The Garnett Girls

by Georgina Moore

This book is like reading Little Women except they’re all grown up and living in present-day England. The story warms up slowly, easing us into the lives of three sisters and their charismatic mother. Moore gently, subtly, leads us to absolutely understand the inner lives of her characters, how those lives intertwine and affect one other and can never be separated—all in a utopian world where family support one another and the small community where they grow up remains as consistent source of love. There are many reasons to recommend this book, but as a writer, I have to say I loved the way Moore manages 325 pages of prose, and many scenes involving several characters speaking together, without ever using “she said” or “he said”. And the fact that the matriarch lives her older age to the full, including having hot sex.