What would you do if you learned that the life you lived was a lie?
Nina McCarrick lives the perfect life, until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.
Alone, bereft and faced with a mountain of debt, Nina quickly loses her life of luxury and she begins to question whether she ever really knew the man she married. Forced to move … married. Forced to move out of her family home, Nina returns to the rundown Southampton council estate—and the sister—she thought she had left far behind.
But Nina can’t let herself be overwhelmed—her boys need her. To save them, and herself, she will have to do what her husband discouraged for so long: pursue a career of her own. Torn between the life she thought she knew and the reality she now faces, Nina finally must learn what it means to take control of her life.
Bestselling author Amanda Prowse once again plumbs the depths of human experience in this stirring and empowering tale of one woman’s loss and love.
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When their world is turned upside down due to unexpected circumstances, a family has to make quick decisions to continue life in a new way. This is an emotional, heartbreaking story that made me bring out the tissues. In the midst of tragedy and change, hope can be found. Great read.
I received this digital unproofed ARC from Union Lake Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
When I began reading this book it immediately made me think of another book I had just read. The genre is completely different but it did take me several chapters to reconcile that in my mind. The story begins with the tragic death of a woman’s husband under questionable circumstances.
Themes in this novel touch in the importance of family working together through the ups and downs of life. The main character, Nina, learns through tragedy and loss what is truly meaningful in her life. The title describes how we can often hide our insecurities and fears by focusing on unimportant things. A big house and fancy car may be elegant but in the end it doesn’t represent the morals and values of the people who own them. Sometimes, hiding behind materialistic things can mask the confusion pain of confronting our greatest fears.
The Art Of Hiding is one woman’s story of losing her “rich” husband and finding out they are millions in debt. When her husband dies and his business implodes, she is left with two sons who have been raised in a stress free lifestyle and now she has to go back to her “poor” neighborhood where she was brought up and try to help her kids through the adjustment. Prowse wrote about the actuality of grief, anger, adjustment and acceptance that people endure daily. A great representation of life with its ups and downs, but life must go on. Sometimes life can be a very harsh teacher. A well written book…….I was given an Ecopy by NetGalley and this review is in my own words.
An uplifting, amazing journey of a family who went from having”it all” to learning the meaning of “having it all.”
It could be any family, any friend that has to learn this difficult lesson.
This is one book you don’t want to miss. Tissues will be needed for those who get the message within this tremendous story!
What happens when you discover your life is a lie? At times this book scared me so much I couldn’t breathe, but this isn’t a horror story. It’s an excellent story of focusing on what matters.
Nina McCarrick is living the dream. Wealthy, with two sons enrolled in a prestigious private school, a huge country home, and an attractive and wonderful husband, Nina fills her days with caring for her home and family. One day, the unthinkable happens, and everything changes. Nina is forced into a totally different lifestyle, one in which she discovers her true self and what she really wants from life.
This is a nice book, in that it reveals what is really important to have a happy life. Sadly, I found the story slow-moving. I was waiting for something more profound to happen, but it never did. Don’t get me wrong, our author developed her characters and wrote well. It just seemed like this tale was a bit empty, lacking.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
4 out of 5 stars to The Art of Hiding, a family drama novel published in July 2017 and written by Amanda Prowse. I adored this book and am so glad I read it; let’s get right into the review.
Why This Book
A few months ago, I’d finished reading ‘The Idea of You,’ by this author. I really enjoyed the book, and when ‘The Art of Hiding’ showed up on my NetGalley feed, I had to request it. I forgot that they approved my request until last week, when I went to select whatever was next to be published as my next book to start reading. I’d been so busy writing my own novel, I missed the publish date for this one. So I quickly read it in 2+ days to get caught up.
Plot, Characters & Setting
Nina McCarrick, a mid-30s mother of two boys, 10 and 14, lives a wonderful life on a beautiful Southampton, England estate. That is, until her husband unexpectedly dies and she learns all was not what he’d been telling her. Suddenly losing her life high up on the hill, she’s forced to turn to all her friends and family for assistance. One person takes her in, helping re-build a life for both Nina and the boys. Nina begins to learn the difference between losing your own identity and being part of a married couple. Sometimes, it isn’t a good idea to give up control of all aspects of your life, as when it comes crashing down, you’ll have no idea what to expect.
Approach & Style
I read this novel through Kindle Reader on my iPad over the course of two and a half days. It is about 300 pages long, divided into 15 chapters, all told from Nina’s perpsective in third person point of view. The language is simple but meaningful; it reads itself as you feel immersed in the world Prowse has created for her readers. You could probably read this all in one day over 4 to 5 hours if you kept focused, and it would definitely be an enjoyable read.
Strengths
Prowse tells intricate family stories full of complexity and drama; not so much with everyone around the main characters, but within their small family unit. I felt the same way about one of her other books, and I’ve now come to realize this is her style; this is who the author is and what she excels at.
Nina is easy to relate with, given she is a new widow and has young boys to care for. She has no job, her skills are mostly outdated according to anyone she runs into. You immediately feel a strong connection with the woman, wanting to see her succeed. She’s a wonderful mother. She doesn’t sugarcoat the truth either. She dances around it a bit, hoping not to devastate her children, but she also knows hiding their situation will do more harm than good.
