This book is a complete page turner. It is such an emotional read and is so multilayered
The writing is incredible

Good book, not like anything I've read before. Enjoyable from a writer who is new to me.
Would recommend.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending this advanced reader's copy in return for a fair and honest review.

I have read so many books of Stella Duffy and this one did not disappoint. Firstly, though, I feel that it should not be categorized as LGBTQ. One person had one girlfriend. I loved Kitty and the storyline had me captivated. Duffy included almost every issue that a woman could have, violence and psychological abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. More importantly though, I have never read a book where there is an abortion and I found this really difficult to read. I understand that it a normal part of society now, but it still doesn’t sit right with me. The way it was dealt with was heart-breaking but true.

This book is a triumph.

When aging Kitty commits suicide, her family is left to piece together why. Her family thinks of her as feisty and friendly. So why did she keep her secrets so close? And is history about to repeat itself? A short read exploring the generational trauma of sexual violence. An essential read but a difficult one.

Lullaby Beach is an incredibly relevant novel about consent and exploitation. Three generations of women within the same family have all suffered trauma at the hands of the Nelson men, and after 81 year old Kitty takes her own life, secrets are revealed.
The story of Kitty takes precedence and is told through the 1950’s to the present day. Her toxic relationship with Danny Nelson has repercussions throughout her life, but she doesn’t reveal the extent of this to anyone.
I found this novel to be brutally honest and incredibly up to date, despite being mainly set in the past. It shows that strength and resilience can win out over bullying and abuse.

Family secrets emerge on the seaside. When you think you know somebody well and suddenly, it turns out you don’t. You don’t know the first thing about them. Octogenarian Kitty commits suicide, leaving her family to solve the problem of: why? What happened? She was feisty and friendly and didn’t care what anybody thought of her. So why did she keep her secrets so close? And is history about to repeat itself? I liked this book, it’s a good, short read, but dealing with difficult and distressing topics such as abortion and rape.

Lullaby Beach is a surprising and painful book to read, and an even more difficult book to review. It’s a layered, engrossing exploration of the quite ordinary lives of several generations of women and the painful secrets they carry.

It’s such a difficult book to describe without spoilers. It begins with Lucy, a teenager living on the South Coast of England, finding the body of her much-loved great-aunt, Kitty, aged 81, who has committed suicide. Much of the book is told from Kitty’s point of view, recounting a year in her life in 1956-1957. A year of falling in love, moving to London, getting her first home away from home, her first job, and the gradual descent into an abusive relationship with the controlling, charismatic, utterly nasty Danny Nelson.

Kitty returns home to live in the family’s beach hut at Lullaby Beach. Despite her painful actions to break ties with Danny Nelson, the lives of the Nelson family and Kitty’s family become intertwined over the following decades up to the present day.

A running theme in Lullaby Beach is the abuse of women by ruthless men who treat women like objects. Women who are first swayed by emotion and then threatened by physical violence. And who innately know that the only thing they can expect, if they reveal what has happened to them, is not love and support but condemnation and more abuse. They hold in their secrets, lock in their shame.

Nothing has really changed
You could interpret this novel as ‘women in the 1950s had no power and had to shamefully hide their experiences but today we can speak up, thanks in part to women’s increasing power in society and in part to movements like #MeToo’. But I think that Duffy is really saying that nothing has changed. Not really. Women can fight back with a little more confidence, but they will still be condemned for speaking up and revealing abuse.

Nobody was listening then, and nobody really wants to listen now.

The media swarm around the #MeToo movement might well give courage to some women, but it doesn’t do much to alleviate the sheer pain and lifelong trauma of individual women. For every #MeToo story there are millions of untold stories, millions of women still living with secret trauma, pain and shame. They may find some relief and support in admitting their secrets to those closest to them, but that’s about it. Speaking up more publicly can still result in brutal shaming.

