Wonderful story about ninety-four year old Molly memories of her life in 1940's London. Good times, bad times, love and loss and the will to carry on.

I really liked the characters in this book and how well-rounded and realistic that they all were. I loved that I felt so many different emotions throughout the book and that the story was just so plausible and well balanced, I am not a huge fan of war novels in this period, yet found this to be a gem. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. I want to read much more from this author and genuinely thought this was well worth the read.

An Ordinary Life begins with Molly at age 94 writing a letter to her son. I was hooked from the very beginning. Molly describes how she feels in her 90’s. “Beauty, she had learned, despite everyone’s apparent preoccupation wit it, was but fleeting and also relative.” The story then continues with Molly throughout her life and all of her experiences but good and bad. A strong woman who endures so much for her son.

Love and loss affect Molly's life from an early age. She's kept a secret for many years. Molly's engaging life story shows her courage in the face of adversity. The characters are vivid, and the historical details add to the authenticity. The relationships are believable and are what make this story so addictive.

This is an emotional story that keeps you turning the pages.

I received a copy of this book from the author via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book was such an amazing read! Again the author had me captured by her storytelling. This is the story of 94 year old Molly a lovely old lady, with all her memory still there after a stroke and nasty fall in her stairs of her home. This is about how Molly in the hospital badly injured goes back in her past and tells us her story. It is a story of courage, hope and Molly doing the best possible with her situation. Molly ends up in such scary situations during her life and having to take risks. Choices had to be made even in difficult times as during the WWII.
Molly takes us into her life's secrets, and the characters in the story are as always well put together.
Molly has also made a promise that she absolutely needs to keep. That promise helps her to keep on going.
The story takes us back in time and how the years pass during the life of Molly. Till Christmas Eve 2019.
How life is very hard on Molly, the love of her life Johan gets killed but, life continues no matter what. The mysteries that unravel through this all but, ordinary life of Molly's. The book has a very good story line and it is not predictable with several surprises.
The strength Molly shows through out her life is so amazing. The author also kept me emotional reading the story, it is something she has done when I have read several of her books and this book is no exception. It is a lovely and well written book that I definitely recommend reading, the story is captivating and simply great! I'm grateful to have read another book of Amanda Prowse, thank you for the read!
Charlotte N

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Amanda Prowse - 4.5 stars for another winner - how does she keep putting out such great reads?

This book opens on Christmas Eve 2019, with Molly, age 94, writing a letter that she has put off writing for decades. But before she can tell anyone where it is, she has a stroke and is taken to the hospital. In the 1940s, Molly's story begins in London as an 18-year-old desperate to help make the world a better place and do her part in the war effort. She meets the love of her life, Johan, her best friend's brother, when he's home from the service for a brief time. But their dreams come to a tragic end, leaving Molly with the hardest decision of her life and a secret shared by sisters to the end.

This is a beautifully written story of a woman's life. So many sacrifices were made by so many during wartimes and Molly's quiet acceptance of her life is a testament to her strength. It reminds me of the saying that everyone has a story - from the outside, we have no clue what someone's story may be. Molly was so grateful for her "ordinary life" and accepted her path with grace. Definitely some life lessons there!

An ordinary life that´s not so ordinary at all, but full of dreams, terrible happenings, strong determination, and so much love. She also experienced so much anger and prejudice (it was a very peculiar time regarding women in general) and went through so much danger to protect those she loved. It´s heartwarming and at the same heartbreaking story that, I´m sure, many women went through in the throes of WWII, the ´50s and ´60s. Easy to relate and feel for the main characters who lived a difficult but otherwise blessed life in view of the partnership, and love their lives were always surrounded. An Ordinary Lofe is a beautifully written love story that depicts a very peculiar time in the life of two families, and what meant living in London. Truly entertaining!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved Molly. At times I wanted to shake her as she seemed so weak and lacked confident but at other times she was so strong. The book was the story of her life, the ups and the downs and I did not want it to end but sadly it had to. Having said that I have to say that the ending was magical, I cried tears and I look forward to meeting her in the future.
Well done Amanda for such a poignant story.

An Ordinary Life, superbly crafted and brilliantly written, Amanda Prowse never fails to entertain. Every time I read one of her books I think this is this best yet, this is certainly what I think about this one and I hope there is more of this brilliance to come.

Amanda Prowse is without a doubt one of my absolute favourite authors, so when given the opportunity to read and review An Ordinary Life I was incredibly excited!.

Mary (Molly) Colloway has had anything but an Ordinary life. When she is introduced to her best friends brother Johan in December 1943 it is love at first sight. Despite only knowing one another for a couple of days, Johan leaves her in possession of something precious. When Johan ends up breaking her heart, Molly’s sister Jocelyn steps in to help, and decides to keep a secret to enable Molly to continue pursuing her career within the Foreign Office in the translation department. This later enables Molly to join the resistance and in doing so saves an endless amount of lives.

When Molly later reminisces over her life whilst laying in her hospital bed, she realises that over the 94 years of her life she has had a remarkable life. And the added secrecy she kept throughout her life certainly added to the enrichment.

This book is written beautifully and really draws you in from the start. The characters that Amanda has created are authentic and relatable, and you really feel yourself connecting with them throughout the story. I loved the way in which Molly’s story was told, allowing insights to her younger self as well as the woman she has become throughout the years. I also adore the way in which Molly is portrayed, showing her to be a strong woman who is unfortunately pushed down by life, then having to use all of her inner strength to get herself moving forward once more.

The storyline itself was so brilliantly constructed and full to the brim of drama, love, and mystery. A story that will pull you in and keep you invested in the characters and their lives to the very last page. I adored everything about this book and it is undoubtedly a must read for 2021.

