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Charity Norman 5-Book Collection: Gripping Emotional Dramas from the Author of AFTER THE FALL
2155 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2020
29 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Charity Norman
19 books585 followersCharity was born in Uganda, brought up in draughty vicarages in Yorkshire and Birmingham, met her future husband under a lorry in the Sahara. She worked as a barrister in York Chambers, until - realising that her three children had barely met her - she moved with her family to New Zealand and began to write.
After the Fall/Second Chances was a Richard & Judy and World Book Night title, The New Woman/ The Secret Life of Luke Livingstone a BBC Radio 2 choice. See You in September (2017) was shortlisted in the Ngaio Marsh Awards. The Secrets of Strangers was a Radio 2 choice and shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh and Ned Kelly Awards. Her seventh, Remember Me, was published in March 2022.
After the Fall/Second Chances was a Richard & Judy and World Book Night title, The New Woman/ The Secret Life of Luke Livingstone a BBC Radio 2 choice. See You in September (2017) was shortlisted in the Ngaio Marsh Awards. The Secrets of Strangers was a Radio 2 choice and shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh and Ned Kelly Awards. Her seventh, Remember Me, was published in March 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 12, 2020
I bought this collection as a Book Bub special, and have no regrets at trying this, for me new author. The five novels are a splendid addition to my easy but thought provoking reads. I prefer fiction that includes social commentary, and Charity Norman provides this in each of the novels. Her background as a lawyer, and also someone who has moved from the UK to New Zealand are important contributors to the thoughtful work in the collection.
The first novel, Freeing Grace, is the stand out as a sensitive account of a baby whose biological family and a possible adopting family vie for her in a court battle over parenthood. The families' stories are complex, told independently for much of the novel, and only coming together when the reader has had time to digest the rights and wrongs of the case each family is making.
Adoption as an option, with all its ramifications, is debated through Leila and David and their wider family. The sorrow of infertility, the role of paid work and economic concerns, relationships with social workers and courage are laid out, layer on layer, as Leila and David acknowledge their only option is to adopt, and fight to do so.
Baby Grace Serenity's biological family has a far more complex story. The prologue describes her birth to a young unmarried mother, the social worker's and medical attendants' attitudes, and the accident that leaves Grace the subject of possible adoption. However, this story is mainly told through anti-commitment Jake and the family of his work colleague, Anna. In this many layered story women's role as parent and family support versus her right to independence is debated.
The resolution is sustained by the arguments made throughout the vying families, rather than a simplistic happy ending. A good beginning to the collection.
The second story, After the Fall, is the one with which the collection was advertised. This suggests that it has been a successful stand alone novel. It possibly draws in part upon Norman's move to New Zealand in its understanding of the complexities a major change in location makes for any family. In the novel, the teenage girl is particularly affected, and it is her story that leads to the novel working on the difficulties of dealing with change, the lies that accumulate in families, and a resolution that, while possibly the only one, leaves a family depleted.
The Son in Law is, to me, a really disturbing story with worrying values. It brings issues of domestic violence (a somewhat soft term for criminal assault at home), family relationships, children's rights and needs and the workings of the judicial system to the fore. A mother is murdered in front of her children, a ten year old daughter who phones the ambulance, a baby on her hip, and a small son who hides behind the sofa. The father is goaled for manslaughter (his punch in her face did not necessarily kill her, her head hitting the fender did), and upon his release wants to resume his role as the children's father. His in-laws who have cared for them since their mother's death are opposed. This novel relied heavily on the mother's background and behaviour as a 'reason' for her husband's attack.
It is told though the daughter's eyes and recall, the in-laws' arguments, and the court reports leading up to the court decision. I remain disturbed at the conclusion, and since. Perhaps it is this that leads to my appraisal that this particular novel was lacking in the sensitive and thoughtful writing observed in the others in the collection.
The New Woman deals with the huge issue of transgender. As such, it seems to consciously take one side in the current debate over transgender women and their right to be seen as women with women's rights.
