From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Whisper Me This comes an emotional and sharply witty novel about how life’s unexpected detours can ultimately bring you home.
For thirty years Liz has perfectly played the part of Mrs. Thomas Lightsey, exemplary pastor’s wife and mother. But maintaining appearances for the congregation and catering to her demanding husband takes a toll, and she’s lost … takes a toll, and she’s lost herself in meeting the expectations of others. When Thomas suddenly dies, Liz feels shock, grief, and, to her surprise, the siren song of freedom. Dare she dream of a life to call her own?
Despite the resistance of her daughter, Abigail, to even the smallest changes, Liz lands a role at the community theater. Inspired by new friends and the character she plays, she explores life’s possibilities, including an unexpected—and steamy—relationship with her leading man.
Just when Liz thinks she might be winning, life hits her with an unthinkable shock. She’s pregnant at forty-nine. Torn between conflicting loyalties to her daughter, her lover, her unborn baby, and herself, can Liz find a way to rebuild her dream life one more time?
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A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King is an incredible story of women’s fiction.
Liz has been the wife of a pastor for over 26 years. When her husband suddenly passes away, Liz is grieving but there is also a sense of relief. No more duties in the church, all the committees and functions. She has a daughter Abigail who is a large part of this story and I love the mother daughter relationship and how the author portrays that.
On a whim , LIz starts with community theatre and while there she meets a man that she gets into a relationship with and ends up pregnant at 49 years old. This is such a poignant well written story that I devoured every word.
The author has an incredible way of writing family stories. I highly recommend this book.
Kerry Anne King’s A Borrowed Life is both beautifully written and unflinchingly honest. A cautionary tale about the insidious ways we allow others to keep us small, it’s also a lesson on the enormous power of love and friendship, and how the people in our lives can lend us strength as we grow, cheering us on to be our best lives and who we are truly meant to be. This story with its wonderful cast of characters is one that will grab you by the heart and refuse to let go.
Linda’ Book Obsession Reviews “A Borrowed Life” by Kerry Anne King, Lake Union Publishing, September 2020 for Suzy Approved Book Tours
Kerry Anne King, the author of “A Borrowed Life” has written a memorable, thought-provoking, and heart-warming novel. The genres for this novel are Fiction and Women’s Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated.
Liz Lightsey has been the Pastor’s wife for the last 26 years until Thomas passes away. Liz did everything that a Pastor’s wife was expected to do, according to Thomas. Liz was on all committees in the church, and a perfect mother to Abigal. Of course, Liz is grieving and starts to realize that almost all of her married life, she followed Thomas’s decisions and thoughts of what she should do, not necessarily what she might want to do. In Pastor Thomas’s life, there were expectations of what men and women’s roles should be.
One of Liz’s neighbors encourages her to audition for a part in a community theater. Liz starts to feel that she is doing something she has always wanted to do. Meeting new friends, and having new opportunities is wonderful for Liz.
I love the way that Kerry Anne King vividly describes the events and characters in this story. There is some humor when her protective Church friends meet her new theater friends. Is it possible for Liz to find a life that will make her happy?
There are some surprising twists in this story that are heartwarming. Surprisingly, her daughter Abigal is quite shocked at her mother’s behavior, and it looks like there is a role reversal in the mother-daughter relationship.
I appreciate that Kerry Anne King discusses the importance of family, mother-daughter relationships, friends, neighbors, self-growth, love, and hope. I would highly recommend this amazing novel.
I loved this book! It was really interesting to follow Liz’s evolution back to her former self once she no longer had to conform to her husband’s idea of who she should be. I thought the author did a brilliant job with the characters – I wanted to shake Abigail when she kept trying to keep her mom the same as she had always been (did she not see how dreadfully awful her life had become?!). At the same time, I felt bad for Abigail that she had always been raised to believe that women were here to serve men and that ultimately her role would eventually be wife and mother, regardless of her own hopes and dreams.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
Funny And Evocative. This was a strong look at a woman who had had her joy figuratively beaten from her by life and who gets a second chance later in life… and it happened to reference one of my favorite jokes ever. 🙂 As usual, King does an amazing job of showing how wondrous life can be if you simply embrace its quirkiness rather than trying to dictate rules to it, and here in particular she does a phenomenal job of showing a woman rediscovering the self she had allowed to die off many years ago. The singular sex scene is *smoking*, the jokes are rampant and hilarious, and the drama is perhaps all too real – on stage and off. 🙂 As someone who has been all too familiar with the types of religion King shows here but who never truly let himself succumb to it the way Liz does, I felt her transformation deeply. I *lived* a version of it in my mid-20s, which wasn’t too terribly long ago seeing as I’m only in my late 30s now. 😀 Truly an excellent book that the more talibaptist oriented probably won’t like as much as I did… and which is all the more imperative that they read it. Very much recommended.
A BORROWED LIFE by Kerry Anne King is wonderfully-written and emotional story of a forty-nine year-old woman’s journey to finding herself again after the sudden loss of her husband of twenty-six years. Elizabeth Lightsey has always been a dutiful pastor’s wife, giving up everything she once dreamed of to meet his needs and those of his congregation. Living up to his strict expectations and maintaining the appearances Thomas has demanded has left Liz feeling controlled and hopeless for change. When Thomas dies, Liz is determined to find something of her old self and rebuild a life where she can make her own choices. Faced with strong resistance from her daughter and meddling from her church circle, Liz must fight for her freedom to seek her own happiness. I loved Liz’s character! I enjoyed following her exploration of new possibilities and the reinvention of her life. I was fully engaged in the story from beginning to end and felt like I knew the characters personally. A BORROWED LIFE is a heartfelt and uplifting story of family, loss, self-discovery and second chances and I highly recommend it!
