Sinéad Moriarty's sixth novel, Pieces of My Heart, is a serious look at a dreadful disease, but it's never a downer because it's filled with Sinéad's trademark warmth, humour and compassion. With her thoughtful and insightful analysis of what anorexia can do to a family, Sinéad brings to Pieces of My Heart many of the qualities of a Jodi Picoult novel, while still managing to balance the darkness with a lightness of touch that compares with the writing of Marian Keyes. Ava is juggling a life that seems to have too many pieces. First, there are her chalk-and-cheese daughters, Alison the angel and Sarah the tearaway. Then there's husband Paul. Unfortunately, he seems more interested in work than home - which might explain why her sex life is practically on life support. That certainly can't be said about her Viagra-popping Dad, a loveable rogue who is determined to grow old disgracefully. She would envy her best friend Sally, sassy single singleton-about-town, if she didn't know that behind her polished exterior Sally is as vulnerable as a kitten. Somewhere in there is Ava herself, trying to do her best for all of them but lately feeling like she's running on empty. But that's before she notices Alison is in deep trouble. Now she knows there's no such thing as empty - not if she is to hold on to the most precious pieces of her heart ... Sinéad Moriarty's novels have sold over half a million copies in Ireland and the UK and she is a four times nominee for the popular fiction Irish Book Award. She has won over readers and critics telling stories that are funny, humane, moving and relevant to modern women. Pieces of My Heart is Sinéad at her very best. Sinéad Moriarty lives with her family in Dublin. Her other titles The Baby Trail; A Perfect Match; From Here to Maternity; In My Sister's Shoes; Keeping It In the Family (also titled Whose Life is it Anyway?), Me and My Sisters and This Child of Mine.
Author
Sinéad was born and raised in Dublin where she grew up surrounded by books. Her mother is an author of children’s books. Growing up, Sinead says she was inspired by watching her mother writing at the kitchen table and then being published. From that moment on, her childhood dream was to write a novel. After university, she went to live in Paris and then London. It was at the age of thirty, while working as a journalist in London that she began to write creatively in her spare time – after work, at lunch times … and, truth be told, during work hours. After a couple of years toying with ideas, she joined a creative writing group and began to write The Baby Trail. The bitter-sweet comedy of a couple struggling to conceive hit a nerve in publishing circles. It was snapped up by Penguin Publishing in the UK and Ireland and has, to date, been translated into twenty languages. Since writing The Baby Trail, Sinead has moved back to Dublin where she lives with her husband, two sons and baby girl. Her second book A Perfect Match has been published worldwide. The US version of A Perfect Match is called The Right Fit. Her third novel – From Here to Maternity – is the third installment of the Emma Hamilton series. Her fourth book – In My Sister’s Shoes – is about two sisters who help save each other. Her fifth book has been published under two different titles: Whose Life Is It Anyway? in Ireland and Keeping it in the Family in the UK. Her sixth book, Pieces of my Heart, about a family dealing with a terrible crisis, went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts and was nominated for an Irish Book Award. Her seventh book – Me and My Sisters – went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts and was nominated for an Irish Book Award. Her most recent novel Mad About You is the fourth novel in the Emma Hamilton Series.