Early descriptions of Luke, who is to become Lucia, are heartbreaking. His story begins with his exclusion from the girls' cloakroom. Both his four year old friend, a girl, and he feel strongly that is where he belongs. Their teacher is adamant that he does not. Access to women's toilets, is of course, a matter of debate in the current discussion of transgender. Another distressing vignette is that of his collecting a shiny tiara, a ballet frock and other 'girl's' accoutrements to the dismay of his mother.
At the same time as Norman seemingly makes an argument for one side of the debate, she also consciously or unconsciously demonstrates that Luke has ingrained male characteristics: when he is physically attacked he does not cower and clutch at the hands encircling his throat. He punches, hard and effectively, leaving his attacker as bruised and battered as he. A woman has very different training and responses.
The family's reactions to the changes Luke wants to make are horrendous, and difficult to understand. However, with Norman's approach to her material I have little doubt that they are faithfully depicted.
What a thoroughly impressive piece of work! It made me reel and think harder about the current debate.
The last novel, See You in September, is gripping. An ordinarily happy family see a member off at Heathrow as she travels before finishing her degree. The family are not without flaws, a sister who is spiky; a father who is vigorous in his understanding of what his daughters should achieve; and a mother who does little to curtail this as she too wants worldly achievements.
A sense of fear is engendered from early in the novel, and does not dissipate. The prologue tells the reader that deaths have occurred, and who the victims are is unresolved until the very end. The excellent short sections on how to entice members to a cult, and sustain their loyalty warn the reader, but unfortunately not the protagonist.
I have recently read other novels where involvement in a cult has been a well drawn feature. This one is no different: the sense of disbelief that anyone could be so naïve is beautifully woven with arguments as to indeed how could they not?
Charity Norman's collection was an excellent read. Although I take issue with some of the values expressed, that on the whole there are social issues so well debated gives these works an extra dimension. Yes, they are very accessible, they are fairly easy read. However, to be left with the haunting feelings about some of the issues and their resolution is, to me, the hallmark of a very worthy read.
The first novel, Freeing Grace, is the stand out as a sensitive account of a baby whose biological family and a possible adopting family vie for her in a court battle over parenthood. The families' stories are complex, told independently for much of the novel, and only coming together when the reader has had time to digest the rights and wrongs of the case each family is making.
Adoption as an option, with all its ramifications, is debated through Leila and David and their wider family. The sorrow of infertility, the role of paid work and economic concerns, relationships with social workers and courage are laid out, layer on layer, as Leila and David acknowledge their only option is to adopt, and fight to do so.
Baby Grace Serenity's biological family has a far more complex story. The prologue describes her birth to a young unmarried mother, the social worker's and medical attendants' attitudes, and the accident that leaves Grace the subject of possible adoption. However, this story is mainly told through anti-commitment Jake and the family of his work colleague, Anna. In this many layered story women's role as parent and family support versus her right to independence is debated.
The resolution is sustained by the arguments made throughout the vying families, rather than a simplistic happy ending. A good beginning to the collection.
The second story, After the Fall, is the one with which the collection was advertised. This suggests that it has been a successful stand alone novel. It possibly draws in part upon Norman's move to New Zealand in its understanding of the complexities a major change in location makes for any family. In the novel, the teenage girl is particularly affected, and it is her story that leads to the novel working on the difficulties of dealing with change, the lies that accumulate in families, and a resolution that, while possibly the only one, leaves a family depleted.
The Son in Law is, to me, a really disturbing story with worrying values. It brings issues of domestic violence (a somewhat soft term for criminal assault at home), family relationships, children's rights and needs and the workings of the judicial system to the fore. A mother is murdered in front of her children, a ten year old daughter who phones the ambulance, a baby on her hip, and a small son who hides behind the sofa. The father is goaled for manslaughter (his punch in her face did not necessarily kill her, her head hitting the fender did), and upon his release wants to resume his role as the children's father. His in-laws who have cared for them since their mother's death are opposed. This novel relied heavily on the mother's background and behaviour as a 'reason' for her husband's attack.
