When I First Held You by Anstey Harris is a gorgeously-written, emotionally-resonant novel I absolutely devoured. Judith is a character that I am still thinking about, she feels so real, so fully formed, it's almost impossible to think that she exists only within the pages of WIFHY. An absolutely fantastic book- highly recommend!

I really enjoyed the story of Judith, James and Ruby. I could literally feel the anguish that Judith went through after having to give her baby up for adoption. And then when she found out the true story of James.

When I First Held You was the rare blend of a fascinating novel coupled with well researched historical background. It is so easy to forget how devastating an unplanned pregnancy was just a few short decades ago, and how few choices were available to women. The author’s background as a child born in these circumstances seemed to give her a clarity concerning the closed adoptions and their aftermath. I was consumed by these characters and their story, it will remain with me. I applaud authors who are able to write about mature characters without resorting to stereotypes. James and Judith are in their late 70’s yet still vital with goals and gifts to share. I know my book club will love reading this novel.

I was intrigued from the beginning of the book. I loved getting to know the characters from the various time periods and learning how actions from the past dramatically impacted the outcome for present day characters. It made me think about my own life and wonder what events from my own past set the stage for who I am today.

Format:

eBook (ARC - Uncorrected Copy)

Rating:

3.5 Stars (Rounding to 4 stars for Goodreads)

Summary:

Jimmy and Judith fall in love, but when Jimmy is sent away to prison, Judith finds herself in an unwed mothers home. Flashforward to 50 years in the future, and Judith and Jimmy find each other again and must mend their broken ties and try to forgive each other, and themselves. While Ruby's relationship with her adoptive parents is wholesome, and but ultimately she needs to find where she really came from.

50% Progress Check:

Pace is so quick it's a little hard to keep up / understand what's going on so this might switch from being a late night read to early evening read.

Immediate Completion Thoughts:

So, I didn't love it, but I think a big factor in my difficulty in finishing this book is the format and punctuation choices. It might just be because it's an uncorrected copy, but I had a really hard time keeping up with what is going on in the book. Eventually, I got used to it, about 1/4 of the way through.

This Book Reminds Me Of:

Mildly Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis

Overall Thoughts:

I loved the Ruby Chapters. All of them. And honestly, the writing is vivid, and thoughtful. Each character is well thought out and a complete person, and you can easily picture them in your mind. Where the book loses steam are the points where there are paragraphs strewn in that don't seem to be super related and/or might be details that aren't necessary for building the story. In the end, I liked the book, I'm glad I read it.

It took a while for me to get into this book but it suddenly grabbed me and I found it difficult to put down. The author's story made it seen real and the Glasgow setting was well done, down to the accents. I wasn't sure about the activist theme - would they really have got such harsh treatment? The plot flowed well and It was nice to have characters in their mid seventies for a change.

I absolutely loved this book! You know the sort of book that you want to rush to finish because you want to know what is happening and yet you don't want it to end? This was it. The author has a gift at being able to get into the mind and heart of her characters. So much of what she wrote is truly how I would imagine you would feel in these circumstances.. An enchanting book and one that I won't forget in a hurry. Now to find more from this author .....

Thank you for the chance to read it!

Love and romance…mystery and intrigue…likable characters and a story that moves quickly…this author has woven an ingenious plot line…what will happen next? Even the title is intriguing…just some of the story is problematic in that it is difficult to determine e what is going on. This book was sent to me by. Netgalley for review…enjoy…

OMG this book was amazing. The perfect balance between character exploration and quick plot. Harris' writing is absolutely gorgeous. I really enjoyed reading this book, even if it made me emotional.
Highly recommended.

I have read both of Anstey Harris other books and like those, this one didn't disappoint.
It is an emotive story based on the author's own experiences of adoption .
It gives a real insight into the barriers women faced when they were sent to mother and baby homes.
The story is based around the main characters ...Judith and Jimmy who's past goes back to the 1960's. Long lost secrets are uncovered and they look at the past through the lens of life experience and second chances.
A fantastically written book that I would highly recommend.

This author doesn't disappoint.

#ansteyharris

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
When I First Held You
By: Anstey Harris
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


First off, the cover of this book is the first thing that caught my eye. I loved it. Then after reading the description, I knew it was going to be my next read.

