‘The Confession’ by Jessie Burton is her third novel after ‘The Miniaturist’, her successful debut. ‘The Confession’ is a contemporary romance about relationships; mother/daughter, romantic, between friends. Are daughters destined to repeat the mistakes of their mothers, even if they have never met?
This is a dual timeline novel. In 2017, Rose Simmons never knew her mother, who left when she was a baby. Rose’s father has always been tight-lipped until now when he tells Rose that the famous but reclusive novelist Constance Holden may have the answers. Frightened of scaring off Constance with awkward questions, Rose instead gets a job as maid/companion for the reclusive novelist, now in her seventies and crippled by arthritis. Unexpectedly Rose comes to like and admire Connie so the longer she works for her the more impossible it is to admit to her deception [she is known to Connie as Laura Brown]. And all the time she wonders if Connie can see her mother’s face in her own. In 1982, we see the story of her mother and Connie. Part-time waitress and artist’s model Elise Morceau meets the enigmatic Connie on Hampstead Heath. When Connie’s first novel is made into a film, the two women go to LA. That’s where the lies start, the cracks appear. Connie is working, Elise is a hanger-on who learns to surf. The turning point comes when she begins to doubt Connie’s love.
At times, Elise and Rose were inter-changeable in my head. Both women are immature, unsure who they are, searching for something they cannot define except that they don’t have it. Elise is in her early twenties, while Rose is in her thirties. I had some sympathy with Rose’s boyfriend Joe and best friend Kelly who both lost patience with her. Both Rose and Elise seem to play at being adults, thinking they are the centre of the world, not understanding that their own actions also leave ripple effects that cause pain to other people. They obsess about being hurt but do not recognise the hurt they cause. Mother and daughter are both passive characters, drifting in their own lives, running away rather than confront difficult situations. Principally, the novel is about life choices, taking responsibility for one’s own life and own choices [and being passive, not making decisions, is a personal choice].
At the beginning I felt for Rose and her absence of self-identity, ‘I didn’t have a mum, and I’d never had her, so how could I miss something I’d never really lost?... I don’t tell people about the yearning. The wonder. I tell them, You can’t miss what you never had!’ But the pace of the first quarter is very slow, it picks up once Rose, aka Laura Brown, starts working for Connie in Hampstead. Ironically Rose finds her sense of self through the very mode of her deception; by creating a new personality and life for herself, assuming the face of Laura that she presents to Connie, Rose begins to understand who she is.
I expected to like this book more than I did, after really enjoying ‘The Miniaturist’. Sadly ‘The Confession’ left me feeling underwhelmed.
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One afternoon in 1980, Elise Morceau is followed by Connie, who turns out to be a very successful novelist. Their relationship forms the basis of this novel, told over two time periods - the 1980s and the modern day. The characters feel very real and, whilst not necessarily liking them, we certainly want to hear their stories. Many themes are explored, including friendship, manipulation, pregnancy and motherhood. Jessie Burton has a beautiful, precise style of writing which keeps the book flowing and involving, even when the plot might seem a little thin. Recommended.

So many things happen by chance and so did the meeting of writer Connie and the good looking, younger Elise. I knew from the very first few lines that I wasn’t going to like this book (although I’m sure plenty of others will love it) and sadly that’s exactly how it worked out. It was tedious and long drawn out which is a shame as the blurb made it sound great, just the sort of thing I’d enjoy. Fabulous cover I thought. I didn’t care much for any of the characters so had no interest in where they were or what they were doing - sorry!

The Confession is a thoroughly satisfying read. The author has created characters who are interesting, complex and flawed but always believable. I liked the narrative being told in two different time frames, illustrating the changes in fashion, behaviours and cultural practice. It was emotional and very sad at times but it also had many uplifting moments of love and friendship. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed The Miniaturist and can highly recommend it.

The Confession starts with a chance encounter, this encounter changes the lives of two of the main characters - Elise & Connie and sets the life of the other, Rose. It is a story of love, passion, betrayal, heartbreak, disappointment, guilt and hope. Rose is floundering in her life, not knowing why her mother abandoned her at a very young age seems to define her. Her father has been very sparse with the details of her mother until now, when he gives Rose two books that leads her on an unorthodox journey to discover who her mother was.
A cleverly told story that piques your interest.
I was given a copy of The Confession by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

Jessie Burton’s latest novel creates a tangled web of intrigue around a famed novelist and her past relationships, taking us from the streets of London to the lights of Hollywood and New York. A young woman affected by the disappearance of her mother at a young age finds herself at a crossroads in her life and sets off on a journey, unbelievable at times, to discover what happened to her. I must admit this novel didn’t hold my attention as the others I have read by the same author.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for an ARC of this book.

