Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the review copy of this title...
Is there ever a right time to break up with your best friend?
Despite having very different upbringings and backgrounds, Hillary and
Colette have been friends forever. They have watched each other grow up,
get married, have kids and while they live in different countries, the
friendship has weathered the storm.
Hillary is the down to earth, hard working woman with a big heart.
A mother of two girls and happily married, she would bend over backwards
for her friends and family.
Colette is the wealthy diva, having had everything handed to her on a
platter since birth. Also married, with one daughter, she is not so
generous with her time and thinks of herself before anyone else.
Jonathan is Hillary's new best friend. A complete breath of fresh
air, he is quick to point out the imbalance in the girls relationship and
Hillary begins to see how she has been duped by Colette over the years.
But her good heart means she struggles to let go of the friendship.
Until one New Years Day, when a mis-dialled phone call reveals Colette's
true nature...
This is basically a tale of three characters, over three decades.
Pre-Celtic Tiger, The Boom Years and The Recession. Hillary,
Colette and Jonathan each have their stories to tell and the spiderweb that
links them is what makes this a complete package. Hillary is a little it
too perfect, rarely getting anything wrong (great mother, wife and
daughter-in-law, astute business woman, fantastic friend and has good conservative
financial sense), whereas Colette is a real Cruella DeVille. (Hard, lacking
maternal gene, distant wife and no need to worry about money). She has taken
Hillary for granted her whole life and is not about to change now, just because
her friend has a new bestie, Jonathan. He is a flamboyant interior
designer with a damaged past but sees the goodness in Hillary.
Unfortunately, he also sees through Colette. Three becomes a crowd
and tensions build.
Patricia Scanlan has done it again. Another warm and effective
character based novel that will envelope you like a cuddle from your favourite
Auntie. She uses throwbacks to the past decades cleverly and the changes
in fashion, interior design and even food is a great way of getting the reader
to connect with the story. A look at abuse within the church is a brave
move for female fiction in this country and there is no hiding the corrupt
politicians either. The greediness of the Celtic Tiger era is addressed
and the only qualm I had was that the big fish didn't really seem to suffer too
much from the fallout.
The Queen of Irish Fiction has still got it and her fans can sit back
and relax, as she's delivered another bestseller.
A time for Friends is published by Simon and Schuster and is available in hardback, TPB and ebook format