This Child of Mine by Sinead Moriarty

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 - no father nor grandparents, no uncles nor aunts - 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 in their hearts 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 ..... 

It has been well over six years since I read Sinead Moriarty's trilogy about Emma Hamilton; The Baby Trail, A Perfect Match and From Here To Maternity.  I remember really enjoying the series, but for some reason I've not read any of her later novels.   I've just finished This Child Of Mine, her eighth novel which was published in Penguin Paperback on September 26th 2013, and am wondering why/how I missed out on the others?

I was totally and utterly hooked by This Child of Mine from the very first page.  Sinead Moriarty's writing flows beautifully, her characters are charming and very realistic - they are flawed, but with very good reason. The subject matter is dark and emotional, the consequences of the character's actions are devastating, causing long-term suffering, yet this is not a harrowing or morbid read.  There is humour amongst the angst and warmth amongst the heartbreak, and Moriarty has expertly balanced this story.

To talk too much about the actual plot line would give away the detail and would spoil the novel for anyone who has not yet read it.  However, the reader is aware of what has happened long before most of the characters find out, and as the story unfolds and more is learnt about each character, the story and the sympathies alter.

Polished and almost perfect, this is a novel that kept me gripped until the very last page.

My thanks to Catherine at Penguin, Ireland who sent my copy for review.




Sinead Moriarty lives in Dublin with her husband and their three children.  This Child Of Mine is her eighth novel.
For more information about the author, visit her website www.sineadmoriarty.com, visit her Facebook page or follow her on Twitter