The Talk of Pram Town

This is my first novel by Joanna Nadin, and it contains a lot of truths alongside a plethora of questions . . . Sadie is eleven and she lives with her mam, Connie who works supermarket shifts to keep body and soul together whilst she pursues her first love, singing. Her mum ran away from home when she was pregnant and hasn't seen her parents since; Sadie is unaware of any grandparents but, when Connie dies suddenly she finds herself bundled off to live with them. This is a story of three women; Sadie, her mother Connie and Jean, who was Constance's mother as she grew up. Their individual tales are woven together intricately and all three lives are revealed little by little, pulling me in and before I realised it I was completely engrossed and desperate to find out not only where it was going but what happened in the past. This is one of those books which worms it's way inside your head without you being aware of it and you find yourself comparing events to your own life. Mothers and daughters are never easy but this author has their relationships nailed. Crafted with realism, well-written with a satisfying outcome, this is a novel I'm happy to consider as a four star read.