Book Review: Between a Mother and her Child by Elizabeth Noble

For Maggie and Bill it was love at first sight...
One impulsive wedding later and with the arrival of three perfect children, Jake, Aly and Stan, the Barrett family seem to have it all. Until the day their world stops turning.
When Jake dies suddenly, they're swept away on a tide of grief that fractures Maggie and Bill's marriage. She and the children are left clinging to the wreckage of their family. And they need help, because in her grief Maggie is in danger of losing Aly and Stan too.
Enter Kate, housekeeper, companion and shoulder to cry on. She's here to pick up the pieces and fix what isn't completely broken. But can Maggie trust Kate? And why is Kate so keen to help?
When Bill falls for another woman, Maggie realises she will have to fight to put her family back together- but will they still want her?

Between a Mother and her Child is Elizabeth Noble's seventh book and I think it is her best so far. Maggie and Bill's world is torn apart when their teenage son Jake is killed in a tsunami whilst on his gap year travels. Life will never be the same again but life has to go on, especially when you have two other children depending on you. The grief caused by Jake's death leads Maggie and Bill to separate. Maggie's sister from Australia can see that the family is falling apart and enlists the help of Kate; part Mary Poppins and part rent-a-granny; Kate comes into their lives at just the right time. Bill has met another woman and Maggie realises that she may be close to losing Aly and Stan due to the barrier of grief that she has put up around her. Kate will hopefully be able to help but why doesn't she have her own family to look after?
Elizabeth Noble explores the devastating affect that grief can cause within a family. We get to know each member of the Barrett family and see their different perspectives in losing Jake and how it has affected them individually and their relationships with each other.
I thought that the book was really interesting in that Jake's death causes Maggie and Bill's marriage to come to an end but not their relationship. Of course they still have to have contact because of the children but it becomes very clear as the book develops that they still love each other. They may not want to continue their marriage but they must find a way to move on in order to find any happiness in the future.
Elizabeth Noble's writing is very poignant and there were times when I was close to tears. She is so good at giving you all the little details so you feel as though you know the characters completely and this is what kept me turning the pages.
If you haven't read any of Elizabeth Noble's books then I highly recommend them. Between a Mother and her Child is a highly emotional read but worth every page.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Many thanks to Kate at FmCm Associates for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is out now.