It's going to be hard to talk about this book without spoilers, but I will do my very best! Overall, I really liked the book and especially the main character, Molly. It may be obvious from the title, but Molly's was anything but an ordinary life. I think we see through her adventures, missteps, challenges, and heartache that no one's life is ordinary - they all have their own magic and worth. I did think that there were several parts of Molly's life that were significantly glossed over - happenings during WWI and soon afterward, specifically. I would have liked to see those fleshed out more and think the book would have benefited from the interest this would have brought. I can see, though, that the author may have been wanting to focus on the "ordinary" parts of her life to make a point. It's a lovely story with a good cadence, dealing with some deep trauma and hurt but also love and happiness. 3.75 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my ARC of this novel - all opinions are my own.

An Ordinary Life is about Molly as a 94 year old woman who has a secret she has kept her whole life and needs to share it with her son. She suffers a stroke and while recovering in the hospital she thinks back on her not so ordinary life. Starting as a teenager doing her part during WWII working as an interpreter. She goes through so much in her life. A very emotional read. I like how this doesn't jump back and forth but just starts in present day and goes back to time during the war and continues from there. This is my first book I've read by Amanda Prowse but I will definitely read more. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy!

This is the first book by Amanda Prowse that I've read.
And interesting story, with engaging characters, heartbreaking and shocking events.
Molly, the main character is explored on a timeline from the 1940's to 2019 - ranging from when Molly was a young woman involved in wartime work, to her last days in hospital.

Most of the story is about her as a young woman - it then jumps quickly through the 60's, 70's, 80's and to the present years and her last days. I personally thought it went to fast through these - it would almost have been better if it stuck to "then" and "now" instead of trying to fill in the gaps, giving the reader lots of names and relations that you have no time to connect with.

It was an enjoyable read though, and I would read more from this author.

An Ordinary Life tells the story of Molly, who actually lives a life that’s far from ordinary. Yet in her humble, unassuming way she gets on with things and tells herself and others that this is the way that she feels most people would have dealt with what was thrown at her. And a lot gets thrown at her!


It’s war time and London is in the middle of the Blitz. Molly is working for the war effort, and given her gift for languages she is actually more of an asset than she realizes. She is making the most of life as it is during difficult times. She’s been left to live at home with her bitter widowed mother, while her older siblings are off and married elsewhere, although they remain in close contact and maintain their warm, loving relationships. She works in a war office during the day, which is far from dull as her best friend Geer livens things up. The other girls are pleasant enough, but it’s Geer who she’s closest to.

And then things change when Geer introduces Molly to her brother Johan and the two fall instantly in love! It’s wartime, and one must make the best of things – fast! Molly could never anticipate how her life would change simply by following her heart. Far from being the naive, silly young girl that many (including her mother) take her for, Molly is astute, and in many ways, wise beyond her years. She knows full well that in order to succeed in life and to be taken seriously, she needs to take herself seriously first. And that’s exactly what she does. She listens and learns and in so doing, lands up playing a vital, heroic role in England’s war effort. A role that she plays down and that most people outside her immediate family will know nothing about. But she also suffers huge trauma and loss and bears the brunt of the decisions she must make for the rest of her life.

As expected, Prowse has created characters who are so real that the reader feels that they’ve made new, lifelong friends. Molly is simply fabulous – I adored her! Without giving too much away, I also need to say that her mother is simply awful … but … she was just being the only way she knew how to be, and that’s how women of her generation were: set in their ways, and unable to waver from their ‘my way or the highway’ opinions. But oh my word, she’s bound to bring out some strong emotions!

Ultimately this is a book about resilience, strength, and the unexpected bonds that are created during the most trying times. It’s absorbing, 5 star reading.

Extraordinary

This is the first book I have read by Amanda Prowse but it certainly will not be the last! "An Ordinary Life" is about an extraordinary woman and quietly extraordinary life. It makes you wonder if your parents or grandparents had similar experiences in their pasts. I especially noticed how, as a woman, Molly was discouraged from telling her truths.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

Young Molly was determined to live life on her own terms. She aspired to having a meaningful career rather than being the obedient housewife. Those dreams were upended when she met the love of her life and suddenly became a single mother. Determined to keep her infant son safe, she turned him over temporarily to her sister while she became involved in the French Resistance. The war came to an end and Molly dreamed of being reunited with her son. However, such was not to be. The story of Molly's life is one that will linger with me for a long time. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for another great book to read and review.

This was a lovely story by Amanda Prowse. You can always count on her for a good read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Loved the story in this book. The characters were relatable, really helps you to understand what people go through in these circumstances.
Very easy read couldnt put it down once i started

An absolutely wonderful story by the talented Amanda Prowse. Yes it tugs at your heart strings and you may find tears in your eyes bit I cant express how beautiful this book is.
This story tells of Molly recalling her life as she lies in bed having suffered a stroke and fall. She may not be able to move or talk but this 94 year olds memories are sharp and vivid.
The title An Ordinary Life doesnt depict Mollys life as she had endured so much in her lifetime. She has suffered deeply but also loved deeply. She can leave this world knowing that she is cherished and played a significant role leaving her mark on many.
I love reading Amandas books as they are beautifully written with characters that I cant help but hold in my heart. This story has all these and more.
My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I really enjoyed Molly as a character, and I was instantly drawn to the story. I wished the plot of her in France and the secret work she was doing would have been longer and I also would have loved to know more about Molly later on in life. However, it did make me think of my grandmothers and all they went through and don't discuss. Women are often forgotten when we speak about war. The book was well written, and I would definitely read another of Amanda's books!