Published by: Penguin Random House
Pages: 333
Date released: 29/09/2020
Date read: 14/02/2021
Eliza Miller grew up in Australia as the only daughter of a troubled mother, but with the constant support of two watchful godmothers, Olivia and Maxie. Despite her tricky childhood, she always felt loved and secure. Until, just before her eighteenth birthday, a tragic event changed her life.
Thirteen years on, Eliza is deliberately living as safely as possible, avoiding close relationships and devoting herself to her job. Out of the blue, an enticing invitation from one of her godmothers prompts a leap into the unknown.
Within a fortnight, Eliza finds herself in the middle of a complicated family in Edinburgh. There’s no such thing as an ordinary day any more. Yet, amidst the chaos, Eliza begins to blossom. She finds herself not only hopefully about the future, but ready to explore her past, including the biggest mystery of all – who is her father?
I didn’t gel with The Godmothers straight away and put it down after reading a third of it to move on to something else. But it was always there, looking at me, willing to be picked up again. So, after a short break, that’s exactly what I did and I managed to get through the rest of it in record time. I think it just took a while to get going.
It is a warm hug of a book – no, really, you can practically feel the warm embraces of the godmothers. Each character has a heart that is fit to bursting with the amount of love they have for one another, even those that, at first, seem incapable of letting their heart free.
Each character is their own person. I know that sounds a bit weird, but in some books, characters can often merge into one. But not here. Each character has their plus points and their flaws, their highlights and their lowlights. I found it moving, but not upsetting. Heartwarming but not mushy.
I’ll admit I was slightly disappointed by the identity of Eliza’s father (no spoiler from me), but apart from that, I think it was a beautifully written book that has the ability to warm you and lift you up long after you’ve finished it.
I hadn’t heard of Monica McInerney before this and so was unaware there were any previous novels by her, but now I’ve fallen in love with her writing, I’m sure to make up for lost time by reading everything she’s ever written.
Books By Your Bedside 