When Pearl's father dies, he leaves her his diaries. They had not spoken in 35 years, so this was her chance to find out why. Along the way she and her family bring up old stories and secrets that had never been resolved. A fractured family brought back together

I love stores of estranged families and the complicated dynamics they entail. We can all, on some level, sympathize and relate..

Unfortunately, I did not care for the narrator at all. When there are multiple narrators a story needs multiple narrators. It was a little slow in the middle but overall a pleasant emotional read.

Format: audiobook
Author: Beth Miller ~ Title: The Woman Who Came Back to Life ~ Narrator: Sarah Durham
Content: 3.5 stars ~ Narration: 4 stars

Pearl Flowers lives in France in a lovely cottage in the middle of the woods. When her estranged father Francis dies, she learns that she inherited something. Pearl didn’t see her father for over 30 years. So she doesn’t understand why he would leave something to her. It turns out he wanted her to have his secret diaries.

The story is told through 3POVs: Pearl, Carrie, and Pearl father’s diaries
I enjoyed this family drama and the slow revealing of the secrets they had. Although, I sometimes expected a bit more.

The narrator was excellent, and she captured different voices very well. But because there are 3 POVs and the age gap is pretty big, I would expect three different narrators. It would be so much better this way.

Thanks to Bookouture Audio for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

I received this book for free for review purposes from NetGalley and the publishers. I listened to this novel in audiobook format. I personally, found it a little bit challenging to listen to and keep track of the various narrative perspective switches. For my own purposes, I would have enjoyed reading this as an Ebook more. Once I had my bearings with the narration switches, I really took pleasure in the overall plot. The closer we as the reader became to uncovering what forced our protagonist into isolation the more I could not stop reading. The characters in this novel were my favorite aspect of the book. They were all rich and interesting. I particularly appreciated how some of the secondary characters were weaved into the main plot. Overall, I was very fond of this story especially once I tackled some of the narrative issues.

I enjoyed this a lot more then I thought I would. This is definitely a read that looks at family dynamics - relationships, past hurts, buried secrets, what we believe to be the situation is not necessarily that in someone else’s life. Lots of different characters but written so well that the characters are easily identifiable. I really enjoyed this authors style of writing and even if 2 characters are coming from opposite sides you can identify with both. Sarah Durham did a great job on the narration and kept me engaged throughout. Listening to this storyline unfolding and it’s not all plain sailing and some issues can’t be resolved but I liked that it didn’t all just work out and portrays how life plays out sometimes. The biggest lesson I took away from it is if someone’s actions hurt you try to keep an open mind and consider there may be more at play and a lot of the time you can’t keep everyone happy and in order to keep some happy others can get hurt in the process but it’s not intentional. Really enjoyable listen that gives you all the feels 🥲🥰…

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this ARC that was published on the 5th of 20

This is a beautiful, story about Pearl, her life, estrangement from her father, and how she comes back to life after a long period of living with her husband deep in an enclosed wood in France, after personal traumatic events. When her father dies and leaves her his diaries, her family clamour to get them from her, compelling her to make the decision to read them.
Why she has hidden away for so long, and how she slowly emerges back into her family, are for the reader to discover, however I will say that the events and characters in this story are some of the most believable, and well defined, that I have read in a long time. This was a thoroughly enjoyable story with some shocking domestic twists and revealed truths.
The narrator was brilliant, and the slow reveal of events and truths in this story made for an excellent commute experience.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the early listen. What a great listen! The narrator did a good job with all the characters.

I really enjoyed this! My only criticism is the ending left me a bit unsatisfied because I felt like Pearl was too hard on Denny. I wanted her to completely forgive him and recommit to their marriage but (as she explained) for him to be open to possibly moving and trying new things. Overall, though, I thought the book was charming and thought-provoking. I will definitely read more by this author.

Oh my heart - I was in pieces finishing this book. What a rare talent to create characters so fully formed they feel like you know them. The layered dynamics of a dysfunctional family, estrangement, love, loss, secrets and hope are written with such care. I fell In love with Pearl and she broke my heart completely with everything she had held inside, the secrets she kept for so long and the sheer anguish that she hid so well, the reading of her fathers diaries and piecing together the abuse that kept him away for so long was palpable, Caroline’s death was the first round of tears for me, and her gruntled repairing will stay with me. The ending was devastating yet filled with such hope for the future. I’m trying so hard not to drop spoilers all over this review and am failing, it’s such a work of beauty though. As a side note the narration is fabulous, the perfect pairing for the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Beth Miller for allowing me to listen to and review this audiobook.

Synopsis
I put down the diary, my hands trembling. Was he addressing me directly? There could be no other explanation. After decades of silence and hurt; a life spent wondering who and where my father was. Could it be that he had been thinking about me the whole time too?

Pearl Flowers lives in a fairytale cottage in the woods in France. Her life is small, strict and safe. Every day is planned: Mondays she takes the middle path through the trees, on Wednesday the right and on Fridays, her special day, she takes the long way into the village. If she makes sure to follow her routine, she can avoid thinking about the past.

But then an unexpected phone call throws everything into chaos: Francis, Pearl’s estranged father, has died and left her a bequest. One she can only claim if she agrees to come to his funeral and see the family she’s been hiding from for so long. But when Pearl begins to read Francis’s diaries, his last gift, she realizes that the truth about her father couldn’t be further from what she expected. That each page is addressed to her, the daughter he loved, causes her to question everything she thought she knew about her past.

