Suzanne Redfearn delivers another gripping page-turner in her latest novel, a story about a young mother’s fight to protect her children from the dangerous world of Hollywood. Faye Martin never expected her husband to abandon her and their three children . . . or that she’d have to struggle every day to make ends meet. So when her four-year-old daughter is discovered through a YouTube video and … video and offered a starring role on a television series, it seems like her prayers have been answered. But when the reality of their new life settles in, Faye realizes that fame and fortune don’t come without a price. In a world where everyone is an actor and every move is scrutinized by millions, it’s impossible to know whom to trust, and Faye finds herself utterly alone in her struggle to save her family.
Emotionally riveting and insightful, NO ORDINARY LIFE is an unforgettable novel about the preciousness of childhood and the difficult choices a mother needs to make in order to protect this fragile time in her children’s lives.
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Abandoned, with 3 kids to raise and struggling to make ends meet, Mom makes some poor choices that have a negative effect on her family. Determined to set things right she discovers her voice and her inner strength.
To me a really good book draws me in from the very beginning and keeps me engaged until the final page. This book did that for me, as well as providing several endearing characters and giving me a glimpse into a world I know nothing about…the world of childhood fame. What more can you ask for?
No Ordinary Life is a perfect title for a book for one about the life of a child actor. There should be a quote prefacing the book by Paul Peterson, a well-known child actor advocate after being one himself.
~ “Fame is a dangerous drug and should be kept out of the reach of children.”
This book is so much more than that….it is about the whole family. There is a newly single mother, a moody pre-teen, an 8 year old boy with select mutism and an adorable 4 year old girl with a pronounced lisp. The four year old is the one who accidentally becomes a budding actor. And, then her brother gets into it too. This is a perfect set up for drama.
One annoying aspect of the whole book is that the author tries to illustrate the lisp of Molly, the 4 year old, by inserting the letter W into every word of dialogue that comes out of her mouth. Very distracting.
Characters: the children are all great. Each one has their distinct personalities and they are well developed and evolve throughout the book.
But, I do have trouble liking and identifying with their mother. She makes a lot of decisions based on her own needs, not those of her children. While it is obvious that she loves them, her parenting skills need work. And, the sometimes absent father/husband is a piece of work. He sees his own children as commodities.
The author really brings to the forefront the hard work and tedium of show business. Then there are dangers from fans/stalkers, paparazzi, and other show business personalities who have their own perverted agendas. While it is interesting to read about, some of the incidents are very disturbing.
The rest of the book is a train wreck……I was horrified but I could not look away. I’m not sure how I feel about some of what happened. The lead up to the ending really illustrated the lengths that a mother will go to to protect her family. The jury will remain out on the fact as to whether or not it was morally acceptable.
One of the characters in the book utters this statement: Welcome to the crazy world of celebrity, where fiction becomes fact.
I believe these are true words in too many cases.
“I watch paralyzed, knowing regardless of how this turns out, that this moment will not be forgotten, the moment I was too much of a coward to stand up for my kid and stop this from happening.”
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This is my third book from the amazing author Suzanne Redfearn and I loved it! It had a refreshingly, unique storyline about a struggling single mom whose youngest daughter is discovered on YouTube and becomes an instant celebrity and how Hollywood, not only affects her daughter, but the entire family. Redfearn goes into the “behind the scenes” of filming a popular TV show and all the lengths the mom must take to protect her family. The story had a lot of emotion with some unexpected twists and I always love when the writing pulls me in right away which this definitely did! This would be a perfect bookclub pick with plenty to discuss and make sure to read the “A Note From the Author” section at the end to understand how/where Redfearn got the ideas for this book! I will be waiting patiently for a new book by Redfearn and can’t wait! I recommend reading all her books and so glad I finished my June reads with a bang!