Review: Coming Home

Coming Home by Fern Britton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Coming Home is a stand alone story set in Cornwall which tells us the story of Sennen a young teenage Mum who runs away from her two young children, leaving them with their grandparents. She travels to Santander in Spain, along with her friend Rosemary, in search of their father, who she is naively convinced is in love with her, and will want to raise the children together as a family. When that doesn’t happen, and homesick Rosemary returns to Cornwall to face the music, Sennen knows that she can’t just return home after all the upheaval she caused, and so she continues running. Many years later a letter from Cornwall finds its way to her in India where she is now settled and she knows that she has to return home.

I love Fern Britton books, they are always warm and inviting and so well written that you are transported to Cornwall, and the characters are like friends and neighbours. I especially loved Ella, the very young daughter that Sennen walked out on– I love to think that I would react the same way if I met my mum for the first time – Ella was welcoming and forgiving and just so nice – I pictured her with a constant smile on her face, even when she was dealing with her difficult older brother Henry, who was less tolerant of his mother’s reappearance.

My favourite part of the book was when we were transported to Sennen’s life in India – I could feel the warm sun on my back, could hear the birds singing in the trees and feel the hussle and bustle of the Taj Mahal.

All in all this was a brilliant read on a miserable February afternoon, although it would be equally great to read on a sun lounger around a pool!

*I was provided with a free advance copy of this book my Net Galley and Harper Collins in return for an honest and open review.*

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