What readers will take from this book will depend, I think, very much on their own lives and experiences. On how much these topics touch them. For some it will be a rich, engrossing novel about strong, gritty women gloriously finding the strength to speak up and stand up for themselves. The women in this novel are indeed brave and wonderful. There’s enormous tenderness and sisterhood and love in these pages, and it is comforting and heartwarming.

Other readers might find it much more personal and painful, even triggering, to read. They might admire the bravery of women who speak up, while raging against abusers, and feeling sadness and empathy for those who have suffered abuse. Some may be left feeling depressingly weighed down by the impossibility, for whatever reasons, of speaking up themselves.

For my part, I admire and applaud Stella Duffy for tackling such difficult issues and writing such a marvelous novel about them. May it encourage other women to speak up and tell their stories.

My thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

Kitty has chosen to kill herself before she has to give up the beach hut she has made her home for over fifty years. A well-respected nurse and advocate for women's rights, she has a few secrets herself which her nieces discover. 1950s London and young Kitty has moved from Westmere, her parochial and provincial hometown to support her developer boyfriend but when her relationship leaves her in fear of her life and her sanity Kitty retreats back home. Sara has an affair with a married man before university but when he follows her and rapes her she is traumatised. Her niece Lucy is being blackmailed into committing arson. All three generations abused by two men from the same family and it has to stop.
I really wanted to love this book but found it really hard to do so. Some of the writing is excellent but the drama seems to be cranked up to the max and the characters so one-dimensional, especially the men. It seems as though every modern cliche is in there - domestic violence, rape, internet shaming, black lives matter - and because of that I became very cynical with the story. there is a really good idea here but it all seems just too overwrought for me.

I was a bit disappointed with this book, but that was in no way the fault of the writer.

I requested this book on Netgalley because it had been categorized as an LGBTQIA story, and while one of the key characters does briefly have a girlfriend, it isn't what I would describe as a book that delves deep into the LGBTQ+ experience. So, I was naturally expecting a different story.

Aside from this, the book is a heartbreaking look at an inter-generational family of women and [their experiences with sexual assault and abuse. It's a fascinating look at how the exploitation of young women has taken new shapes with each generation (hide spoiler)]. A provocative and moving story about why not speaking out so often ensures women continue to be oppressed.

Three generations of women Kitty, Sara, Beth and Lucy. All from Westmere a small seaside town.

We begin the story with a tragedy, Great Niece Lucy finding Kitty dead from suicide at Lullaby Beach her home for many years.

The family cannot believe that Kitty would do this and are angry and want to try and understand why she would leave them all. When Lucy eventually gives Sara the note she found with Kitty’s body they start to uncover the life and secrets that Kitty had hidden from them all.

The story retells Kitty’s life from when she leaves Westmere as a young woman to go to London. After living in the small seaside town which feels claustrophobic and dull, she longs for excitement. That excitement appears in who she thinks is the love of her life. Danny Nelson, son of a businessman who wants to get on too. He has dreams and Kitty buys into them but ends up working really hard in a small cafe.

Danny is a really nasty piece of work, ambitious and will stop at nothing in realising his dreams. After heading to London in the 1950’s. Kitty finds out that it is not the bright lights and glamour she thought. In fact she experiences violence, coercion and fear. The glimmer of light in these turbulent times is the wonderful Ernestine, a young Jamaican woman who lives in the same house as Kitty. They become friends to Danny’s dislike but this friendship is Kitty’s saviour. Kitty’s own family are worried about her but she loves Danny.

Interwoven into Kitty’s story is her families lives and how as the strong matriarch of the family she steps into the role of mother when Beth and Sara’s own mother dies. She really is the glue that holds them all together and they are bereft when she leaves them.

Kitty’s story really resonated with me as I was brought up in a tiny village and was always desperate to escape to more exciting things. I, like Kitty found that the familarity and community can also be supportive when help is needed. Sara and Beth have their own stories too. Sara like Kitty can’t wait to escape Westmere and her ticket out is to university in Newcastle. However, the summer before she leaves she gets a job in a local business working for Mark Nelson who is the nephew of Danny. He is married and Sara thinks that the affair is not hurting anyone if people don’t find out. She heads off to university and when there discovers another side to her sexuality and is shocked when Mark appears unexpectedly. Like Danny the apples don’t fall far from the tree and he is just as vile and manipulative as his uncle.