It is told though the daughter's eyes and recall, the in-laws' arguments, and the court reports leading up to the court decision. I remain disturbed at the conclusion, and since. Perhaps it is this that leads to my appraisal that this particular novel was lacking in the sensitive and thoughtful writing observed in the others in the collection.
The New Woman deals with the huge issue of transgender. As such, it seems to consciously take one side in the current debate over transgender women and their right to be seen as women with women's rights.
Early descriptions of Luke, who is to become Lucia, are heartbreaking. His story begins with his exclusion from the girls' cloakroom. Both his four year old friend, a girl, and he feel strongly that is where he belongs. Their teacher is adamant that he does not. Access to women's toilets, is of course, a matter of debate in the current discussion of transgender. Another distressing vignette is that of his collecting a shiny tiara, a ballet frock and other 'girl's' accoutrements to the dismay of his mother.
At the same time as Norman seemingly makes an argument for one side of the debate, she also consciously or unconsciously demonstrates that Luke has ingrained male characteristics: when he is physically attacked he does not cower and clutch at the hands encircling his throat. He punches, hard and effectively, leaving his attacker as bruised and battered as he. A woman has very different training and responses.
The family's reactions to the changes Luke wants to make are horrendous, and difficult to understand. However, with Norman's approach to her material I have little doubt that they are faithfully depicted.
What a thoroughly impressive piece of work! It made me reel and think harder about the current debate.
The last novel, See You in September, is gripping. An ordinarily happy family see a member off at Heathrow as she travels before finishing her degree. The family are not without flaws, a sister who is spiky; a father who is vigorous in his understanding of what his daughters should achieve; and a mother who does little to curtail this as she too wants worldly achievements.
A sense of fear is engendered from early in the novel, and does not dissipate. The prologue tells the reader that deaths have occurred, and who the victims are is unresolved until the very end. The excellent short sections on how to entice members to a cult, and sustain their loyalty warn the reader, but unfortunately not the protagonist.
I have recently read other novels where involvement in a cult has been a well drawn feature. This one is no different: the sense of disbelief that anyone could be so naïve is beautifully woven with arguments as to indeed how could they not?
Charity Norman's collection was an excellent read. Although I take issue with some of the values expressed, that on the whole there are social issues so well debated gives these works an extra dimension. Yes, they are very accessible, they are fairly easy read. However, to be left with the haunting feelings about some of the issues and their resolution is, to me, the hallmark of a very worthy read.
December 11, 2021
Fabulous read
Not my usual genre but thought I’d give this a try. I’m so glad I did. Each book had characters that leapt from the page and I felt completely engaged with. Two of the books I sobbed through the final chapters. Each situation has been thoroughly studied to make it believable. Don’t hesitate, just buy these books.
Not my usual genre but thought I’d give this a try. I’m so glad I did. Each book had characters that leapt from the page and I felt completely engaged with. Two of the books I sobbed through the final chapters. Each situation has been thoroughly studied to make it believable. Don’t hesitate, just buy these books.
August 7, 2020
Loved every one of the 5 books
I have enjoyed every one of these five books you can see Charitys style growing with each one. I didnt want themt to end and felt quite sad when they did. Good mix of storylines and believable and likeable characters
I have enjoyed every one of these five books you can see Charitys style growing with each one. I didnt want themt to end and felt quite sad when they did. Good mix of storylines and believable and likeable characters
December 1, 2021
Reading these 5 books took a while. This author has a gift of describing a normal family experiencing extraordinary circumstances from addiction to body dysmorphia to cults. It is entrancing and, utterly engaging. My only criticism is it can take painstakingly long to conclude, even when you the reader and obviously the author know the end.
January 14, 2023
As always I really enjoyed Charity’s writing. See you in September and the new woman stand out as the most memorable of the 5 books included in this set. I do hope someone buys the screen rights to her books. She deserves a wider audience. I’ve recommended her writing to numerous people who without exception say ‘I’ve never heard of her “
January 1, 2021
Each book in this 5 book series is totally gripping. So well researched. Have just finished the fourth book, but want to mentally relive it before beginning the last book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews