Bunny, then aged 26, was present at Angelica’s birth on Christmas Day 1918, where he uttered the – now immortal - words over the day-old baby: ‘I think of marrying it. There are complex family relationships, not only between a mother and her daughters, but of that between siblings and also husbands and wives. Bunny Garnett’s biographer, Sarah Knights, offers a clue when she says that not only could Bunny not afford private education for his daughters, he hardly gave much thought to their careers or adult life and didn’t much seem to care.

After being left by her alcoholic husband, she fell into a deeply depressed state and became an alcoholic herself, self-medicating and neglecting her three daughters, the eldest eleven and the youngest four, for the months on end. There were also a few plot lines that could have been chopped without making a substantive difference to the story. The novel follows the journey of three sisters and their eccentric mother as they navigate their romantic relationships as well as their ties to their family.For me there was too many characters, sisters, mothers, aunties, husbands, uncles, friends of the family, Margots flings… so I couldn’t warm to any particular characters. They played the violin and cello and appeared gifted in every direction, so surely, they would go on to great things? And wild, passionate Sasha, trapped between her fractured family and controlling husband, is weighed down by a secret that could shake the family to its core. Alcohol plays a big part in the storyline, and the long-term effects of alcoholism on everybody in a family.

A family saga that breaks apart the intricacies of sisterly relationships, The Garnett Girls is a drama filled family chronicle. Their lives are often complicated and messy, and I liked how behind closed doors and indeed in front of them, the Garnett family had to deal with it all, in a town where everyone’s business is everyone else’s business.When I knew that Georgina was very kindly going to send me a proof copy, I was nervous, because this would be a book written by someone I knew, and what would I do if it wasn’t for me? This is a book that sort of sneaks up on you and you find yourself fully invested in the Garnett Girls lives. As the sisters grow up and remain very close, each of them struggles in different ways to leave the past behind and come to terms with where their father fits in their life. I was dizzy with excitement hearing them talk about Charleston, Vanessa Bell’s country home, where they would spend holidays and be painted by Vanessa or Duncan. It’s beautifully written – a family drama with a hint of intrigue as to what secrets may be revealed.

With thanks to the The Reading Agency and Harper Collins for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. In February 2023, Georgina Moore released her first novel after working in the publishing industry for over twenty years.Even our surnames were almost identical as my maiden name was Garrett, only one letter different from Garnett. Some of the books had even been written by Garnetts themselves – Bunny’s mother Constance translated most of the Russian classics into English, and Bunny himself was a successful novelist. The Garnett Girls isn’t a book you’re going to get into and feel any particular connection with one specific character. The girls mother certainly having grounds to be angry and hurt by his actions, cut him from their lives. The charismatic Margo is matriarch of the Garnett girls: Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, her three daughters who live in the shadow of their larger than life mother.