An Ordinary Life
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- Create Date：2021-04-05 13:52:22
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Amanda Prowse
- ISBN：1542017297
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Summary
From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a tale of love， loss—and one last extraordinary dance。
Christmas Eve， 2019。 Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed。 A stroke and a fall may have broken her body—but her mind is alive with memories。
London， 1940s。 Molly is a bright young woman， determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all。 Life becomes brighter when she meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance。 But then war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice， and when she’s brought to her knees by a daring undercover mission with the French Resistance， only her sister knows the secret weighing heavily on Molly’s heart。
Now， lying in her hospital bed， Molly can’t escape the memories of what she lost all those years ago。 But she is not as alone as she thinks。
Will she be able to find peace—and finally understand that what seemed to be an ordinary life was anything but？
Christmas Eve， 2019。 Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed。 A stroke and a fall may have broken her body—but her mind is alive with memories。
London， 1940s。 Molly is a bright young woman， determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all。 Life becomes brighter when she meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance。 But then war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice， and when she’s brought to her knees by a daring undercover mission with the French Resistance， only her sister knows the secret weighing heavily on Molly’s heart。
Now， lying in her hospital bed， Molly can’t escape the memories of what she lost all those years ago。 But she is not as alone as she thinks。
Will she be able to find peace—and finally understand that what seemed to be an ordinary life was anything but？
Reviews
Anne-marie
，
An absolute joy of a read！ This is a solid and straightforward story about how events shape lives and people， told in the format of a septuagenarian reflecting on her life。 Her forward thinking and authentic character appealed strongly to me as she truly lived by her personal values and convictions。 An easy and pleasant read。
Morgan Mark
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I'm 44% done with An Ordinary Life: I left this book at 44%。 The story itself is good but everything is so loooong。 Always pages and pages before happenings 。。。。 I'm 44% done with An Ordinary Life: I left this book at 44%。 The story itself is good but everything is so loooong。 Always pages and pages before happenings 。。。。 。。。more
Caz
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I really enjoyed this book。 Molly was a lovely character and her journey was one that I’m sure many people lived from that era of war and life after。
Caroline James
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WonderfulA heartfelt love story， rich in detail and beautifully written。 I read this on a duvet day and loved every page。 Thank you Amanda for being such a brilliant writer。
Sandra Eggena
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Difficult times in WWII EnglandVery believable story taking place in WWII。 Shows how so many lives were affected by the war。 Those on the frontline and at home in England。 A woman having a child out of wedlock was no longer respected by neighbors， coworkers， or family。 Some parts were hard to read。
Emma Summers
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3。5*A look back over Mollys life as she begins to write a very important letter。 Molly had a difficult early life with a emotionally inaccessible mother， she was an interpreter in WW2 but was engaged to do an incredibly important task in France。 She met and lost the love of life。 Often the nostalgic WW2 stories are seen through rose tinted spectacles， but this shows how the trauma can greatly affect the mental health of those who have lived through these times。 How the fragility of life could af 3。5*A look back over Mollys life as she begins to write a very important letter。 Molly had a difficult early life with a emotionally inaccessible mother， she was an interpreter in WW2 but was engaged to do an incredibly important task in France。 She met and lost the love of life。 Often the nostalgic WW2 stories are seen through rose tinted spectacles， but this shows how the trauma can greatly affect the mental health of those who have lived through these times。 How the fragility of life could affect the way people behaved and lived。 It was a lovely story that spanned decades but lacked something？？？ 。。。more
Susan Eastler
