A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick. Susan Green doesn't like surprises - she likes to be in control. But at 45 and unexpectedly pregnant her perfect life starts to unravel, and real life in all its messiness shows her that it's never too late to bloom.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BLOOM PUBLISHING IN THE USA, GERMANY, FRANCE AND ITALY ' The Cactus will be compared to Gail Honeyman's 2017 hit, the appealingly eccentric Eleanor Oliphant is Absolutely Fine ' The Sunday Times 'Wonderfully funny and astute' Red 'Funny, compelling, well-written...for fans of Marian Keyes who demand a bit of grit in their comic writing' Emerald Street 'An original, engaging and totally believable character' - Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project 'Legal battles, lapses of logic and the joys and fears of motherhood are explored in this astute, funny and moving novel of a woman learning how to let go' Daily Mail People aren't sure what to make of Susan Green - a prickly independent woman, who has everything just the way she wants it and who certainly has no need for messy emotional relationships. Family and colleagues find her stand-offish and hard to understand, but Susan makes perfect sense to herself, and that's all she needs. At forty-five, she thinks her life is perfect, as long as she avoids her feckless brother, Edward - a safe distance away in Birmingham. She has a London flat which is ideal for one; a job that suits her passion for logic; and a personal arrangement providing cultural and other, more intimate, benefits. Yet suddenly faced with the loss of her mother and, implausibly, with the possibility of becoming a mother herself, Susan's greatest fear is being realised: she is losing control. When she discovers that her mother's will inexplicably favours her brother, Susan sets out to prove that Edward and his equally feckless friend Rob somehow coerced this dubious outcome. But when problems closer to home become increasingly hard to ignore, she finds help in the most unlikely of places. This sparkling debut is a breath of fresh air with real heart and a powerful emotional punch. In Susan we find a character as exasperating and delightful as The Rosie Project's Don Tillman. An uncompromising feminist and a fierce fighter, it's a joy to watch her bloom. ...

I think everyone recognises a little bit of themselves in Susan

Vorwort
A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick. Susan Green doesn't like surprises - she likes to be in control. But at 45 and unexpectedly pregnant her perfect life starts to unravel, and real life in all its messiness shows her that it's never too late to bloom.

Autorentext
Sarah Haywood was born in Birmingham. After studying Law, she worked in London and Birkenhead as a solicitor, in Toxteth as an advice worker, and in Manchester as an investigator of complaints about lawyers. She lives in Liverpool with her husband and two sons. Her debut novel, The Cactus, was a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick, a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, and was shortlisted for the Author's Club Best First Novel Award.

Klappentext

'If, like me, you never stopped to think what a child born of The Rosie's Project's Don Tillman and Bridget Jones might be like, there's one way to find out'
Julia Claiborne Johnson, author of Be Frank with Me

People aren't sure what to make of Susan Green - a prickly independent woman, who has everything just the way she wants it.

At forty-five, she thinks her life is perfect: she has a London flat which is ideal for one; a job that suits her passion for logic; and a personal arrangement providing cultural and other - more... intimate - benefits.

Yet suddenly faced with the loss of her mother and, implausibly, with the possibility of becoming a mother herself, Susan's greatest fear is being realised: she is losing control.

This sparkling debut is a breath of fresh air with real heart and a powerful emotional punch - an uncompromising feminist and a fierce fighter, it's a joy to watch Susan bloom.

The Cactus is Sarah Haywood first novel.

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Zusammenfassung

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK
***'I found myself laughing out loud at Susan's prickly character' Reese Witherspoon*

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | SHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD | A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK

People aren't sure what to make of Susan Green. Family and colleagues find her prickly and hard to understand - but Susan makes perfect sense to herself. Age 45, she thinks her life is perfect. She has a London flat which is ideal for one; a steady job that suits her passion for logic; and a personal arrangement providing cultural and other, more intimate, benefits.

Yet suddenly faced with the loss of her mother and, implausibly, with the possibility of becoming a mother herself, Susan's greatest fear is being realised: she is losing control. And things can only get worse ... at least in Susan's eyes.

This sparkling debut is a breath of fresh air with real heart and a powerful emotional punch. In Susan we find a character as exasperating and delightful as The Rosie Project's Don Tillman. An uncompromising feminist and a fierce fighter, it's a joy to watch her bloom.

'Quirky, poignant and extremely readable' Sunday Mirror
**'Brilliantly comic'** The Lady
**'Wonderfully funny and astute'** Red
**'Funny, compelling, well-written...for fans of Marian Keyes who demand a bit of grit in their comic writing'** Emerald Street