The Mother Hood by Vanessa De Carvalho

Sometimes motherhood isn’t what you expected, something that friends Saffi, Lena and Violet come to know intimately.

Violet had a dream pregnancy, but once her baby is born, she is completely overwhelmed and unable to bond with the baby she was looking forward to having. In the depths of postnatal depression, she is caught in a black hole, not sure how to ever bounce back.

Saffi is a natural earth-mother type and finds it easy to conceive, but she is struggling to balance her life when relationship problems with her partner start to appear.

Lena is over the moon about her one child, but she desperately wants more children. But with a track record of miscarriages and a near-death experience, having another baby is very unlikely. She is now going out of her mind with envy of any other woman with children.

Used to meeting up for coffees and chats, they have created a support village for each other.  But when each woman finds themselves at different personal crossroads, will they survive the challenges, and will their friendships survive?

The characters in this novel about the ups and downs of motherhood are warm and compelling. The Mother Hood is perfect for fans of Marian Keyes, and will especially appeal to new mums.

Reviewer: Karen McMillan

De Opalho Publishing