The Patchwork Marriage by Jane Green.

The Patchwork Marriage by Jane Green. 

(Penguin, 2012.) 

Are love and devotion enough to create a happy family? When Andi married Ethan she not only got the man she loved but also the chance to be a mother, to his daughters Emily and Sophia. Unable to have a child of her own, Andi saw this opportunity at motherhood as a precious gift. If only it were that simple. For this is not a happy family, and the trouble lies with Emily. Her conflicted feelings towards her stepmother leave Andi feeling hated in her own home despite years of trying to reach out to her stepdaughter. And with each new drama, Emily drives Andi and Ethan further apart. Just as Andi starts to contemplate a life without Ethan and the girls, Emily comes home with some shocking news. News that will change their lives for ever.

Andi and Ethan love each other but behind their marriage, there are issues – namely, his elder daughter Emily, who seems intent on making things as hard as possible for her father and new stepmother, despite the latter’s best efforts. When Andi reaches breaking point and decides that the only thing she can do is leave, Emily drops a bombshell, which turns everything upside down.

The characters in this story, for me, seemed very real. Parents divorcing and forging new relationships have become a norm in our society (my family included,) and this paints a glimpse into one such family.

At the beginning of the book, my loyalties lay with Andi but as the plot developed and I began to understand the other characters in the story, Emily began to gain some of my sympathy – when you think of her parental situation. The book is very balanced between the characters. Yes, Emily is very much seen as the villain and Andi the heroine but each are given their space which allowed empathy to be distributed more evenly.

I read this book in a couple of sessions (not bad for someone who was on night shift at the time.) I couldn’t seem to put it down as I became invested in this family and what happened to them. This book is maybe a little ‘heavier’ than some of Jane’s other books (for people who are expecting something like Straight Talking and Bookends,) but it didn’t stop me from liking the feel of it and the dimensions of the characters and the plot.

I don’t want to say much more as I don’t want to spoil anything for people who want to read it but in my opinion, it’s a great read.

The Patchwork Marriage is available via Amazon.

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by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.