A present froma good friend of mine who is also a new-ish mum. I've never read anything by Maggie O'Farrell before, so this was a surprise and an unexpected delight. Two very different stories of motherhood – Lexie, who is making her way as a journalist in 1960s London, and Elina, recovering from the difficult birth of her first child and finding her way as a mother in London of the present day. But I'm not sure the theme is motherhood, so much as how becoming a parent changes us, heightens our awareness of ourselves as human beings, and reconfigures our relationships with family and friends. I enjoyed how changes I've noticed in my life are observed and explored through O'Farrell's characters, with some lovely new insights. The stories do eventually interconnect, the pleasure is in finding out how. I loved the vividness of the characters, the sense of place – both in the present and in the past. A great story, beautifully written. Recommended.