Starting a new Maggie Mason book is always a cause for excitement for me. In Blackpool Sisters I was keen to find out what happened to Tilly and her daughters, Babs and Beth, after the end of the first in the trilogy, Blackpool's Angel. Each book can be read as a standalone but it's always best to start at the beginning, I think, and acquaint yourself fully with what's gone before. I couldn't remember everything from Blackpool's Angel but Mason is really skilled at giving enough away to serve as a reminder or background for those new to the books.

Tilly has been longing to be reunited with her twins who were taken from her by gypsies. Although she's carried on with her life, not knowing where they were has broken her heart. As Blackpool Sisters begins in 1902 the girls are now 13 and whilst Beth is relatively content with her life, Babs is desperate to get back to Tilly and their home town of Blackpool.

The book is split into two parts. The first section tells us what happened when Babs tried to return to Blackpool and also allows us to follow Tilly in her day to day life. Then in 1914 war has broken out and the girls become nurses in France. I thought having these two distinct sections worked really well as we didn't need to know what happened in the intervening years, only the major events in each time and the First World War was such a pivotal time in history.

As I've come to expect, Mason doesn't hold back on putting her characters through the mill. This might be a saga but it sure isn't a cosy story. Nobody escapes unscathed but I always love the way that this author has everybody pulling together with a real sense of community and friendship.

I absolutely raced through this book. Despite the fact that there is some hard-hitting stuff going on, I find Maggie Mason's books so easy to read, so engrossing and so full of heart and spirit. I'm really looking forward now to the final part of the trilogy, A Blackpool Christmas, and seeing what happens to these feisty women next. I loved Blackpool Sisters! ( )