‘A Mother’s Secret’ by Kitty Neale is a historical saga from one of the best authors out there today. A story that will definitely tug at your heartstrings so be ready with the tissues, I needed them.
1939 and Winnie Berry has spent 25 years behind the bar at The Battersea Inn. Her son was raised there and it is her special place, the place she knows she belongs. This pub has been witness to the ups and the downs in her life. Her unconditional love for her son, David means she will do anything for him even if he is lazy and without a job.
We see Winnie desperate to protect David as war is declared, all she cares about is that he is safe. This is due to a terrible choice she had to make back when she was a desperate young woman. A choice that has weighed heavily upon her shoulders since that time, she vows she won’t let her family be taken from her ever again. As a young woman returns to Battersea searching for her we see Winnie thinking that she may be able to right some wrongs from the past…or will she?
Kitty Neale is such a skilled storyteller who writes with such emotion and heart that you can’t help but become emotionally invested in Winnie and her life. She is a character who is so vividly drawn that you could see her behind that bar and feel you are walking beside her throughout the story.
Such a gritty and immersive tale of past mistakes and the unconditional love of parent and child. A historical saga that has you desperate to find out what happens next so you can’t stop reading.
Thanks to Tracey Fenton and Orion Books for my gifted copy of this fabulous book.
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