#BlogTour A Family Reunion by Patricia Scanlan

 

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour A Family Reunion by Patricia Scanlan.

About the Author

Patricia Scanlan lives in Dublin. Her books, all number one bestsellers, have sold worldwide and been translated into many languages.

Follow @patriciascanl18 on Twitter, on Goodreads, Buy A Family Reunion

About the book

One explosive family reunion. A lifetime of secrets revealed. - When four feisty women from the same family, get together at a family reunion, anything can happen…

Marie-Claire, betrayed by her partner Marc plans her revenge to teach him a lesson he will never forget. She travels from Toronto, home to Ireland, to the house of the Four Winds, for her great aunt Reverend Mother Brigid’s eightieth birthday celebrations. It will be a long-awaited reunion for three generations of family, bringing together her mother, Keelin and grandmother, Imelda - who have never quite got along. And then all hell breaks loose.

Bitter, jealous Imelda makes a shocking revelation that forces them all to confront their pasts, admit mistakes, and face the truths that have shaped their lives. With four fierce, opinionated women in one family, will they ever be able to forgive the past and share a future? And what of Marc? It’s never too late to make amends…or is it?

Review

When heightened emotions cause a destructive case of verbal carnage the lives of four women are changed forever. A multi-generational family unit threatens to implode and sink under the weight of secrets kept hidden in the dark for too many years.

Given the close proximity to more modern and advanced countries in the areas of contraception, abortion and the right to have autonomy over our own bodies, it's easy to forget that Ireland is still fighting to come out of the dark ages when it comes to women's health and their rights. They have won some hard battles, but are still fighting to ensure all women have a choice, as opposed to being made voiceless by an antiquated system governed by god and his henchmen.

Although it's not a new fact that the Catholic church ruled, and still rules unfortunately, the image of family and what that image entails for women, it's still quite a well kept secret just how much damage the church has left in its wake. Destructive, secretive, profitable for many and deadly for many more. The secrets that have been buried deep make the sanctity of the church seem very unchristian like.

In the midst of all the heartache and betrayal even the women recognise a need for solidarity, a need to stand up and be heard instead of others being allowed to dictate their choices. I enjoyed the way the author combined the systemic oppression of women in the past with the fact women are still being kept from a right to choose in the 21st century.

Making strides and coming together as women to demand a voice is a core thread of this book, which may seem peculiar given the family is full of strong women, but they are a sisterhood who should be united when it comes to being able to decide one way or the other.

It's a family saga driven by secrets and betrayal, secrets that begin to emerge and change the way these women perceive and interact with each other going forward.

Buy A Family Reunion at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster Uk pub date 4 March 2021 | Paperback Original | £7.99. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Bookshop org. Waterstones.