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Because of You: The bestselling Richard & Judy book club pick Paperback – April 29, 2021

by Dawn French (Author)

4.4 12,366 ratings

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THE LIFE-AFFIRMING AND MOVING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM NUMBER-ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR DAWN FRENCH

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION AND A RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK

'I absolutely loved Because of You. Fantastic, passionate, compassionate, so much wisdom, a lot of humour, very real and credible' BERNARDINE EVARISTO, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other

'Gorgeous . . . wise and full of love' MARIAN KEYES
__________

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock . . . midnight.

As the old millennium turns into the new, two very different women give birth to two very similar daughters.

Hope leaves with a beautiful baby girl.
Anna leaves with empty arms.

Seventeen years later, the truth of that night starts rolling, terrible and deep, toward them all.

A reckoning is coming. Lives will collide.

And mother-love will be tested . . .

Because Of You is Dawn French's stunning new novel, told with her signature humour, warmth and so much love.
__________

'An extraordinary book - sad, heartening, gripping and reassuringly human' JO BRAND

'The final scenes are so perfectly executed they almost broke my heart. Because of You is a story to cherish' Sunday Times

'French manages to pick your heart up with the nib of her pen and slowly pull it apart, heart-wrenchingly, page by page . . . A true writing talent' My Weekly

'Dawn French is a wonderful writer' Daily Mail

'Moving . . . French's best yet' Good Housekeeping

'Dawn tackles the big ones - love, death, grief, childhood, motherhood, parenthood - head on' Guardian

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; 1st edition (April 29, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 140592733X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1405927338
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.98 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #453,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,241 in Friendship Fiction (Books)
- #3,532 in Humorous Fiction
- #4,390 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.4 12,366 ratings

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Dawn French

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Dawn French has been making people laugh for thirty years. As a writer, comedian, and actor, she has appeared in some of Great Britain's longest-running and most celebrated shows, including French and Saunders, Murder Most Horrid, The Vicar of Dibley, Jam and Jerusalem, Lark Rise to Candleford, and, most recently, Roger and Val Have Just Got In. Her bestselling memoir, Dear Fatty, was published in the United Kingdom to critical acclaim, and her first novel, A Tiny Bit Marvellous, was a number-one UK bestseller.

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4.4 out of 5

12,366 global ratings

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Catherine Swinn

Such a surprise!

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021

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This story was captivating. The characters were so interesting. The ending was a complete surprise and had me bawling like a baby. I haven't done that over a book since gone with the wind. 💕

One person found this helpful

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M. Elizabeth

Sad story but so compelling

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2020

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Though a sad situation your sympathies are torn in both directions. The book is well written and a pleasure to read

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Louise P.

COMPLETELY FANTASTIC!

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2020

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I have read all of Dawns' books and enjoyed them all but this is by FAR her best. I can't rate it highly enough, it captures you from the first page to the last. It's honestly on of the best books I've read EVER!

3 people found this helpful

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Joyce Johnston

What a surprise this book way

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2020

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After listening to an interview with the author I bought the book not sure what to expect. What I got was a book that was hard to put down and I will definitely buy it for others

6 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

great story with empathy and humor. Insufficient gravitas in the long haul but well worth a read

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2020

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A great story and likeable characters .... a very serious human “error” somehow made right .

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Whispering Stories

Because of You is a gloriously, beautiful book

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2020

On the 1st January 2000 two women, Hope and Anna, give birth to baby girls just a few delivery suites away. Both women have had long, drawn-out labours. One is there with her supportive partner whilst the other is with her husband who is a complete jerk.

Unfortunately, Hope’s baby is stillborn whilst Anna has a beautiful baby girl she calls Florence. A few hours later as Hope is heading home she goes past Anna’s room where both she and her partner are asleep and she sneaks a peek at the baby. Little Florence lifts her hand to Hope and at that moment she loses all sense of what is right and wrong and puts the baby in her night bag and carries her out to the car where her other half is waiting.

