Chicklit Club
 

NEW RELEASE

 
 

Two Fridays in April - Roisin Meaney (2015)

 

It is the one-year anniversary of the death of Finn Darling, and his daughter Una's seventeenth birthday. Finn's widow, Daphne, is struggling with her grief, but tries to put on a brave face and arranges a birthday dinner for her stepdaughter Una and mother-in-law Mo. Daphne and her own mother Isobel have a strained relationship as a result of Isobel walking out years before, and Daphne is having trouble maintaining a close relationship with her stepdaughter. When Una doesn't show up for the dinner, Daphne, Mo and Isobel are thrown together in panic, but soon they begin to realise that life is still for living despite the hurt they've been through. This is a superbly written book - I loved how the story highlighted how much one man's death can affect the people left behind. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of the four ladies, and I liked how certain imagery linked all of their stories together without too much repetitive overlap. Daphne is a very likeable character, her love for Finn is evident throughout. Una is also a very admirable girl, despite her naivety at times, she inspires the others to move on from the things that are holding them back. A great read. (LO)

Rating 8/10
 
 

'Two days, one year apart. Four lives changed for ever' is the tagline for Roisin Meaney's latest novel, Two Fridays in April. The summary says: "It's Friday, April 2. Daphne Darling knows that she should be celebrating her stepdaughter Una's 17th birthday but it's hard, because the date also marks the one-year anniversary of her husband Finn's death. Daphne can't turn to her own mother, Isobel, for advice - ever since Isobel ran out on Daphne and Dad Jack for a new life, they have never been close. Finn's elderly mother Mo is still grief-stricken at the death of her only son, so she is of little help. But by the end of that day in April, things will have changed for all of them. Una, it would seem, has disappeared... She's told them all that she is eating at a friend's house, but instead, she's at a mystery wedding - with the last people on earth she might be expected to have befriended. And what's more, Una has decided to track down her 'real' Dad, with the help of a stranger... Una's bravery, her foolishness, forces Daphne, Isobel and Mo out of their shells and for the first time since Finn's death, each woman has to confront herself, her grief, and to work out what really matters in life. And when the next Friday in April rolls around, it marks a fresh start for each of them... a new beginning." Two Fridays in April is out in March 2015.

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