{"product_id":"how-it-was-9781473625211","title":"How It Was","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAS FEATURED ON EMMA KENNEDY''S BOOKSHELF\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''IMMERSIVE, AMAZING, REMARKABLE'' MARIAN KEYES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''JANET ELLIS WRITES WITH TENDERNESS AND WISDOM'' ERIN KELLY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''AN ATMOSPHERIC, CLEVER NOVEL THAT WILL GET UNDER YOUR SKIN'' \u003ci\u003eRED\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarion Deacon sits by the hospital bed of her dying husband, Michael. Outwardly she is, as she says, an unremarkable old woman. She has long concealed her history - and her feelings - from the casual observer. But as she sits by Michael''s bed, she''s haunted by memories from almost forty years ago . . . \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarion Deacon is a wife and mother, and not particularly good at being either. It''s the 1970s and in her small village the Swinging 60s, the wave of feminism, the prospect of an exciting life, have all swerved past her. Reading her teenage daughter''s diary, it seems that Sarah is on the threshold of getting everything her mother Marion was denied, and Marion cannot bear it - what she does next ha\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eYou will love this - immersive, amazing, remarkable, I could barely breathe.  I cried - and I never cry.\u003c\/b\u003e * Marian Keyes *\u003cbr\u003eEllis has a knack for depicting the way in which families struggle to communicate . . . \u003cb\u003eengaging and readable\u003c\/b\u003e * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eEllis writes beautifully, with a \u003cb\u003egreat eye for detail\u003c\/b\u003e. She has \u003cb\u003ea wry comic touch\u003c\/b\u003e and all \u003cb\u003ethe emotions are spot on.\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn atmospheric, clever novel, which will get under your skin\u003c\/b\u003e -- Sarra Manning * Red *\u003cbr\u003eA tale of \u003cb\u003esilences, secrets and misunderstandings\u003c\/b\u003e, of marital infidelities and of paths not taken . . . \u003cb\u003eA fluent, convincing depiction of the poignant intricacies of family life\u003c\/b\u003e * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eemotional epic.\u003c\/b\u003e The former TV presenter's debut novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Butcher's Hook\u003c\/i\u003e, was great, and this second one is also \u003cb\u003eterrific\u003c\/b\u003e, particularly in the way she writes about mother-daughter relationships. * Good Housekeeping *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eengrossing\u003c\/b\u003e read . . . a story of family secrets and twisted relationships * Mirror *\u003cbr\u003eAn emotional read with \u003cb\u003ehumour and heartbreak in equal measure\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Express *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGripping . . . an engrossing read from a talented writer\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Express *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCataclysmic \u003c\/b\u003e * Radio Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePoignant, cleverly nuanced and funny\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Post *\u003cbr\u003eIt's \u003cb\u003ewonderful\u003c\/b\u003e. A brutal tale of a fraught mother-daughter relationship. The writing \u003cb\u003efizzes\u003c\/b\u003e along. Loved it. * Emma Kennedy *\u003cbr\u003eJanet Ellis writes with \u003cb\u003etenderness \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003ewisdom \u003c\/b\u003eabout how you can lose a child while they are still under your roof - and how a child long-lost will never leave you. I veered between laughter and a lump in the throat, often on the same page. \u003cb\u003eThis book will sneak up behind you and break your heart. \u003c\/b\u003e * Erin Kelly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eExplores the human condition with pin-sharp precision\u003c\/b\u003e, so accurate it hurts. It's \u003cb\u003ea raw read, complex and compelling\u003c\/b\u003e in its structure, with emotions laid bare. \u003cb\u003eWritten with empathy and integrity.\u003c\/b\u003e * Lynne Parker *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003ebrilliantly written, dark domestic noir\u003c\/b\u003e * Simon Savidge *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHeartbreaking \u003c\/b\u003e- I would definitely recommend. It's going to be \u003cb\u003ea very popular summer read\u003c\/b\u003e. * Jen Campbell *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWonderfully evocative, immersive and beautifully written\u003c\/b\u003e * Kate Eberlen *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI absolutely loved it. The careful evocation of an era is incredibly seductive . . . These are real, believable, fragile people whose lives the reader becomes totally immersed in and gripped by. \u003c\/b\u003e * Imogen Parker *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI ate this up in one day\u003c\/b\u003e . . . it has such great characters and very realistic, imperfect relationships. \u003cb\u003eA thoroughly immersive story that I would heartily recommend. \u003c\/b\u003e * Bookish Chat *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLolita \u003c\/i\u003emeets \u003ci\u003eMadame Bovary \u003c\/i\u003e. . . \u003cb\u003eEllis writes fantastically\u003c\/b\u003e * Herald Publicist *\u003cbr\u003eIt's equally as \u003cb\u003ecompelling \u003c\/b\u003eas her first. \u003cb\u003eI can't put it down!\u003c\/b\u003e * My Weekly *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48867247391063,"sku":"9781473625211","price":8.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473625211.jpg?v=1722282411","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/how-it-was-9781473625211","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}