The Battle For Christabel

Description

'Wonderfully rich... Nobody explores the way we live with more intelligence, art or humanity than she does' - Scotsman Rowena wants a baby. What she doesn't want is the baby's father. Yet five years after the birth of Christabel, Rowena is dead, tragically killed in a climbing accident. The battle for Christabel has begun... With signature skill, Margaret Forster reveals the conflicting personal interests that lie behind each character's claim on the child. Drawn from the perspectives of social workers, grandparents, lovers and foster-mothers, this novel is a remarkable and heartfelt exploration of the complexities of motherhood.

Born in Carlisle, Margaret Forster was the author of many successful and acclaimed novels, including Have the Men Had Enough?, Lady's Maid, Diary of an Ordinary Woman, Is There Anything You Want? , Keeping the World Away, Over and The Unknown Bridesmaid. She also wrote bestselling memoirs - Hidden Lives, Precious Lives and, most recently, My Life in Houses - and biographies. She was married to writer and journalist Hunter Davies and lived in London and the Lake District. She died in February 2016, just before her last novel, How to Measure a Cow, was published.

As the characters battle for possession of Christabel, Margaret Forster catches every note and nuance of good intention, misplaced motive and downright selfishness-a remarkable achievement * Financial Times * Forster has the essential capacity to see everyone's point of view... In that territory of dread and reconciliation which is the family, Forster reigns supreme * Guardian * Enticingly written-a compelling read * Time Out * Motherhood is taken out, held up to the light and given a vigorous shaking-a book with impact * Times Literary Supplement * Poignant, impeccably written-especially heart-rending because it is so believable * Company *