An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse
Genre: Historical fiction, Contemporary fiction, WW2
Read: 5th February 2021
Published: 9th February 2021
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
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?
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Amanda Prowse's beautiful, heartfelt and poignant story AN ORDINARY LIFE.
Having not read Amanda Prowse before I had no idea what to expect, apart from what the premise outlined that had initially drawn me to the book for it's wartime subplot. And yet I wasn't prepared for the emotions it evoked in me. I can see why she is such a high-rated author as she has that ability to draw you in and make you feel as if you are the main protagonist with all her experiences of love, life and loss. I was initially drawn to this book for his historical fiction aspect but it's the easy contemporary style that leaves you feeling emotive.
AN ORDINARY LIFE is about one woman's extraordinary life that was anything but ordinary. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry and it will make you feel. It spans the years from 2019 to 1943 and throughout the years to the present day again. It is a tender tale, a beautiful story that is both heartfelt and heartbreaking...and it is about a secret carried over seven decades.
Christmas Eve 2019: Ninety-four year old Molly has a secret. A secret that she has carried for seventy five years and now she is the only one remaining that knows of it. She knows that at her age time is no longer on her side and this secret which she carries, she knows the time has come to impart that knowledge to the one whom it affects the most. Her son. And so she begins a letter but is unsure where to start. And then she sees another envelope marked "Private Correspondence" that spoke of the news the recipient never got to read and a tear escapes her eye. She places her unfinished letter to her son with the other aged envelope in her book "The Study of Flora" and sets it aside for a moment until she can gather her thoughts. A quick cup of tea and then she will finish it.
Molly carried the delicate teacup along the half-lit hall of her cosy cottage. She knew every nook, every cranny and every nuance of this house she purchased seven decades ago for her a little Joe. But her socked feet misjudged the two hundred year old staircase and she clutched her little teacup to her chest as if her life depended on it - it had been her grandmother's teacup - as if protecting it was of greater importance than any attempt to protect her aged bones. And as her frail body descended, she felt her head hit every step as she thumped her way down. The only two thoughts in her mind were - "This was my grandmother's teacup!" and "This may be how I die but I must finish my letter!" This, she thought before she drifted into dark oblivion.
It was her granddaughter Frances who found her and as Molly tried to tell her and the paramedics about her letter, she found her voice could only utter grunts and sounds. Now Molly finds herself in a hospital bed having suffered a stroke that has taken her words from her after a fall that has broken her body...but her mind remains alive with memories... And the thought that she must finish that letter.
London 1943: Nineteen year old Molly Collway works as a translator of both German and French for the Ministry of Information in her bid to help the war effort. She hopes this position will be a stepping stone to a career in Diplomacy although her family would rather she settle down with a nice young chap and have babies. But Molly wants more from life than domesticity. That is until her best friend Geer drags her along to a dance one evening and introduces her to her handsome brother Johan. As soon as their eyes meet, Molly forgets everything else and sees only him. They dance as if no one is watching, as if they were the only people in the room.
Time is short, as it was in wartime fraught with stolen moments, and Molly and Johan's was just that. A lieutenant in the navy, Johan is stationed in a secret location, though he assures her he is quite safe as he remains on English soil. The couple share only a handful of moments together before it is all tragically torn apart. But not before one stolen moment together that she now treasures - the memory of Johan's touch, his kiss and the feel of their nakedness.
But Molly while has no time to mourn, her mother has no time for her grief. She returns to work hiding a secret from everyone...except her sister Joyce, who urged her to tell their mother before she guessed. But too late, Molly returned home from work with a backache that lead to her locking herself in the bathroom and giving birth to her beautiful son who she named Joe, after his father. Her mother was shocked at the shame that Molly had brought on their good family name and told her that she nor the baby were not welcome under her roof. Molly's plan had been to save enough money to see her through her confinement and return to work whilst acquiring someone to look after Joe in her absence.
But things change. Especially in wartime. Molly soon found herself without a job and no way of taking care of Joe. So she decided on a temporary solution while she saved enough for her and Joe to live a comfortable life. She asked her sister Joyce to look after him and keep him safe until after the war when living in London was no longer a risk. It seemed the ideal solution...for now.
The remainder of the war saw Molly become an undercover operative with the French Resistance until she realised the danger before becoming a POW liaison officer for the duration of the war and beyond. Once the war was over, Molly decided a move to the countryside would be a far better life for a child and bought a cottage in Chelmsford in Essex. She decorated Joe's room in shades of blue and suspended her father's wooden airplanes from the ceiling...and prepared to welcome her son home at last. After nine months growing and blooming under Joyce's loving care, is this finally to be her's and Joe's happy ever after?
Without giving any spoilers away, suffice to say Molly's life continues throughout the years from post-war Britain to the sexual revolution of the 60s, the decadence of the 70s, the changes of the eighties, the losses that came with moving into another century up until her fall on Christmas Eve 2019. She changes as the times change and she loses many people she has held dear...including her beloved sister Joyce. Leaving Molly the only one remaining who carries the secret. And now, it seems she may never finish that letter that was so important to her.
Molly's story, her secret, her life...is anything but an ordinary life. It has known tragedy, heartache, loss, grief and pain but it has also known love, happiness, hope and even contentment. Her story is one that will touch you and leave you with tears of sadness as well as happiness.
AN ORDINARY LIFE is definitely a tale of a life that was anything but ordinary. It is a tale of reflection and of acceptance that is both emotive and compelling from beginning to end.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it...with tissues!
I would like to thank #AmandaProwse, #RachelsRandomResources, #AmazonPublishingUK and #Netgalley for an ARC of #AnOrdinaryLife in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
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
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