Just Between Us (Paperback)

Cathy Kelly, with great warmth and compassion, begins to reveal the not-so-gilded truth about the four Miller women. Rose is questioning her marriage; her youngest daughter Holly is lacking in self-confidence and stuck in a boring job that stifles her creativity; single parent Stella is a brilliant lawyer and mum, but romance seems to be by-passing her; and Tara has a glowing television career, but her home life is turning out to be far from rosy--her husband seems to be drinking to excess. Over the course of some 500 hundred chatty pages Cathy Kelly reveals the women's secret doubts. Their problems are distressing, but the novel still has that feel-good factor; the author mixes humour with realism and the result is this compelling sixth novel from the bestselling Irish author. --Eithne Farry

Review
Pre-publication review of JUST BETWEEN US: 'Kelly has earned her place on the bestseller lists with her sharp understanding of behaviour, and this splendid women's read will keep her there. The feel-good factor... is a particularly endearing trait, spreading warmth and a satisfying conclusion.' Publishing News, September 2002 Acclaim for Cathy Kelly's novels: 'A compulsive read' Woman's Weekly 'Kelly dramatises her story with plenty of sparky humour' The Times 'Down-to-earth and insightful, her novels are as compelling as Big Brother' Andrea Henry, The Mirror 'Totally believable' Rosamunde Pilcher

In this enjoyable novel, award-winning Irish novelist Cathy Kelly again proves herself mistress of the romantic genre. The plot concerns the ostensibly perfect family of Rose and Hugh Miller, who are about to celebrate 40 years of marriage. They have three golden girls: Stella, a single mother raising seven-year-old Amelia, Tara and Holly. At the outset these women consider themselves lucky. But as in life, so in fiction: Kelly shows that things are rarely what they seem, and gradually lifts the various layers of family to show the secrets, hypocrisy and complex emotions which seethe beneath. Issues of class and modern mores in a changing Ireland are investigated via the characters of Rose and her embittered sister-in-law Adele. Rose has improved her social status by marrying Hugh, while Adele's class consciousness and her deep attachment to her brother have prevented her from marrying at all. Even before the climax of the anniversary party, Rose, an interesting study of a strong, traditional woman who reaches the end of her tether, has wondered about the road not taken, and has suffered various regrets and guilts. Each daughter has character-forming crises to pass through on her way to a cautiously happy ending. These episodes give Kelly the chance to turn an unflinching gaze on social issues such as the relationships between children and step-parents, divorce, alcoholism and infidelity. She also lovingly evokes domestic situations and dissects the professional spheres inhabited by the daughters: the law, TV scriptwriting and the world of fashion and posh shops. In this book about relationships the importance of friendship is not forgotten, and friends are often shown to be more reliable than lovers. Here is a realistic romance which will appeal greatly to readers who believe that living, more than anything else, is a matter of the getting of wisdom. (Kirkus UK)

Four lasses try to balance love and life in modern Ireland. Kelly (Best of Friends, Feb. 2005, etc.) posits the eternal question: Is it possible to have it all? The bright and beautiful Miller women-Rose, Holly, Tara and Stella-hope to answer this question affirmatively, but like most, they're a bit short on perfection. Rose Miller, the matriarch, is elegant and kind, and a loving wife. But be warned: Beneath her calm exterior, trouble is brewing. Rose has a stupendous meltdown during her elaborate 40th anniversary party, airing the dirty laundry of her marriage in front of family and friends and then high-tailing it out of town. Now, the daughters must sort out their man problems without her sage guidance. Holly, the youngest, is in love with her newly engaged neighbor and suffers from debilitating insecurity. She longs to summon the courage to share her feelings. Tara, the middle child, has a gorgeous husband with an equally stunning drinking problem. His alcoholism is shredding their marital bliss to bits. Stella, the eldest and a single mom, has sacrificed her love life in order to focus on raising her daughter-that is, until a charming new client shows up at her office door. There's a catch, though. This sexy prospect comes with plenty of baggage. He's fresh from divorce court and has two teenage daughters who like to stir up trouble. It's easy to see why Kelly is such a success across the pond; she has a gift for revealing the humor in life's most challenging moments. Sentimental and sweet. The Miller girls feel like old friends by the end of this well-rendered novel. (Kirkus Reviews)

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