1957, south-east suburbs of London.
Jean Swinney is a feature writer on a local paper, disappointed in love and — on the brink of forty — living a limited existence with her truculent mother: a small life from which there is no likelihood of escape.
When a young Swiss woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. But the more Jean investigates, the more her life becomes strangely (and not unpleasantly) intertwined with that of the Tilburys: Gretchen is now a friend, and her quirky and charming daughter Margaret a sort of surrogate child. And Jean doesn't mean to fall in love with Gretchen's husband, Howard, but Howard surprises her with his dry wit, his intelligence and his kindness — and when she does fall, she falls hard.
But he is married, and to her friend — who is also the subject of the story she is researching for the newspaper, a story that increasingly seems to be causing dark ripples across all their lives. And yet Jean cannot bring herself to discard the chance of finally having a taste of happiness...
But there will be a price to pay, and it will be unbearable.
What I liked about this story... A very interesting story, indeed. Set in the 1950s, which is a time period that I haven't read much of, we follow Jean Swinney who is a journalist following the story of a virgin birth. There's more to the story, of course. I really enjoyed the writing style of this author and will definately be looking into more from this author if there's a backlist. It was very easy to read and the plot was so intriguing I struggled to put this down, wanting to know what was going to happen next and where the story would take me.
What I didn't like about this story... This story was a bit slow for me in the middle so my interest did waiver a bit but I am glad that I stuck with it.
Would I recommend... An intriguing novel and one you should pick up, especially if you are a fan of historical fiction.
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