Sins of the Mother by Tara Hyland

From the author of Daughters of Fortune comes a sweeping family drama that follows a mother and daughter through the poverty of post-WWII Ireland and London and into the glamour of 1950s Hollywood and beyond, revealing the ways in which family ties can never be broken.
Tara Hyland is beloved by readers for her exquisite talent at weaving family sagas that journey through the rocky roads of secrets, lies, and betrayals, only to show that no challenge, no matter how difficult, can ever truly sever the bonds of love.
The novel opens in 1946, when Franny Healy
Over thousands of miles and three decades, through heartbreaks and death, Franny and her estranged daughter live vastly different lives, but remain connected, showing once again that the bond between mother and child always endures.

Good Reads Summary

Could you abandon your own child?  This novel's central theme appears to be abandonment, love, and understanding.  The author delivers on all fronts.  She manages to stay fairly neutral in this novel-not an easy task in a novel where judgement is easy to dole out. 

The main character of the first part, Franny, is likable at first.  She appears as an eager child looking forward to the rest of her future.  However, a turn of events involving a pregnancy and the father taking off leaves her far more cynical and desiring a better life.  Her gluttony eventually gets the better of her.  She takes off and abandons her daughter, Cara, much like her lover did to her years ago.  Cara grows up fresh-faced and tough with her grandmother, her absent mother missing birthdays and sending presents late. 

Cara's bitterness towards her mother at first seems accurate and deserved. However, things are not always as they seem and Cara soon finds out her mother's life is not nearly as glamorous as she once thought.  This author highlights Huntington's Disease in her novel; the disease is integral to the plot and important to learn about.  The author writes very smoothly and frankly, details are never left to the imagination.  This novel is recommended for young adults/adults who enjoy women's fiction.

4 Stars