Oh my goodness. This book had me sucked in from the beginning. A well written, heartbreaking book about forgiveness, and finding peace amidst a tragedy that no parent should face. Get the tissues ready!!! This was a great book. I need a day to recover. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Stefani Reads‘OMG… This book has me feeling every kind of emotion… Have a box of tissues ready…Truly beautiful. Netgalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐… Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It was so compelling… An extremely emotional rollercoaster of a read. I’m sure I felt my heart literally break.’ , Netgalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A truly emotional story about love, loss and forgiveness.
Carol Denman divorced her husband over twenty years ago and has never looked back. But on the day before their daughter’s thirtieth birthday, John barges back into Carol’s life with a request that threatens the fragile stability she has built.
John Bowman is sick. Very sick. While he still can, he has some amends to make and some promises to fulfill. But to do that, he not only needs his ex-wife’s agreement…he needs her.
With the past hovering between them like a ghost, Carol and John embark on a decades-overdue road trip. Together they plunge back into a life without water…but which may ultimately set them free.
A Life Without Water can be read as a standalone, but is part of an overarching three book A Life Without Water Series. It is women’s fiction that pulls at your heartstrings from your new favorite author Marci Bolden. If you are seeking a well written, heartbreaking book about forgiveness, and finding peace amidst a tragedy . . . this book is for you!
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Solid 4.5 star
Be ready to be immersed into Carol’s world and feel what she does as she goes from having her past well and truly in the past to in her face. They way the past slowly unrolls so we see everything she and John went through was great and a bit of a slow burn which really suited this story and hooked you even more. Another fantastic book by the author who always brings you people you can relate to and connect with.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
*Potential Spoilers*
(I try to write spoiler-free reviews, but you have been warned.)
An expression my younger relatives use came to mind when reading this novel: “This book has all the feels.” And it does–because it is not a simple story. A Life Without Water is in-depth, complex storytelling at its best and resonates on so many emotional levels.
Carol and John’s journey is something that a reader will empathize with throughout the novel. They seem real–perhaps even more real than people you know in actual life–and their reactions and emotions are spot-on. Readers will feel like they are being given a glimpse into a real tragedy. And how Carol and John react. How their lives are altered. And how even the failure to make a decision can have a major impact.
As I reader, I could see people I know reflected in the characters. I could see elements of myself in Carol. As she notes, life can be terrifying whether you choose complacency or adventure. And I wanted to know how her journey ends. (Or continues–it depends on your point of view!)
The book is one you will not want to put down. I read it in two settings and I found myself thinking about it until I could finish reading. I highly recommend A Life Without Water for readers who enjoy novels that focus on the human condition.
This book will stay with you long after you finish reading it. You’ll need Kleenex handy because it is a roller coaster ride of emotions!
Carol Denman’s past has just walked into her office, a man, she thought she left behind over twenty years ago, John Bowman, her ex-husband. Carol has rebuilt her life, and had married again, John’s appearance is about to turn Carol’s life upside down.
John Bowman, is a Detective from Dayton, Ohio. The day Carol left, John was stuck in the past, still tied to their life together. He overcame difficulties and knows he was not the best husband or father. He searched to locate Carol, because he wants to find peace for himself and that includes making things right with Carol.
Although, Carol thinks she’s seen the last of John when he leaves her home; Carol gets a call from the hospital, where John had given them her name as a contact. It is here, that Carol learns just how ill John is, and explains why he showed up in the manner in which he did. John brings up a promise he made, and is determined to see it though. Carol realizes how foolhardy John is to attempt his plan and the doctor desperately tries to talk both of them out of it. Against doctor’s orders, Carol surrenders and agrees to go along.
A trip that will take two weeks of traveling and end with Carol dropping John back at home in Dayton. Carol is filled with resentment and anger towards John and blames him for a lot of things. John, also blames Carol for when they divorced. This trip is something that they both needed to let go, come to terms with themselves and each other.
A truly beautiful, gripping story of forgiveness of others and oneself after experiencing a horrific tragedy! If you enjoy books by Diane Chamberlain, or Nicholas Sparks, then you will love this!
I received an ARC from NetGalley via Pink Sand Press and voluntarily review this book.
Keep the Kleenex near as this is a story with so much feeling and not all of it happy. Carol Denman and her ex John divorced over twenty years ago when their daughter died. John is dying and he asks Carol to do something with him so that they can get get closure from that time. This story makes you feel like you are there watching it happen. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A Life Without Water by Marci bolden was unexpected read. I had no idea what I was getting into. The story was emotional, touching and heartbreaking. Carol and John have been divorced for over twenty years without any contact. Suddenly he is back and what follows is a very moving story with so many feels. This books covers loss, grief, and forgiveness and was so raw and powerful read.
Happy reading!
