The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore

 The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore 

"Love makes you do things you never thought you were capable of"

The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore is published on 16th February 2023 by HQ. My thanks to the author and publisher who sent me a copy and Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

Forbidden, passionate and all-encompassing, Margo and Richard’s love affair was the stuff of legends – but, ultimately, doomed. When Richard walked out, Margo locked herself away, leaving her three daughters, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, to run wild. Years later, charismatic Margo entertains lovers and friends in her cottage on the Isle of Wight, refusing to ever speak of Richard and her painful past. But her silence is keeping each of the Garnett girls from finding true happiness. Rachel is desperate to return to London, but is held hostage by responsibility for Sandcove, their beloved but crumbling family home. Dreamy Imogen feels the pressure to marry her kind, considerate fiancé, even when life is taking an unexpected turn. And wild, passionate Sasha, trapped between her fractured family and controlling husband, is weighed down by a secret that could shake the family to its core… Set on the beautiful beaches of the Isle of Wight, The Garnett Girls asks whether children can ever be free of the mistakes their parents make.

My review

This is an easy relaxing read centred around the lives, and relationships, of three sisters and their mother. The descriptive writing is very evocative and I found myself being easily transported to Venice and the beautiful scenery in the Isle of Wight. The sisters are observed in incredible detail so that you, as the reader, feel that you know them well and Georgina develops your knowledge and understanding of them as the story progresses. There are times when as their relationships with each other and their partners and families are exposed, you feel the raw emotion and pain that they try and coverup whilst deceiving themselves as well as each other. 

Margo is a woman who has struggled to come to terms with her alcoholic husband deserting her and consequently this has affected her relationship with her three daughters with whom Margo refuses to discuss their father. Consequently this has profoundly affected them in different ways emotionally and psychologically. At times she is not a likeable woman though I can understand why she acts as she does, as it is self preservation, however, this is at the expense of her daughters needs.

Georgina creates a story that shows how parent relationships, especially when they have disintegrated, have a bearing on their children and the lies and deceit that occur as a result, not just to others but also to themselves.

The description is excellent throughout and allows the reader to imagine in detail the different settings e.g

‘Go on then,’ she said, flinging open the French doors that led to the garden. The dogs bounce out with wagging tails. The wind blew in the familiar briny sea smell she loved. She greedily breathed in a lungful of air as a colony of seagulls lifted off a nearby cottage roof. Keeling and screeching their cries overhead were the sound of home ‘

If I hadn’t been informed that this was Georgina’s first novel I would never have guessed as the storyline and the intricacies within the different relationships that she develops are what I would expect from a writer who has been writing best sellers for a long time. She is adept at drawing the reader into the lives of her characters and has you experiencing many emotions as you follow their lives and relationships. I felt compassion, anger, empathy and incredible sadness at different times during my reading of The Garnett Girls and it is one of those books that you just cannot put down. 

An absolute 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read and I am already looking forward to Georgina’s next novel

The Author

Georgina Moore grew up in London and lives on a houseboat on the River Thames with her partner, two children and Bomber, the Border Terrier.

The Garnett Girls is her first novel and is set on the Isle of Wight, where Georgina and her family have a houseboat called Sturdy. You can find out more about Georgina on the following;

Twitter @PublicityBooks

Instagram @georginamooreauthor