August book club - The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth

Thank you for my copy of the book. I had not read a book by Sally Hepworth before and thoroughly enjoyed this one, although as mentioned in previous comments there were a few little parts such as the timeline which should have been noticed and rectified before going to print.
Having said that I though I shall certainly be reading more of Sallys books, I liked the way she took time to explore Diana’s character thus giving me time to change my opinion of her and indeed see deep inside her.
A jolly good read!
Thanks again GN

Thank you for the book. I enjoyed reading it and finished it quickly. It was clearly set out so I wasn't confused by it going backwards and forwards as I am with some novels. The character of Diana is quite complex and sometimes contradictory. Unsure about finances of the family- it wasn't really explained.

An interesting book to read , I will read the this book again in the future.

Thanks for sending me a copy of The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth. I found it a really engaging book that I didn't want to put down. I could really relate to it. I didn't always get on with my own MIL and I found it quite thought provoking.

I'd love to know if the author had any personal revelations during the writing about relationships in her own life or if the character development was already totally set in her mind before putting pen to paper.

Great story, would quite easily adapt to a TV production. Not my usual read but left me wanting more.

Hi Sally, do you base your characters on people you know ?
Thank you
Loved your book xx

Sorry, forgot to leave a question. I wondered how you decided what to describe in detail and why? Thanks

Sorry forgot to ask a question. Did you base Diana on anyone you know as her character is very complex and sometimes contradictory? Thank you.

Hi, I thought the story line was different, so well done on that! However I couldn’t ‘take’ to Diane, she seemed to be a split personality that to me didn’t ring true, too extreme in dealing with her own flesh and blood, given her origins. Did you base her on someone you now?

know

I was put off-balance initially by the chapter ´jumping´ as I find it quite distracting but I did enjoy the book overall. I too read it in a concentrated session as I wanted to do a review but then had no idea where to post such a thing. Any way, it was lovely to be given a book very much removed from my normal reading matter, I did enjoy it. Thank you.

Thank you, just downloaded to my Kindle!

Thank you fro my copy of “The Mother-in-Law”. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it difficult to put down. It was well-written with good character and plot development. I will certainly be looking for more books by this author. It made me wonder what Sally’s relationship with her own mother-in-law is/was like?

Hi, just a newbie to the group and wonder if someone would be able to advise me on how to get the books please? Many thanks

I would like to ask Sally if she is happy with the final book or would she change anything in particular if she could.

Would Diana have had a better relationship with her children if she had less money?

Thank you for my copy of 'The Mother-in-Law' which was a quick, enjoyable read but not my usual fare. Even though I have a very difficult relationship with my mother in law I couldn't really believe in the one portrayed in the book and I would have to ask whether Diana or her relationships were based on someone Sally knows?

I have been fortunate enough to win a copy of The Mother In-law. I read feverishly for seven hours straight. During that time I found myself with mixed emotions. One minute chuckling another with tears streaming down my face but underneath all of this was the desperation to reveal the truth about this family.
I’m still intrigued by the dedication and would love to hear more about Peter.
However, Diana and Lucy’s relationship goes from strained to one of love and acceptance of each other. Where did you find the inspiration for their characters. The spoken word is as important and the unspoken word, regrets of what we should say, wish we hadn’t. Do you think many modern relationships struggle between mother and daughters in-law because of this? Traditionally is is because of boundaries overstepped, words taken out of context, lack of support and help. It was a thrilling read one very different to my initial expectations.
I can see this being adapted for cinema - who would be your ideal star to play each character?
As a reader I’m hungry for more. Will there be a future release of Tom and Diana the early years? Or of Lucy and Ollie with their children and relationships with their new extended family?

I’m now off to kindle The Family Next Door, I had a copy but a friend borrowed it and failed to return it. I was a few chapters in and was as riveted to that as I was The Mother In-law. Truly brilliant writing which kept me guessing to the end which is something that rarely happens.

Thank you x

Thank you for my copy of the Mother in Law. I enjoyed the story and like other posters I didn't mind the flitting backwards and forwards. I'd like to ask Sally where she got the inspiration to write this book? Also did she know where the characters were going before she started to write the book or did they evolve and change as the book progressed? Thanks again for the book!

I'd like to ask Sally which character she found the easiest to create and why?

I would like to ask if Diana's character was based upon people that the author had come across in life,I feel her stern exterior and secrets led her to miss out a lot on things that she should have been enjoying as her life evolved.

I've been exceptionally busy this last month and have not yet managed to finish reading the book - I'm at page 92.

I am enjoying it and want to find more time to see how the essentially two strands of narrative develop and coalesce to the conclusion. I've not come across the idea of dual first person narrative before and find it an interesting way of telling the same story from the perspective of different participants. I do, however, find the constant switching between narrators and their respective time periods a bit disruptive of the narrative flow but maybe that approach will be rewarded as I read further into the book.

IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET INTO THE BOOK BUT, WHEN I DID, IT WAS UN PUT DOWNABLE. I HAVE NOT READ ANY OF YOUR BOOKS BEFORE BUT WILL CERTAINLY LOOK OUT FOR THEM IN THE BOOKSHOPS NOW.
I DID NOT LIKE DIANA MUCH UNTIL AFTER TOM DIED SHE SEEMED VERY HARD TO HER CHILDREN ALTHOUGH SHE WAS A GOOD GRANDMOTHER.... BUT I DID NOT FEEL THIS SAT VERY WELL WITH HER DENYING HER DAUGHTER THE CHANCE TO BECOME A MOTHER THOUGH.

carolboz

Thanks for my copy of TheMother in Law. What an intriguing read. When I first looked at the book I was a bit dubious whether I would enjoy it or would it be assigned to the try again later pile.I was hooked from page 1. It is one of the few books i have read where shifting back and forward in time works well. As the story unravelled it held my interest through out. The ending a complete surprise with a real feel good factor to finish. Can I ask Sally will Oliver and Lucy's tale end there or will there be more to come? I shall deinitely be reading The Family Next Door.

Hi Carolboz,

For now, the story ends there. When I wrote this book the question in my mind was: why is the mother-in-law relationship so fraught? I felt I got the answer to that question at the end of the book, at least for these characters. But if another question pops up that I could use these characters to answer? Who knows? Never say never.