Florence isn’t noticed as missing for some time with her parents asleep and the midwives leaving them to rest. When the news breaks the hospital presume Hope left way before Florence was taken and she isn’t a suspect.

For eighteen years Hope kept the secret from everyone, not telling anyone her real daughter was stillborn and the daughter she has now, Minnie, isn’t really hers. But as time goes on Hope realises what she did was wrong and she needs to come clean, but what will happen to her perfect family once the world finds out?

Because of You is a gloriously, beautiful book. I knew what Hope had done was so wrong and on many levels evil, but I also couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Grief is a strange and difficult emotion to control and I can understand the want to hold a baby and love a child like the one she had lost. At the same time, she causes so much grief to the other family by taking their daughter.

I think feeling sorry for Hope also came from knowing that Florence’s dad was a self-loving idiot who would have ruined his daughter’s life, just like he did his wife. I like the way that Dawn French kind of made him out to be the baddy in the book, and that he was an MP too.

The book is emotional. It isn’t a funny book, it is heartfelt and tackles lots of subjects, including regret and forgiveness. It also makes you think. We follow Minnie’s life from the day of her birth and are with her for each birthday. I did wonder how Hope managed to conceal her daughter from the authorities for so long, yes she moved area’s but even if she didn’t have to take her to the doctors, what about school?

I can’t remember the last book of this size that I sat and read so quickly. It certainly is a page-turner. I was moved by the storyline and the plight of these three females.

Book Reviewed on Whispering Stories Book Blog
*I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed

4 people found this helpful

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OlgaNM

You’ll cry, laugh, and love it.

