Lee and Victoria weren’t the only ones to love The Godmothers by Monica McInerney… Here is what the QBD crew thought:
Drawing readers in with a warm embrace, Australia’s number one bestselling author Monica McInerney has delivered an emotionally uplifting novel in ‘The Godmothers’, her first release since 2017. Growing up in Australia, the story follows the life of Eliza Miller and takes readers on an unexpected road of hope to Scotland, Ireland and England. It’s filled with charm but also loss and sorrow as it doubles down on the weighty issues including mental health.
Eliza is worldly, having explored different cities across the globe on two-week stints visiting each of her godmothers as a child. However, when we meet her she no longer flys and lives a very safe life. Still numb from a momentous event that happened thirteen years ago she is consumed by a demanding job at an events company in Melbourne which provides her little reward despite her eager efforts. When Eliza finds herself in a position of freedom after years of unthankful service, her new beginning blossoms as she finds the strength in her new surroundings to shake her fears and find out more about her parents.
McInerney lovingly outlines the close-knit relationship Jeannie shared with her daughter Eliza in very endearing ways, like their mutual love of lists. But it is Eliza’s bond with Godmothers Oliva and Maxie that delivers a whirlwind force throughout the novel.
Guided by her fiercely independent, successful and influential Godmothers, Eliza finds herself across the world once again and immersed within a new lifestyle and tribe. What unfolds is a willingness to discover the identity of her father and work through the sadness that overcame her when she was seventeen. A moving story that pulls at the heartstrings while highlighting the power of family – whomever they may be.
