When Minnie becomes pregnant at 17 it is discovered that she has a hereditary heart defect, inherited from her biological father, Julius. French manages to pick your heart up with the nib of her pen and slowly pull it apart, heart-wrenchingly, page by page .

I could see the charm in the writing that others have praised in the narrative – it is indeed warm and heartfelt but sadly it really didn’t work for me. She explores the mother-daughter relationship with expert skill, the sacrifices made, and her characterisations of the towering Hope, Minnie and Anna had me totally invested in them, not to mention Quiet Isaac with his love and yearly letters.And as well as being at the storytelling rather than literary end of the Women’s Prize spectrum, this novel (and I think all of the author’s novel writing) fits much more into the Vicar of Dibley than the Girls on Top end of her comedy.

Her bestselling memoir, Dear Fatty, was published in the United Kingdom to critical acclaim, and her first novel, A Tiny Bit Marvellous, was a number-one UK bestseller. You know she is a woman who would sacrifice everything for her child and alongside her family, she is a wonderfully colourful and rounded woman you cannot help but like. In her career spanning three decades, she has been nominated for six BAFTA Awards and also won a Fellowship BAFTA along with her best friend Jennifer Saunders.As a parent to an infant I almost put it down never to be picked up again, but decided to persevere. Whilst well enough written, I found it incredibly insensitive that there’s absolutely no reference to this in any of the blurb, copy or reviews.

Agreed; I suspect Dawn herself had no expectations of being listed when she was working on the novel.

Jak często zdarza Wam się czytać książki, które hmm delikatnie mówiąc zdają się obrażać Waszą inteligencję? What should have been a beautiful and celebratory day is marred by the tragedy and what follows only compounds the tragedy further. The ending requests you to suspend believe to the point that you could also read the Graffalo and believe that the mouse is real. I probably wouldn't be so harsh criticising this novel if I weren't reading it in the context of a book prize because I think it's mostly enjoyable, but I don't think it's as impactful as the other books listed for this award.

I think this story broke me, but in a beautiful good way, it’s a complete tearjerker, it looks at the nature of relationships and family, a mother’s love, her emotions, it’s full of heartache, grief loss, but it’s absolutely beautiful, it’s happy as well as sad, don’t want to put anyone off , it’s full of forgiveness and the most important things, full of hope and love. It's impossible not to warm to Rosie, a funny and open-hearted woman who acts as a salve and comfort blanket for this unhappy, inhibited family. I will have to go and reread “A Tiny Bit Marvellous” to reset my usually very strong appreciation for Dawn French. Because of You” is a family drama concerning a newborn girl that's stolen from a hospital by a grieving mother whose child died in birth.By the following morning, one woman will go home with a gorgeous baby girl and the other will go home empty handed after a catastrophic and devastating event. Anna Lindon-Clarke and her black Tory MP husband Julius have just become first-time parents to Florence while in a room just. Minne is brought up surrounded by unconditional love and encouragement to be her own, perfect, individual self. I mention this by way of ameliorating my negativity, perhaps had I read the DF in isolation I would have enjoyed it more. Following her wonderful bestsellers A Tiny Bit Marvellous, Oh Dear Silvia and According to Yes, Because Of You is Dawn French's stunning new book, told with her signature humour, warmth and so much love.