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020

Thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin UK for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
Having lived in the UK for a long time, I knew Dawn French’s work as an actress and comedian, but I had not read any of her books. Although I had heard about his memoir, I didn’t realise she had also published fiction, and I couldn’t resist when I had the chance to read this book. And it was a great decision.
Although this is not a mystery, I will try to avoid any spoilers,and will not offer too many details about the plot. Suffice to say that this is (mostly) a story about two mothers and a daughter (the fathers are around but don’t play too big a part), the price they have to pay for that relationship, and it deals in themes such as family, identity, grief, the mother-daughter bond, love and sacrifice…
I’ve mentioned two mothers and a daughter. Both mothers, Hope and Anna, are very different. From different social spheres and ethnic background (one well-off, one just getting by, one white British, one Jamaican-British), in very different personal circumstances (one married and going through a planned and expected pregnancy, one unmarried and her pregnancy a total surprise that have changed the couple’s plans), and their partners have nothing in common either. Julius (Anna’s husband) is pompous, self-centred, and only interested in his political career. (Silent) Isaac is all good will, kindness, and only interested in the well-being of his fiancée and his soon-to-be-born daughter. The two couples are in the same hospital for the birth of their daughters, Florence and Minnie, but things don’t go to plan.
I loved both mothers. Their experiences are vividly described and cover the whole gamut of emotions. Loss and joy, grief and hope, second-chances/the beginning of a new life and becoming stuck in a dark hole. I’ve long believed that comedians are great observers of human behaviour, and there is evidence aplenty of that here, as there are beautiful touches and nuances, insights into the thought processes of the characters and their actions, that help create some memorable scenes. The story is narrated in the third person from alternating points of view (mostly those of the two mothers and of Minnie, the daughter, but we also get some insight into the fathers’ thoughts), and although at first I felt somewhat distanced from the protagonist due to the way the story was told, I soon became used to it and realised that it might have become unbearable to read the devastation and utter desolation the characters experience if it had been written in the first person. It is still a very emotional experience (tears came to my eyes more than once), but the narrative choice and the inclusion of lighter and comedic touches (one of the policemen, Tripshaw, plays the part of a buffoon, there are some unexpectedly humorous passages in pretty dire circumstances, and there are also some lovely life-affirming scenes surrounding the girl’s childhood and her growing up) make it a bitter-sweet but ultimately inspiring read.
I’ve already said I loved both mothers, and I must say that I like all the female characters, especially Debbie Cheese, the wonderful policewoman who understands the situation and empathises with the mother from the beginning, and Minnie, the daughter, colourful, unique, and full of zest for life and love. She knows who she is and doesn’t allow anybody to change her mind. The men are not that important, although Lee (or Twat), Minnie’s boyfriend, seems a keeper, truly devoted, and determined to stick around.
Readers who don’t like sudden changes in point of view don’t need to worry, as these do not occur in the middle of a chapter, and we are clearly told in each moment whose point of view we are following, so there’s no possible confusion.
The lovely details about the relationship mother-daughter don’t disrupt the flow of the story, which is beautifully written, and contains sharp psychological insights into the world of family relationships and all its ups and downs. The story starts, then moves forward 18 years, but then we go back again to the beginning and follow its development in chronological order, so although we have an inkling of the ending, we don’t get the full details until the ending proper. And it is quite an ending. I felt, at times, that Tripshaw’s malapropisms were pushed beyond the limit and so were Julius’s excesses but, in general, it is easy to read, and there are some truly funny and also some truly insightful moments. I thought I’d share a few:
Here, Tripshaw is, for once, word-perfect:
‘Well, Mr Lindon-Clarke, that went well, didn’t it? Truly, I’ve met some pricks in my time, but you, sir, are the full cactus.’
Anna, also talking about her ex-husband, Julius Lindon-Clarke, and his self-centredness and conceit:
‘He’s like a budgie: loads of talk, until it sees a mirror.’
‘How ironic that her emotional skeleton was made of pain, the very stuff that would not support her —it couldn’t. Pain is not galvanizing, it’s corrosive, so she would eventually rust. It was already happening and she knew it. All the parts of her held together by pain were deteriorating. She needed new reinforcement if she was going to claim her future without alcohol or sleeping pills or fear or endless crying. Anna needed to bestow this forgiveness.’
I recommend this novel to anybody who, like me, might be curious about Dawn French’s writing or has already read some and want more, who enjoy stories with strong and varied female characters, and who are particularly interested in books about families and mother-daughter relationships. It is well written, beautifully nuanced, full or wonderful characters, and, despite the sad moments, it is ultimately life-affirming and heart-warming (sorry, I know some people hate such accolades, but they are true). It won’t be the last of French’s novels I read, I’m sure of that.

2 people found this helpful

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Julie

A page turner but not as good as I would have liked

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2022

I did enjoy reading this book. I laughed, I cried. The premise was interesting and I didn't know where it would go. Afterwards, however, when I thought about it, I felt that the characters were not fleshed out enough (being a mum was all they were), that more could be done with the story and the ending was unbelievable. Not terrible but it doesn't make me want to read more books by the author.

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JenMedBookLover

Funny and emotional read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2021

