Ready for drama-filled women’s fiction in 2021? I might have just the thing….
A Family Reunion by Patricia Scanlan
Genre: Contemporary/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: 4 March 2021
Print length: 528 pages
Trigger warnings: Child loss
Blurb
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?
My Thoughts
I’ll admit, I was unsure about this one, having never read one of Scanlan’s books before. As someone who veers towards lighter, almost YA fiction, I didn’t know how I’d take to this book but – thankfully – I can say that I definitely enjoyed A Family Reunion.
Whilst big parties of our own feel like a thing of the past, it’s hard not to feel like you’re a guest – or rather a fly on the wall – at Brigid’s party as Scanlan plants the reader firmly in the action. I loved reading the parts leading up to the party, as they set the scene and introduced the four women perfectly (though I did find myself backtracking a few times to remind myself who was who!).
I’m a lover of strong female characters and Scanlan presents just that through the four women in this story. They are feisty, funny and I think the reader will find aspects they relate to in each of the women. Once I got my head around who was who, and how they connected, it was hard not to love these characters (apart from Marc, I’m afraid I didn’t have much time for him 😂).
I also loved how Scanlan set the scene in her book, taking the reader from America to Ireland to Africa – it felt like a holiday without having to leave the comfort of your home!
The only thing I wasn’t keen on was the openness of the ending. I say this all the time but I felt like Scanlan left things open – perhaps to explore in the future – and I didn’t get much of a resolution from it.
Overall, A Family Reunion is a fascinating story of several generations of the same family, overcoming the past and resolving the future. It is an interesting commentary on family and religion and I can see why Scanlan is such a celebrated author.
A Few “Thank Yous”
I wouldn’t have been able to read this book (or participate in this blog tour) without a few people. Firstly, I want to thank Anne Cater (of Random Things Tours and Random Things through my Letterbox) for organising this blog tour and for allowing me to participate.
I also want to thank the publishers Simon & Schuster U.K. and the writer Patricia Scanlan for allowing me to read a physical copy of this book. I enjoyed this book and I hope others will, too.
About the Author
Patricia Scanlan was born in Dublin, where she still lives. Her bestsellers are APARTMENT 3B; FINISHING TOUCHES; FOREIGN AFFAIRS; PROMISES, PROMISES; MIRROR, MIRROR; CITY GIRL; CITY WOMAN; CITY LIVES; FRANCESCA’S PARTY; TWO FOR JOY; DOUBLE WEDDING; DIVIDED LOYALTIES, FORGIVE AND FORGET and WINTER BLESSINGS, a collection of quotes, blessings, poems and reminiscences.
Patricia is the series editor and a contributing author to the Open Door series. She also teaches creative writing to second-level students and is involved in Adult Literacy.
You can follow Patricia on Twitter
A Family Reunion is available to buy here.
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That’s my stop on the Random Things Tour for A Family Reunion done! Don’t forget to check out the other posts as part of this tour
As always, you can find me (and more things books, baking and everything in between) on:
Jen Rose Writes🌹 
Huge thanks for the blog tour support x
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