LIZA, a professor, is pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants by a man she's not sure she loves and GRACE, their dawdling youngest daughter, lives a lie that no one in her family suspects. WENDY, their eldest, a cause for concern, soothes herself with drink after being widowed young, while VIOLET, lawyer-turned-stay-at-home-mother, is disturbed by the reappearance of a son placed for adoption fifteen years earlier. MARILYN has somehow fallen into motherhood and spent four decades married to DAVID, who's pretty certain he loves her more than anyone has ever loved another person.

I predict late success with the paperback, it has been longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and is a superb summer read. This book got a little overlooked when published as a hardback because it was simply gigantic. ‘I loved every word of Grown Ups.The Most Fun we Ever Had, by Claire Lombardo ( paperback, June 2020) £8.99

Nobody nails chaotic families like Marian’ Liz Nugent I feel like I’ve met every single character in this book. ‘Marian Keyes’s gift for storytelling is utterly magnificent. ‘Magnificently messy lives, brilliantly untangled.Funny, tender and completely absorbing!’ Graham Norton I felt like I was reading the cleverest cream cake of words’ Caitlin Moran ‘Funny & thoughtful & such brilliantly drawn characters I am genuinely bereft that my time with them is over’ Hannah Beckerman ‘Happy making with glorious wit’ Helen Lederer

‘Sensitive, funny, wonderful, immensely touching’ Nigella Lawson INCLUDED IN THE TIMES PREDICTIONS FOR THE BEST BOOKS OF 2020 In the subsequent unravelling, every one of the adults finds themselves wondering if it’s time – finally – to grow up? One careless remark at Johnny’s birthday party, with the entire family present, starts Cara spilling out all their secrets. Įverything stays under control until Ed’s wife Cara, gets concussion and can’t keep her thoughts to herself. While some people clash, other people like each other far too much. Under the surface, though, conditions are murkier. Johnny’s wife, Jessie – who has the most money – insists on it. Johnny Casey, his two brothers Ed and Liam, their beautiful, talented wives and all their kids spend a lot of time together – birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weekends away. THE BRAND-NEW BOOK FROM MARIAN KEYES, THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BREAK AND THE WOMAN WHO STOLE MY LIFE

Marian keyes grown ups characters