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I've been meaning to tuck into one of Dawn French's books for a while and being invited to join the tour was just the perfect excuse to do just that. Not that I really needed an excuse, but the blurb intrigued me and after reading back to back crime titles, as is the norm, it made for a nice change of pace. Sort of - the book isn't entirely adrift from the crime genre, and when you read it you will understand why. But what happens is not about the crime, about the whodunnitry of the story - that is at the very heart of what happens - it is about the people behind the story. About how their lives intersect and the way in which a tragedy leads to a snap decision, and the impact that it has on two families who are most definitely chalk and cheese.  The story begins as two women, Hope and Anna, arrive at the same hospital at the same time, both about to give birth to their first child. Anna is the wife of a politician and has everything. Hope fell pregnant unexpectedly and her partner is a student, who has little to offer her other than love and a very suspect and ancient used car. Both give birth to beautiful daughters, but one is stillborn, and that is where the tragedy begins. What should have been a beautiful and celebratory day is marred by the tragedy and what follows only compounds the tragedy further. Dawn French has played this part of the story very carefully and cannily, capturing the emotion whilst developing a very clear picture of the characters at the heart of the story. You can feel the devastation of the mother who has lost everything, balanced against the mother who has it all - the longed for child, even if their circumstances are not all they would wish them to be. These early scenes set the story up perfectly, with some heartbreaking moments, but also some humour, and it made me really invested in the lives of the two women right from the start.  Now I really liked the character of Hope. She is determined for someone so young, and whilst you may question her behaviour and the decision she makes, there is absolutely no doubting her love for her partner, Isaac, and for her daughter. You know she is a woman who would sacrifice everything for her child and alongside her family, she is a wonderfully colourful and rounded woman you cannot help but like. Anna is a very different kind of mother. Quite staid - stoic even - her husband, Julius, is a complete arse, egotistical, misogynistic and interested in only his career, and there are many times I wanted her to tell him to jog on. She is far stronger than she appears and I developed a real respect for her as a character, for the way in which she handles the situation she finds herself in. It is far from enviable in spite of the privileges she enjoys, but whilst I was initially unsure about her, about the way in which she was portrayed, she most certainly earned a place in my heart.  There are other characters on the periphery of this story, but it is hard to talk about them without giving away too much of the story. I will say that Mike Thripshaw really brought the humour to the story, even if it was unintentional on his part. The constant misquoting and mixing of sayings - 'wolves in cheap clothing' for one example - but it kept what could have been a very tough subject light, funny. It made me chuckle anyway, especially when he had a run of wrong sayings, all those old catchphrases we so commonly mishear. And then there is Minnie. Hope's daughter, destined to follow in her mother's footsteps, but the person who brings Hope and Anna together a tragic and unexpected way. i really liked Minnie, liked her spirit, her passion and the very beautiful and honest relationship she has with Hope. She has been raised to have a good heart, rather ironic given the way the story plays out.  This is a book full of humour, love, fun, tragedy and moments of real poignancy. It's a story where a bad decision is made but where you will find it hard to condemn the person for making it, or for what follows. Everything that you witness in the book is driven love, especially what happens in the final chapters. Be prepared that you may need tissues because in those dying pages Dawn French elicits such a reaction from the reader, creates such heartfelt emotion in Hope's letter to Minnie, that is it a hard heart who won't be moved by what they read. A mother's true love for their child, the ultimate gift and a decision as monumental and dramatic as the one which started the whole story. This is a quick book to read but it packs one heck of a punch and I am very glad I read it. If you like to read a warm, funny, emotional book then I definitely recommend you pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

13 people found this helpful

Ellesse

Have the tissues to hand!

Reviewed in France on January 5, 2021

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This is such an unusual book. The main theme of the book is so original and the characters so believable. Somehow the author makes the act of stealing a baby seem almost justifiable and that in itself is no mean feat. I found the ending both very surprising and very emotional although the various strands did come together neatly. It was an unputabledown book and I finished it within a day. I would highly recommend it.

Thorpe Sandra

ottimo

Reviewed in Italy on January 13, 2021

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Loved this book! It was just as if Dawn French was reading to me. Great story, all the emotions. Would reccomend it to everyone.

Essie

Because Of You....Brilliantly written story

Reviewed in Australia on November 21, 2020

Verified Purchase

I love this book. You do not need me to describe the story, as the description is online. I was watching the Graham Norton show recently. Dawn French was a guest. She promoted "Because of You" on the show and described the story which enticed me to order a free sample. I just had to order the book after I read the sample. I had no idea that she had written any books. But now I will order another one. My family has always loved her as an actress and comedian. I loved her when she was on the panel of Australia's Got Talent. Dawn certainly has many talents and comes across as a lovely person. Thanks for the great read Dawn - I will probably read it again xx

sally whitfield

Touching, sensitive story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2022

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Dawn is a wonderful actress she can also write a great book. I totally loved the character of Hope but I 100% disagreed with what she did, very selfish. All the other characters apart from Julius were also great. Now the ending! Well it certainly was unexpected but very touching. Well worth a read.

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