It’s not a suspense story, yet I only put it down because it was midnight and had to wake up early the next morning. You feel as though the events unfold right in your own living room as you are reading, and simply do not want to miss a moment of the beauty and pain inside this family.
Concerns
Very little with this book. It wasn’t a huge and amazing story that captures a tremendous amount of ground. It’s simple and thought-provoking. I felt it could have used a little more clarity around the death of the father and the days leading up to it. At the same time, it all came as a shock to Nina, so why shouldn’t it come as a shock to readers, too. But in the end, I would have connected a bit more strongly if I had some current history. Just a smidge.
On occasion, the relationship Nina had with others felt a bit fake. I thought it was necessary to the plot in some places, but it was a little too much in other places. Sometimes the balance between her being a lonely and hidden wife versus a lonely and hidden widow losing everything wasn’t as clear as I’d have liked it to be. A few extra paragraphs explaining how she interacted with her ‘friends’ before she became a widow might have helped give it more substance and a range between the two people she needed to be during the course of the book. I also think her ‘lows’ weren’t low enough, meaning she needed to struggle more in finding a job, not being able to pay bills. There was some of this impact, but a few things were a little too hunky dory for my taste.
Final Thoughts
Amanda Prowse is quickly becoming 1 of my top 10 favorite authors. I actually marked five more of her books as ‘to-read’ today since I’ve read two and given then both 4’s. I’m going to search NetGalley after I post this review to see if I can get my greedy little hands on more. This woman can really write stories that straddle that line between heartbreak and the promise of a better day.
Nina’s world is rocked to the core when she finds out that her husband is killed in a car accident. That’s just the start of the unraveling of her whole life.
“Finn had promised her a life free of worry, a good life for her and their children. Finn had lied. ”
I felt such empathy for Nina and her predicament. She has to try to protect her home and her sons all while trying to live with the mess her husband left behind. All three of them go through such a hard time and have to start living a different, difficult life from what they had led before.
Through it all, Nina learns that is a strong, capable woman who can take care of herself and her family and ultimately have a happy life. Oh, but what a journey to get to that knowledge.
Right, I’m going, to be honest here and say that I really struggled with this book.
I’m obviously in a minority here in regards to how The art Of Hiding was perceived by myself as I’ve seen many positive reviews singing its praises and this is a well-written story it just personally wasn’t really my cup of tea.
So I’m going to try and pinpoint what wasn’t working for me as there was never one major thing that stood out specifically and also what was actually floating my boat.
So first things first I’ve never read anything by Amanda Prowse before, so was going in blind here.
Well, my initial impression was that The Art Of Hiding was really well written, the words flowed easily and the writing style was one that was easy to get lost in.
But here comes my main problem, the actual story itself, I found it a bit boring and somewhat one-dimensional.
I also wondered whether the author herself has ever lived on the breadline or was this her portrayal of what she thinks it would be like to be in that scenario.
I thought to myself why wasn’t Nina McCarrick with no income not down the job centre and putting in an application, dare I say it for housing benefit.
She was meant to be on her arse after all.
It also annoyed me how living on the breadline was initially portrayed all doom and gloom and shitty childhoods, I didn’t find it a realistic portrayal of how the other half lives it was very stereotypical in the way it depicted the rich and the poor.
I found it so hard to connect with the characters especially Nina who I found very whiny and almost childlike in some of her reactions.
Thank god for Tiggy, she was a breath of fresh air and also very forgiving considering the way she has been treated by her sister over the past few years.
I was so glad we had tiggy to add a bit of realism to this tale, I needed her as She was the one character I actually liked completely.
So a brief description of The Art Of Hiding is Nina McCarrick has the perfect life.
Until that is her husband Finn dies in a car crash leaving Nina and their Two sons in a mountain of debt and their whole lives unravelling.
Nina moves her boys back to the streets of Southampton where she grew up and The Art Of Hiding is really the story of how Nina and her children cope and grow as individuals as their world implodes.
As I said earlier I couldn’t initially connect, but then a bit before the end I felt it and this is mainly what made me bump this up a star, I had a lump in my throat as Nina and her kids visit their former home with Tiggy, it was very poignant and sentimental and after pages of just reading, I actually started to feel the words written.
Overall though this book didn’t make me feel good, On finishing, I felt rather sad and deflated and I like my fiction to leave me feeling rejuvenated, an emotional wreck, happy even sad, but not deflated and down that’s a no-no.
I really do think I would enjoy other works of Amanda Prowse’s as I really did like the writing style It was just the Art Of Hiding just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
So, In conclusion, this is a well-written story hence the three stars, It just personally wasn’t quite for me, yourself well we are all diverse in our likes and dislikes so give it a go, I would so love to hear your take on this.
I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an arc of The Art Of Hiding By Amanda Prowse, this is my own voluntary, honest opinion.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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Very touching and inspirational story
The Art of Hiding may be a reoccurring storyline BUT Amanda Prowse adds her own creative weave of twists and turns. Her own version of ‘picking up the pieces’. Starting over. With the blessings of family and love. This book also leads to a series by leaving some things unfinished and questions unanswered. More unfinished than cliffhanging. I received this book from Lake a Union Publishing through NetGalley. I am voluntarily posting this review.
