A Solitary Life edition by Colleen Sayre Christopher Wood Literature Fiction eBooks
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An accomplished author, Mary Margaret Carmichael is goaded by her long-time friend, agent, and publicist Sophia DeMarco to write her autobiography. In an effort to tell a more balanced story, Mary Margaret enlists the assistance of her friends and family to create the story of her life’s journey. The result is a book that moves beyond the "mundane glory" of Mary Margaret’s solitary life, to a stunning portrayal of a life full of love, heartache, loss, empathy, harrowing drama, and most importantly, hope.
A Solitary Life edition by Colleen Sayre Christopher Wood Literature Fiction eBooks
In the interest of full disclosure, I need to say that like the characters in this book, I was enlisted by the author (my mother) to assist in many aspects of the book to bring the story of Mary Margaret to the world. In doing so, I have volunteered as editor, photographer, graphic designer and many other roles that needed attention from someone other than the author. Having said that, after countless hours and times reading, editing and discussing the book, I found myself engrossed in the telling of the story. As the jacket of the book suggests, there are an untold number of emotions that are present in the "mundane glory" of one's life and in this book you may see yourself or someone you know on each page. I have loved my involvement with the book and being part of bringing Mary Margaret to life. I believe you will enjoy reading her story the first time as much as I did/do in reading it once again, this time on my Kindle.Product details
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A Solitary Life edition by Colleen Sayre Christopher Wood Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
After reading about this book through LinkedIn, I liked the premise, looked at it on , liked the style of writing, and bought the version.
Colleen Sayre is an excellent writer, and the book certainly kept me reading. The idea of having several people tell a story about the central character, Mary Margaret, was a clever way of revealing the truth about her life. Past and present descriptions - often of the same incident - was a little like witnesses giving evidence in a court of law, only far more interesting!
If I have criticisms to make, my prime one is regarding Kathleen, the mother of Mary Margaret. She was a rather 2 dimensional character - as was her ex-husband, Mary Margaret's father. Not rounded enough, not believable enough. I think Kathleen, for all her almost criminal neglect of Mary Margaret, needed to have some sympathetic, human qualities, to make her actions credible. In other words, we needed to know more about her.
That would have made the book a little longer - and in my opinion, A SOLITARY LIFE needed it. As it stands, it was a little short for a truly satisfying novel.
Having said all that, it was an original, well-written, and moving story of one woman's life.
Mary Margaret Carmichael, the hero of this novel, is a well known author who has been persuaded to publish her autobiography, and it is this that is the basis of a very intriguing story. She enlists the help of family and friends, and their input sets the story off in several unexpected directions.
A chapter is dedicated to each contributor and is used as a layer to build up the life story of Mary Margaret.
Her own chapter kicks the whole thing off and is an early indicator of another author's descriptive powers. Colleen Sayre has her character take a walk from her home to a nearby store and in that short journey we learn a lot about the woman, the town she lives in and the people who inhabit it. We learn what a vulnerable, fragile, solitary soul she is, and how she is held together by rigid determination. We also learn how much she values her solitude. We yearn to know her history and are delighted when it tumbles out of every chapter.
Her history brings you joy, and also intense sadness, and her vulnerability is always on your mind.
Mary Margaret's pops up throughout the book to add her own contribution and pull things together.
This is a wonderful and quite unique way to unfold a story and I am now a huge fan of Colleen Sayre. Her book deserves to be read. To me it is a very important piece of literature.
The first thing I want to say is that this is a good book, a very good book; well-written, and sometimes beautifully written.
It is the story of Mary Margaret, a successful author, as seen through her own eyes and the eyes of her friends and family. It is told in the first person by Mary Margaret herself, and these other witnesses who have contributed their recollections her friends, her mother and father, her brothers. These contributions are to be collected and edited into book form. Thus the characters introduce themselves to the reader, but are also described by others. Often, the same incident is reported from two or more perspectives. And, for the most part, this works very well. Only once or twice did I feel that the premise was slightly strained, that the contributions were occasionally more literate than suited the character; that the author's own voice was sneaking through. In other words, that the characters were not always "in character". But this was a minor issue, and did not detract greatly from the strength of the writing. This is a genuinely moving piece of writing. I believed it. There is light and shade, joy and sorrow, bitterness and forgiveness. This is our family.
There are occasional typographical errors, and some of the longer sentences would benefit from the insertion of a comma or two. But my only real criticism concerns the character of the mother. She is less subtly drawn than the other main characters. Her portrait, both as sketched in her own words and in the words of Mary Margaret, is a little one-sided. The author needed to make us feel a little more conflicted about the mother. As it is, she has made her too easy to dislike and carry the blame. (Although, to be fair, Mary Margaret herself is very forgiving towards her.)
Just a word of caution. When I first opened this book on my , it opened at the Prologue. If I hadn't scrolled back a couple of pages I would have missed the letter that precedes the Prologue. And if you don't read the letter, you might not understand the premise.
When I read, I like to be taken on a journey into the lives of the characters. I want to be drawn into their cares and concerns, their joys and celebrations. Colleen Sayre does this, and does it well.
I give this book four stars because it is not perfect. There are very few books ever written to which I would give five stars. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it.
Maybe they'll remember me. by Philip Newey
I like the style, character development and story line. Very relatable. I look forward to more novels by the author.
In the interest of full disclosure, I need to say that like the characters in this book, I was enlisted by the author (my mother) to assist in many aspects of the book to bring the story of Mary Margaret to the world. In doing so, I have volunteered as editor, photographer, graphic designer and many other roles that needed attention from someone other than the author. Having said that, after countless hours and times reading, editing and discussing the book, I found myself engrossed in the telling of the story. As the jacket of the book suggests, there are an untold number of emotions that are present in the "mundane glory" of one's life and in this book you may see yourself or someone you know on each page. I have loved my involvement with the book and being part of bringing Mary Margaret to life. I believe you will enjoy reading her story the first time as much as I did/do in reading it once again, this time on my .
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