Three mothers
Fleeing Nazi occupation in Austria, Helene is evacuated to London, where she falls for Charles, a dashing British Intelligence officer, and they are soon married. Helene falls pregnant, but Charles is posted abroad almost immediately. Much later, Helene is summoned to join him in India, and feels an almost indescribable sense of loss as she is forced to leave her new baby behind. Her daughter, Vera, will later discover the downside of 'free love' as her loving but helplessly faithless husband betrays her trust time and again. Seeking refuge in her relationship with her own daughter, Susie, she discovers that motherhood brings its own rewards and challenges. Susie, now a grown woman, has never been able to understand the animosity that exists between her mother and grandmother. With the terrible news that Vera has been diagnosed with cancer, Susie becomes determined to unravel their tangled family history before it is too late. As she delves further into the past a fascinating, mercurial narrative emerges.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Fiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict, grief and loss. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Measured pace
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-4252-1912-6
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL19705944M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
Begin with its place in Fiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- What does the central character want, and what do they misunderstand about that desire?
- Which detail or relationship changes how you interpret the story?
- What feeling or question does the book leave with you after the plot moves on?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
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