A Wealth of Warmth and Understanding

I don't often review books on this blog, but sometimes a book comes along that just has to be celebrated - and The Halfpenny Girls by Maggie Mason (the pen name for saga author Mary Wood) is just such a book.

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This is a gripping family saga set before the war and follows the lives of three friends - Marg, Edith and Alice.   Touchingly, the three heroines, as well as other characters in the story, are named after late loved ones of followers of Mary Wood's thriving Facebook community.

What I loved about this book, and what made it, for me, a stand-out saga, was the concentration on family life. Sagas often revolve around the work-place, but this one is firmly rooted in the hardships faced by the girls because of their family circumstances. Violence, alcoholism, betrayal and dementia are all woven into the tale - alongside love, loyalty and the determination of the three young heroines to do their very best for their nearest and dearest, despite every hardship. There are no easy answers to the problems each family faces - just a wealth of warmth and understanding from an accomplished author.

This is a complex story with strong, cleverly interwoven plots, well-drawn, multi-layered characters, and, above all, a powerful sense of the importance of family.

Now I'm looking forward to the sequel, The Halfpenny Girls at Christmas, which is published on November 11th.

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The Halfpenny Girls on Amazon

The Halfpenny Girls at Christmas on Amazon