Now Pearl must face the world for the first time in many years. Her father was the only person who knew her deepest secret. Is she ready to finally confront the truth of what happened, and take a second chance at happiness now that it is finally within reach?

This emotional and heartwarming novel is for anyone who knows it’s never too late to look for happiness. Fans of Matt Haig, Mike Gayle and Camille Pagán will fall in love with this feel-good and moving story.

The summary made me request this audiobook. Sadly the story felt for me to be starting a lot later.
The plot seemed promising.
Thank you Netgalley for approving my request.

I didn't finish listening to this audiobook, as it got archived, and I had to uninstall the app for some other reason, causing me to lose the downloaded version. This review will cover my experience till the point I listened (30% approx)

Story - The plot was what made me request the book, and as far as that goes, I would give it a 3 star. I was disappointed that the actual story doesn't start until more than 20% is over.

Characters - At the point at which I had finished till, I was just beginning to understand who is who, and my interest was just building up, which I'd say was pretty late. I prefer characters who book me earlier in in the story.

Narration- I couldn't differentiate between character voices, which is something I want out of an audiobook.I

(I didn't get far enough as to experience other elements of the book.)

This novel particularly attracted me with its plot centred around an estranged family, and a woman who has tried to escape her life. I love novels about family dynamics.

Pearl is living in France with her partner. They live in a remote idyllic spot, distanced from people, places…life and it becomes clear that Pearl has chosen this spot to retreat from her life. Pearl receives a phone call from her brother advising her that their Father is dying and she should return to England. She has not seen her Father in years - he left his wife and children for another woman..She is too late to see her Father alive and instead attends the funeral, fraught with emotion and grief, and is told of an unusual bequest.

I was absolutely fascinated by this plot. The idea of estranged families; a Father who has not seen his children since walking out; the unusual bequest which will help Pearl understand so much more about her Father and come to terms with what has happened to her and her family.

There was much to enjoy about this story - I loved the story of the bequest and Pearl’s journey to understand her Father and to come to terms with herself. Parts of the story are very engrossing but I felt that there were too many threads and this made it confusing particularly at the beginning. I found the first half of the book intriguing but as Pearl’s story began to fan out along many different paths sadly I was conscious that I was losing interest.

I enjoyed the narrator’s voice and felt that it was well matched to this story. However, I am not a big fan of accents.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre Audio for a digital copy of this audiobook.

This was my first Beth Miller novel and it certainly won't be my last. It was heartfelt and unexpected and had me rooting for the characters. Leftover diaries tell a tale that tore a family apart, but is it too late for them all to come together? A perfect emotional read to settle into.

Pearl is a kind and loving woman who lives a quiet predictable life a prefers it that way. Easier to avoid thinking about all of the emotional pain of her past that she carries like a wet blanket wrapped around her heart. And then in a moment everything changes and she has no option, but to face it all head on. Once that door opens she is shaken to the very core and questions everything she believed and thought to be true. It’s a beautifully heartfelt emotional journey. I really enjoyed this listen.

what a wonderful; book, the story is read from three separate narratives: Pearl and Carrie relate in the present day while entries from the journals Francis kept describe past events, this gives an alternative but unreliable, perspective.
the story unravelled slowly but was heart-warming. i loved the narrator who brought the characters to life adding flavour and depth to them. i would defiantly recommend this book.

Emotional read with a satisfying ending. Pearl has been living a lonely existence with the same routine for years. And she likes it that way, doesn't she?
When a family emergency brings her home suddenly, she is faced with looking at her life from the outside in and questioning it. Is it too late to make a change?

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was a book outside my comfort zone, well that's what I thought. But I was wrong.

It is the story of Pearl Flowers, who lives an enstranged life from her father. But as he is about to die she returns back home. And this is where she starts to discover a lot of hidden secrets that shakes up all she thought true for so long.

I really enjoyed the audio version of this book and want to
thank #NetGalley and #Bookouture Audio, Bookouture for providing me with it!

I really enjoyed listen to this audiobook. The women who came back to life Beth Miller

I listen to the audiobook for this one
Pearl had an estranged relationship with her dad but in his death bed he's left her a request. Really did Francis hate her that much. It has come to a shock to Pearl what Francis was really like.

A beautifully narrated audiobook about family bonds and the lasting effects when they are broken. Miller explores the deep rooted need many feel to know the stories of their ancestors, where they come from, and what that mean to them now.

Readers will love the three colourful and flawed protagonist that share their intwined stories throughout the novel. Some may have trouble following along in the beginning as chapters jumping between three different points of view. As Characters come to life the distinction is quiet clear allowing readers to really settle in to this mysterious family drama.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Four stars for this slightly confusing audio book that I believe would be more enjoyable in writing. PG rating.

The Woman Who Came Back to Life
by: Beth Miller
narrated by: Sarah Durham
Bookouture Audio, Bookouture
Excellent narration and a moving, poignant story make The Woman Who Came Back to Life an engaging audiobook. Beth Miller writes with emotion and sensitivity in telling the story of Pearl, who is on a journey of self-discovery and coming to terms with her past. Her path takes her from her hideaway cottage in France to the United Kingdom. The reading by Sarah Durham brings the story to life with her versatile voice and talent as a narrator.
This book is highly recommended for those who love books which explore mysteries and secrets of one's family and past. Listening to her words in audiobook format adds to the appeal of getting to know the characters and being immersed in the plot.
Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture Audio, Bookouture
for the advance reader's copy and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#TheWomanWhoCameBacktoLife #NetGalley