Blog Tour: 'Finding Mother' by Anne Allen (2013)

Three women. Three generations. Sacrifices for love... 

Who is she really? Nicole is about to find out as she searches for her real mother; the woman who gave her away at birth. With her marriage in tatters, she sets out from England: travelling to Spain, Jersey and Guernsey before the extraordinary story of her real family is finally revealed. Nicole becomes an unwitting catalyst for change in the family. Two women are forced to reveal long-buried secrets. One going back as far as the Second World War. Lives are transformed as choices have to be made and the past laid to rest...

I’m excited to be a host on the blog tour for Anne Allen’s novel ‘Finding Mother’ today, organised by the lovely Shaz from Fiction Addiction Blog Tours! I wasn’t familiar with Anne Allen’s work before receiving a review copy of ‘Finding Mother’, but I was straight away mesmerized by the gorgeous cover (the vivid blue reminds me of the ocean and the bright colours make me long for a summer holiday!) and intrigued by the blurb. Needless to say, I was quite curious to find out more as soon as I had the actual review copy in my hands and looked forward to reading it!

Nicole Oxford was adopted as a baby and brought up by her two loving parents on the island of Jersey. She is now happily married, has a great job, and a lovely home on the mainland of England. However, when Nicole unexpectedly discovers that her husband Tom has been unfaithful to her, her world comes crashing down. Feeling the need to get out of England, Nicole travels to her parents in Spain for a much-needed holiday and she finds herself starting to wonder about her roots, her biological family. After a trip to the adoption agency, Nicole discovers her biological mother is still alive and well, living on the island of Guernsey. With a good dose of curiosity and nerves, Nicole embarks on a journey to find her biological mother, having no idea what she will eventually find and uncover.

At the core of this novel we have a female protagonist, Nicole, who is searching for her biological mother, as the title already suggests. Nicole is a compelling main character and I really enjoyed reading about her journey from Bristol to Spain to the Channel Islands (a gorgeous destination which serves as a great scene setting for this book) in order to find her family roots. Eventually, we are treated to a story of three female generations, with a great set of realistic and well-rounded characters including Nicole’s grandmother Eve (whom I straight away adored) and her adoptive parents (I thought it was fascinating to see how they dealt with their daughter’s search for her biological family).

Even though I sometimes missed a bit of depth and would not have minded if a bit more complication had been added to the storyline, the story moves along in a good flowing pace and deals with fascinating themes such as family and finding your own identity, combined with a touch of romance. ‘Finding Mother’ is a kind-hearted, enjoyable and relaxing novel which is perfect for a lazy afternoon on the couch or in the garden and I personally look forward to reading more of Anne Allen’s books in the future!

Rating:7,5/10

For more information about this book: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads

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