Second Chance: A Novel

By Siân James

Book Overview

A warm, spirited, and intelligent novel about the complexities of family life... Having returned home to deal with her mother's funeral, Kate Rivers is taking stock of her life. Though she has enjoyed some success in her acting career, her life isn't all she hoped it would be. She never married nor had the children she always wanted. And being an unofficial stepmother to her lover's twin daughters has not seemed the same, especially since Paul's girls have never given her a chance. Now, tragedy has also struck Paul's family, and just when Kate needs him most, it is he who needs a shoulder to cry on... Unable to find any emotional support, Kate looks further afield for comfort and finds herself falling for a beautiful-and married-cousin, Rhydian. But is her affair a second chance at happiness, or just a dangerous infatuation? And then there is Paul to consider. He may still be in love with his first wife, but can Kate turn her back on him now? In Second Chance, Sian James brings the signature stylistic panache and humor that won her much praise for Two Loves. With a keen eye and warm sensibility, she compellingly explores the troubles and rewards of modern family life.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312272588
• ISBN13: 9780312272586
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A different kind of love story

When she was a very little girl, her father walked out on her mother and her. Kate River's mother had a nervous breakdown and was unable to take care of her. Instead, Kate acted more like the adult in their relationship, making sure her mother ate, bathed and got out of bed. By the time she was seventeen, Kate was an adult taking full responsibility for her mother. Kate moves to London to become an actress and over the years, she has had some success in her chosen profession. At forty-three, she has lived with her significant other for several years, but the pair plan to marry soon. When her mother dies in Wales, she goes to the funeral alone because her lover is involved in a crisis with his ex-wife and their daughters. In the midst of the gloom, Kate meets her first cousin once removed and falls in love with him. The only problem is that he is a farmer tied not only to the land in Wales, but to his wife and three children with one more on the way. Just when she thinks her lot in life will never get any better, a miracle occurs that gives Kate a second chance at a new and different existence if she grabs it. Sian James is a born storyteller who makes Wales come alive in the imaginations of her readers. All of the characters are very complex and realistically portrayed. The audience will empathize with them even though they might not agree with all the choices they made. SECOND CHANCE lives up to its title while inspiring the readers with hope for the future.Harriet Klausner