Product Description

Shauna and Greg's marriage is under pressure. She wants another baby. He doesn't. She also has to endure her obnoxious in-laws, 'The Freeloaders', Della, Eddie and their spoilt kids. They arrive at her home at the drop of a hat, stay as long as they like, and eat and drink all around them without lifting a finger to help. Shauna's glad to be moving abroad - she'll be free of them at long last. But three thousand miles won't stop the determined Della. Free holidays in an exotic location. Perfect! Carrie, Shauna's sister, can't help feeling put upon. The burden of looking after their elderly, hypochondriac father rests on her and she's fed up of it. Is it too much to ask that the burden be shared? Even though she loves her siblings, resentment builds. Can Carrie put her foot down and stand up for herself? Bobby, the youngest, has a poisoned relationship with his father who blames him for the premature death of his wife. A bitter confrontation leaves them estranged. Can they ever settle their differences? Or are some rifts just to painful to resolve? The last Christmas the family got together was a disaster, but circumstances change. Can the family turn things around and finally put the past behind them as they prepare for another family gathering?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #94641 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 688 pages

Ireland on Sunday
'Patricia Scanlan portrays real family life and strife with recognisable characters, a gripping plot and plenty of humour'

From the Inside Flap
The Cassidys’ marriage is under pressure. Shauna wants another baby. Greg doesn’t. She also has to endure her obnoxious in-laws, ‘the Freeloaders’, as her sister calls them. They arrive at her home at the drop of a hat, eat, drink and stay as long as they like, without lifting a finger to help. Shauna’s glad to be moving abroad. She’ll be free of them at last. Or will she?

Carrie, Shauna’s sister, feels put upon. The burden of looking after their elderly father rests on her and she’s fed up. Even though she loves her siblings, resentment builds. Can Carrie stand up for herself at long last?

Shauna and Carrie’s younger brother, Bobby, has a poisoned relationship with
his father, who blames him for the premature death of his wife. Can they ever
settle their differences? Or are some rifts just too painful to resolve?

The last Christmas the family got together was a disaster, but circumstances change. Can they finally put the past behind them as they prepare for another family gathering?

From the Back Cover
The Cassidys’ marriage is under pressure. Shauna wants another baby. Greg doesn’t. She also has to endure her obnoxious in-laws who arrive at the drop of a hat and stay as long as they like. Shauna’s glad to be moving abroad. She’ll be free of them at last. Or will she?

Carrie, Shauna’s sister, feels put upon. The burden of looking after their elderly father rests on her and she’s fed up. Even though she loves her siblings, resentment builds. Can Carrie finally stand up for herself?

Shauna and Carrie’s brother, Bobby, has a poisoned relationship with his father, who blames him for the death of his wife. Can they settle their differences? Or are some rifts just too painful to resolve?

The last Christmas the family got together was a disaster. Can they finally put the past behind them as they prepare for another family gathering?

Praise for Patricia Scanlan: ‘The ultimate comfort read’ Glamour

‘There is a heartbreaking authenticity in her observations … it’s a pleasure to get pulled along in the lives of these characters’ Irish Times

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
I knew this was just a chick lit novel when I purchased it but I thought at nearly 700 pages it would be just right for when I fancied a light read. I was looking forward to a good easy read about a family and its `Divided Loyalties', well I was disappointed. This was the first book and I suspect the last that I have read by this author.
Three Irish siblings with contrasting lifestyles and problems. No real story line as such, apart from following the family ups and downs over four years. Their father Noel was my least favourite character and I hated the way the author portrayed him as an old man at 65. Ok he was 69 when the story ended but I just feel that this is not considered old these days and therefore his behaviour annoyed me immensely.
The other very annoying thing about this novel for me was the author's use of grammar. She used `bring' where I would have used `take' and `in' where I would have used `at'! Is this maybe an Irish foible?
I did surprisingly finish this book as I just kept hoping it would improve but disappointingly it never did.

Enjoyable but predictable.....
This book was OK and if you have nothing else to read or want something not too taxing then this book is perfect. The plot was very predictable, I knew what Greg was going to do about 3 chapters before it happened. The character of Della was at times just annoying and at others quite genius. The fued between Bobby and Dad seemed to be over in a few pages whereas we had pages and pages of descriptions for the parties and clothes wore by Shauna. OK but definitely not the best book I've ever read!!

Another brilliant one
Read this a while back but love Patricia Scanlan, think her books are fab and her characters are so real and true to life. Loved the Della character in this one and the husband Greg was such a b*******. Patricia rules!!!