We Are Family - Hardcover

Lloyd, Josie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0434011444 ISBN 13: 9780434011445

Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd, 2004

Synopsis

In affairs of the heart, how far can family loyalties be stretched before they snap?1953, and although the coastal village of Stepmouth appears as idyllic as ever, a passionate feud threatens to shatter the small, tight community. Sixteen-year-old Rachel Vale, wilful and unconventional, has fallen in love with the man her brother hates. When the town is devastated by a vast, unstoppable flood, the Vale family is left broken and irreconcilably divided. Or so it seems.2003, and Laurie Vale, an only child and aspiring artist, takes a phone call from an aunt she never knew existed, only to discover that everything she ever believed about her family is a lie. As the truth unfolds, the hopes and passions buried in the Vale family's past surface once more. Unknowingly, Laurie has also taken the first step towards becoming ensnared in a complex love affair of her own. Divided between Fifties Stepmouth and the searing heat of a present day Mallorcan summer, We Are Family is a modern family saga which explores the conflicting relationships of two very different generations.

About this title

Review:

The fifth tome from the Lloyd/Rees writing duo opens with pretty Laurie Vale enjoying her very own private view in a chic London gallery. Within two pages we learn the key facts: Laurie is on the slow road to recovery from an emotionally crippling holiday romance; this is her last stab at making her living from her painting; and she feels guilty that she doesn't see more of her recently widowed father. And then a chance phone call blows her life apart when an Aunt she didn¹t know existed informs her that her Uncle has just died.

But before we can discover more, the scene shifts. It is half a century ago in a small coastal village somewhere in North Devon. Laurie's father and sister are living with their disabled mother above the family run shop. A family feud of monumental proportions has torn the Vale and Glover families apart so that when Laurie's Aunt begins stepping out with handsome young Tony Glover, you just know that no good will come of it.

Presumably, Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees have taken one half of the story each--regular readers may even be able to work out whose is the 1950s drama and whose the modern day denouement. While there is as much action, surprise twists and skeletons in cupboards packed into We are Family as a month of bumper edition episodes of Eastenders, it is to the authors' credit that they manage to sustain a powerful storyline with hard-edged realism.

The surprises are (mostly) genuinely unexpected: Lloyd/Rees do not shirk from tragedies and unhappy turn of events. We are Family is not a jolly holiday with neatly tied storylines. For fans and those looking for a cracking, fast-paced read, this will hit the right buttons.--Carey Green

Review:

'A beautifully written novel' -- Company, June 2004

'A multi-layered family saga... the perfect pick-up and put-down escapist holiday read' -- Glamour, June 2004

'A vivid story' -- Woman's Own, 3 April 2004

'Definitely one for holiday reading' -- Devon Today, May 2004

'Funny, tragic and unpredictable' -- Hot Stars, 29 May - 4 June 2004

About this edition

• Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0434011444
• ISBN 13: 9780434011445
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 496