Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain

Diane Chamberlain always writes about secrets, I think everyone has them and sometimes like in the story they are not that easy to reveal,however much you love your partner or boyfriend or anyone.  The story once again going into two time lines - one when Molly was a youngster and one when she is all grown up in her mid thirties - seems to be a recurring theme with all the books I've chosen. I am not complaining though.

Molly and Aidan desperately long for a baby. It is not going to happen. One miscarriage and one hysterectomy later they put themselves on an adoption list. This is an unusual adoption procedure (though it may be common elsewhere, not known in my part of the world). This is an open adoption and the birth mother, grandmother, other members of the family may have access to the child who is being given for adoption. It is not just photographs once a year.

Aidan is wholly open to the idea, but Molly knowing her own background has reservations. She is worried whether she will welcome the birth mother as warmly as she does now, will she be able to love an adopted child as well as she loves her own biologically born child. Questions which seem very rational to Molly given her background which is still unknown to her husband. Molly herself is in a quandary as to whether she should/should not divulge her history to her husband with whom she is otherwise very open to.

The characterization is spot on in this book. Molly and Aidan are a mature couple and they seem typical of the family wanting to and needing to adopt. Sienna the birth mother is a teenage mother with one bad incident in her life which resulted in this pregnancy. She also cares about the birth of this child and whom it is going to. She knows she cannot bring this baby up on her own and that she is putting her entire future at stake if she keeps the baby. Sienna's mother Ginger is troubled by the fact that her first grand child will be growing up not knowing her birth family. There is also Molly's very chequered family history that has to be considered and sorted out if Molly is to ever have peace.

A very good story very well told.

Sent to me by Netgalley courtesy of St Martin's Press, for an unbiased review.