Family Connections by Anna Jacobs - Revision history

Sue at 16:41, 31 August 2020

2020-08-31T16:41:15Z

Sue at 09:23, 19 August 2020

2020-08-19T09:23:51Z

Sue at 11:43, 4 April 2018

2018-04-04T11:43:58Z

Sue at 10:04, 26 December 2014

2014-12-26T10:04:04Z

Sue at 11:27, 2 December 2012

2012-12-02T11:27:36Z

Keith at 17:57, 6 November 2009

2009-11-06T17:57:18Z

Keith: 1 revision

2009-10-24T17:29:42Z

1 revision

Keith at 19:18, 5 September 2008

2008-09-05T19:18:17Z

New review

{{infobox
|title=Family Connections
|author=Anna Jacobs
|reviewer=Sue Fairhead
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=Two people from Australia go to the UK to meet unknown relatives, meet and become friendly. Fast-paced and enjoyable, but with a couple of unlikely coincidences.
|rating=4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|format=Paperback
|pages=288
|publisher=Severn House Publishers Ltd
|date=Sep 2007
|isbn=978-1847510075
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847510078</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0727864726</amazonus>
}}
Brad from Australia, who was recently widowed, gets a letter out of the blue from Rosie, his biological daughter in England. He had no idea she existed, but decides to retire early and go to the UK to meet her - much to the disapproval of his two children in Australia.

Gina, also from Australia, is sorting through her late father's house.
She comes across family documents and realises she has a half-brother
and half-sister in the UK. She wants to go and meet them, as she
grew up thinking she had no relatives other than her parents. But one of her daughters is having a difficult time with a pregnancy so Gina doesn't feel she can leave her.

Meanwhile Lou, granddaughter of Gina's half-brother, learns about her Australian relatives. Despite the extreme disapproval of her mother, Lou and her boyfriend decide to go backpacking in Australia, hoping to meet Gina and her family.

Then there's Peggy, Gina's half-sister, who is in an emotionally abusive marriage. And Stu, Rosie's adoptive father, who is angry and depressed because someone else has been given the job he has been doing for years - and he definitely doesn't want Rosie to meet Brad.

Confused?

I was, by the sheer number of characters in this novel - many more than mentioned above - and the different subplots which are introduced one after another, apparently unrelated until the threads slowly begin to weave together. I don't have a good memory for names, and found myself frequently turning back to find out who I was reading about, when there was a section change and I found myself in a different part of the story.

Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable tale that moves pretty fast and has some emotional punch. There's tension as different people try to meet each other, and are thwarted in various ways; also as Peggy tries to escape from her increasingly unstable husband. I could feel some of the stress in various situations, as characters struggled, wept, quarrelled and (in some cases) were reunited.

My main problem with the book (once I had finally figured out who was
who) was the number of coincidences in the story. One or two of them I could happily have believed, but at least one was so unlikely that I felt a little cheated, even though I could foresee it and it did help to make a very satisfactory and tidy conclusion.

But on the whole I enjoyed it. There are underlying messages about the need to move forward, letting go of past hurts and grudges, and also about the need, sometimes, to break free of a situation that becomes out of control. There's an underlying morality that suits my own worldview, showing the importance of forgiveness, fidelity, and family ties in general.

Recommended for a pleasant light read.

Thanks to the publishers for sending this book.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like [[Honor and Evie]] by Susannah Bates or [[The Saving Graces]] by Patricia Gaffney.

{{amazontext|amazon=1847510078}}

{{commenthead}}

@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 Thanks to the publishers for sending this book.
-If you enjoyed this, you might also like [[Honor and Evie]] by Susannah Bates, [[The Saving Graces]] by Patricia Gaffney or [[Chasing the Sun by Katy Colins|Chasing the Sun]] by Katy Colins.
+If you enjoyed this, you might also like [[Honor and Evie]] by Susannah Bates, [[The Saving Graces]] by Patricia Gaffney or [[Chasing the Sun by Katy Colins|Chasing the Sun]] by Katy Colins.  We were also impressed by [[Grass Stains by Kirsty Robinson]].
 {{amazontext|amazon=1847510078}}

