Customer Reviews

Another Mother's Life

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for several reasons. Firstly, it was very well written and easy to read. The plot moves along smoothly and all the loose ends are neatly tied into pretty little bows.

Secondly, I found the plot to be interesting and creative. Something similar happened to me in high school, which probably means I was somewhat biased before I even started reading this book, but that doesn't change the fact that this was a terrific story.

Thirdly, the characters were all very well rounded and believable. I got a huge kick out of "Kirsty" and her crazy antics and I would absolutely LOVE to come across her in a future book. I wanted to strangle Alison, but I guess that makes her a well-written character as well, otherwise she wouldn't have irritated me so much.

Fourthly, the book ended the way I was really hoping it would. I won't give anything away, but the ending was sweet and exactly what I was wanted. This book gave me a bittersweet trip dowm Memory Lane and I truly enjoyed the ride!

Catherine and Alison were the best of friends from a very young age, sharing everything and sticking up for one another at all times. They assumed their relationship would never change and it didn't; that is, until the age of seventeen when shy Catherine meets the mysterious, sexy Marc and decides to keep him to herself. Alison, unused to being left out, follows Catherine to one of her trysts with Marc and in a decision that changes everything, entices him not only into bed, but away from Catherine completely. When the two run off together, Catherine is left behind in their small Farmington community, alone and pregnant, to pick up the pieces of her life.

Fast forward fifteen years: Alison, mother of three, finds herself returning to the scene of the crime when Marc persuades her to bring their family back to Farmington. He is hoping for a new start after his affairs and the problems their oldest son is facing; Alison is wary as she sees her dreams for the future evaporating with Marc's loyalty. Catherine, who has never left the area, is separated from her husband Jimmy, and raising two young daughters of her own, and still trying to come to terms with her own identity. When their paths cross, the women must decide if they can bury the past or if they will allow it to continue to affect their futures.

Coleman has a gift for pulling you into the lives of her characters, and I found myself drawn to both women, despite my negative feelings for what Alison did to her former best friend. While I could see what would happen a long way off, I still enjoyed the story and the characters' reactions to uncomfortable situations. There's no new ground broken here; this is a relationship book that unfolds predictably, yet somehow you care deeply for all of the people involved, especially the defenseless children. Coleman helps us to understand motivations that perhaps aren't always so clear cut, and she uses gentle humor to bring out the best in her characters. While at times a bit cliched, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will continue to look for more works by this author.

I found I didn't much care for the characters in this novel, and in fact outright disliked most of them. Both husbands cheated on their wives, and one of the wives was also looking to stray with an old flame. The story line started out intriguing--a teenager runs off with her best friend's boyfriend and then returns to the town years later. Then it starts to go downhill. The jilted best friend ended up marrying the other girl's biggest crush. So these two women imagine what it would be like to have the other's husband. Both couples have kids now, and surprise, surprise, they end up in the same school and become friends with one another. And then as the marriage of the elopers begins to crumble, events come into play that make the interactions between these characters seem as though the only people who live in this town are these four people and their children.

All in all, it was an ok read, but I probably would not read it again because it was just too far-fetched, and I thought the ending tried to bring closure to these people's lives too quickly, so much so that it seemed very unrealistic given the amount of hurt these characters suffered over the years...

I just finished reading this book and I loved it! I had gotten it quite some time ago, and just didn't have the time to get to it...I am so mad I waited all this time to read it! Once I got started, I just didn't want to put it down...

The story centers around the lives of two women, who were best friends since grade school...one of the girls makes a stupid decision, that costs her her friendship and eventually, the respect of her oldest son.

I love books that are based in England...I am fascinated with their culture, slang and traditions, and yet, as an American, I can still relate to the feelings of both women.

It reminds me of the stupid mistakes I made as a teenager, and how I felt invincible and had such a short term view of life. I guess that's what most teenagers do!

I would thoroughly recommend this book and author.

Best friends Catherine and Alison shared everything - back when they were children and then teenagers - until one fateful summer. Now Catherine has a secret, one she holds close to her, reveling in its special glow. Because she knows that if she tells Alison, her beautiful, blond best friend, it will no longer be hers alone.

But then one day, they all meet - Catherine, her new love Marc, and Alison - and the secret is out.

Before the day has ended, their lives will tilt in a whole new direction. For Alison has decided that she must have Marc James for herself. She seduces him. They begin their own love affair. And within weeks, the two of them run off together.

