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Gretta Mulrooney
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COMING OF AGE a gripping novel of loss, friendship, love and growing up Kindle Edition

by GRETTA MULROONEY (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
See all formats and editions
Gripping women’s fiction about an unusual friendship between a teenage girl and an older woman. This absorbing novel will take you back to being thirteen again.

A compelling novel of intrigue, growing up, and love for the wrong person by best-selling author Gretta Mulrooney
Martina is a thirteen-year-old girl struggling to cope with the loss of her father. So her new friendship with the wealthy Cecelia Buchanan offers a lifeline. The older woman opens up Martina to a new world of elegance and beauty, and encourages her artistic talents. But Cecelia shares her flat with the handsome Luca, a younger man, whose motives are not always clear.

This is an intriguing and beautifully written novel about that moment in life when you realise that the adult world is not always what it seems, and all the joy and pain of first loss and love.

Great for people who like Hilary Boyd, Jodi Picoult, Anne Enright, or Elena Ferrante

Also by Gretta Mulrooney:
OUT OF THE BLUE: Will going back to a past love end up destroying everything?

THE LADY VANISHED: A brilliantly plotted tale of deceit and detection.

LOST CHILD: What happens when you take an orphaned child into your new family?

PRAISE FOR GRETTA MULROONEY'S PREVIOUS BOOKS:

ARABY

'Mulrooney has a real gift for dialogue, the words and phrases ring true and make her characters wonderfully real… A tenderly funny and genuinely moving piece. I loved it.’ Fiona Morrow, Time Out

‘A beautifully observed study of reconciliation, Araby makes astute points about conflict and shifting values between generations.’ James Eve, The Times

‘I loved it. It’s such a sweet story, without being in the least sentimental. There are moments when the reader is absolutely there, so acute is this novelist’s ear and eye.’
Margaret Forster

MARBLE HEART

'All of this is wickedly, sharply amusing. But when they really join the party with an act of meaningless terror, Mulrooney shows how constructive and contagious that situation was. And as Nina slowly takes the sweet-natured Joan as her final victim, Marble Heart proves itself to be an excellent lesson in the difference between cleverness and wisdom.' The Times

'Mulrooney slows the pace leading to the shocking denouement by deftly layering each chapter with different character's voices. She shows herself to be an acute observer of all the intricacies that comprise female friendship. By making her readers wait, she not only heightens the gripping tension of her story but positions us with Joan and Nina, who are also waiting - Joan patiently [so she] may be married; Nina fearfully, for her secret crime to be brought into the open.' Time Out
Previous page
  1. Print length
    175 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 15, 2016
  5. Reading age
    16 - 18 years
  6. File size
    1003 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01ECNS9GW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe Books Contemporary Fiction and Literature; First Women's Fiction edition (April 15, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 15, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1003 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 175 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Gretta Mulrooney

Gretta Mulrooney

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I was born in London, of Irish parents. I studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Ulster and subsequently worked in education and social care.

I started writing with books for children and teenagers, published by Poolbeg Press, Dublin.

Books published with Harper Collins, available as e-books and paperback:

Araby

Marble Heart

Books published with Joffe Books. The novels are available as kindle and paperbacks on Amazon:

DI Siv Drummond/Berminster series:

These Little Lies

Never Came Home

Murder in Mallow Cottage

Murder by the Shore

Tyrone Swift private detective series:

The Lady Vanished

Blood Secrets

Two Lovers, Six Deaths

Watching You

Low Lake

Your Last Lie

Her Lost Sister

Murder in Pembrokeshire

The first seven Swift books are available in box sets.

Daisy Moore books:

Death at the Dolphin

Other literary fiction:

Out of the Blue

Lost Child

Coming of Age

Also: Murder, Mystery & Suspense short stories:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09H3FMJJW

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09H3FMJJW

I have had short stories commissioned by and read on BBC Radio Four.

See also Gretta Mulrooney/author on Facebook for up to date information on publications and my website grettamulrooney.com for more news.

https://www.amazon.com/author/grettamulrooney

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

amazon customer
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2016
excellent British novel, about some of the things you learn growing up.
2 people found this helpful
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AMK
4.0 out of 5 stars Young narrator
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2016
I really liked this story of Martina, a 12 year old girl coping with the death of her father. To help the rest of the family she goes to London to spend the summer with her grandfather, a caretaker at a ritzy apartment building. She makes friends with an Cecelia, an older woman who has been recently widowed and very lonely. Cecelia is under the influence of a younger man, a singer who is taking advantage of her and spending her money. As the summer progresses, Martina is also mesmerized by Lucas, Cecelia's gigolo and it's a shock when Lucas and Cecelia announce their engagement. This is a story of friendship and grief. Both Cecelia and Martina benefit from their time together and even through most of the story centers on that short summer they grow and learn about life. I've never read any of Gretta Mulrooney's previous books but I'll look into some of her earlier stories.
One person found this helpful
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Helen D
3.0 out of 5 stars A young teen faces grief and maturity
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2016
This is the story of a young teen girl, Martina, who quite suddenly experienced the lost of her beloved father. Her world is shattered as she tries to cope and deal with her grief. She spends the summer with her grandfather who manages and maintains an upscale apartment complex. It is here that she meets and befriends an elderly woman named Cecelia. Cecelia introduces Martina to a rich and exciting new lifestyle. Martina's grief is lessened as her new friend takes her under her wing and encourages and mentors Martina's artistic talent for drawing. At first Martina is in awe of Cecelia and her friends but as time goes on she sees that Cecelia's very young boyfriend is not the man he appears to be. This is a story of grief and loss and of a young girl who leaves behind her childhood that fateful summer. Martina returns home a more mature young woman who has learned that life is not always fair and that there are people who are dishonest and not to be trusted. I enjoyed the story and liked witnessing Martina's journey as she began to come to terms with her loss and develop into a more mature and caring teenager. I found the author was able to keep me interested and wanting to continue on to the next chapter.
I received a copy of the book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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Mary Angela Young
3.0 out of 5 stars Not Nearly As Good As I Thought It Would Be
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2016
I wanted to really like this book. The description gave it so much hope. But I have to say that I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I would.

It was very slow going. It took me quite a while to get into it. Partially because when you first start reading it, you feel like you are further back into the past than what you are. It wasn't until a cell phone was mentioned, that I realized I was reading a way more modern story. Maybe it was the laid back ways of the old English that made me feel the book was set further back. I'm not sure.

I also didn't like the way this story ended. Everyone just moved on like nothing ever happened. I think Martina was the only one who was really affected by her friendship with Cecelia. It didn't really seem to phase anyone else. How sad.

I think all in all this was an okay book. But definitely not one of my favorites.
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Top reviews from other countries

mary robertson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
good read
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