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I loved this book！ An Ordinary Life was really an extraordinary life - a life of love and loss， tragedy and adventure。 Molly's life does begin very ordinary but takes a turn during WWII when she falls in love and becomes pregnant。 Other than her Mother， her main support is her family， particularly her sister， Joyce。 I do wish there had been more of their life during the blitz and struggles of the war in England， but there really was a lot of mystery and excitement with her covert trip into Franc I loved this book！ An Ordinary Life was really an extraordinary life - a life of love and loss， tragedy and adventure。 Molly's life does begin very ordinary but takes a turn during WWII when she falls in love and becomes pregnant。 Other than her Mother， her main support is her family， particularly her sister， Joyce。 I do wish there had been more of their life during the blitz and struggles of the war in England， but there really was a lot of mystery and excitement with her covert trip into France！ A great read and so well written。 I was riveted！ 。。。more
Bridget
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I have loved every book I have read by Amanda Prowse。 She writes with so much passion that I can't help becoming a part of her stories。 She is my go-to author when it comes to contemporary fiction， family drama， and emotional portrayal。 When I saw that this wonderful author had written An Ordinary Life I just had to read her book。 Wow， she did not disappoint！It is 2019 and on Christmas eve， Molly aged 94， is lying in a hospital bed。 With her precious fountain pen， a gift from her father， in her I have loved every book I have read by Amanda Prowse。 She writes with so much passion that I can't help becoming a part of her stories。 She is my go-to author when it comes to contemporary fiction， family drama， and emotional portrayal。 When I saw that this wonderful author had written An Ordinary Life I just had to read her book。 Wow， she did not disappoint！It is 2019 and on Christmas eve， Molly aged 94， is lying in a hospital bed。 With her precious fountain pen， a gift from her father， in her hand she is trying to write a letter and is hoping that the beautiful item， inlaid with mother-of-pearl， will help the jumble of thoughts and truths she has in her mind， tumble onto the page。London 1943: Mary （Molly to everyone that knows her） Collway aged 18 works as a senior translator of both German and French for the Ministry of Information in her bid to help the war effort and she is hoping the position will be a stepping stone to a career in Diplomacy。 One evening， her best friend， Geer cajoles her into going to a dance at the Army and Navy Club in Pall Mall。 Geer introduces her to her handsome brother， Johan and as soon as they meet， Molly forgets everything else and only has eyes for him。 A lieutenant in the Navy， Johan is stationed in a secret location and the couple shares only a handful of moments together before it is all tragically torn apart。 But not before one stolen moment together that she now treasures。Set in the town of Bloomsbury and Chelmsford in Essex and told through chapters from 1943 onwards and 2019， Molly's far from ordinary life is portrayed throughout the years from post-war Britain to the 60s， the decadence of the 70s， the 80s， the changes that came moving into another century， up until Molly's fall on Christmas Eve 2019。 As the times change， she loses many people she has held dear， including her beloved sister， Joyce。 Molly then becomes the only person remaining who carries the secret。。。This was another brilliant novel that I could relate to and it was also deeply moving。 I felt great empathy for the characters， especially Molly。 It was a beautifully written story about becoming accepting of your past。 The story-line was gripping and the characters were extremely credible， likeable and so well-drawn by Amanda Prowse。 An Ordinary Life certainly ranks very highly with me and I recommend it to fans and new readers alike。 I know that books like this one make my reading days quite perfect。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Amazon Publishing UK/ Lake Union Publishing UK via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Erin
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I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。This book was everything but ordinary。 It was a beautiful reminder that as long as we have a life full of love， we have led the most extraordinary life there is。 I adored Molly for her kindness and strength。 Her relationship with her sister Joyce reminded me of my relationship with my sister。 Molly's family was the family everyone wishes they had。 The closeness and love they all shared brought tears to my eyes。 I I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。This book was everything but ordinary。 It was a beautiful reminder that as long as we have a life full of love， we have led the most extraordinary life there is。 I adored Molly for her kindness and strength。 Her relationship with her sister Joyce reminded me of my relationship with my sister。 Molly's family was the family everyone wishes they had。 The closeness and love they all shared brought tears to my eyes。 I'm an instant fan of Amanda Prowse and can't wait to read another book of hers。 。。。more
Angela Petch
