The Love Child

Having read previous books by Rachel Hore, I was looking forward to reading The Love Child and it doesn’t disappoint.

Set between 1917 and the second world war, the story follows unmarried Alice who is forced to give up her baby for adoption. Interweaving with Alice’s story is the story of Irene, who was adopted by Edith and Philip and is on a mission to understand why she feels like an outsider within her own family.

Another good book by Rachel Hore with an interesting storyline. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

This book was phenomenal. I love that the author is always very passionate about her historical settings and her author’s note closing the story proves it.

As a reader, you feel sympathy for both Alice and Irene, in that both characters have a huge hole and longing in their lives they they can’t fill. I loved how their biography and back stories crossed over and could tell how they were related.

The ending was so beautiful and I am really glad we found out more about Jack.

The setting of medicine for Alice was really interesting and painful to read of discrimination for someone so talented to have so work so hard to fulfil her dreams although this also explained her passion with children and mothers who didn’t end up in his position,

Irene’s relationships were sometimes hard to read but when she met Miss Juniper on the beach, her direction and interests changed in such a positive way that Irene’s character deepened.

I would read this again and again.

Alice Copeman is only nineteen and having lied about her age to join the VADs, is nursing in France towards the end of the First World War. She discovers soon after the death of the man she loves that she is pregnant with his child and has to return home to deal with the shame and disappointment of her father and step-mother. She's made to give up her baby girl for adoption and believing she has no other future, studies to become a doctor.

Irene always believed she was the adopted child of her father's cousins who died in an accident, but as she grows up with love from her father, but little from her mother, she's constantly aware that she's in her brother's shadow. Unlike her, her brother Clayton isn't adopted. She's a lonely child, but makes friends with Tom, a boy at her school who defends her from bullies. She soon discovers that Tom's life is rather unusual and he lives with his artist mother in a rundown area of the town.

This book covers the period between the two world wars and tells Alice's and Irene's stories as they both find their way in their own worlds. I've enjoyed many of Rachel Hore's books and this one didn't disappoint me. I thoroughly enjoyed following both women and the secondary characters' stories in this book and would happily recommend The Love Child.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, Simon and Schuster for my arc copy.

What a truly stunning and beautiful book the love child is by Rachel Hore . A tale of love and loss, of struggling to find your place and ending with redemption and forgiveness. This wonderful story begins with Alice who always fascinated by medicine at only 19 lies about her age and is nursing in France during ww1. There she meets jack an injured soldier whom after nursing back to health, Alice falls deeply in love with. Certain that they will marry after the war has ended Alice and Jack give in to temptation. Unfortunately Jack is killed on his return to the frontline and Alice finds herself alone and pregnant, her family won’t support her and her stepmother ships her off to a mother and baby home where she is forced to give up her baby girl.
The story then splits into two parts. We follow Alice determined to make something of her life after all she’s been through and become one of the first female doctors. Her struggles to achieve this and ultimately to find happiness again.
But we also follow Irene the baby girl Alice gave up.
Adored by her adoptive father but kept at arms length by a mother who goes on to have her own biological child whom she clearly favours, Irene struggles to fit in and can’t help wondering why.
After she accidentally discovers the story of her arrival into her family isn’t quiet what her parents made out , Irene seeks solace with local oddity artist and single mother Miss Juniper and her son Tom who provide Irene with the love and friendship her family doesn’t supply. As Irene grows so does her desire and curiosity to find her birth mother.
I absolutely adored this story and couldn’t put it down desperate to discover how it ends. It’s a beautiful page turner book that gives you an historical insight into life for woman after the war. I would highly recommend seeking this lovely story out. It would definitely make a great addition to any book lovers to be read list.

This is a historical novel set in France during the war. Alice is our protagonist. She falls in love with a soldier and gets pregnant. However, she's forced to give her up for adoption. The story is mainly about the difficulties for women in those times. It's very emotional and well written.
I felt for Alice and how she must have felt. The characterisation and historical setting was very good. I'd definitely read more from Rachel Hore.
Thanks a lot to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is another great read from Rachel Hore that examines the social constraints people endured one hundred years ago, and the heartbreaking consequences of adhering to them.
In 1917, Alice find herself pregnant after falling in love with a soldier she treats while serving as a nurse during the First World War. After being forced to give up her daughter, she succeeds in becoming one of the few women to study medicine and quality as a doctor. Meanwhile, her adopted daughter Irene lives a loveless life, but makes friends with a mother and son who refuse to conform to society’s expectations.
The novel follows the separate lives that Alice and Irene forge through the next twenty years, and the relationships they develop along the way.
I really enjoyed this book despite the frustrations I felt when I could see how restrictive life was for women during this time, and the judgements made on them by others.

A fabulous book, full of intricate twists and turns, cleverly woven stories with interesting characters. I could not put it down.

I loved this book I have read I think nearly all of Rachel's books.This one is my favourite, from the fist line in book I knew I would enjoy it and read it in a couple of days thank you for opportunity to read.