Amanda Prowse is one of my favourite authors. This is book #13 of hers that I’m reading and she never fails to disappoint. The last book of hers that I read and reviewed here, The Boy Between, a much more personal book she co-authored with her son, Josh.
An Ordinary Life
From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a tale of love, loss—and one last extraordinary dance.
Christmas Eve, 2019. Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed. A stroke and a fall may have broken her body—but her mind is alive with memories.
London, 1940s. Molly is a bright young woman, determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all. Life becomes brighter when she meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance. But then war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice, and when she’s brought to her knees by a daring undercover mission with the French Resistance, only her sister knows the secret weighing heavily on Molly’s heart.
Now, lying in her hospital bed, Molly can’t escape the memories of what she lost all those years ago. But she is not as alone as she thinks.
Will she be able to find peace—and finally understand that what seemed to be an ordinary life was anything but?
Buy An Ordinary Life
My Review
This book was a little different from the other books of Ms Prowse that I’ve read so far, as much of it was set during WW2. That didn’t make it any less of a story that tugged at the heart though.
Molly, is in some ways, a victim of the War, losing her love and having to give up her son to her sister. But Molly as a person was no victim. Her life was in no way ordinary. A strong woman with a smart mind, she made a lot of sacrifices for her country by plunging into the war efforts.
When we “meet” Molly, she’s ninety four and has decided to finally tell her son who his parents really were. She starts to write a note, but takes a tumble before she finishes it and lands in the hospital where she is unable to communicate at all. She’s frustrated and so afraid that she’ll die without her son knowing the truth. The reader starts to hear the story of Molly’s life as she relives it in her head. The beauty of Molly’s character is that she doesn’t realize how brave and marvelous she is – thinking that the life she’s led is ordinary.
This is a very moving story of love, tenderness, loss, grace and strength. How Molly finds peace and closure is really remarkable too.
Another winner from Ms Prowse. Thank you for colouring my world with Mollys, Annas and Theos – stories of ordinary, everyday folk, told with so much sensitivity.
Meet the Author
Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty six novels and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart topping No.1 titles ‘What Have I Done?’, ‘Perfect Daughter’, ‘My Husband’s Wife’, ‘The Girl in the Corner’, ‘The Things I Know’ and ‘The Day She Came Back’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.
A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda is a regular panellist on Channel 5’s ‘The Jeremy Vine Show’ and numerous daytime ITV programmes. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national independent Radio stations including LBC and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as ‘The queen of family drama’ Amanda’s novel, ‘A Mother’s Story’ won the coveted Sainsbury’s eBook of the year Award while ‘Perfect Daughter’ was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016.
Amanda’s ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades…
Praise for Amanda Prowse:
‘A powerful and emotional work of fiction’ – Piers Morgan
‘Deeply moving and emotional, Amanda Prowse handles her explosive subjects with delicate skill’ – Daily Mail
‘Uplifting and positive, but you will still need a box of tissues’ – Hello!
‘A gut-wrenching and absolutely brilliant read’ – The Irish Sun
‘You’ll fall in love with this…’ – Cosmopolitan
‘Deeply moving and eye opening. Powerful and emotional drama that packs a real punch.’ – Heat
‘Magical’ – Now magazine
Connect with the author:
website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads ~ amazon
