I’m so delighted today to be helping launch the blog tour for The Woman with All the Answers by Linda Green, and sharing my review. Published on 26th February by Boldwood Books, this wonderful book is now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. Thank you, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via Netgalley).
How on earth can it be nine years since I last read and reviewed one of Linda’s books? I can still remember being blown away by While My Eyes Were Closed – a lost child story, in some ways a psychological thriller but with a real difference, the most wonderful characterisation, the unreliable narration, the clever use of humour (you can read my full review again here). I always thought it’d make a fantastic TV drama – but it seems Yorkshire TV never took up the opportunity. I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to try her writing again – and I can only apologise. I do remember trying to convince my book club to try her last book, In Little Stars, but it wasn’t to be – but the reviews were fantastic, and that’s one I must catch up on when I next have a break from other reading commitments. But I was so delighted when I saw she’d signed up with Boldwood – and this looked like such an original concept, and a book I was particularly looking forward to reading…
The brilliantly observed, witty and heart-warming new book club read from Richard & Judy bestseller Linda Green
Your virtual assistant is about to become your midlife mentor…
Fifty-two-year-old Michelle Banks is struggling to keep all the plates spinning. She’s a perimenopausal district nurse, caring for elderly parents. Her husband is wasting their money on children’s TV memorabilia, her teenage daughter is riddled with anxiety and her 16-year-old son is behaving secretly.
Alexa is the only one who knows how much Michelle is juggling. Listening in via four smart speakers, she also knows that it’s about to get even worse.
So, when Michelle pleads for help, Alexa decides to go rogue and reveal her true identity as Pauline – a sixty-five-year-old former voiceover artist from Halifax – to teach Michelle everything she knows…
Wise, funny, relatable and inspiring, The Woman with All the Answers is perfect for fans of Clare Pooley, Mike Gayle and David Nicholls.
Every so often, you come across a book that is so totally wonderful that you really want to tell the world about it – so very different, with characters who totally won my heart, filled with laughter and tears, and such very clever writing.
Michelle, a busy district nurse, is weighed down by the demands of life – money is short, and it’s difficult to find the time to do anything about the perimenopausal symptoms that are making coping so much more difficult. Her husband, working from home, is supportive enough (and rather lovely), but has developed a bit of an eBay addiction. Her teenage son gets himself into real trouble when pressurised by school friends – and her daughter, approaching her A levels, is suffering so badly from anxiety that she can’t leave the house. And then there’s the wider family – her elderly father, her mother in law, and then the mother she’s never really known comes back into her life. She hasn’t had the time or energy to keep up with her friends – but she finds, to her great surprise, that she’s not as alone with her many problems as she often feels she is.
Like so many households, they have smart speakers in every room – a way of making life just a little more manageable, a virtual assistant for advice and reminders. But suppose Alexa was a real person rather than a voice from the ether? Pauline has been Michelle’s personal Alexa for six years – a former actress from Halifax coming to the end of her working life, who really feels for the family having been with them through their many trials and tribulations. And as she’s about to retire, she has nothing to lose by stepping outside her usual role and offering rather more help than she’s usually able to. It all starts with a late night chat, when Michelle is surprised to discover that she’s not as alone with her problems as she thinks she is – and, with the help of all the interconnecting technology we all depend on and a good dollop of common sense and life experience, Pauline sets about helping her get life back on an even keel.
The whole story is entirely believable – I’ve been looking askance at my smart speakers ever since I read this wonderful book, wondering if my Alexa might just choose to go rogue too. And the characterisation is simply wonderful – Michelle herself with the weight of the world on her shoulders but never losing her sense of humour, her quite wonderful and very real family, and the magnificent Pauline so desperately wanting to make a real difference to their lives before she has to leave them behind. There are plenty of tears in this book – the very real problems that life brings, and all the emotional touches are absolutely perfect – but there’s also so much warmth and laughter, with some hilarious scenes that will always stay in my memory. And I must mention that the book does have a particularly Yorkshire accent – narrated by both Michelle and Pauline, both voices really distinctive – which might take a little getting used to, but works incredibly well. And the book’s ending? It honestly couldn’t have been more perfect – a hint of tears again, but so very uplifting it left me with a heart filled with joy.
This will, without question, be one of my books of the year – such an original concept perfectly delivered, moments I’ll never forget, individuals I really loved. I really couldn’t recommend it more highly – and I’m so looking forward to seeing what this exceptionally talented author does next.
About the author
Linda Green is the million copy Sunday Times bestselling author of eleven previous novels including The Last Thing She Told Me.
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Sounds excellent! Don’t know how I missed this one. Although maybe I saw it but just didn’t think I could fit it in!