Author: Amanda Prowse
Pages: 290
STORY-LINE THE ART OF HIDING BY AMANDA PROWSE:
In The Art Of Hiding, Nina McCarrick, has the perfect life. She has everything a woman could want, everything wealth could buy; a loving husband, two wonderful children, a mansion, luxury cars, and money for anything she wants. When Finn, her husband, suddenly dies in an auto accident, her world comes tumbling down. She finds her husband’s broke and she’s bankrupt, without a dime to her name. All she owns will go towards paying 8 million pounds in debts; she and her boys stand on their lawn and watch the creditors and courts take everything. Thrown on the street, life as she knew it, is over forever.
Come along with Nina as she ends up back where she started, reconnects with her sister, holds on day by day, and finally must learn to stand up and take control of her and her boy’s lives. My contemporary book review of The Art Of Hiding follows.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
I am afraid my review will not do justice to this book. However, I will try to tell you the wonder of this story and Prowse’s talent with prose, plotting, and development. The Art Of Hiding’s a powerfully written story of grief, renewal, and second chances at life. I can’t imagine the feelings of pain and fear this woman felt as she found her life’s destroyed. Nothing would ever be the same again. She’s desperate, with two boys, in unimaginable debt, losing everything she thought mattered.
Prowse’s descriptive writing’s so vivid I could feel each piece of glass from the walls surroundings Nina as they fell on her. I could feel her betrayal and despair, and yes, I could feel her deep anger. Anger at the husband who promised to always protect her and their boys while subjugating her to a way of life which made her less. Powerful vivid writing by a talented author which brought tears to my eyes and pain, so much pain to my heart. This pungent quote expresses her desperation perfectly.
“The thing is, if you left me by choice, then I didn’t know you, and if you felt you couldn’t tell me about our situation, then you didn’t know me. And if that is the case then what did we have, Finn? I feel like I have been living a lie and I don’t know how much more I can take. …..”I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”
However, hold on she must. Hold on she did; Prowse demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit; finding possessions are exactly what it says: possessions; which matter little in the long run of life. Relationships, family, true friends, self-worth, and self-reliance, are the important things in life not possessions. Prowse, endowed Nina’s sister, Tiggy, with the ability to give sage advise and spot on painful observations.
When I finished the first six chapters, I felt has if Prowse had run me through a wringer. By chapter 8 I was crying again. By the end of chapter 10, Prowse gave me hope for a better future and an independent woman in Nina. At the end of chapter 16, I closed this fantastic book with a sigh of satisfaction.
I can not say enough about this book; I could go on and go with my praise. With well-developed characters, easy to read prose, and pacing perfect for the length of the book. I found The Art Of Hiding a wonderful first-class read. I would not hesitate to buy this novel for my self or a friend. I hope I did to The Art Of Hiding justice with my review and encouraged you to run and buy this book.
THE ART OF HIDING RECOMMENDATION: STARS 5
This will be my Featured Book for the month for August.
FINALLY, PLEASE NOTE:
Additionally, I received this book from Netgalley and chose to voluntarily review the book with an honest contemporary book review. Lastly, book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews on-line and on my blog, are my opinions. No one influenced my voluntary contemporary book review.
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