- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Headline Review (19 Mar 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0755322363
- ISBN-13: 978-0755322367
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 2.1 x 19.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 641,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Cook is a fine writer with a keen eye for the mechanics of a relationship...she has combined that talent with a compelling concept and a gripping plot'
--Scott Pack, meandmybigmouth.com, 19th March 2009
--Scott Pack, meandmybigmouth.com, 19th March 2009
Product Description
After three failed attempts at IVF, Jenny and Mark Elfick are overjoyed when their fourth attempt is a success. The arrival of their beautiful daughter, Chloe, marks the beginning of a new chapter in their lives and as they watch Chloe grow their happiness seems complete. When Chloe is two years old, however, Mark suddenly starts behaving very strangely and Jenny fears he is having an affair. But nothing can prepare her for the shattering truth as to why Mark is being so secretive. It is a revelation that threatens to destroy someone else's family as well as their own.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I had planned a few endings but not the one it ends in. Sue Cook is an astute observer of the behaviours brought about by the force of nature. This story of tortuous dilemmas will keep you turning the pages, and break your heart, as relationships are torn apart by the unpredictable emotions unravelled by very real scenarios. Enjoy this great read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the story of a family torn apart by a father's obsession with a daughter whose existence he actually shouldn't be aware of. A chance remark by a doctor inadvertently blows the gaffe; one of the embryos he and his wife donated is now a healthy baby girl. At first, Mark Elfick struggles to stop himself following his natural protective parental instincts, content with observing from a distance. Then a murder changes everything, and as a result his desperate need to become involved in this second child's life jeopardizes the happiness of both families concerned, damn near destroying his relationship with his wife and their own daughter (who is, of course, technically his second daughter's twin).
Cook's writing is similar to Jodi Picoult in the way she takes a topical issue and places it within the context of the lives of ordinary people, sending them spinning off the tracks of their everyday lives onto a gut-wrenching roller-coaster ride into uncertainty and chaos.
I couldn't put this book down until I'd devoured it to the very last page.
Cook's writing is similar to Jodi Picoult in the way she takes a topical issue and places it within the context of the lives of ordinary people, sending them spinning off the tracks of their everyday lives onto a gut-wrenching roller-coaster ride into uncertainty and chaos.
I couldn't put this book down until I'd devoured it to the very last page.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like the film classic "Brief Encounter", Cook finds the most emotionally charged drama right here in "ordinary people's" lives, which is why this novel speaks to us all with such irresistible force and conviction. Great storytellers touch us so intensely because they have enormous empathy and compassion for their characters but are utterly ruthless with the situations they put them in. In short, they understand life. They are willing to dig deep to confront and unravel the complex business of living, thus arousing our emotions where we least expect it..in our own hearts and imaginations. Cook displays all these qualities effortlessly and lets the gentle flame of her story slowly and surely consume the reader in an unforgettable experience. I absolutely loved it and was moved to tears several times. Read it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Deftly plotted, nicely observed, warmly written
Sue Cook has obviously done her research but she wears it lightly. She turns it into a story that is deftly plotted, nicely observed, warmly written and kept me guessing to the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by roz morris
disappointing
This book in my opinion was poorly written with an unrealistic plot and unlikely characters. Teenage girls collecting model ponies? Read more
Published 10 months ago by Angel
Makes you think
The tag line on the cover is 'the trouble with a secret is that someone always knows it' and this is very canny marketing as you start to wonder what it is and even if you flick... Read more
Published on 11 July 2009 by Elaine Simpson-long
Ordinary People -- Extraordinary Circumstances
This is Sue Cook's characteristic genre -- ordinary, believable people subjected to extraordinary circumstances. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2009 by I. A. Ahmad
an enjoyable read
Sue Cook's book is about a couple who, after successfully having a child of their own using IVF, donate their remaining embryos and later find out that one of their embryo... Read more
Published on 30 May 2009 by E. Smith
Mixed Feelings
I know I'm going against the general opinion here but I have mixed feelings for this book.
On the plus side, it was very easy to read and it took me about four days. Read more
On the plus side, it was very easy to read and it took me about four days. Read more
Published on 15 May 2009 by C. Rucroft
Force of Nature
"The former Crimewatch presenter Sue Cook takes an understandably journalistic approach to her fiction writing, confronting difficult issues head on in pursuit of a good story... Read more
Published on 23 April 2009 by Mr. Oliver Balston
Force of Nature
This is a wonderfully written heartfelt exploration of what just may happen if/when you donate eggs. The exploration of feelings on both sides is sensitive/caring and illuminating. Read more
Published on 14 April 2009 by N. L. Burnett
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