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |reviewer=Sue Fairhead
 |genre=Women's Fiction
-|summary=Two people from Australia go to the UK to meet unknown relatives, meet and become friendly. Fast-paced and enjoyable, but with a couple of unlikely coincidences.
+|summary=Two people from Australia go to the UK to meet unknown relatives, meet and become friends. Fast-paced and enjoyable, but with a couple of unlikely coincidences.
 |rating=4
 |buy=Maybe
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 |aznus=0727864726
 }}
-Brad from Australia, who was recently widowed, gets a letter out of the blue from Rosie, his biological daughter in England. He had no idea she existed, but decides to retire early and go to the UK to meet her - much to the disapproval of his two children in Australia.
+Brad from Australia, who was recently widowed, gets a letter out of the blue from Rosie, his biological daughter in England. He had no idea she existed but decides to retire early and go to the UK to meet her - much to the disapproval of his two children in Australia.
 Gina, also from Australia, is sorting through her late father's house.
@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 grew up thinking she had no relatives other than her parents. But one of her daughters is having a difficult time with a pregnancy so Gina doesn't feel she can leave her.
-Meanwhile Lou, granddaughter of Gina's half-brother, learns about her Australian relatives. Despite the extreme disapproval of her mother, Lou and her boyfriend decide to go backpacking in Australia, hoping to meet Gina and her family.
+Meanwhile, Lou, granddaughter of Gina's half-brother, learns about her Australian relatives. Despite the extreme disapproval of her mother, Lou and her boyfriend decide to go backpacking in Australia, hoping to meet Gina and her family.
 Then there's Peggy, Gina's half-sister, who is in an emotionally abusive marriage. And Stu, Rosie's adoptive father, who is angry and depressed because someone else has been given the job he has been doing for years - and he definitely doesn't want Rosie to meet Brad.
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 Confused?
-I was, by the sheer number of characters in this novel - many more than mentioned above - and the different subplots which are introduced one after another, apparently unrelated until the threads slowly begin to weave together. I don't have a good memory for names, and found myself frequently turning back to find out who I was reading about, when there was a section change and I found myself in a different part of the story.
+I was, by the sheer number of characters in this novel - many more than mentioned above - and the different subplots which are introduced one after another, apparently unrelated until the threads slowly begin to weave together. I don't have a good memory for names and found myself frequently turning back to find out who I was reading about when there was a section change and I found myself in a different part of the story.
 Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable tale that moves pretty fast and has some emotional punch. There's tension as different people try to meet each other, and are thwarted in various ways; also as Peggy tries to escape from her increasingly unstable husband. I could feel some of the stress in various situations, as characters struggled, wept, quarrelled and (in some cases) were reunited.
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 who) was the number of coincidences in the story. One or two of them I could happily have believed, but at least one was so unlikely that I felt a little cheated, even though I could foresee it and it did help to make a very satisfactory and tidy conclusion.
-But on the whole I enjoyed it. There are underlying messages about the need to move forward, letting go of past hurts and grudges, and also about the need, sometimes, to break free of a situation that becomes out of control. There's an underlying morality that suits my own worldview, showing the importance of forgiveness, fidelity, and family ties in general.
+But on the whole, I enjoyed it. There are underlying messages about the need to move forward, letting go of past hurts and grudges, and also about the need, sometimes, to break free of a situation that becomes out of control. There's an underlying morality that suits my own worldview, showing the importance of forgiveness, fidelity, and family ties in general.
 Recommended for a pleasant light read.
@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 Thanks to the publishers for sending this book.
-If you enjoyed this, you might also like [[Honor and Evie]] by Susannah Bates or [[The Saving Graces]] by Patricia Gaffney.
+If you enjoyed this, you might also like [[Honor and Evie]] by Susannah Bates, [[The Saving Graces]] by Patricia Gaffney or [[Chasing the Sun by Katy Colins|Chasing the Sun]] by Katy Colins.
 {{amazontext|amazon=1847510078}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=Family Connections
 |author=Anna Jacobs
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 |date=September 2007
 |isbn=978-1847510075
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847510078</amazonuk>
+|cover=1847510078
-|amazonus=<amazonus>0727864726</amazonus>
+|aznuk=1847510078
 }}
 Brad from Australia, who was recently widowed, gets a letter out of the blue from Rosie, his biological daughter in England. He had no idea she existed, but decides to retire early and go to the UK to meet her - much to the disapproval of his two children in Australia.

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 |buy=Maybe
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=288
 |publisher=Severn House Publishers Ltd
@@ Line 45: / Line 44: @@
 {{amazontext|amazon=1847510078}}
 {{commenthead}}

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