I was really looking forward to this as I loved The Miniaturist.

This is a completely different novel though and very different from The Miniaturist.

Rose grew up knowing little about her mother, only what her father has told her that she left when Rose was a baby.

One Christmas Rose’s father suddenly tells her that her mother knew the author Constance Holden and that she was the last person to see her mother before she disappeared.

The novel follows a dual timeline; the relationship with Rose’s mother Elise, and Constance in the 1980s. And between the relationship between Constance and Rose in the present day.

I found this novel and characters went all over the place, and it was difficult to follow what their intentions were, or what they hoped to achieve. I found neither Elise or Rose had any motivation to behave how they did, and they appeared afterwards not to really care.

If you are looking for plotlines that are neatly sewn up, with ever character giving their intentions then this is not it.

An amazing book!! Completely different from The Miniaturist and The Muse, Jessie Burton tells the story of Elise Morceau who meets an upcoming novelist, Constance Holden one day by chance and falls head over heels in love with her. Their journey takes them to LA where Constance’s book is being made into a movie, it’s there that the cracks begin to appear in their relationship.

Fast forward 30+ years and Rose Simmons is drifting, no real job to speak of and a relationship she appears to have become complacent in. When her father tells her that Constance may know what became of the mother, who walked out when Rose was just a baby, Rose plots to become Constance’s assistant whilst hiding her true identity. By doing this she hopes to uncover the truth.

This is a story of love, friendship and relationships. I was so sad when I finished the book as I didn’t want to leave the characters behind.

A truly wonderful tale! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This was an interesting story but I get the impression that most of the characters were very selfish people. Very sad most of the time with a thread of need running through. A bit different to the books I read most often but I was absorbed by the story.

I had heard so many good things about this book and it didn’t disappoint!! The beautifully portrayed lives and relationships of the main characters drew me in leaving me wanting to know more even after the last page.

This book switches between two time frames the 1980,s and 2017. In the 1980’s we meet Elise Marceau who is a stunningly beautiful young woman . She falls under the spell of Constance Holden who is an author whose book is about to be turned into a Holywood movie. Ellie moves to Los Angeles with Connie hoping for adventure and happiness but things become fraught as Connies career takes over and Elise feels left out.

In 2017 we meet Rose who is feeling trapped in her relationship with her boyfriend and desperately searching for her roots . Her mother’s disappearance when she was a baby has left a big imprint on her life and in her quest to find out more , she takes a job caring for Connie after her dad reveals that she was linked to her mother. The truths she has been searching for are revealed leaving her with some closure on the mystery of her early childhood.

The story which unfolds is powerful and emotional. Sometimes life and events take over and the snowball effect can cause havoc. Misunderstandings and hurts can linger, and this story demonstrated how these things linger if left unresolved. Above all else this book explores beautifully the need for us all to recognise that the key to happiness is in our own hands.

I related to Roses circumstances as two of my close relatives experienced the effects of their mother disappearing from their lives . Their unresolved questions did shape both of their lives in different ways.

Jessie Burton has a fantastic writing style , her understanding and portrayal of each character and circumstance was first class. Definitely a book I would recommend. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this powerful unique book.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan/Picador, and the author Jessie Burton.
A really interesting and enjoyable book, which was incredibly involving and had me gripped, especially in the last half. A fascinating and emotive exploration of female relationships told through two separate timelines, one present and one past.
Would recommend! 4 stars.

The women at the centre of The Confession were intriguing and skilfully portrayed. Burton uses a large canvas to create an intimate story, resulting in a powerful page turner with great heart. I love Jessie Burton’s writing and this book did not disappoint.

The Confession by Jessie Burton is a novel about Rose who goes to work for a reclusive author in an attempt to find answers about the mother who abandoned her. I found it a bit too contrived.

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.

The Confession is a long and complex book with a contemporary and a recently historical setting, exploring the relationships between three women. The women are depicted as complex and flawed and are not easy to warm to as they all have quite challenging personalities. There is a realism here though that speaks through and makes the novel interesting. I have seen that some readers consumed this very quickly but for me this was difficult to do and I read it very slowly, over a long period of time, thinking about the characters and their actions a good deal, and reading other work at the same time. I came to believe that it was the intensity of three women that led me to approach the novel in this way.

