Review: Sins of the Mother by Tara Hyland

Goodreads: The novel opens in 1946, when Franny Healy is a beautiful and spirited teenager living in the poverty of County Cork, Ireland. Franny wants nothing more than to escape to the excitement of London. But when she discovers she is pregnant, her boyfriend abandons her. Undeterred, Franny leaves the baby with her mother and flees to the city, where she finds work as a nightclub performer. She shines onstage and is soon propelled into a life she's only dreamed of, filled with Hollywood stars, glamorous parties, furs and fashion, plus a new husband - who must never know of the daughter she left behind in County Cork.

Over thousands of miles and three decades, through heartbreaks and death, Franny and her estranged daughter live vastly different lives, but remain connected, showing once again that the bond between mother and child always endures.

Kritters Thoughts:  What a fantastic read.  A little historical wrapped around a wonderful story with women at the core.  I fell in love with the story from the beginning and even with it being a chunkster, I couldn't put it down and finished it in two and a half days.

With a glimpse at the very beginning that would weave nicely into the ending - this book was nothing like the books I have been reading recently - it had heart, turmoil, twists and turns.  I fell in love with Franny from the beginning and just wanted to hear her story.  The characters that weaved in and out were dynamic and kept the story moving forward.  Even the ending had turns that I couldn't have even predicted!

I will not spoil this great read with any details, but will instead urge you to go to your closest bookstore (perferrably an indie) and grab this touching story.  Even a reluctanct historical fiction reader will love this one.   

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Pages: 448

July-Sept 2011 Challenge: Starstruck (Tom Hanks)