Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty: terrific comedy thriller

They say trouble always comes in threes. . .

For sisters Lyn, Cat and Gemma Kettle, the year they turn thirty-three is no exception.

Sensible Lyn is struggling to balance being a mother, wife and businesswoman without losing her mind. Cat, whose perfect marriage is the envy of all her friends, never suspects that her husband has been hiding a secret that will tear her life apart. Directionless Gemma changes jobs and boyfriends every few months and has just met a new man who could be the one to unlock her hidden past.

Through everything, the bonds of the sisters are strong enough to withstand whatever life throws at them. That is until the night of their thirty-fourth birthday dinner, when home truths are revealed and things are said that can't be taken back . . .

My mini review:

A great book with an excellent understanding of the tugs of love and hate that run through families and which are both appalling and highly amusing. The relationship between the triplets, Lyn, Cat and Gemma is excellent and I loved all three of them - both together and apart. They all had fabulous stories to tell, and the plot lines were gripping.

The only place I felt let down was the career resolution for Cat which is now so cliched (and totally unrealistic ...) that it makes my skin itch - another career should have been found and surely wouldn't have been too hard to do! Otherwise, a great 4-star read.

Anne Brooke Books

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty: fabulous and gripping read

This is a brilliant piece of women's fiction and I absolutely loved it. I've not read any Moriarty's novels before but once I started this one I couldn't put it down. Yes, the time between Cecilia discovering THAT letter and actually opening it might be a tad too long for my taste, but I kept on reading, particularly because I was getting to know the other characters well too. There are some wonderful twists and turns in this book, and it includes moments of comedy and moments of great sadness.

The contrast between the terrible tragedy from the past and how people simply have to keep living their lives and dealing with all the hundred and one everyday situations which keep cropping up is excellently described, and I really felt for all the characters. In fact I was thinking about this book and the people in it even when I wasn't reading it - which in my view is always the mark of a great novel. Other things I enjoyed were the voice of Janie (the deceased daughter) and how her story weaves in and out of the present day crises. How the situation is understood and resolved by all the characters is both gripping and moving, and the section at the end where we see onward into people's lives and how characters have turned out is simply wonderful and I very much appreciated this unexpected epilogue.

Yes, this book is very good indeed and I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to my next Moriarty novel already.

Anne Brooke Books