This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Susan Lobban
When Romilly meets David she can’t believe that he is actually interested in her, but he is. A pair of loved up student their days are filled with parties, drinking and hangovers. Married life is time for them both to grow up, but Romilly finds it hard to leave her drinking habits behind. All wives and mothers drink every day don’t they?
Celeste’s childhood memories are tainted by her mother’s behaviour. There were good times but unfortunately they were few and far between. At the time Celeste did not understand why her mother’s moods were so up and down, but understands only too well. No child should ever be afraid to come home from school should they?
Romilly loves her husband and daughter but her love of drink begins to poison family life.
Amanda Prowse’s books always start the same way in that after only a couple of chapters you instantly forget that you are reading fiction and instead feel fully immersed in real life drama. When we first meet Romilly she is trying desperately to step out her beautiful twin sisters’ shadows and meeting David is just the boost she needs. However his love alone is not enough and Romilly finds her self confidence in the bottom of a wine glass. As the chapters progress so do the years and David is able to leave his student drinking behind, however Romilly sees nothing wrong with a daily drink. Sweet Romilly turns sour right before our eyes.
Following Romilly day to day is truly absorbing but then it is daughter Celeste’s account of living with an alcoholic mum that it is so eye opening. Mothers all hope that their children are not aware of their mistakes and more often than not this is the case, but in this instance Romilly’s drinking becomes too hard to hide. Both accounts side by side perfectly highlight the obvious difference in memory recollections. Husband David’s point of view may not be documented but his reactions to his wife’s actions are, and again this is where Prowse excels as she is fantastic at writing loving husbands. Mr Prowse’s love and support is undoubtedly excellent inspiration as in each book the protagonist’s husband is always the perfect support but not in a clichéd way. David is no exception and my heart bled for him as he constantly tried to see the best in his wife in the most difficult of circumstances.
Amanda Prowse’s writing bursts the bubble of the reader’s life as she makes us aware of pain and despair that we may not experience otherwise. Every time I close one of her books I instantly feel grateful for the life I have.
10/10