This book was very quick pace, but didn’t lack in character development at all. By the second chapter I was already so invested in both main characters story lines. I wanted to know more about how they correlated. Throughout the book the author gave great detail on the main character thought process, which I really enjoyed. This was my first book by Anstey Harris. It will not be my last. I enjoyed the quick pace, but also detailed events in this book. I also really enjoyed hearing about how pregnancy went for a single woman back then. It made me appreciate my pregnancy and realize how much nice I got it than so many women had it years before. Heartbreaking, but eye opening.
My only slight complaint with the style of writing would be the single quotation mark, more of an apostrophe. I did reread a couple different sentences, because I was unsure of words were thought or spoken aloud. Once I understand the style it was easy to read after that.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to read a love story with a lot of history in it.

First chapter was ok, I am just personally more into the current time romance books. I wouldn't be very much help to explain the story to anyone however I would still recommend it! I appreciate your acceptance of allowing me to read your book and I apologize for not having interest in finishing it.

This is the story of Judith and James, members of the Scottish Committee of 100, an anti-war group formed by members of the CND, who fell in love in the 1960s in Glasgow. Their lives are upended when their squat is raided and James is sent to prison. Without a word from James, pregnant Judith has no choice but to go to an unmarried mothers’ home and give up her baby. They meet again fifty-six years later, when James walks into Judith’s shop and starts unravelling the past.

“When I First Held You” is a beautifully written, emotional story about family, love and loss. The main focus of this book is the horrible reality so many single mothers like Judith had to face in the 60s. Harris not only writes beautiful prose and three-dimensional characters, but she also does a great job of intersecting scenes from the past and present while slowly revealing new tidbits of information both to the reader and the characters, keeping the reader interested. I honestly couldn’t put this book down, and lost count of the amount of times I cried reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WHEN I FIRST HELD YOU:

Overall, this book was beautiful. The perfect balance between character explortaion and quick plot- the pacing was also excellent. I really enjoyed reading it, even if it made me emotional. It was extremely powerful.

WHAT I LIKED:
The prose is absolutely gorgeous- the beginning especially flowed poetically in a way that I loved.
I like the element of mystery with just enough information at a time to keep us interested and engaged without giving things away.
Catherine was such an amazing, sweet character and partner. I loved having her presence in the pages even if she wasn't still alive. Her and Judith were an adorable couple too.
I felt so on edge in a good way the entire time.
Not going to lie, the steamy scene made me giggle a little bit but it was also realistic given their age.
The dialogue was super authentic and I loved that.
Ruby and Judith's relationship was amazing!! I like how they're both flawed characters willing to be better for one another.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
James having an affair seemed extremely anticlimatic and it wasn't hinted at even in the slightest.
Sometimes the formatting of only one quotation mark for dialogue confused me.
I really didn't like how sometimes the story would try to be mysterious about things it should've been up front about. This doesn't seem like the right book to be mysterious.

Poignant story about misjustice in the 1960s, where single mothers could be forced to give up their newborns for adoption.
Anstey Harries has managed to create an amazingly engaging and gripping story with very believable lead characters; it was refreshing reading a story with older leads.
Thoroughly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishing house for allowing me to read this e-arc in exchange for honest feedback.
Great read.

Beautiful and heartbreaking. I thoroughly enjoyed this. It brought on a lot of emotions for me. It felt like an adventure that could bring happy and sad tears all at once. It’s a story that shines light on a real problem that went on in the 1960’s. It’s not surprising but it still touches ur heart.

When I first held you, tells a very politically and emotionally charged story of a generation which beared the brunt of society in its worst face. There was pain, anger and injustice bubbling under the fabric of the characters which finally cools off with the future generation's attitude and acceptance of things which were once taboo.

This book is like a hot mug of tea on a cold winter evening, I don't know how else to describe it. Even though there were parts that made me want to sob my eyes out, there were some parts that were just so wholesome i sobbed my eyes out but in a different way.
Storyline aside, Harris' writing is absolutely spectacular. The way she has the ability to transform even the most mundane, everyday happenings into beautiful lines rich with imagery (much like the mending shop) left me in awe. I don't want to say much about the book because I believe its better to go into this one not knowing a lot but I will say it was a treat to read.

When I First Held You follows Judith and Jimmy after they have been apart for more than a century. In 1960s Glasgow Judith and Jimmy are anti-nuclear activists who end up falling in love. However Jimmy is sent to prison and Judith ends up pregnant at a unmarried mothers’ home. Judith is forced to give up her baby and deal with her grief. When Judith and Jimmy meet again they have to face what happened and to to bring their family together. This is a well written novel but I had a hard time connecting with it. I loved Harris’ previous novel The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton. But I think because When I First Held You has older main characters I found it hard to connect to them as I couldn’t relate to them. To be completely honest I just don’t feel anything towards the characters or story.