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“Sins of the Mother” by Tara Hyland

This Historical Fiction, epic family drama takes place during the “Golden Age” of Hollywood.  This is one of the most glamorous times in all of Hollywood’s history, full of rich characters who are aspiring actors and actresses, full of the big names from the 1950’s glamorous big stars.

This epic family drama was very good and intriguing.  I have not read a great family generational book like this in a long time, and after reading this book, I will be looking for more like this one.  The following description only touches on the very basics of this book, as there is so much more to this rich story.  Being that I am from the US, I had to laugh at myself because there were many words this British author used as British slang, I could not figure out some of their meanings!  I wished I had a dictionary of British slang! 

The author wove this story into an intriguing, interesting, can’t put this book down, and I don’t want to put this book down until I’m finished with it.  She definitely keeps us interested through the entire book.  This book is quite an enjoyable story to indulge into and escape from our own reality for a while.  This is a book the epic family fiction lover will LOVE, as it spans over the lives of three generations of women.  This is a must-read book!

The main female characters in this story are vibrant and strong.  They go after what they want, when they want it, may come across some bumps in the road, and are always successful in the end.  There is a little tension between Franny and her daughter, Cara, as Cara is left behind in London, without a mother as Franny whisks off to Hollywood to make her dreams come true as a great Hollywood Actress

This story starts off with the Prologue, which occurs in San Francisco, California, in 1958 with a baby being dropped off at an Orphanage.  As we are reading, the characters and dates as we know them do not seem to match up to any of the characters.  We are at a loss here, all the while, in the back of our minds, as this epic family drama is going on, we are trying to figure out just who this baby belongs to.

Now we are back in 1946 meeting Franny, living in London.  She is an aspiring actress, and London is not conducive to the future she wants.  Hollywood is her destination.  She hits a large bump along the road and gets pregnant.  She gives birth to a little girl and names her Cara.  She raises Cara on her own as a single parent for the next seven years, and with the help of some friends of Franny’s.  By this time, Franny’s dream is crying out to her.  She has to go to Hollywood and make it BIG as the actress she truly wants to be.  She talks to her mother and asks her if she can leave Cara with her just until she earns enough money to send for her.  Her mother agrees to this temporary arrangement. 

Franny takes off to Hollywood.  Changes her last name to Fitzgerald to have it sound more glamorous, and she is glowing!  She is where ALL of her dreams will be and are coming true!  She is becoming famous, just likes she has always dreamt about.  She is becoming very well known from the great parts she gets in the movies.  From the photo shoots she poses for, to personal appearances here and there, to glamorous parties everywhere.  Everyone knows the party girl’s name.

What about Cara?  Why does she not send for Cara?  That’s what Cara wants to know.

Franny meets Maximilian Stanhope, a billionaire businessman who built his fortune starting with a scion of a newspaper dynasty from his father.  He diversifies this company into many others, and like the female characters, is just as strong and determined as they are.  Franny is swept off of her feet by him and they marry.  Franny still does not send for Cara?  Nor has she told Max about Cara.

Meanwhile, back in London, Cara is still living with her Grandmother.  A number of years go by and Cara cannot figure out WHY her own mother has never sent for her yet.  It makes her sad.  It has been another several years, and she is now 12.  With her Grandmother full of failing health problems, Cara ends up in a horrible Orphanage.  She tries so hard to make her way through the horrid circumstances, yet continuously gets into trouble.  Cara is not one to keep quiet as she stands up for herself and the other girls who live there.  This gets her into big trouble at times and she is made to suffer horribly.  Cara feels it is time to escape from this place at the young age of sixteen.

Cara goes to find the family friends her and her mother had lived with in the past and is successful.  While she is living with these people, she has grown up with their son, Danny, who is about four years older than she is.  Over time, Danny takes a liking to her and her to him.  It takes her some time, but she figures out he is on the wrong side of the tracks.  At first she doesn’t mind, she’s in love with him.  She moves in with him as she has fallen head over heels in love, until, once again, she is left alone.  He has fled the country, most likely, as he has done something horrible and has gone against the London mob.

As Cara is on her own again, alone, to which she is no stranger to, she becomes successful and gets a job at a tabloid newspaper, and works her way up to reporter.  She finds out her mother has passed away, and she decides it’s time to go search for her mother’s past to find out exactly how and why she died.  She flies off to California to do what she does best.  She starts researching as much as she can to find the story.  Now The Orphanage comes back into play again.

I received this book for “FREE” from Atria Paperbacks, a Division of Simon & Schuster, through their Book Reviewer’s Program in exchange to read and write a review about this book.  It is NOT required for my review I write to be either positive or negative, but, “of my own opinion.”  I was NOT provided with “ANY” monies to accept this book, “NOR” to read it, NOR were “ANY” monies given to me to write the review for this book.  All that was ‘expected’ of me was to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it.  Again, the opinions expressed for and about this book are ‘of my own opinion’.  I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

                       AND . . . 

"Fallen Angels" by Tara Hyland

This book, Fallen Angels, happens to be the United Kingdom/British version of the book, "Sins of the Mother", here in the United States.  I only found this out after I did a thorough research on Tara Hyland's books to find MORE from her, as I just LOVED this book!  This book left me wanting to read more from this author!  I saw this book, got a little confused as the story line sounded the same.  After a little research, I found this book to be the same book as the book I mentioned above, just this cover is different than our version here, of which I happen to like this cover much more than our US version cover, as this cover looks much more 'Hollywood' than our cover.  Yet, on our cover, you will notice where the words, A Novel are, would be where the words, "Hollywood" would be on the side of the mountain in California! 

This story line is just as intriguing and delightful, and is the same story as ours.  It is a wonderfully intriguing fictional Epic Family Drama that spans from London to Hollywood, California. This is a great read spanning three generations of strong women who go after their dreams successfully.  They don't allow anything to stand in their way.  There are three main characters whose lives make you not want to put this book down until you have turned the last page.

This is a definite must-read for those of you out there who love these fictional Epic Family Dramas! This is one NOT to pass up!

I received the US version of this book, Sins of the Mother, for "FREE" from Atria Paperbacks, a Division of Simon & Schuster, through their Book Reviewer's Program in exchange to read and write a review about this book.  It is NOT required for my review I write to be either positive or negative, but, "of my own opinion."  I was NOT provided with "ANY" monies to accept this book, "NOR" to read it, NOR were "ANY" monies given to me to write the review for this book.  All that was `expected' of me was to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it.  Again, the opinions expressed for and about this book are `of my own opinion'.  I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Tell me, which cover do YOU like more?  Leave a COMMENT telling me YOUR opinion!!

Thanks!

To purchase "Sins of the Mother" as a paperback or as an Ebook, you can click on the Amazon link below on the left!  Think Christmas!