I picked this book because I saw that it had won the Costa First Novel Award, and I'd already read Bring Up the Bodies, which won the 2012 Costa Novel Award. I've subsequently found out that it's based on the Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - a book I've not read.
I very much enjoyed this story of Adam Newman, a steady guy from a solid North London Jewish family. He has been dragging his heels in proposing to his long time, "perfect" girlfriend Rachel, and his world is turned upside down by the arrival of Rachel's exotic, American, model cousin Ellie. One of the things I loved was the depiction of the tight knit Jewish community where everyone knows everyone else and everyone knows everyone's history. Francesca peppers the dialogue with Hebrew/Yiddish, but does not feel the need to translate, leaving the reader in the same boat as the younger Jewish generation.
A slightly mawkish ending spoils this tense novel. I will be looking out for any more books published by this author.
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