genes, was fiction but related to her own diagnosis with the BRCA1 gene, which predisposed her to breast and ovarian cancer. She subsequently had a double mastectomy and had both her ovaries removed, and she fictionalised this for Designer Genes.  You may not think someone can make this into a funny novel, but Emma could.  Miss Conceived is a totally different story but just as funny. Here’s the blurb:

Angie Breen’s body clock is ticking so loudly she’s certain passers-by must be able to hear it. Still single at forty and beginning to despair, she goes to drastic lengths to ensure she won’t end up childless and alone.

Serena Doyle is the ultimate trophy wife. Married to a dynamic businessman, she is the epitome of glamour and sophistication. But Serena is harbouring a secret and her struggle to conceive blows the cover on an issue she’s been hiding – even from herself.
 
Ruby White is not yet sixteen and a very precious only child. Her parents are in shock when she announces her pregnancy. Determined to keep the impending baby a secret from their circle of privileged “it” people, they conjure up a plan to save face. But has anyone thought of asking Ruby what she wants?
 
Is Serena willing to pay the price to achieve conception? And is Angie heading towards bliss or disaster? Three very different women travel the rocky road to childbirth with all its heartrending ups and downs.
 

And yes, these girls are two of my dearest friends, but trust me, these are great novels.

Digg This+ | Del.icio.us+ | Stumble+ | Facebook+ | Email This+
News Headlines

For me, being a mother is the most important part of my life. In Mozambique, I met mothers who face problems that I daren't imagine. HIV-positive mothers desperately trying to get their beloved HIV-positive kids on the life-saving anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) that can mean the difference between life and death.

More >>