A Life WIthout Water by Marci Bolden does not gently lure you into the story but drags you kicking and screaming much as is done to Carol, no make that Car-o-line. At least it did for me. I couldn’t have put this book down if I had tried. Of course, I was too caught up to even try. Luckily I was on a road trip with someone else driving so I was free to read. It seemed fitting since Carol also goes traveling but not as easy a time as mine. As soon as we were home, unpacked, I was back to reading, it is just that compelling of a story. Even though I knew that there would be no this-was-only-a-nightmare or sudden time traveling to change the past, I kept reading and hoping.
Hardly happy but one that will speak to your heart and soul. All the characters come to life, Katie especially but also Tobias too. Heart breaking but also inspiring in such a sad way. Live every day, really live! Thank you for that reminder in this amazing poignant story.
Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, Julianne MacLean’s A Curve in the Road or Lori Handeland’s Just Once will find A Life WIthout Water to be their next great read. Best heart breaking book I have read this year by a master storyteller. Tissues required.
An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
John and Carol have been divorced for years. He shows up in her office a few days before Katie’s 30th birthday, intent on taking Katie on a road trip. Katie died almost 24 years ago, and he’s taking her ashes to all the places she wanted to visit. It turns out he has an inoperable brain tumor, and the disease is nearing the end of its run. He plans to do the road trip via bus, but convinces Carol to go with him. In her RV. They navigate the trip over the course of several weeks, and feel Katie with them every place that they stop. John’s condition deteriorates rapidly during the trip, and they spend a lot of time talking and soul-searching. This an extremely emotional read – make sure you have a box of tissues handy – but so worth all the tears. It’s a wonderful journey of redemption and forgiveness, acceptance and letting go, grieving and healing. And it’s most certainly a book that should not be missed.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It took me over a month to finish this book, but that being said I didn’t sit down and read it straight through, I read a few books in between and I think that may have been a good thing and a bad thing as this is an extremely emotional book and hard to read, not because it’s a bad book, in fact it’s just the opposite. This book is so well written that you will feel a connection to Carol and John and you will feel Carol’s anger as well as her grief to your very soul. Some people may have trouble reading this as it does deal with the death of a child and the grief process but not in a disturbing or graphic way. For such a tough subject it’s done very well and very “softly”. Had I read it from start to finish and not taken a break I think it would have had a much more emotional effect on me and I would have been downright ugly crying but by taking the breaks it gave me a chance to balance myself and start fresh each time I picked it up again. I do feel this is Marci’s best work to date and would strongly recommend it to to her new readers as well as her long time readers. I have been waiting for this book for a long time it seems but it was worth the wait.
Oh boy! This was such an emotional rollercoaster. From the first page you can feel Carol’s struggles and emotions. They come off the page and grip you by the throat and don’t let you go. I admit that I cried and my heart broke but it’s suck a journey of healing and forgiving.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Carol/Caroline fled in the middle of the night from her husband John after the death of their daughter Katie. She divorced him and married Tobias who encouraged her to earn her Doctors Degree and tp do things that challenged her. Twenty Four years later her ex John arrives at her office with a request. We learn that 8 months before Tobias died and John has an inoperable brain tumor with little time to live. His request is for Carol/Caroline to help him spread Katie’s ashes at all the places he promised her they would visit.
The story is told in past and present time lines. At times the story is heartbreaking. Make sure you have tissues at hand as I found myself sobbing. A story of love, marriage, family, forgiveness, and moving ahead. Thank you to Netgalley, Pink Sand Press, and Marci Bolden for an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
Caroline knew that her marriage was over but she could not take her daughter away from her father. So she decided to stay and try again. That is until her little girl died and life as she knew it changed forever. For 24 years she hated her ex-husband, John, and blamed him for Katie’s death. And then one day he appears in her life again, asking the impossible of her. And again her life is changed irrevocably when she and John took a road trip which allows them to finally say goodbye to Katie, to learn to forgive and to realize that such blame cannot be put on only one person. This is a heart wrenching story about the loss of a child and how people deal with it in different ways. It is a story of forgiveness and kindness and how to give of yourself even when you feel that there is nothing left to give. It is a story of letting go of the people you love the most in the world but also of surviving, even when you think you cannot go on. This is an excellent story from this talented writer.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Pass the tissues, please. I’m just going to say it you will need them. A Life Without Water is a beautiful heartbreaking yet heartwarming read. I love how Marci Bolden just takes you on this emotional ride that doesn’t let go. It is one beautiful ride that you will not want to miss out on. This is a story of loss and finally being able to grieve and heal. Carol and John past together will just grip your heart so. You want to just hold them both as they finally come together to grieve for the daughter they lost, the mistakes they’ve made. With John, you want to hate him for not being the man Carol needed. Yet you just want to hold John throughout their cross country trip. You want to go to Carol and just hold her through all the loss she is facing. I love her strength throughout this journey. I left part of my heart somewhere along the way with Carol and John. This book is everything I thought it would be and more. I couldn’t put it down. This is a need to one-click read.
An emotional journey into one of the most painful things a person or couple can ever have to deal with. When John barrels back into Carol’s life, all she wants is for him to go away. It’s been over twenty years since she left and divorced him. She’s built a new life, although it is also not without pain. She puts up her walls, her ice princess facade. Carol has no intention of forgiving the man. But when she realizes why he is really there, and he makes a final request of her, she gives in, despite her misgivings. The trip they must take will test them both, their strengths, their weaknesses, their pasts, their memories, their pain. What starts as a trip to fulfill her ex-husbands dying last wish becomes a journey of healing. I totally ugly cried during the last third of the book. I found it difficult to read at times only because I saw myself in Carol, in her loss of self at the hands of another but also at finding the strength to forgive and release the pain.
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
A Life Without Water is one of those books that once I started reading, I had to know how everything was going to unfold. Marci Bolden has a way of creating a world that you get sucked into almost immediately.
Carol Denman has not seen her ex-husband, John, for over 20 years and when he shows back up in her life it’s the last thing she expected and the last thing she wants to deal with. There is unfinished business between them that should have been dealt with years earlier, but neither one of them was in the right frame of mind at the time. With all the years that have passed, both Carol and John have changed, yet there are some things that remained very much the same. Now that both Carol and John are faced with the reality of what the future holds, they go on the journey that they should have taken years before. The journey that these Marci Bolden takes us on runs the gamut of emotions. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll be angry and you’ll feel. Oh how you’ll feel. This story is the story of love and forgiveness.
This is a book that will stay with you for some time once you finish. It was emotional, it was real and it’s one I would recommend that you pick up.
I’ve been anxiously been waiting for this book for a long time. And I can honestly say that if you have read Marci’s books before or whether you are new to them, you will be blown away. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. I was so emotionally blown away by this book that I had to put it down several times just to be able to see through the tears. Carol and John reconnect after years apart to finish something that should have been done years ago but, the time just wasn’t right. Marci ran every one of my emotions through the ringer. From anger to sadness, her words took me on the journey along with Carol and John. If you want a truly amazing story about love loss and forgiveness this is the book for you.
But, I will have to warn you that it’s an emotionally draining book, that will have you crying in no time at all. So bring out the tissues and read Marci’s best book yet. You will not be disappointed. It’s guaranteed to rip your heart out.
Oh my goodness. This book had me sucked in from the beginning. A well written, heartbreaking book about forgiveness, and finding peace amidst a tragedy that no parent should face. Get the tissues ready!!! This was a great book. I need a day to recover. . Thanks @Netgalley and @Pinksandpress for the chance to read this ARC. Book releases in Aug 2019 #netgalley #ALifeWithoutwater
Tragedy that no parent should have to face. Lots of tissues are a must when you read this book.
I found this book to be somewhat depressing. Carol and John have experienced a parent’s worst nightmare…the loss of a child. Add to that the fact John is terminally ill and there is not much joy in this book. The theme that ran through this story was forgiveness. It took me awhile to read this book because of the nature of the plot.
The book was well written in spite of the sadness throughout. I had to finish even though it made me sad.
I received a copy of a Life Without Water from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Carol has lost her second husband in a tragic accident. Her first husband, John, shows up the day before what would have been their daughter’s 30th birthday after 24 years. 24 years ago their daughter died while her father was supposed to be watching her and instead got drunk and passed out.
Carol just wanted her ex-husband gone but instead, she takes him to her house and shows him their daughter’s urn. He decides he is going to take their daughter’s ashes but Carol stops it from happening. The next day, she gets a phone call from a hospital and her ex-husband is in the hospital and he kept asking for her. She finally goes to the hospital where she learns he has a brain tumor and doesn’t have long to live so he wanted to take their daughter’s ashes to the places he had promised her they would all go to. and he wanted Carol to go with him.
She actually did agree to do this and she drove her new RV and they went to the places that were on his daughter’s list that had been hanging on his refrigerator.
This is a rollercoaster ride because Carol and John haven’t seen each other for 24 years, she has never been able to forgive him, and she still grieves for her daughter. So how will this ever work out? Marci Bolden will take us through the journey that Carol and John embark on. Sometimes it is hard to read, sometimes I thought how is Carol ever going to survive what she has agreed to do. I could feel her pain because the writing was that good. Ii was thinking if I am a hard time reading this story, I can’t imagine living it.
You will have to read the book because there is so much that Carol and John go through. Plus you will want to know if Carol will be able to say goodbye to her daughter. It has been 24 years and she wasn’t able to do it. You will also want to know what takes place with Carol and John traveling in close quarters of her RV. I shed many tears and when the book came to the end, I was glad that I finished the book.