Read an interview with Charity Norman

Reader reviews

'Second Chances is an absolutely fantastic book with a gripping plot that makes you want to keep reading until the very end.  This novel is a definite page turner with many twists and turns along the way and I would recommend this to anyone.  It is expertly written capturing the reader's thoughts and imagination as you join the characters on an emotional roller coaster of fear, loss and happiness. The whole novel was so descriptive allowing you to become so absorbed in the story that you could actually picture the surroundings and each individual character in your mind.  This remarkable story had me so captivated I found myself sharing the laughter and tears of Martha and her family from start to finish.  I loved the way she adapted local folklore & mythology into the novel providing the reader with a new surprise around every corner.  As a mother myself I found Second Chances to be a very thought provoking novel providing us with such detail on current social issues threatening our children and families today. After reading this book I am definitely a fan of Charity Norman and can't wait to read more of her work.' - K. Pirrone, QLD

'This is a deftly-written read.

Some Jodi Picoult-style decision-making on morality, but with a central character who also discovers a new physical environment. A little like Judy Nunn or Di Morrisey, but less "light".  Where they differ is that the latter two seem to give extraneous detail in order to build a fuller picture of place, where this author can afford to be more sparing with "travel brochure" New Zealand, as the emphasis is on social issues. By the third chapter, I was "into the book", and embarking on an antipodean trip to the effects on a family of unemployment, alcohol, unknown paternity, adolescence, a step-child, working parents, drug addiction, indigenous folklore and even being a twin.

Charity Norman adeptly uses chapters set in the present (after the little boy, Finn, falls), as a way of reducing the limitations of a first person narrator in Martha. Martha's blindness (or denial) as a busy working wife and mother is skillfully written and really rings true. Moreover, the fact that Martha was not omniscient created an atmosphere that was increasingly sinister. Life was heading downhill - Just how far would it go?

Whimsical small details dotted throughout also rang true, not the least of which was the Frenchman, Jean, arriving to support the traumatized family "clutching a frozen lasagne".

The use of Martha's deceased mother's voice as her second "conscience" reminded me of last year's The Colour of Tea, Macmillan, by Hannah Tunnicliffe. That was a bit of deja-vu, but given the love-hate guilt-laden relationships most of us have with our controlling/martyrish mothers, I am sure this is still fertile ground.

Because of its themes and its solid writing, this is a book for every mother, grandparent, aunt, step-father, adolescent and twin. It deserves to be on high-school reading lists world-wide.' - A. Deborde, QLD

'A thoroughly enjoyable book well written and a great read.' - J. Wright

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'A compelling story, Second Chances is an emotional and thought provoking read. This is a book that I'd particularly recommend to parents of young adults ... I believe it will appeal to any reader who enjoys fiction that examines a family in crisis.' - read the rest of this review