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What a book！ Amanda Prowse writes in a way that makes the writing seem so easy。 The words flow from the pages and into your heart。 And yet， we all know how things that seem easy are not。The opening is so tender。 An elderly lady has had an accident。 She has suffered a stroke and her words come out as gibberish。 There is something she wants to tell and she can't say it。 This story is very cleverly crafted。"Her life， had， she believed， been an ordinary one。" There are very few elderly people left n What a book！ Amanda Prowse writes in a way that makes the writing seem so easy。 The words flow from the pages and into your heart。 And yet， we all know how things that seem easy are not。The opening is so tender。 An elderly lady has had an accident。 She has suffered a stroke and her words come out as gibberish。 There is something she wants to tell and she can't say it。 This story is very cleverly crafted。"Her life， had， she believed， been an ordinary one。" There are very few elderly people left now who lived through the last war and what stories they have to tell。 We won't learn the half of them。 Their lives were not ordinary。 Terrible circumstances contrived to make their lives so extraordinary that we would hardly believe that the frail， wispy-haired lady or gentleman with the rheumy eyes and the shaking hands， had been part of truly amazing events 。。。Fortunately， Amanda Prowse can tell us one of these stories: the story of "Magnificent Molly" from the age of eighteen through to ninety-four。 （I love the simple way that we are always kept abreast of Molly's age at the beginning of each chapter。）I loved this book so much。 I read it in two days and I'm a bit lost at the moment。 I need a pause before I pick up something else。 It's an honest story brimming with all kinds of emotions: it's sad: "It was as if the had acknowledged the crack in her armour。。。"， Molly realises， when she has a breakdown。 There are tender passages that made me cry， lots of setbacks and there are an awful lot of positives too: real passion， true friends， wonderful family members。 It's a blinking good story that kept me guessing and turning the pages。"We are all but dust。。。" Molly says in the opening chapter。 I disagree， Molly， you proved that wrong。 There is far more to you than you think。 You gave the world so much。 You see？ I believed totally in this wonderful character; she got right under my skin。I highly recommend。 I read this on my Kindle but I'm buying a paperback copy now to pull from my bookshelf when I want to savour it again。What a writer。 Huge congratulations to Amanda Prowse。"No one tells you that， do they？ That no matter what happens to our bodies， you feel the same inside？" I'll leave that thought with you。 。。。more
Alison
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This book begins on Christmas eve， 2019， as Molly now 94 years old， has suffered a stroke and cannot relay a secret she has， which she has wanted to relay for so long。As she lies there， her memories go back to the 1940's and her life during the war， where she fell in love， worked on secret jobs。 A life full of experiences she would never forget。 Mainly the sacrifice she made out of love， and one which still haunts her to present day。This is a great story， and this is an author who's books I am s This book begins on Christmas eve， 2019， as Molly now 94 years old， has suffered a stroke and cannot relay a secret she has， which she has wanted to relay for so long。As she lies there， her memories go back to the 1940's and her life during the war， where she fell in love， worked on secret jobs。 A life full of experiences she would never forget。 Mainly the sacrifice she made out of love， and one which still haunts her to present day。This is a great story， and this is an author who's books I am so glad to have gotten to know， as her stories are always so well done， with great characters， and interesting plots。Thank you Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book。 。。。more
Anna Astin
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Oh dear！ I now have to debate with myself whether to finish this book or not。 At the very beginning of the story， in 1943， reference is made to Jane Mansfield。 This is such a glaring mistake。 Surely the one thing we can ask of authors and their editors is that they make sure their references are accurate。 Jane Mansfield was born in 1933 and was a starlet in the 50s and 60s。 A very very easy check to make。 How very disappointing。
MRS S。M。GRAY
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Incredible story。I loved this book。 I have laughed and cried my way through it。 Definitely one of the best that I have read in a long time。 The years it spans， the people whose lives are intertwined and the details of War are extraordinary。 It is the first book by this Author that I have read， but won’t be the last
Karen A Berg
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Good book but disappointedThis was a well written book and I would have given it five stars except the author （as many these days） had to throw in the F bomb。 So disappointing。
Staci
