 |
| (Amazon UK link) |
As with the author’s other books, there are some believable, three-dimensional characters, and an interesting storyline. The main character, Kate, is in her early twenties, and has a daughter, Daisy, who is nearly five. Daisy is about to start school, and it’s important that Kate explains a few things to her teacher and his teaching assistant. This is because Daisy has cystic fibrosis.
Kate knows that Daisy is not as severely affected as some other children with this condition, but she still needs extra help. She is likely to cough up a lot of mucus, and has to take medication through the day. She has to eat a high-calorie diet, and it’s important that she takes a lot of exercise. Kate is quite nervous about Daisy starting school and being away from her for so long. But Daisy is excited, and Kate knows she has to let go…
Kate is a single mother, who became pregnant at nineteen via a married man who died before Daisy was born. So she’s used to people gossipping about her, and then about Daisy’s condition. She tries to be strong: she has a very supportive mother and stepfather, and she has been working for an Open University foundation degree whenever she has a moment to herself.
Daisy’s teacher is the only male on the teaching staff at her school. He’s called Spencer Swanson, and Kate feels an immediate rapport with him. He’s friendly, and clearly cares deeply about the class he’s going to be teaching. His assistant, Wendy Orr, is rather older, and is an old friend of Kate’s mother’s.
So part of the story is about Daisy adjusting to school life, and Kate trying to decide what to do with her life, once she has finished and submitted her dissertation. It’s also, unsurprisingly, a romantic story. Spencer and Kate have a very believable, somewhat awkward start to their friendship, which quickly becomes something more. And, inevitably, there’s more gossip… not just about the Reception class teacher dating one of his student’s parents, but whether he’s giving undue attention to Daisy. And Daisy sometimes needs extra help, when she gets breathless.
I found myself quickly caught up in the story, even though much of it was rather predictable. Kate finally goes away for a weekend… and Daisy becomes dangerously ill. Kate’s best friend, who is single and loves to party, thinks she’s going too fast with Spencer. Everything seems perfect, but it’s obvious to the reader that Spencer isn’t telling Kate everything about his past, even though they have been very open with each other about previous relationships.
When his secret is finally revealed, it’s not as shocking as I had feared, and I thought Kate’s reaction was rather over dramatic. But in this kind of book there’s inevitably going to be a huge problem in a romance, which (I was pretty sure) would be resolved in the final chapter.
There’s another theme alongside all this, involving two gay women who have been partners for many years, and are now going to get married. Daisy is asked to be their bridesmaid; this couple, too, have experienced a lot of gossip behind their backs, and some extreme bigotry.
I learned quite a bit about cystic fibrosis while reading this book, but it doesn't feel over-educational. The information and symptoms are described as related to Daisy, or when Kate is explaining to others, and it all feels realistic rather than forced.
So there’s a lot to think about in this story, which I thought very well-written with a good pace, and some believable situations and conversations. I really liked the growing friendship between Kate and Spencer, which was an important foundation to their romance, and I loved the interactions with Daisy. She’s a bright, inquisitive child who asks some quite pointed questions at times.
Recommended, if you like women’s fiction with no unexpected twists and turns, but a few issues alongside the standard romantic thread.
Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment