The Twins - live webchat with Saskia Sarginson 11 Sept 1-2pm

Thanks from me too as I was delighted to receive a copy and look forward to reading it.

Thank you from me as well - think this is going to be a good one.

My copy has arrived too. Thank you very much.

Just received my copy and looking forward to starting it

Thank you so much for the book. looks really interesting. Can't wait to read it. I will review it later. Thanks again

What a lovely surprise to receive this book, many thanks.

Many thanks for this facinating book.

Just received my copy, many thanks

Just finished this lovely book. Really held me from start to finish. This book takes you back to childhood friendships. Set in lovely Suffolk, places where we spent a lot of holidays when my daughter was little, that was also in the 70's, my daughter would run through the fields and woods with her cousins who lived in lovely Woodbridge. Visiting Suffolk Colts in the field and feeding them polo mints and carrots. My daughter with her with her cousins could have been with the twins, it all felt so,so real, which really bought back hazy days of summer and rough winds and cold sea in winter. Thank you Saskia for that. Also the Michael Fish foopah My hubby was on a ferry at the time going to France. We didn't have mobiles or internet, I had no idea whether he was safe until he came back, that was a real bad weekend we sat by tv and radio for any news. This book holds so many memories for me, and I can honestly say that the author got it oh so right,once again thank you. I couldn't put this book down, a true account of late 60's and 70's. I don't know about anyone else but you felt that you were in the story, the two sets of twins, from different backgrounds, joined together by their Enid Blyton's adventures real childhood. Scary, funny, innocent childhood in the days when children were children and free to run anywhere without too much fear.So much fun which brought some horrible consequences. Voila's eating disorder. Isolte was tormented with terrible nightmares, the secrets affected her life, she was lucky to find a man who loved her for what she was,he was patient and waited until she was ready to find a way to find trust. you laugh, you cry.The secrets of childhood. What did happen to Polly? Could there be another book there? Thanks for the memories, a great read. Your first book to be proud off, Can't wait to read your next book, How long do we have to wait for that? We have had a great Summer this year and this has been a great summer read. 100%. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Gransnet, for the copy of The Twins. I am about half way through it at the moment and have to confess I found it a little slow at first( my last read was a fast moving thriller!) but the whole "feel" of the book now has me hooked. The characters of the girls and Rose are so vividly portrayed. I particularly like the way Rose goes to such extremes to impress Frank, while the girls only see one side to him - the boring side.
I am sure there is more to keep me enthralled in the as yet unread second half of the book!
I think this is a great book - the start of more to come I hope!

Thanks for my copy have not started it yet due to a backlog of books on my kindle but I'm sure I won't be dissapointed

Thank you very much for the book which I've just finished and really enjoyed. I thought it very well written and it brought back for me my own memories of the 1970s and 1980s. The characters were very realistic and the pace of the book was just right. I would certainly recommend it.

I would love to have a copy of this book and join the discussion as I live in Suffolk and have twin granddaughters. Am I too late?

I would love to have a copy of this book and join the discussion as I live in Suffolk and have twin granddaughters. Am I too late?

Hi Saskia I heard you on Woman's Hour but only caught the end so looking forward to this. I loved the book. Did the idea come from having twins yourself?

Given you have identical twins yourself did you find it hard to paint very different pictures for each of the twins in the story? Have they ever asked which of them is which in the book? (That's two questions hope that's ok)

I believe this is your debut novel - how did it feel to see it in print? Did you think it would do so well? Was it scary going on Woman's Hour?

I've started, but not finished the book and so far it's been a good read. I have to admit though that, as most readers do, I've painted a picture of the twins in my head which is no doubt different from yours. At first I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it but I am getting more drawn in. If I can get it finished in time I hope to add another comment.

I had daughters, always wanted a boy, well I was blessed with identical twin grandsons.
My daughter was deserted by their father who has nothing to do with the boys I stepped in and became their companion. It has without doubt been the most magical journey over the past 10 years, hard work but so rewarding.
As grandma I feel blessed to have had such input into their lives, now in year six of junior school and independance taking hold I have to dear friends in these young men. We enjoy the holidays, they are great company and a complete joy to the whole family.
Not all singe parent families are in need of the father figure, some do just fine with a loving family to take responsibility of these young lives.
I have not read the book, I will however keep an eye open for a copy.

I will get hold of this book and try to read it before the chat. I was always fascinated with twins, then had twins of my own and now they both have twins. There are so many issues arising that would never have occured to me with a single child, not least that our immediate family never thinks in terms of twins until others remark on them, such as issues like their position in school class or friendships throw up something extra to deal with. Most of the time, we have children of the same age who are close, competitive, squabble and adore each other. Great fun and busy times!

Thank you, Gransnet, for the free copy of The Twins.

I doubt I'll have time to finish it before Wednesday's webchat, but I am fascinated by the disparate lives of the two girls and want to find out what brought each of them to such different places. Whether it's going to turn out to be one life-changing event or a gradual accumulation of things. The writer has really made me care about her characters - John and Michael and their family as well as Viola and Isolte and their mother. This to me is the mark of a good writer.

My particular question would be regarding Viola's eating disorder. I would like to ask Saskia whether her portrayal of this is based on any personal experience or is it the result of a lot of research?

And if I can ask a second question... Much of the early book regards the relationship between two sets of twins. Have Saskia's own twins had close friends who are also twins? And if so, does Saskia think that this led to a particularly close friendship?

I'll definitely be looking out for the next book.