Beth married Tim when they were young and have also had their own struggles both work hard and have another daughter Etta and Tim works for the Nelson family.

There is a twist in this story that links all the generations and is what weaves all the women together as they come out fighting to protect Lucy who has also been a victim unbeknown to the sisters. As one of three sisters I completely understood and emphasised with the sister’s actions to make sure this cycle of abuse stops.

Stella pulls no punches with this family story, it really does show how the women are manipulated and made to believe their actions have attributed to the abuse they receive, which of course as they find out is never the case. Some scenes are traumatic abortion, rape, domestic violence and loss are all portrayed sensitively but as they often are brutal and Stella does not shy away from this. This book is clever, real and so honest.

Outstanding! I could not put it down and those last few chapters are so gripping and tense. I absolutely loved it and I loved Kitty what a woman !

5 stars *****

I received my copy of the book from Net Galley and Little Brown in return for a fair and unbiased review.

Gritty and heartbreaking. This is a story about women and the abuse that some can, and do, suffer at the hands of men. Not a read for the fainthearted, but excellent in the truths it portrays about coercion, rape and abortion. A gripping storyline, with highly engaging characters, leads you through the lives of three generations of women and the difficulties they faced.

This is such a soft and quiet but amazingly strong book. It looks at the women in three generations of a family, takes those small stories and demonstrates the massive impact and hurt caused by abuse and also explores so many issues that have affected women's lives from the 1950s to the present day.

The suicide of 81 year old Kitty triggers memories and uncovers secrets for the family, and forces them to face up to and overcome the truths they discover. There are some brutal descriptions of abuse and of the actions characters are driven to, but at the bottom of it all there is always love, family and friendship.

Lullaby Beach by Stella Duffy
I came to this book with a completely open mind having never read any of Stella Duffy’s work before, and I quickly fell in love, racing through it in 2 days. The characters felt perfectly rounded, completely with their troubles, and the change in timelines felt smooth and easy to follow. This is the story of Kitty and her family, set in a small seaside town, covering many themes including sexuality, family and love. It’s a moving, powerful story that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Netgallery for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stella Duffy is a wonderful storyteller and she is especially good at taking the ordinary and peeling back the layers, as she did in my favourite novel of hers, The Room of Lost Things. In this book she features three generations of women, the book's timeline interweaves between all of their various encounters with abusive men. Kitty the older woman, who's suicide opens the book, is the spine of the novel, her naivety and strength on display until she is able to use her wisdom to help other women. Beth and Sara, sisters with a legacy of secrecy and jealously between them, both having experienced depression and unable to tell the other why. Lucy the teenager, who discovers Kitty's body and who really doesn't know what to do with all the very adult things she is being asked to manage. Each of these women is lovingly portrayed, their complexity, their emotions and thoughts so clearly defined. We also get a nuanced picture of Kitty's first partner, Danny, the ambitious young man trying to prove himself a man with his fists. His nephew Mark also features, less nuanced, more of a pathetic nasty violent man.

Stella Duffy explores many themes in this book, corruption in small seaside towns, capitalism and zero-hour contracts, 'me too' it's complexity and it's damage for those who have experienced sexual abuse and the online trolling experienced by those who speak out, racism faced by the Windrush generation and the vital importance of women having agency over their bodies especially medically safe abortions. It's a lot for a short book but it doesn't feel like that, it is a wonderfully enthralling read through generations of women's experience. Drawn from a tradition of storytelling bringing things to light, I could imagine Kitty telling this story over a cup of tea by the fire, such is the skill of the writer. The book is powerful and uplifting which feels like a wonderful tribute to Kitty and all she endured that made her determined to support other women and LGBT people who found their way to her hut, drawn by the three candles burning in the window.

