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Sally Hepworth

The Mother-in-Law Paperback – 27 August 2019

by Sally Hepworth (Author)

3,590 ratings

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Arrives: 27 Jan - 1 Feb

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"Sally Hepworth writes compelling, compassionate novels with characters you come to know and love. She is one of my favourite Australian writers." (Liane Moriarty)

You may get to choose your partner, but you don't get to choose your mother-in-law.

From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm's length. Even after marrying Oliver, Lucy knew they'd never be close.

But who could fault Diana? A pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family.

That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead. There is a suicide note, but the autopsy reveals foul play. And everyone in this family is hiding something...

A thrilling page-turner about that trickiest of relationships.

PRAISE FOR THE MOTHER-IN-LAW

'A masterful depiction of how much is said in the silences...a winner for fans of Liane Moriarty,' Booklist (starried review)

'Deliciously entertaining, packed with wit and suspense and also delivers sharp insights about family dynamics and love.' People Magazine

'A mesmerising domestic mystery.' Kirkus

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Product details

Publisher : Pan Australia (27 August 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 1760781126
ISBN-13 : 978-1760781125
Dimensions : 12.9 x 2.5 x 19.6 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 8,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,113 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- 1,241 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- 4,560 in Mysteries (Books)

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3,590 ratings

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A thrilling page-turner about that trickiest of relationships. <b></b>

Book Description

A thrilling page-turner about that trickiest of relationships.

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Well written family drama

Reviewed in Australia on 22 February 2019

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Lucy’s mother died when she was thirteen, so when she marries Ollie Goodwin she’s hoping to develop a warm relationship with her mother in law Diana. Diana proves a pretty prickly customer, however, and by the time three children have arrived things are not good between them. One source of contention is money. Diana and cheerful husband Tom are wealthy and while Tom is happy to help out, Diana is firmly of the opinion that Ollie and his sister Nettie should rely on their own resources. This becomes a problem when Ollie wants to start a business and Nettie wants help with IVF.

The book is written in then and now sequences and through flashbacks we understand where Lucy and Diana are coming from. Diana didn’t have an easy time as a young woman and had to toughen up quickly. As is always the case, nature and nurture form character that in turn affects future generations. One excellent aspect of the novel is that the relationship between Lucy and Diana evolves after reaching a low point, becoming nurturing and even affectionate. The family faces various dramas but the big one comes with Diana’s death. It looks like euthanasia but is it? Certain things don’t add up and the police become involved.

The novel starts OK and improves as it goes along. I have a problem when a character says “I have done xyz” when people would normally say “I’ve ...”. While we’re being picky, I don’t think a woman of Diana’s vintage would say “There’s two pieces of advice ...”. She would say “There’re ...” or write it out in full: “There are ...”. Plural nouns need plural verbs. Yes I know “There’s” is used all the time now but not so much by older folk who learnt grammar. Good story though: well-plotted with well-realised characters who evoke an emotional response.

One person found this helpful

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carol cosham

so relatable

Reviewed in Australia on 7 February 2019

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I've read all of Sally's books and like the previous ones, it was a joy to read. Firstly, being set in Victoria where I grew up, I could easily identify with the locations and the culture of the settings in which the story takes place. But more importantly, despite my relationship with my Mother-in-law always being pretty good, I know from my own experience, that it could occasionaly be a little tense, but that she always, always wanted her son and I only ever to be happy....and for that I am so grateful. Thank you Sally, for reminding me of that!

One person found this helpful

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Christy Ditchburn

Compelling reading

Reviewed in Australia on 5 February 2019

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Sally has once again produced a ripper read, a page turner that kept me guessing until the end.

I loved the story but even more, I loved how relatable this one was. The kids especially, behave exactly like me and the family interactions are the same too (IPad, NOW!). The Brighton and Sorrento houses are all too familiar(sadly not in my family).

Finally, I enjoyed seeing the mother in law relationship from both perspectives. As always, insightful and heartwarming.