Thank you Kerry Anne King and Net Galley for the advance copy of this book. This review is solely my opinion.
I loved this story. It starts with Elizabeth quietly sneaking out of bed for a few alone me minutes before her husband awakes. She is a ministers wife and her role as such is to serve and be his helpmate. Her needs, wants or thoughts are ignored while she maintains appearances for the congregation. When Thomas dies suddenly Elizabeth is shocked….then she starts thinking and feeling….Her neighbor and secret girl friend Val whom Thomas didn’t approve of steps in and holds her together. Val helps Liz remember her life pre Thomas. Liz realizes she has buried everything she was or wanted, to be who Thomas expected her to be. Her daughter thinks she has totally lost it and moves home to “take care of her” . Without giving away the wonderful story I will end with saying just read this book, you will love it.
I think this is going to be my nephew favorite by KAK; previously it’s was Whisper Me This. This book has all sorts of feels. It made me laugh and had me teary eyed. I love the strong female heroine aspect and how the main character pulls from her own strength and begins making her own decisions based on her needs and wants vs anyone else’s. Great character development. I could read it all over again!
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC
This book is about expectations. What our family expects from us, what society expects us to be, and ultimately, what we expect from ourselves as our lives unfold in quite unexpected ways. As serious as this sounds, Kerry Anne King has written a page-turner that is witty and charming, while dealing with a circumstance that is nothing short of life-altering. As Liz navigates through an unfathomable time in her life, she realizes she must find herself. And fast. Because up until now, maybe she hasn”t been all she could have been. Changes may be in order, but who will she lose in the process? This story moved me so much. I read it in two sessions over the course of a couple of days because I just couldn’t put it down. Who doesn’t love a book like that? You will fall in love with all the characters who are so colorfully written. And save some room in your heart for a stray cat, because there’s a cute one of those tucked in there too. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance reader’s copy. Pub date September 22, 2020.
The last novel I read from Kerry Anne King emotionally drained me. Thankfully, this was a lighter read.
After her husband’s sudden death, Liz comes to terms with how controlled her world really was – emotionally, financially and physically.
Against the opinions of her daughter, and amidst judgement of a tight knit church, she strikes out on her own. An impromptu theatre audition gives Liz a new support community, along with a new outlook on life and love. She struggles and stumbles (and encounters a few comically embarrassing moments), but will not let herself fail.
Engaging and hopeful, this is a story of how one woman fought to get her individuality back and won.
*Thank you Lake Union Publishing, Kerry Anne King and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Kerry Anne King has a special way of creating complex characters and placing them in engrossing stories that stir my heart. A Borrowed Life is an emotionally-driven novel about a woman who has lost herself after years of marriage; fighting feelings of guilt, duty, and grief, she is determined to rediscover the true woman living within. Liz is one of the most complicated, multifaceted characters I’ve ever met in a book. And I do truly feel like I “met” her, her story coming to life on the pages as if I were sitting on the couch next to her. I wanted to celebrate with her, as she opens herself up to new adventures and possibilities, and to comfort and console her when facing difficult situations and conflicts. The supporting characters in this book were just as multilayered as Liz—characters whose lives intertwined with hers in so many surprising, oftentimes challenging, ways. This book was infused with hope and heart, dreams and courage, sincerity and exuberance.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. When I started reading the book, the title intrigued me, A Borrowed Life is such a unique title. As I continued to read the book, I could see why the book has its title. I think most women will enjoy reading this book and will relate to many things happening in the book.
I think the title is perfect and Kerry Anne King writes this story that women of any age will relate to it. I am a senior citizen and I could see the growth of the people and the journey that was going on.
A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King is an excellent novel about second chances and that there is no timeline on finding yourself.
We first see Liz as a subdued, suppressed, and shell-of a woman after being married for over 20 years to her pastor husband/accompanying church. We then see the identity crisis that then takes place after he passes.
What I love about this book is the awakening, self-discovery, newfound self-empowerment, and second lease on life that Liz then gets to experience after she is almost forced into this “new life”.
It definitely goes to show that it is never too late to find one’s self and take it all by the reins.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
“I’m tired of silencing my emotions, tired of letting everybody tell me what to do. I’ll do my own thinking.”
I love Kerry Anne King’s books and this one had me captured from the very beginning.
I did not want it to end!
There is no doubt that everyone knows a person like the main character, Liz.
Liz at age forty-nine loses her husband to a massive heart attack. Her husband was a preacher who had control over his wife, daughter and his parishioners, but not his own death.
Liz feels guilt, relief and freedom. She is now on her own. Can she actually begin to enjoy the world?
Her daughter Abigail is a nurse in her twenties and thinks her Mom needs some serious help. Perhaps it is just grief causing her mom to act so bizarre.
Liz gets involved with a theatre play, makes some new friends and then finds herself pregnant!
WHAT??
This is a novel of learning to love and respect yourself, no matter what age you are.
I found myself praying that Liz would be able to stand up for herself and that Abigail would see all the potential in her own life.
This is a wonderful, emotional book!