‘A Loving Husband
A Perfect Marriage
A Family Incomplete…’
The Idea of You is the latest release from Amanda Prowse published by Lake Union.
Inspired by Amanda’s own experiences, and described as’heart wrenching and poignant‘, I knew picking this up that some tears would be shed.
Amanda Prowse writes about issues that affect so many women around the globe and with The Idea of You, the topics dealt with will strike a chord with many many more.
Please read on for my thoughts…..
Book blurb:
With her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter dares to hope that she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect.
But the reality of becoming parents proves much harder than Lucy and Jonah imagined after they suffer multiple miscarriages. Jonah’s love and support is unquestioning, but as Lucy struggles with work and her own failing dreams, the strain on their marriage increases. And when Jonah’s teenage daughter comes to live with them, Lucy is confronted with the truth of what love and motherhood really mean. Suddenly it feels like Lucy is close to losing everything.
This moving and poignant story poses the question of what it means to be a mother in today’s hectic world, and whether it really is asking too much to want it all…
Lucy Carpenter is really a symbol for many women in the world we live in today.
Caught up in a society that has us reaching for the ‘glass ceiling’, while also endeavoring to maintain a family with strong relationships, Amanda Prowse’s new release The Idea of You exposes a few of the realities that are faced by today’s hard working women.
Lucy had given up on ever finding ‘The One’. As a hard working thirty-something with a very successful career, Lucy was used to attending social events on her own. Looking upon many of her friends who had now settled down with a husband and young children, Lucy was always quietly envious of their lives.
Her’s was a life lived in a pristine apartment with a wardrobe to envy and the tranquility of peaceful evenings stretching before her. To many her life appeared perfect.
But Lucy was lonely and at a Christening party she unexpectedly finds love with a chance of true happiness. Jonah is everything Lucy is looking for and soon Lucy begins to live the life she had always dreamed of.
Jonah has a teenage daughter, Camille, who now lives with her mother in France following a divorce many years previously. Now, Jonah and Lucy look forward with joy to the day when they can hold a baby of their own. Lucy is convinced that having this cherished baby will complete her idea of the perfect life.
But plans don’t always work out as expected and it isn’t long before Jonah and Lucy realise that they are about to face a very difficult struggle. Pregnancy comes easy to certain women but for others it becomes a traumatic experience filled with anguish, pain, humiliation and regret.
Amanda Prowse has written about this issue in The Idea Of You with such sensitivity. Using her own personal understanding of the range of emotions a couple are faced with, Amanda Prowse portrays the difficulties and despair with such clarity and heart-wrenching sorrow.
Lucy and Jonah are faced with the extra challenge of Camille moving in with them. Camille appears to be carrying her own baggage and try as she might, Lucy finds herself unable to break down the invisible wall between them. This rocky relationship inevitably puts an additional strain on Lucy and Jonah’s marriage.
Lucy’s family have a strong role to play in this story and the fragile bond between Lucy and her own mother is heartrending. There are secrets being kept hidden and truths being covered up, all adding to the already delicate state of Lucy’s life.
As a mother of two beautiful young girls, I can empathise with each and every woman who has experienced any of the issues mentioned in The Idea of You. I shed a tear when I finished the book but in my case it was a tear of joy….I consider myself extremely fortunate and it made me realise how important it is for me to savor every minute spent in the company of my two fabulous girls
For others, this book will unleash emotions that will cause pain and anguish but also hopefully it will help to sooth and bring hope.
Lucy and Jonah are forced to look at their relationship closely and figure out exactly what is important. Jonah mentions on a number of occasions how fissures in a relationship, if not dealt with, can become irreparable cracks over time.
Can Lucy and Jonah prevent these cracks from appearing?
Can Lucy have it all?
Does the perfect marriage truly exist?
All this and more is examined with a compassion that I now have come to expect from Amanda Prowse. Using her own very personal experiences, Amanda Prowse is standing up and uniting herself with all women who have suffered and continue to suffer with similar difficulties across the globe.
The Idea of You is tender, poignant and written with passion.
It is a fictional story. It does have light-hearted and gentle moments but it is also a very personal journey. Life can be very cruel but it can also throw up some very unexpected surprises along the way.
My only advice on purchase is a cuppa, a warm blanket and a box of Kleenex!!
Please do come back and let me know your thoughts….
Purchase Link ~ The Idea of You
The Idea of You was inspired by Amanda’s own experience with miscarriage—one of which occurred while her husband was on tour in Iraq.
Amanda maintains that the pain of losing multiple pregnancies has brought her family closer and made her appreciate her sons for the gifts that they are.
Amanda Prowse is a bestselling novelist with an incredible 148K followers on Twitter.
The Idea of You is Amanda’s seventeenth novel and follows her trademark style of writing about ordinary women and their families who find their strength, courage and love while being tested in ways they never imagined.
To find out more about Amanda Prowse see Website
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I am lucky to have an ARC of this waiting for me, and I can tell from your review it’s gonna be a strong and emotional read! Fab review!
Donna, what did it for me I think was the fact Amanda Prowse was using her own experiences of miscarriage in telling this story…. Thank you so much for your comments always!! You very good. Hope you enjoy. xx
Agree…it felt very personal and so emotional. Fab review 🙂
Thank you so much Vicki for taking the time to comment. I really do appreciate that. Amanda Prowse has written a few books like this that just strike a chord…emotive reads. xx