One person found this helpful

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nharris

MUST READ

Reviewed in Australia on 19 March 2020

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This book has stayed with me, and haunted me since I read it.
It really shows how we never really know someone's intentions, and how we judge (and MISJUDGE) people far too easily.
It has honestly given me a different outlook, and I spoke with my husband, and children about it, along with my usual book loving friends!!
I believe it is being made into a tv series/show, and I am so interested to see the interpretation.
I cannot recommend this book enough!!!

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mel_mox

Awesome read

Reviewed in Australia on 18 April 2019

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Loved this book. Sally writes so well and I love how her characters seem so real. Loved Diane the mother in law and Lucy the daughter in law.
The story was well written and loved how I was surprised with the ending. Which was great as I usually figure it out, but I didn’t with this one.
Looking forward to book no 6 now.

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a good read

Reviewed in Australia on 19 November 2020

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The story does jump back and forth in time so you have to pay attention.
It's probably a typical mother-in-law story which is a bit sad really as mine was a nice lady.
Well worth a read though.

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Miss Shezza

A very satisfying story!

Reviewed in Australia on 10 March 2019

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This was a great read and had me captivated from the first page...nothing was clear until nearly the end of the book, well done to Sally Hepworth, she's a master storyteller and I look forward to reading more of her books!

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Amazon Customer

Great characters

Reviewed in Australia on 26 July 2019

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I could relate to this book so well particularly as I am a mother-in-law a few times over and have had to tread that very fine line to ensure family peace. It is so easy to misinterpret the words and actions of others and this was demonstrated so well in this book. Loved it.

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Rachel D

Well written but disappointing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 May 2019

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This story is set in Australia and features a middle class rich family, headed by Tom and Diana Goodwin. They have 2 children, Ollie who is married to Lucy , and Nettie whose husband is Patrick. Diana runs a charity for pregnant refugees/immigrants. She is cold and distant with her family and more engaged with her charity’s work.
When Diana is found dead, the family comes under suspicion.
The author writes well but the story is too long and has a lot of unnecessary detail. It is more of a family story than a crime thriller. It is easy to guess who the perpetrator is and the ending is low key. I would probably buy another book by the author.

41 people found this helpful

Nicky Hudson

A really good read - give it a go

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2019

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No spoilers and no details, but I loved this novel. I felt empathy for all of the characters. It’s a really good story- recommended

39 people found this helpful

Ms. T. L. Brown

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 May 2019

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Only towards the end did I start to realise who did it. Great writing on the complexities of relationships that we marry into. Was also good to read it from both sides as having this option meant I did not hate the mother in law as a person. Without her side of it one automatically would.

26 people found this helpful

KittyG26

Pretty silly

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 June 2019

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The author has obviously had some serious mother in law problems. Apparently they’re all pretty awful, but Lucy’s (the mother in law of the title) is one of the worst. The priggish Diana lives in a house big enough for 10 families but considers Lucy frivolous for wanting to buy an expensive wedding dress. Di’s philosophy is that you must never help a relative, as this might make the person weak and dependent. But it’s OK to help refugees. I did wonder, therefore, why she didn’t invite a few refugee families to live in her enormous mansion.

To further ram home what a horrible person Diana is, the author has her turning off her grandson’s baby monitor (didn’t want to make the baby weak and dependent) and being so neglectful when babysitting that her granddaughter ends up with a fractured skull. In the hospital Lucy attacks Diana, knocking her the floor so that she suffers a concussion. Later, one of the nurses tells Lucy that the staff consider her a “hero” for this action! Honestly, could you imagine any sensible person talking like this? Nurses must hate their mothers in law too.

It’s all pretty silly, with ridiculous cardboard cutout characters and a denouement that is beyond belief. A waste of time, in my view.

Just for the record, I adored my mother in law. She’s dead now, but was one of the kindest, nicest people I ever met. Just saying.

18 people found this helpful

Havi

Compare with yourself

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 May 2019

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Very well written

25 people found this helpful

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