Fifteen years later, Alison and Marc James are returning to Farmington, a village outside of London, with their three children and their wealthier lifestyle. For Marc has succeeded financially. They move into a huge, gorgeous house, and almost immediately, Marc insists on a splendid party for all of his new business associates and their new neighbors. But behind closed doors, their marriage and family life is crumbling. Alison has discovered that the man she had to have is nothing but a superficial shell - and he has cheated on her over and over. She is hanging in there, but doesn't know if she can maintain the façade much longer.

Meanwhile, Catherine has had her own secret pain for all these years, revealed only to the man she eventually marries - Jimmy Ashley - who, incidentally, was Alison's first crush before she decided she must have Marc. They have two daughters, but are currently separated. Catherine
has never been able to fully give herself over to this man. A part of her still belongs to Marc.

Is each woman living "another mother's life"? And what will happen when they finally come face to face at the party of the summer?

As the story unfolds, many layers are revealed, including the damage that one summer of foolish choices has wrought on each of them. They struggle, they cast aside some of the pain and vengefulness, and finally reach a place of understanding...Can they find true happiness at last?

An intriguing story of first love and the damage of betrayal,Another Mother's Life depicts how people, no matter how flawed, can finally learn from their mistakes and rebuild their lives.

Another Mother's Life - by Rowan Coleman

Alison James and Catherine Ashley were best friends in school; until Alison broke the "best friends" rule and ran away and eloped with Catherine's boyfriend.

Now after 15 years Alison has come back to town. She is now wealthy and still married to the "stolen" boyfriend. Catherine, on the other hand is broke, the mother of two and estranged from her husband. They meet again at a party thrown by Alison's husband and both start wondering - what if? What would their lives had been like had things gone the way they had envisioned them 15 years ago? They are both unhappy with their lives now and both learning how to cope with the hands they were dealt . Now living in the same town once more, and drawn to each other, they are about to find out if they each got the life the other should have had.

Written with well thought out main characters, emotional and very realistic dialogue, sometime getting overly bogged down with so much emotion but never for long. The secondary character of Kirsty, with her optimistic take on love, her over sexed character flaws, and comedic antics, is the perfect foil for what could have been a very depressing read. And Alison's eldest Dominic has just the right amount of rebelliousness and angst to balance the sometimes overly sweet aspects of the little girls of both mothers.

I loved this book and I loved learning that sometimes life does give you what you exactly what you deserve. Love. You just have to be smart enough to recognize it and have the guts to grab onto it with both hands.

Rowan Coleman is fast becoming an author to watch. Already a bestseller in her native England, American readers are in for a treat as she makes the trek across the pond.

With Another Mother's Life, we find the compelling story of Alison and Catherine who have been best of friends for years. But one betrays the ohter, their friendship comes to and end as more than just miles separate them.

Fifteen years later, Alison moves back to her hometown, a wife and mother, and finds her old friend still living there, also a mother but in an unhappy marriage.

Will Alison and Catherine be able to look beyond decisions made years ago or will the decisions made back then still have implications today? As the back of the book says, "Can you ever mend a shattered friendship?"

This is a quick, pleasant read that should garner Coleman many American readers and have them wanting more. This is my second read by Coleman (after The Accidental Mother) and with two winners like these, she is definitely on my auto-buy list. It's a thrill to find a great new author like this!

This book is the story of friendship, betrayal, forgiveness and finding ones true self. It was a good story, but at times a bit hard to follow as one chapter was written in present tense, and the next a flashback of a different period of time. Overall, it was an ok beach read, but don't think I could have gotten into it if I didn't have a lot of time and had left my other books at home

This book was an okay read. Like others have stated, the majority of the main characters aren't even all that likeable. The men are cheaters, the 'best friend' is spoiled and the 'misfit' seems weak until the end. I also didn't like the oldest son of the Alison character. At one point, his father slapped him and it was a well deserved slap but in this book the characters acted as if it was a crime against nature that the boy was 'hit.' I wouldn't recommend this to any of my friends to read.

I'm not sure what i wanted from this book, but I know I didn't get it. Coleman writes well and does a good job of dileanating her characters. I was looking for a more complex resolution of the plot. I felt that she tied all of the loose ends too neatly. It seems to me that Alison and Catherine needed a less pat solution. Coleman is a good writer, but I think she took the easier path in resolving this story.