ABOUT THE BOOK
It’s never too late for a second chance at happiness… Pearl Flowers has been hiding away for so long that she has forgotten what real life is like. Her quiet routine in a woodland cottage in France is a sanctuary, far away from her past life running a beauty salon. But even when she is sitting at the foot of a beech tree with her drawing pad, surrounded by birdsong, her mind is never still. If she keeps herself distracted and far away, her past can’t hurt her… can it? But then an unexpected phone call throws her calm world into chaos. Back in the UK, her estranged father Francis is dying. She hasn’t seen him for decades since he pushed her away and destroyed their family. And on his death-bed, Francis leaves her a gift – a diary, written in a code that only Pearl can understand. As she begins to read her father’s diary, Pearl discovers that for forty years he had been thinking of her almost every day. And as she reads on, secrets begin to emerge from the pages causing her to question everything she thought she knew. Reeling from the diary’s revelations, Pearl realises that the only way to heal and find true happiness is to face the past. But is she ready to confront her deepest secret, the one she’s been running from all this time? This utterly tear-jerking and heartwarming novel is for anyone who knows it’s never too late to find happiness. Fans of Matt Haig, Mike Gayle and Camille Pagán will fall in love with this beautiful, feel-good story.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Woman Who Came Back To Life' by Beth Miller.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Beth Miller, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 5th January 2022.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its interesting cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Matt Haig, Mike Gayle and Camille Pagán will fall in love with this beautiful, feel-good story.' I am a fan of Matt Haig so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 23 chapters and 16 "extracts". The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in France 🇫🇷 and England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonists are Carrie and Pearl. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.
What an absolutely gorgeous yet heartbreaking coming-of-age story. Well done Beth this may be the first book I've read of yours but it most definitely won't be the last.
The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful with descriptions that really put you in the storyline leaving you tasting French croissants and feeling the French air. The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.
The storyline is just beautiful!! It is a coming-of-age story and is absolutely filled with love, secrets, family, lies, friendship, heartbreak and so, so much more. Each page leaves you wanting more and I couldn't sleep until I had finished it late last night. It is obvious that Beth did her research on places in France and that fact shines through. One of my bugs about books is when an author sets their book in a place or about certain subjects yet doesn't put any research in and it is obvious and can spoil the storyline. This book is filled with family dynamics and it really makes you contemplate what you would have done if you were in each of the characters shoes. If you are going to read this keep some tissues ready and clear your diary as not only will you be unable to put it down but it will leave you in tears. I can't talk too much about the storyline as I don't want to give anything away but there isn't just one plot going on but so many different things happening which are all tied up beautifully at the end. This book is a truly emotional page turner. The atmosphere of France was absolutely perfect especially Paris, being the city of romance and I enjoyed my holiday there without leaving my seat. I was absolutely devastated coming to the end realising I would have to "unpack my bags" and return to drizzle Wales.
The characters were all strong and realistic and each one had their own unique personality. I enjoyed getting to know not only Pearl and Carrie but also Francis through his memoirs. I was absolutely intrigued by the diary entries and it slowly gave us a clear insight into what was going on in Francis' life. I adored Benjy who made me laugh several times and actually reminded me of my own brother. Gregg is the typical older protective big brother who I thought was quite sweet and I absolutely adores his wife Eleanor who was extremely supportive. I could not stand Jeanie and wasn't a fan of Andrea (An-Dray-ah) but did have some sympathy towards her by the end. Coming back to Pearl and Carrie though, I really connected with them both and found them to be very strong female leads, each suffering with their own dilemmas, pasts and tragedies and there were several points I wish I had been physically there to hug them both. Oh, I cannot forget Denby or 'the ranger' (I won't name him as I don't want to spoil anything again). I thought Denby was really sweet and although, at times, overbearing I genuinely think that he was just worried about Pearl and cared for her so much he couldn't bear seeing anything happen to her. I really 3njiyed meeting 'the ranger' and I would love to see what went on after the end with him and the other person, he was a gruff man but also struggled with his past and I hope it all went well for him. Overall, a great mix of characters who worked perfectly with the storyline.
Another HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Beth on an absolutely gorgeous book and here's to many more successes 🥂 I am off to add all your books to my Amazon wishlist and I would like to welcome you to my favourite author club ♥
Overall a heartbreaking yet heartwarming page turner about family, love, friendships, growing up and what ifs?
Genres covered in this book include Coming-Of-Age story and Humorous Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Matt Haig, Mike Gayle, Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain and Camille Pagán.
338 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@BethMiller @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
AUTHOR BIO
I have been told that I write like a tall blonde, so that's how I'd like you to picture me.
I've published five novels. The most recent, 'Starstruck', came out in August 2021. The previous one, 'The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright', was a top twenty Kindle bestseller. I've also published two non-fiction books. I work as a book coach and creative writing tutor.
Before writing books, I did a lot of different jobs. I worked in schools, shops, offices, hospitals, students' unions, basements, from home, in my car, and up a tree. OK, not up a tree. I've been a sexual health trainer, a journalist, a psychology lecturer, a PhD student, a lousy alcohol counsellor, and an inept audio-typist. I sold pens, bread, and condoms. Not in the same shop. I taught parents how to tell if their teenagers are taking drugs (clue: they act like teenagers), and taught teenagers how to put on condoms (clue: there won't really be a cucumber). I taught rabbis how to tell if their teenagers are druggedly putting condoms on cucumbers.
Throughout this, I always wrote, and always drank a lot of tea. I'm now pretty much unbeatable at drinking tea.
AUTHOR SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @drbethmiller https://twitter.com/drbethmiller
Instagram: @beth_miller_author
Website: https://www.bethmiller.co.uk/
BUY LINKS
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0953R75R5social
Apple: http://ow.ly/n0oC50GAQ8i
Google:http://ow.ly/jnmJ50GAQ8j
Kobo: http://ow.ly/vyyK50GAQ8h
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