I would give this novel 3.5 stars. When I Woke Up was an unbelievable story about Paul Evans' life experiences. He is a man with incredible strength and drive to be successful in everything he sets his mind to accomplish against more challenges than one person could possibly overcome. Every time Paul Evans hit an all-time high in his life or career, he then hit an all-time low with unthinkable life-changing events.

This was truly about a person who would never let anyone or anything dictate his pursuit of happiness or success. His motivation to survive life and death situations left me in awe as he showed tenacity to flourish as a businessman.

My main reason for the rating was the writing style. The descriptions and dialogue were a bit too simplistic and wordy for my taste.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

When I finished this book and even while reading it, I was a little skeptic about this story. The last time I was invested in a powerful story like this, I was bamboozled. The story I am talking about is: "A million Little Pieces". When I found out the author fabricated some of his story I was hurt. I didn't want Paul Evans's story to be like that.

'When I Woke Up' is a memoir following the life of Paul Evans. He was bullied early in his life because of his dyslexia, he was also in a coma, was captured at gunpoint for a crime he didn't commit. He lost a few friends and made new ones along the way. In and out of relationships and had two sons. This book is about overcoming every possible obstacle in your life. I loved the authors writing and how he explained everything that happened to him and how he learned from it and overcame these obstacles. This book definitely italy teaches you to push through everything life throws at you. Eventually you will come out on top. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was difficult for me to get through. The author describes his many challenges in life, most brought on by his own actions. He seems to want us to see him as a victim of the circumstances, but that was difficult for me to do.
Also, I found the writing to be slow and often repetitive.

March 23, 2020
I enjoyed this Kindle book from Net Galley. The book is quite interesting as we follow Paul Evans from elementary school to present day with so many challenges: bullying, jail, on the run, Cairo jail, and sadly divorce.

Paul exudes determination and pure grit. Sometimes I confess I thought it pretty unbelievable but I have never lived outside of the USA.

He is a man who never gave up and learned hard lessons along the way.

Interesting read.
Comments

When I Woke Up by Paul Evans with Carolyn Coe

This memoir covers Brit Paul Evans from the 1970s well into adulthood. Being dyslexic, he was bullied for years as a youth, but it’s his hot temper that causes him more problems even as an adult. I soared through the first half of this memoir, but the second half hit the brakes. What went wrong, I don’t know.

Paul tells us of serious illness, jail terms and of his superior business sense. Often, things seem to be working well for Paul. He just seems blindly drawn to things and people he should avoid. Life offers him chance after chance, yet he’ll walk straight back into the fire. No time for reflection.

The story of his years off and on in Egypt was long and, quite frankly, horrifying. It sounds exciting in some ways and yet, you have to ask why he didn’t leave that country sooner. Were there no clues? No one has a crystal ball, but common sense has to kick in sometime to tell you you’re headed for trouble.

Things seemed to have turned out well for Paul and his Midas touch for business. This is not a story for those memoir lovers who are looking for sweetness and good vibes. It’s a rough and tumble story of a life hard lived with all its ups and downs. Buckle up and hang on for a wild ride.

Thank you to #AuthorBuzz and #NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

No man on Earth could have possibly been as successful and so down on his luck, over and over, including being on the verge of death after his wild, alcohol-fueled life left him with life-threatening pancreatitis and other sever infections, but apparently Paul Evans is that man.

I found his story completely unbelievable , although who am I to argue with the facts. The writing is mediocre at best, and I was not at all impressed with how Mr. Evans apparently beat the odds time and time again.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

An absolutely amazing story of challenge and triumph. Evans describes events of his life that, separately, could prove enough to topple the life of the person experiencing them. Yet he continued to simply get back up, look at where he had landed and decide where best to proceed from there. It is certainly not a fairytale, or a story of it all working out in the end. It is a reminder to keep putting one foot in front of the other, because nothing good comes from wallowing in self-pity. At the very least, if you are moving there is an opportunity for good to find you. I loved the very real picture Evans painted, it was one of the most captivating stories I have read in ages.

I removed this book after the first page. I don't like books that have bad language, so I won't be reading it.

Fascinating autobiography of Paul Evans's life in the UK and Egypt from his bullied schoolboy life to very successful times as a restaurant, bar and club owner with all of the highs and lows, successes and failures, wins and losses along the way. He's a man who doesn't know how to quit and whenever faced with failure finds a way to raise himself from the ashes to triumph over it all. A story well written and well told makes for a good read. Recommended.

"May you live in interesting times," a well-known curse, the corollary of course is living in uninteresting times when things are well, you are safe, and in good health. Paul Evans, by some twist of fate, lived in interesting times. He might not be "the world's most interesting man" as the beer commercials preach, but life for Paul was never ever boring. He tells an exciting story with a great narrator's voice. As a reader, you want to hear the rest of the story. Starting with a dyslexic childhood in England before joining Mensa, Paul persevered. Even persevered when he went to prison and when he lost all consciousness for months in a coma as he lived a remarkable Singapore gaming fantasy world life. A remarkable entrepreneur, Paul could sell anything and run any business whether it was selling at home in England or opening a chain of nightclubs in Cairo. He even survived a tour of the Cairo justice system as he found himself once again at rock bottom. At times, inspirational, always filled with his zest for life.