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An Ordinary Life is anything but an ordinary story。 Molly was a career-minded， young lady working as a translator in England during WWII and focused on moving ahead in her job。 Getting married and having a family was the last thing on her mind until she fell in love instantly with Johan， her best friend's brother。 Their spontaneous encounter and the circumstances of the war changed the course of Molly's life in a matter of three brief yet powerful moments。 Molly's journey wasn't anything you cou An Ordinary Life is anything but an ordinary story。 Molly was a career-minded， young lady working as a translator in England during WWII and focused on moving ahead in her job。 Getting married and having a family was the last thing on her mind until she fell in love instantly with Johan， her best friend's brother。 Their spontaneous encounter and the circumstances of the war changed the course of Molly's life in a matter of three brief yet powerful moments。 Molly's journey wasn't anything you could predict and spanned from the age of 18-94。 I fell in love with Molly's strong personality and ability to overcome whatever is thrown at her， even if she needed to take a few months to gather herself。 She always put her family ahead of herself and loved fiercely。 The bond that Molly and Joyce had as sisters was one of a kind。 The family dynamics that developed throughout the story was so relatable， and I could see my own family in hers。 You won't want to put this down once you start。Thank you NetGalley， Amazon Publishing UK， and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this novel for an honest review。 I loved it！ 。。。more
Kathy
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This book spans the main character’s life， Molly， from age 20 in 1944 to the age of 94， the end of her life， in 2019。 The story tells the loves， losses and endurance during difficult times。 The importance of family and friendships is very evident throughout the story。The author does a great job of showing how the choices we make influence us the rest of our lives。 There were a few times that the circumstances/coincidences were a little unbelievable， but in general the storyline was very realisti This book spans the main character’s life， Molly， from age 20 in 1944 to the age of 94， the end of her life， in 2019。 The story tells the loves， losses and endurance during difficult times。 The importance of family and friendships is very evident throughout the story。The author does a great job of showing how the choices we make influence us the rest of our lives。 There were a few times that the circumstances/coincidences were a little unbelievable， but in general the storyline was very realistic。The story takes place in the UK。 The author is covering 60 years of Molly’s life and does a smooth job of jumping from her 20s， to 40s， to 60s and 70s， then to her 90s。 I don’t want to give details of her life events because that would spoil the story for the reader。 Just read the book for yourself！ It’s a touching story of endurance， choices， and overcoming the difficulties in one woman’s life。 。。。more
Veronica ⭐️
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Review to follow
Louetta Waters
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In An Ordinary Life， by Amanda Prowse， we follow the life of Molly， who has anything but an ordinary life。 The story covers the history of a young Molly during the war in the early 1940's through her wonderful life up to the age of 94。 This is a very wonderfully written story that breaks your heart at one point and gives you hope in another！ I loved Molly and her family so much！ I recommend this book for anyone who lives books about family's who stick together！5 starsThank you to NetGalley and t In An Ordinary Life， by Amanda Prowse， we follow the life of Molly， who has anything but an ordinary life。 The story covers the history of a young Molly during the war in the early 1940's through her wonderful life up to the age of 94。 This is a very wonderfully written story that breaks your heart at one point and gives you hope in another！ I loved Molly and her family so much！ I recommend this book for anyone who lives books about family's who stick together！5 starsThank you to NetGalley and the Author and publisher for an ARC copy of this book。The opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
rona harvey
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So gentle and believable A great read ， an insight to the war and how it effects people on different ways and most of all how one person's attitude can lay out other people's lives So gentle and believable A great read ， an insight to the war and how it effects people on different ways and most of all how one person's attitude can lay out other people's lives 。。。more
Rebecca McDonald
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Great story - far from ordinary Heartfelt story with Great ups and downs。 I felt personally invested in mollys story and her far from ordinary life
Corie Stanfield
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Enjoyable readGreat story full of twists and turns。just when you think things are going to work out well for the main character， something else comes along to derail her world。 Yet it is a story of hope and happiness。
Elizabeth Gaston
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Undemanding and as the title suggests ordinary。 Likeable characters but slow， not her best。
Shelley S
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An incredible story of love， loss and intense bravery！
Stacy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I liked this book。 I liked the time periods。 I loved Molly。 It flowed just right and I read it in a day because I couldn’t put it down。 The ending was not what I wanted， but I would still recommend it。
Marcelle Sadler