With thanks to Virago and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Living in Poland where lately the debate about abortion has taken centre-stage again after the government's harshening of the law, this book definitely struck a chord. The three generations of women in the novel are a perfect illustration of the necessity of the right of choice. All three women are affected by circumstances beyond their control and taken advantage of by men. It shows we are far from done with these issues. A well written book, food for thought.

Excellent. Not sure what else to say. Captivating book. Would absolutely love to stay in Lullaby Beach. The story of Kitty moving to swinging London was so full of promise but the abuse she received from her boyfriend was unacceptable. It was heart-breaking reading the abortion scenes, so moving and powerful. The rest of the story just fell into place.

A sure hit for 2021.

Posted praise for this on Twitter, it’s credibly readable and not wha5 you expect. I love the coastal setting and excellent characters. First I’ve read by her. But certainly not the last.

This all encompassing novel covering three generations of the same family was beautifully written and very powerful. It was also really difficult to put down once started, every time I put it down I found myself getting drawn back to it wanting to read one more chapter.

When Lucy discovers her Great Aunt Kittys body she also finds a letter revealing a past that for years has remained hidden. This story took me from the quiet coastal area of Lullaby Beach in the 50's to the bright lights of London where Kitty flattered by the attention and charm of older, wealthy local boy Danny Nelson, thinks she'll find adventure if she goes with him. Less than a year later she was back.

This book moved effortlessly between the different generations of the families involved and I found it an emotional read both shocking and heartbreaking but it also had its heartwarming moments. This was certainly a thought provoking read with great characters and the scene setting made it easy to visualise both 50's London and the beach shack that was home to Kitty.

This is the first novel I've read by the author and its not one I'll forget in a hurry. Totally recommended.

‘Lullaby Beach’, set primarily on England’s south coast, tells the story of three generations of women, highlighting the class and gender inequalities and engrained chauvinism of mid-century life and the ways in which men are still able to manipulate and abuse women in the twenty-first century. If this sounds as if it will be a tough read, well, it is in part but it is also a very thoughtful and sometimes uplifting exploration of inter-generational family relationships.
Kitty is bored of living in Westmere and follows her older boyfriend, property developer Danny Nelson, to London. Duffy’s descriptions of the capital in 1956 are vivid and entirely plausible, seen through the eyes of the naïve Kitty. Initially excited by her grotty lodgings and tiring work in a station café, she soon appreciates that the streets are not paved with gold. However, Danny’s charisma and ambition ensures that, for too long, Kitty excuses his increasingly abusive behaviour. From being a vivacious, sociable girl, she soon drifts into a life of self-doubt and servitude and when she finally returns to Westmere alone, her troubles have only just begun.
Forward to the present day: Sara and Beth cannot understand the manner of their great-aunt’s death. Beth’s daughter, Lucy, is able to shine a little light on the situation and it’s clear that the stoic, wise Kitty has suffered so much more than they could have originally imagined. Although saddened and shocked, the sisters rally to channel some of Kitty’s spirit as they rise to the challenge of protecting seventeen-year-old Lucy from a very modern kind of male exploitation.
Stella Duffy is an excellent storyteller. The women in her novels are entirely credible. They have strengths but are also flawed; they make mistakes but they also learn. The hideous Nelson men are also, sadly, recognisable. However, Duffy’s female characters learn to fight back, leaving the reader with a sense that the times they are a-changing, albeit not quickly enough.
My thanks to NetGalley and Virago for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

When Kitty commits suicide, family secrets start to unravel.
Moving from the 1950s to the present day, the novel weaves together the stories of Kitty, her nieces and their families.
The centre is Kitty’s shack on lullaby beach, a home and refuge that takes on an additional significance as the novel progresses.
There are many revelations and the characters are well-drawn and compelling.
There are some strong and upsetting themes taken on, but there is also an abundance of family love and support.
I’m a fan of Duffy’s novels and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint.