White Lies Book Review

A Book review by Jess Weaver for White Lies by Susan Barrett

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate my review.  All opinions are my own.

Are you anticipating lots of reading time this spring and summer? You’re going to love what author Susan Barrett offers you in her book White Lies. I should tell you when I first read this book, her writing really captured my attention. If you were to just read the description of this book, it will have you hooked.

Beth, the main character, has quite the story. It’s funny how White Lies is such a truthful book when it comes to the reality of adoption. I was on the edge of my seat wondering how much information Beth was going to give out regarding her story. Can you imagine being in the position of having to speak up at a wedding because you think the bride and groom could be related?

I love White Lies because there’s a whole lot of love in this book, but a whole lot of drama. If you’re reading a good book, it’s got to have the drama. This book really makes you question the truth behind parenting, adoption, and everything in between!

Make sure you grab White Lies for some good summer reading! I can’t wait to read more books by Susan Barrett.

White Lies by Susan Barrett

Publisher:  Create Space (August 30, 2016)
Category: Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction; Contemporary Fiction; Family Saga
Tour Date: April/May, 2017
ISBN: 978-1536806847
Available in: Print & ebook,  164 Pages

The story is told from three perspectives: that of Beth, the natural mother of Tess, Liz, the adoptive mother, and Tess herself.  The reader’s sympathy is engaged with each woman in turn, as the intricacies of the plot demonstrate how nature and nurture interplay in the formation of personality.

Beth is a guest at a wedding. The bride is Tess, her natural daughter, who’d been adopted as a baby. During the moments leading up to the marriage ceremony, Beth remembers the lifetime events that have led to her present state of sick fear. Recent revelations have made her suspect that the bridegroom is the first child she’d given up for adoption, and therefore Tess’s half-brother. Will she speak of this impediment to matrimony, as invited by the priest, or forever hold her peace?

White Lies gives the answer in a way that reveals the complexities of truth-telling in the context of parenthood and adoption.  An entertaining page-turner, the novel also traces the social changes in family life over the last fifty years.

Praise for White Lies by Susan Barrett

“A beautifully written study of motherhood, loss and what makes us who we are. The characters are deftly drawn and the writer clearly knows her subject. The narrative is expertly woven and fast-paced, delivering pain and joy blow by blow. Sharp and incisive, heartbreaking and so relevant to today.”-Vanessa de Haan

“A beautifully written, sensitive, yet amusing, and intriguing, tale around a subject that is rarely covered in literature. A delight to read.”- Amazon Customer

“This is a gripping read. It is not only relevant to those who have been involved in adoption but to all of us. It raises questions about families, about the fragility and power of maternal bonds, about love and disappointment. It charts with particular accuracy the difficulties of the tangled web of secrecy and complication that was characteristic of adoption in the mid-twentieth century. It keeps you guessing to the very end!”-Sally Woods

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the book group I belong to find this.   I was quickly gripped by it, feeling for the central characters, all of them very real. I partly wanted to read slowly to enjoy it, confident there would be a satisfying, un-folding, but partly wanted to race to find out what happened. Will enjoy reading it again.”-Amazon Customer

About Susan Barrett

Born in Plymouth, Devon in 1938, Susan Barrett began writing fiction in the 1960s while living on a Greek island.  Her first novel was published by Michael Joseph in 1969.  Film rights were sold and renewed over several years. She went on to write six more novels which were published with mainstream publishers in hardback and paperback in UK and USA.   A book on Greece’s landscapes, flora and fauna, illustrated in watercolours by her artist husband Peter Barrett, was published by Harrap Columbus in 1986.  They have also produced many children’s books together, published in the US.  In the 1990s she trained in humanistic counselling and gestalt psychotherapy and has practised as a counsellor for the last twenty years.  Her latest two novels and a work of non-fiction are available as ebooks and in paperback editions.

Website http://www.aliveinww2.com
Twitter @SusanBarrett192
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/writersreadersdirect
Google+ https://plus.google.com/107631556274786388597

Buy White Lies by Susan Barrett

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
BookDepository

 

Follow White Lies by Susan Barrett Tour

Indie Review Behind the Scenes Mar 18 10 am cst Live Interview

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Apr 3 Interview

Rainy Day Reviews Apr 4 Review & Excerpt

Books,Dreams,Life Apr 5 Review & Excerpt

The Book Diva’s Reads Apr 6 Excerpt

Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings Apr 7 Review

Infinite House of Books Apr 18 Interview

Room With Books Apr 19 Review, Excerpt

Ann’s Reading Corner Apr 28 Review

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus May 5 Review

A Bookworm’s Journal May 8 Guest Post

My Cozie Corner May 15 Review

Laura Amazon Reviewer May 29 Review

Indrani Amazon Reviewer May 30 Review

Debbie Amazon Reviewer May 30 Review

Rita  Amazon Reviewer May 30 Review

CT Amazon Reviewer May 30 Review

What U Talking Bout Willis? May 31 Review