Second chances!

Picking up the Pieces by Amanda Prowse      

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Ever fall in love with a story? Well it’s rare for me to be totally smitten by a story. But with this I was. A story that draws you in, reveals and holds your hand as you stand in the shoes of an abandoned child, a broken marriage, and the rediscovery of family and friends and joy.

Leonora’s  parents had been wildly in love, ultra bohemian, and her father a talented artist. They’d died in a car accident, an accident their six year old daughter Nora was sure would happen. Not the accident per se, but that something bad would happen.

Years later their father’s old patron, Santiago Agosti, is trying to trace Leonora and Kiki. He wants to give a painting of their father’s to them before he dies. This continues to play out through the story.

Meanwhile, now an adult, Nora, is completely blindsided when she receives a phone call saying her sister Kiki was in hospital and her seven year old nephew Ted needed help. Kiki had named Norah as Ted’s guardian.

Nora ‘s husband Gordy is with the army. They’re stationed in Cyprus and about to ship back to Wiltshire, England to take a promotion. Not only that, their marriage has hit a down turn and they’re drifting apart. Nora doesn’t fit into the role of army wife that well. Oh, she follows the drum but can’t relate to the other wives. Gordy’s mentioned divorce. All that is sidelined as Nora rushes to England for her sister and nephew’s sake.

A story of facing the realities of life, of second chances and emphasisng the need for a community to help and hold you. A timely book of hope that shows we are all wounded. I loved it.

An Amazon, UK ARC via NetGalley.                                              

Many thanks to the author and publisher.