Because of You: The beautifully uplifting Richard & Judy bestseller

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It’s a solid enough piece of commercial fiction, but it seems destined to suffer when held against the supposed best fiction of the year. I listened to the audiobook, as DF's best asset is her voice, and the reader gets a good indication of the author's intention, when the author narrates their own work, and, so DF with this crass, low-bow, baseless, flawed rubbish, lowered my opinion of her talent, several pegs.

I've been a fan of Dawn French for what feels like forever, and I loved her autobiography, Dear Fatty - her novels however, are a very different kettle of fish. Hope kidnaps Anna's newborn baby; and the story continues, telling how Hope raises Minnie, the daughter, and of the 'extraordinary' bond. I was upset by the ending, not because I’d formed any emotional attachment to the characters but because I was taken aback and appalled - credit to the author for the final plot twist I didn’t see coming (but perhaps should have). Julian is portrayed as a narcissistic man, so we never get to experience his grief over the loss of his baby.I think feeling sorry for Hope also came from knowing that Florence’s dad was a self-loving idiot who would have ruined his daughter’s life, just like he did his wife. After taking the time to really look at the emotional impact of events in the first half, the pace ramps up to such an extent that certain key moments felt rushed, with characters accepting huge revelations in their stride. The author clearly has had a lot of fun constructing him but then, she has a very suitable ministerial model from which to work, in all his full awfulness and venal ugliness.

Quite staid - stoic even - her husband, Julius, is a complete arse, egotistical, misogynistic and interested in only his career, and there are many times I wanted her to tell him to jog on. It deals with what are very serious weighty issues with the lightest of touches and attempts to bring humour into a devastating situation. Be prepared that you may need tissues because in those dying pages Dawn French elicits such a reaction from the reader, creates such heartfelt emotion in Hope's letter to Minnie, that is it a hard heart who won't be moved by what they read. Because of You is the remarkably poignant story perfect for every Dawn French fan, told with her signature humour, warmth and so much love. The two families’ lives are tracked over time until eventually their worlds collide with startling consequences.I really enjoyed listening to the audio version and definitely recommend this audio book – I do also now have a hardback copy which I will read as I’m sure there were some parts of the audio that I missed – my fault for late night listening! 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.