The Start of Summer

'Walsh writes with a warmth and humour about the disparate lives of four new mothers over one summer in Dublin. This is a touching, enjoyable tale of friendship in all of its complexities.' Anne Griffin

A long, hot summer has just begun. Three new mothers gather in the park, in the shade of the trees, forming a tight circle. They keep each other close, sharing gossip, parenting wisdom and deep secrets.

Gracie appears to have adapted to motherhood with ease, but secretly she wonders if the cost - to her job and her relationship - is too high. Free-spirited Lina is a single parent by choice, but finds that her decisions have consequences, for her daughter and for herself? And shy Jane is facing the battle of her life, against the man who should be her rock, and with the echoes of a painful decision she made years before.

When a lonely new mum asks to join them, the circle opens to let her in. But Elise's arrival provokes mixed emotions amongst the other mothers, as each is forced to confront her true self and the fact that life will never be the same again.

“Walsh deftly and sympathetically tackles that taboo subject of the mother who abandons her children ... Beautifully told - Sunday Independent on All That I Leave BehindA brave and thought-provoking novel - Irish Independent on The House at Seaview Road”

Walsh deftly and sympathetically tackles that taboo subject of the mother who abandons her children ... Beautifully told - Sunday Independent on All That I Leave Behind

A brave and thought-provoking novel - Irish Independent on The House at Seaview Road

Alison Walsh has worked in publishing and literary journalism for a number of years. She wrote a popular and humorous column on family life for the Irish Independent for some years, and this was followed by a memoir on motherhood, In My Mother's Shoes, which became a number-one Irish bestseller in 2010. She is a regular contributor to the Sunday Independent books pages.

Alison lives in Dublin with her husband and three children.

Follow her on Twitter at @authoralison or visit her website at

'Walsh writes with a warmth and humour about the disparate lives of four new mothers over one summer in Dublin. This is a touching, enjoyable tale of friendship in all of its complexities.' Anne Griffin A long, hot summer has just begun. Three new mothers gather in the park, in the shade of the trees, forming a tight circle. They keep each other close, sharing gossip, parenting wisdom and deep secrets. Gracie appears to have adapted to motherhood with ease, but secretly she wonders if the cost - to her job and her relationship - is too high. Free-spirited Lina is a single parent by choice, but finds that her decisions have consequences, for her daughter and for herself? And shy Jane is facing the battle of her life, against the man who should be her rock, and with the echoes of a painful decision she made years before.When a lonely new mum asks to join them, the circle opens to let her in. But Elise's arrival provokes mixed emotions amongst the other mothers, as each is forced to confront her true self and the fact that life will never be the same again.

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