Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
While Rachel Butler likes her life in a pretty Dublin coastal village, her heart lies in Hawke’s Bay, where she grew up. Visiting for the first time since tragedy tore her family apart, she and her stepchildren fall for its beauty and outdoor lifestyle.
Malahide, Ireland
As Rachel picks up the threads of her life as a single parent, she can’t shake off the memories of her loving family in New Zealand – and her dream house, the villa on the bay. But it’s time to move forwards with their life in Ireland, close to the children’s grandparents, amid the familiar surroundings they all know well.
Until the children’s grandmother, still grieving, starts to interfere, questioning Rachel's position as stepmother.
Until Rachel’s attempts to strengthen the family she loves so dearly backfires, pitting everyone against each other.
And until her late husband’s parents mend the rift that has existed as long as she’s been married – bringing with them an explosive secret . . .
Many thanks to Harper Collins Ireland for my copy of A Mother's Heart to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
I feel like I say this about every book that Carmel Harrington writes but A Mother’s Heart truly is her best book yet. It’s a stunning read from start to finish packed full of family drama, raw emotions and difficult choices but all presented in a very balanced way that leaves the reader guessing the outcome until the very last moment and even at that there was a surprising twist or two that worked so well with the overall themes and development of the book. Set between New Zealand and Ireland the reader is taken on a journey that will leave a deep and lasting impact. I inhaled the story in one go and really didn’t feel like leaving the memorable characters behind once I read the final word. Quite simply, Carmel has written a book that is thought provoking and gets deep under your skin as the broken fragments of a family need to be put back together following the tragedy that ripped their lives into pieces. The book questions what is family and as Carmel herself says family is family, whether it’s the one you start out with or the one you gain along the way.
Rachel is back in her home place of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, the descriptions of which were absolutely breathtaking. She is revaluating her life following the death of her husband Lorcan two years ago in a car accident. The love Rachel felt for Lorcan is felt in her every word and action throughout the book but she would give anything to have him back by her side. Things were easier then and navigating parenthood is even more difficult when you are now a single mother to her step children Olivia and Dylan as they lost their mother Niamh at a very young age. It’s a complex situation but Rachel will always stand by the children and do what she feels is best for them and that is the crux of the story. Should she stay in Hawke’s Bay where her family are and where she feels supported, especially when a stunning property has come up for sale? Or should she return from holidays to Dublin to where the children are settled and have their grandparents living in the same country? Rachel comes back to Dublin with a lot on her mind and a challenging time ahead. If Rachel hadn’t had the children to think about I feel her decision would have been a no brainer but if she chose to stay the guilt that the children would be missing out on their home place would be so intense not to mention it’s where she feels connected to Lorcan and she is not ready and willing to give up that connection just yet if ever. ‘Was she giving them their best childhood in Dublin? Or were they threading water, not getting anywhere, because they were all drowning in sad memories?’
I really felt for Rachel. She was only attempting to strengthen the family unit in a more permanent and solid way but it backfires spectacularly on her and stirs up a hornets nest in a big way. She was still drowning in her grief but doing her best to move forward for the sake of the children. Her every thought and action had Olivia and Dylan at its centre and she provides them with a home filled with love. She came across as kind, patient, caring, loving and fun but deep down the reader can tell that she is grappling with a wide range of emotions not helped by the actions of her in laws. Her family are always on her side in the battle that ensues and to be honest I don’t know how she held her patience as much as she did the further the book progressed and Sheila and Adrian (Niamh’s parents) and Belinda and Oscar (Lorcan’s parents) start to air their views and opinions as to what would be best for the children’s long term future.
Rachel’s position as stepmother starts to be questioned and here is where the story really took off and Rachel doesn’t know whether her ‘outlaws’ were friend or foe? What ulterior motives do they have? Will the children be taken away from her even though Lorcan had wanted them to stay with her? Rachel has been involved long term and is a committed and competent parent and why should these be even challenged or called into doubt? You wonder this yourself but thanks to the brilliant writing throughout this book your opinion on what the permeant outcome should be sways back and forth endlessly. Nothing is clear cut and that’s what I really loved about the book. Such thought and effort went into every word written in order to present the most balanced viewpoint possible. So that every characters thoughts were taken into consideration and not at any stage did things become very one sided and that was that. One firm opinion is never forced upon the reader which would have made the plot and characters very one dimensional. Part Two of the book delves deep into the main issue of the book and the scenes set in an office between Rachel and Sheila were so powerful and brilliantly executed as they went back and forth between each other. I found myself welling up at this point.
Sheila is a tricky character, she doesn’t particularly like Rachel and is filled with resentment that her grandchildren are in the care of someone else when her daughter should still be alive to look after her own children. When Rachel sets the wheels in motion with a momentous decision Sheila’s hackles are raised and the tiger in her comes out in a big way. She became such a control freak and was so petty in her actions and words. She wanted to undermine Rachel at every turn and tried to curry favour with the children at every given opportunity. I didn’t particularly like her as a character but the further I moved into the book the more I could see where she was coming from. But no doubt about it Sheila played a very dirty game and she wasn’t backing down in a hurry. Would she get the outcome she wanted? As for Belinda she feels guilty that her relationship with Lorcan was virtually none existent thanks to her dislike of Niamh and she never got the chance to make things up with him. Is now the time that a connection can be forged with her grandchildren or has she left things too late? Will Rachel do the right thing and find the contentment she so desperately craves or will she continue to make self-sacrifices?
A Mother’s Heart starts slow and steady and then finds its rhythm and establishes itself and then just builds and builds to a fantastic finale. It’s a riveting family saga that brings you on an emotionally rollercoaster that you are reluctant to get off because you have become so invested in the themes and the characters. It’s packed full of incredible highs, devastating lows, love, loss, heartbreak and tumultuous times but at the centre of it all is family and motherhood and doing what is best for those we love deeply at all times. If I could give it more than five stars than I would because it deserves every accolade and words of praise that is heaped upon it. It’s a marvellous book which shows Carmel Harrington is at the top of her game and long may this continue.
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