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An amazing emotional love storyI was drawn to this because of the author， have read many of Amanda’s books。But this book really drew me in because it was about a 94 year old woman， who goes back in time to tell her story。I have a 94 year old Nan， who also lived through the war， and was in the land army。 My nans job definitely wasn’t as important as Mollys in the war， but she also suffered lost loves through her life。 Mollys life was interesting， heartbreaking and she was so brave！ Highly recomme An amazing emotional love storyI was drawn to this because of the author， have read many of Amanda’s books。But this book really drew me in because it was about a 94 year old woman， who goes back in time to tell her story。I have a 94 year old Nan， who also lived through the war， and was in the land army。 My nans job definitely wasn’t as important as Mollys in the war， but she also suffered lost loves through her life。 Mollys life was interesting， heartbreaking and she was so brave！ Highly recommended。Another great book by a Amanda prowse。 。。。more
Lorene
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An Ordinary Life begins at the end of Molly's life。 She worked for the Foreign Office in London in the 1940s with several of her friends。 Molly is approached for a special assignment which changes her life and forces her to make a very difficult decision。 I really enjoyed following Molly in her work and travels。 There were so many emotions in this book; love， sorrow， joy， laughter， loss。 Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 An Ordinary Life begins at the end of Molly's life。 She worked for the Foreign Office in London in the 1940s with several of her friends。 Molly is approached for a special assignment which changes her life and forces her to make a very difficult decision。 I really enjoyed following Molly in her work and travels。 There were so many emotions in this book; love， sorrow， joy， laughter， loss。 Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Ekta
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What an absolutely delightful， sweet story！ I was definitely engaged from the beginning with Molly's life and mourned the death of Johan and losing Geer。 Also， her agony in her decision about Joe and the challenges she faces because of the war and society were heartbreaking。I did feel like the story needed some stronger conflicts in the middle。 While I realize the point of the book was to show that even "an ordinary life" can be extraordinary to the person living it， it felt like the plot lost a What an absolutely delightful， sweet story！ I was definitely engaged from the beginning with Molly's life and mourned the death of Johan and losing Geer。 Also， her agony in her decision about Joe and the challenges she faces because of the war and society were heartbreaking。I did feel like the story needed some stronger conflicts in the middle。 While I realize the point of the book was to show that even "an ordinary life" can be extraordinary to the person living it， it felt like the plot lost a little bit of steam halfway through。 Also， framing it as a flashback took away from the novel a little。 It would have worked just as well starting in 1944 and going all the way through to the end。Regardless， Ms。 Prowse's writing style is endearing， and I know I'll enjoy her future works as well。 Lovely！ 。。。more
Penny-sue Wolfe
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Oh my days！ I am bereft now that I have finished this book！ It was amazing， full of emotion and heartache。 You fall in love with Molly and feel like a friend to her during the journey of the book！Beautifully written and hard to put down！Have your tissues ready！
Rosanne Nutland
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An extraordinary novel！Wow Amanda has such a skill of writing novels that trap you in within the first couple of pages。 An Ordinary Life is no exception。 At 94 Molly is putting pen to paper to explain to Joe a secret she promised to tell。 We are then treated to her ordinary life as she recaps her life from the age of 18。 There are highs and lows （without giving too much away） and Molly explains her time during the Second World War and her experiences during those times。 Her family plays a part i An extraordinary novel！Wow Amanda has such a skill of writing novels that trap you in within the first couple of pages。 An Ordinary Life is no exception。 At 94 Molly is putting pen to paper to explain to Joe a secret she promised to tell。 We are then treated to her ordinary life as she recaps her life from the age of 18。 There are highs and lows （without giving too much away） and Molly explains her time during the Second World War and her experiences during those times。 Her family plays a part in her life in special ways and at times we can laugh with Molly but also cry。 A truly heartfelt story of love lost and found。 。。。more
Karen isgate
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One of the best books I have ever read。This story was so sad but also uplifting I couldn't put it down。 This author is one of the best。 One of the best books I have ever read。This story was so sad but also uplifting I couldn't put it down。 This author is one of the best。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=An Ordinary Life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=An Ordinary Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,An Ordinary Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0