The Art of Hiding started out interesting enough. The author has a good writing style and the story flows well in the beginning. Nina’s loss is truly heartbreaking and then she’s blindsided by circumstances that were kept hidden from her. When I read the blurb, I did have a slightly different idea of what this story would be about and that assumption was my own fault. That, in itself, wouldn’t have bothered me. What did bother me was the way the story started to lag about a quarter of the way through. We’re told, repeatedly, that Nina grew up poor, so I didn’t quite get her naiveté when it came to money matters. We don’t really get much about Finn, other than a few memories and the fact that he kept problems hidden from Nina. From what is told, I got the impression of someone who was a little controlling and wanted to keep the “little wife” at home. Once the pace of the story slowed down, it started to lose me and most of the book was pretty depressing. While I can understand and sympathize with Nina’s circumstances, she drones on and on about the same things and starts to come across as whiny. That, combined with the slow pace, left me feeling a little ambivalent about how this one played out.
I want to say that this book is a sort of ‘coming of age’ story, only about ten years later in life than it would usually happen. I’d also say that this is Nina McCarrick’s story and that of her children Connor and Declan. The story opens with Nina having a premonition of sorts and her life certainly goes downhill from there. I don’t really want to say too much as it would probably be a spoiler or two and the actual unfolding of this family’s life story is really what it is all about. It is at times sad, uplifting, touching and loving – it even depicts the very definition of teenage angst. I’d have to say it was very poignant and while I enjoyed the read, it made me sad…admittedly in a good way but sad nonetheless. It really deals with some big issues and it was so good to see how Nina handled everything that life threw at her.
The Art of Hiding is a new novel by Amanda Prowse, releasing on August 22nd. I was invited to read an advance copy by Lake Union Publishing, so I owe them a big thank you for sending this book my way! I was excited when I received this book because I had not read any novels by Prowse before, and I love discovering new authors!
To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed after reading the synopsis. The book sounded, well, depressing. The main character, Nina, finds her world unraveling at the death of her husband (not a spoiler – the whole book is based on this event and the ripple effect it causes).
It turned out that, yes, the circumstances of this book were in fact depressing, but I found the story to be interesting and ultimately uplifting. While books set with sad and depressing circumstances don’t often appeal to me, strong characters do. Nina was very well-written. Her character went through many stages and developed beautifully into a strong, independent woman. Prowse writes Nina’s struggles elegantly, using detail and emotion to make the reader really empathize with her.
In addition to Nina being well-written, her sister, Tiggy, was a great supporting character, bringing laughter and a sense of security to the story. Nina’s boys, Connor and Declan, are also great characters. They are tasked with staying brave for their mother while also mourning their father and having their entire lives turned upside down. Unlike Nina, the boys have only ever known luxury, private schools, fine clothes, and a mansion. So their new circumstances are less of an uncomfortable adjustment and more of a complete and utter shock.
I liked this story. I wasn’t sure I would, but good writing has a way of doing that!
The Art of Hiding
Read full review at: KaitsBookshelf.com
The Art of Hiding by author Amanda Prowse is a contemporary drama which is filled with family emotions, grief and loss, but with finding hidden strengths.
Nina McCarrick is living a beautiful perfect life constructed by her husband, Finn. They have two sons, and are living with every luxury. Nina would have never dreamed this wonderful life was possible when she was growing up in a very economically poor home. Her mother died when she was a child and Nina was raised by her father and older sister, Tiggy.
Tragedy strikes when Finn suddenly dies in a car wreck and Nina’s world is shattered. She finds out her beautiful safe bubble she had been living in will soon be taken away. Finn’s company was bankrupted and he had not responded to any of the letters and notices. Nina is left to cope with the devastating fallout of becoming homeless with her two sons. Did Finn choose to leave them in the deadly crash or was it an accident?
My heart ached for Nina as I read the story. I hurt for the boys, Declan and Connor as they face sudden traumatic changes in their lives. As this family faces an uncertain future with almost nothing, not even her car, their future seems bleak.
As we read this story the power and strength of family comes forward and sustains Nina in her lowest days. It is not an easy task, but Nina must find a job, even though she has no obvious marketable skills.
This story pulled at my heart and also had me cheering for Nina and he boys.
I received this book from NetGalley.com for an honest review. I thank them so much for the immense pleasure of reading this book.
What do you do when your world crumbles piece by piece and you are facing great responsibility and little self-esteem? If you are from strong stock, you pick yourself up and take it hour by hour and try to build a life once again.
That is the very simplified plot of this wonderful novel. It will break your heart and bring you to tears. It will make you want to stand up and cheer out loud in joy for this incredibly strong woman.
The author did an amazing job of writing this novel. I was so invested in the outcome. I was hoping for certain things to happen and I am happy to say that my thoughts are what happened.
I truly enjoy a story that includes all age groups, especially the elderly. From the youngest character to the oldest, they all had a piece of my heart while reading.
I highly recommend this novel!