Family story about 3 sisters and their mom. Margo and Richard were married and had 3 daughters, Rachel, Imogene, and Sasha. Then, their father left them, and their family was thrown into a tizzy. Rachel and her sisters had to take up the slack when their mom went into a depression. Sasha felt unwanted, thinking she was the reason for the breakup.
Years later, the children are grown and struggling with their lives. Margo just wants them to be happy, but they are unsure of their relationships. Lots of angst and self-searching. It was interesting to find out the reason Richard left and the development of the characters as a result. The ending was bittersweet.
An emotional family story. ( )

This family drama focuses on Margo, matriarch of the family, with her 3 daughters, who have all been burned by their alcoholic father who abandoned them when the youngest was 4, leaving Margo an emotional, depressed wreck, and the daughters in various states of psychological ache.

Years later, the "Garnett girls," as they are known, form a close-knit family of their own. The relationships between the girls themselves and individually with their mother form the crux of the emotional weight of the novel.

The novelist does an amazing job of providing just enough information to fully draw these characters, their foibles, their romantic involvements, and their weaknesses. I've been disappointed with similarly themed novels; the scope of many of them, the breadth of the characters' inner lives, prevent many authors from giving a full picture of any one character, and thus the reader is left unsatisfied. Moore surprisingly does not fall into such pitfalls and instead manages to convey a lot of information with small touches and scenes, as well as just enough inner monologue to paint a full picture of the character.

One of the things that perplexed me in this novel is how much drinking there is in it, given that alcoholism is the cause of so much pain for the Garnett family. It felt like there was drinking in every single scene in this novel, and the reader does not get the sense that anyone in the family really cares that alcohol forms the backdrop of events in their lives. ( )

The Garnett Girls: Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, and their glamorous social butterfly mother, Margo. There's something rather timeless and classic about them all. Margo holds court over all who come into contact with her at Sandcove, the family home on the Isle of Wight. To an extent, her daughters live a little in her shadow but each tries to forge their own lives with Rachel apparently the most together of them all, Imogen drifting a little, and Sasha trapped in her marriage. And looming over them all is their father, Richard, missing from all of their lives for so long, and the spectre of the great all-encompassing love that he and Margo shared (I imagined a sort of Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton scenario).

It's clear the author has a great love for the island. She writes about it so evocatively and brings it to life between the pages. Not all of the action takes place there but it's the hub of the family and they're always drawn back there, along with others collected along the way, and despite the ups and downs that they experience there's such a bond between them all which oozes warmth and clannish intimacy.

Fractures do start to formulate during the course of the story, not least because of a secret that Margo has kept from the girls, and for a while they're all at odds with each other. This is a novel about the delicacies and intricacies of family life, and forgiveness. I couldn't help but like Margo with her magnetic allure, especially to men. I liked the 'girls' too, particularly reliable and strong Rachel, and I really enjoyed the sections with languid friend of the family, Jonny, as well.

Georgina Moore's debut is assured and well-written, with a gorgeous setting and interesting characters, and it put me in mind of the TV series The Split in terms of characterisations and family dynamics. The invisible thread that ties families together whilst sometimes also tearing them apart is portrayed perfectly. I look forward to seeing what comes next. ( )

The Garnett Girls is a solid debut that only grows stronger as the story continues. There’s a lot to unpack in this story of sisters, secrets and an overbearing mother.

The Garnett girls and their mother Margo are well known on the Isle of Wight. Margo is famous for her parties, character and journalism but the people remember when it wasn’t so free spirited. Margo left many years earlier for the love of her life Richard, but their marriage didn’t last as he loved drinking more. Rachel, the eldest, grew up quickly to look after her younger sisters. Now a lawyer and living in the family home, Sandcove, she feels trapped in a life that isn’t hers. Middle sister Imogen is a playwright with her first play drawing some big names. But she feels trapped by her mother’s pressure to get married despite not really loving her fiancé. As the youngest, Sasha is the wildest but seems to be controlled by her overbearing husband. Not remembering Richard at all means that she is the most desperate to find out what happened. But she isn’t prepared for the truth. The secrets spill out, some quietly and others in huge confrontations as the Garnett girls discover what they do and don’t want.

I really enjoyed the opening chapters about Imogen and her time in Venice. It was a wonderful combination of fun and awkwardness. I wasn’t quite prepared next for the whirlwind that is Margo – she’s completely extra from the parties, to the men, to the drinking. At first she wasn’t that likeable, but as the novel progressed and the reader had insight into her fears, I felt for her. There were some events that I would have liked to have had more page time with – Sasha and Imogen’s breakups, Rachel’s suspicions about her husband and a client and when one of the girls goes missing as a child. I felt that these were all dealt with a bit too quickly and neatly. I wanted some more mess, particularly as Georgina Moore writes messy confrontations and fallout so well. She knows how to break her darlings, and piece them (almost) back together so that their past experiences influence their choices and actions for the future.

Once I got used to Margo and had some time to get stuck into reading, I really enjoyed The Garnett Girls. There is a lot (but not too much) in this debut novel which shows a great insight into the intricacies of family relationships and how they affect friendship and love. The setting was just gorgeous, from the beaches to the crumbly old house. Moore is a skilled writer and I’d love to see her write a long, involved saga. She’s got the talent to pull it off spectacularly.

Thank you to Harlequin for the ARC. My review is honest.

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