So this is not a novel for a long haul flight, or an easy holiday read. It's a novel to read carefully, to reflect upon and to take time over, pausing for thought as you go. The writing is skilled and masterful, the assured writing of a novelist who is confident about the world she is creating and the demands she is placing upon her reader. I've got to admit that the women are not the easiest to like, to warm to, but they will stay with you.

Jessie Burton, writer of The Miniaturist, The Muse and most recently The Confession, is one of my favourite authors. Not only because she spends time on her work – evidenced by the carefully constructed characters, intricate plots, and true-to-life settings created with words, she is an original and talented craftsman. These are books you can judge by their appealing and finely-drawn covers.

In The Confession, we meet Constance Holden and Elise Morceau as they meet for the first time in 1980 on Hampstead Heath. Elise is young and attractive, the older enchanting Connie a writer about to be launched into the world of filming and screenplays in Los Angeles because of her wildly successful novel, Heartlands.

Skip forward three and a bit decades to 2017 (yes, sad but true), and Rosie is looking for her mother, Elise. Elise disappeared on Rosie and Dad when Rosie was just a baby. The last person to see her alive, says Dad, was Constance Holden, still an author, but now reclusive and somewhat batty. Has Rosie the courage to find and confront Constance, who has become expert at hiding herself away?

These two timelines weave and intersect as we discover what happened to Elise, and the story of the relationship between Connie and Elise takes centre stage. It’s gorgeous. The sense of place and setting (LA in the 1990s) is nicely done, and this makes the book a place you can hide in for a few days, where the words and the worlds wash over you, taking you outside your present reality for just a little bit.

“Like all cities, parts of it they drove past looked abhorrent; there was the layer of smog, the air of enslavement, the endless streams of cars. Healtheeeeeee 4 U! screamed a billboard. The taxi had its radio on. ‘Buy, buy, buy’, it yelled. The advertisement seemed never to stop; the word threatened to overwhelm her.”

I loved the three protagonists, their actress and agent sidekicks, and their complex interactions. This is one of those books you’ll want to rush through, and then slow down, because you don’t want it to end. Not yet.

This the second book I have read by Jessie Burton. The writing is beautiful but if I'm honest I was rather bored by this one. The storyline didnt really engage me and I didn't have any empathy with the main characters.
Not for me I'm afraid.
My thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this copy.

Rose is looking for her mother, Elise who disappeared shortly after Rose's birth. Her dad gives her some book written by Connie and hints that Elise's relationship with Connie is the key to her disappearance. The story is told in two timelines: the past where we learn about Connie and Elise, and the present where Connie and Rose's relationship develops. I loved this book. The writing is perfect and the back and forth between the timelines holds our interest and intrigues us. I highly recommend reading this and Jessie Burton's previous novels.

I received an ARC copy of this book via Net galley in exchange for an honest review. The book is one of many with dual time lines this time some 30 plus years apart. Rose is at a strange stage in her life, in a relationship that is going nowhere and still seeking her mother who disappeared when she was a baby and who her father refuses to talk about. After a visit to her father he gives her a clue to her mother's past which Rose just has to follow up. How she does this includes a large dose of deception and not a little intrigue.

The book takes us backward and forwards between the life of Rose and Elise with the common denominator of Connie. There is an LGBT element and a few twists and turns. Howwever my main problem is with the characterisation - I cannot really like any of the characters and I never feel they completely own the storyline which, is in itself well told but lacks real personality.

I don't think this is anywhere near as strong a book as The Muse or The Miniaturist
It is a slow burn and an ultimately disappointing end - I am not sure that if the events had happened as told I would have been likely to respond in the way that our MCs do.

Jessie Burton does it again! In the wonderful book about 3 women and how their lives are intertwined. Jumping from 1981 to 2017 we hear the story of Elise and Connie, and Rose and Connie. How the struggles of being a woman is not so different over the years and how we come to discover ourselves.
A wonderful intricate and well written story that keeps you read well past bedtime!

This book is phenomenal!!
I loved it. Like Jessie Burton’s other books it is so different and original but nonetheless relatable and so very moving. I read it pretty much in one sitting as I so wanted to know what happened but at the same time didn’t want it to end. You must read this book.