Because of You: The beautifully uplifting Richard & Judy bestseller

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i really liked Minnie, liked her spirit, her passion and the very beautiful and honest relationship she has with Hope. Because of You feels like it ought not to be a book but to be rushed, but the reality is it is a book that is almost impossible not to race through. I think feeling sorry for Hope also came from knowing that Florence’s dad was a self-loving idiot who would have ruined his daughter’s life, just like he did his wife.

Good point about the longlist context changing the way a reader may be approaching this novel- I suspect that was part of the trouble I had with expecting more engagement from Small Pleasures as well, and it makes me feel a little better about not picking this one up- I probably wouldn’t be able to help approaching with the same bias. I've been quite harsh but I'm annoyed I wasted time on this, I should've dnf'd but I was weirdly compelled to read on, I wanted to know how it would end, hence the 2 stars.

I listened to the audiobook, as DF's best asset is her voice, and the reader gets a good indication of the author's intention, when the author narrates their own work, and, so DF with this crass, low-bow, baseless, flawed rubbish, lowered my opinion of her talent, several pegs. Mothers-to-be Hope and Anna are in a London hospital giving birth however only one of them will leave with a baby.

Her treatment of the police is woeful and fuels prejudices that are quite unbecoming by authors of her caliber. I bought the audiobook expecting usual Dawn French humour and general loneliness, so was shocked to find myself listening to a ‘live’ depiction of a still birth in the first few chapters. I probably wouldn't be so harsh criticising this novel if I weren't reading it in the context of a book prize because I think it's mostly enjoyable, but I don't think it's as impactful as the other books listed for this award. After taking the time to really look at the emotional impact of events in the first half, the pace ramps up to such an extent that certain key moments felt rushed, with characters accepting huge revelations in their stride. It examines relationships between mothers and children, between husbands and wives and fathers and children.The writing itself is solid and I found myself flying through the story, completing it in just two sittings. But above all, the idea that you could ever forgive someone for stealing your baby and causing you pain and worry every day for 18 years is just unbelievable and in my opinion, offensive.

It made me chuckle anyway, especially when he had a run of wrong sayings, all those old catchphrases we so commonly mishear. It was a bit of a surprise when I saw a novel by Dawn French on this year's Women's Prize longlist since I knew she'd written a memoir but wasn't aware she wrote novels as well. The story ends by Minnie having to cope with Hope taking her own life, while recovering from a heart transplant. The story goes back and forth between past and present from here on and ends in a dramatic manner ultimately.

The story is written in a no-nonsense concise manner and includes social and political commentary throughout. absent criminal father sends stolen daughter yearly letters, which she doesn’t receive until she is 17. But the book does have an emotional – if rather unlikely – ending an overall it’s a very big hearted story - and to be honest it’s nice to have a break from books that think seem to think literary means also having to be one or more of misanthropic/transgressive/deeply pessimistic/explicit/scatological. Warning: Stillbirth and a stolen newborn are mentioned in this review as they are brought up in this book. A couple of the characters in this book in particular (Julius and even more so a police officer playing a side role) seem lifted straight from a sit-com – the first simply lacking any depth in his pantomime villainess and the other with a rather unbelievable line in metaphor malapropisms.

In fact, she tries to justify her crime by claiming that she fell in love with the newborn right away and that she was hers from the beginning. If I was FORCED to find positives, the writing is fine and the author is also an actress, so the narration is good. There are some funny and tender moments within the story but overall it felt a bit too forced for me to fully enjoy it or find it impactful. What should have been a beautiful and celebratory day is marred by the tragedy and what follows only compounds the tragedy further.

I have to say that I wasn't utterly overwhelmed by the plot line and found the writing style to be a bit too 'chick lit' for my taste but I persevered and I did warm to the book soon enough. It is entertaining and well produced and you can tell that she reads the text overall with warmth and a smile.