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Reinventing Susannah
A big bereavement. An empty nest. And a runaway husband. Susannah Stevens hopes that whoever said bad things come in threes got it right, because she can't cope with much more going wrong in her life. She finds herself a job as a freelance 'Mind Body and Spirit' correspondent, meets a self-styled guru who thinks she needs liberating from more than just an empty nest, and learns that sometimes all you can do is go with the flow of life. Susannah's boss, Katie Corrigan, is young enough to be her daughter. She has always played by the rules in order to further her career, but when she too discovers there are some things she just can't control, she has to reassess all she thought she knew. In a fast-moving year of crisis and reinvention, each woman has to figure out what to do when her Plan A falls apart - and she never dreamt she'd need a Plan B. Praise for Reinventing Susannah
'This heartwarming read is steeped in delicious escapism' Carmel Harrington
'This heartwarming read is steeped in delicious escapism' Carmel Harrington
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2017
28 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Joan Brady
24 books15 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 13, 2017
Susannah is in her fifties. Her children have grown up and her life is mostly filled with housework, cooking meals for herself and husband Rob and prepping for her monthly bookclub. However, when Rob announces that he is off on a year-long trip of self-discovery, and she is not invited, things begin to change. It is time for Susannah to do some reinvention of herself...
Susannah is atypical of many 'women of a certain age' (a phrase I personally hate, but it serves a purpose in this case). She has devoted the latter part of her life to raising a family and ensuring the smooth running of the household. Rob, a banker, has always supported his wife and twin daughters but now feels he has missed out on something and has secretly been planning his escape for years. Downtrodden Susannah is pushed into moving on and (conveniently) lands a job as a newspaper columnist. Suddenly she is flying first class to cover a Mind, Body and Soul conference in London and being wooed (badly) by a famous self-help guru. A whole new set of opportunities are opening up when she least expected them. Her love of writing comes back to her and she even begins to notice men 'of a certain age' (why do we never hear this phrase when referring to men?).
Joan Brady has a knack of bringing her characters to life. Susannah may be a little mousy, but she is balanced by her new boss (the young and determined Katie) and despite their differences, the two women work well together. Rob is a piece of work. Within two pages he shows his true colours and you can see how Susannah managed to blend into the background of their marriage. I suspect there are many, many women who find themselves stunned with their situations when their children move out. Not all of them will land their dream jobs so easily, or find themselves moving on without financial strain. But, perhaps fictional stories like Susannah's will inspire some to take a chance. Brady uses her writing skills to bring a mature lady to life. Reinventing Susannah is a warm, charming and easy read, ideal for enjoying on a summer holiday or on the patio with a glass of whatever tickles your fancy. Especially if your children have left you with no more 'Mom's Taxi' duties. A feel-good read, ideal for fans of Cathy Kelly and Carmel Harrington.
Susannah is atypical of many 'women of a certain age' (a phrase I personally hate, but it serves a purpose in this case). She has devoted the latter part of her life to raising a family and ensuring the smooth running of the household. Rob, a banker, has always supported his wife and twin daughters but now feels he has missed out on something and has secretly been planning his escape for years. Downtrodden Susannah is pushed into moving on and (conveniently) lands a job as a newspaper columnist. Suddenly she is flying first class to cover a Mind, Body and Soul conference in London and being wooed (badly) by a famous self-help guru. A whole new set of opportunities are opening up when she least expected them. Her love of writing comes back to her and she even begins to notice men 'of a certain age' (why do we never hear this phrase when referring to men?).
Joan Brady has a knack of bringing her characters to life. Susannah may be a little mousy, but she is balanced by her new boss (the young and determined Katie) and despite their differences, the two women work well together. Rob is a piece of work. Within two pages he shows his true colours and you can see how Susannah managed to blend into the background of their marriage. I suspect there are many, many women who find themselves stunned with their situations when their children move out. Not all of them will land their dream jobs so easily, or find themselves moving on without financial strain. But, perhaps fictional stories like Susannah's will inspire some to take a chance. Brady uses her writing skills to bring a mature lady to life. Reinventing Susannah is a warm, charming and easy read, ideal for enjoying on a summer holiday or on the patio with a glass of whatever tickles your fancy. Especially if your children have left you with no more 'Mom's Taxi' duties. A feel-good read, ideal for fans of Cathy Kelly and Carmel Harrington.
May 8, 2018
After reading successive psychological thrillers I decided that a change of genre was needed and so I picked up REINVENTING SUSANNAH by Joan Brady, and what a fabulous story it is.
Susannah Stevens and Katie Corrigan are two women at different stages of their lives who suddenly find themselves questioning everything about their lives and themselves. Susannah's children are grown and living in New York, her mother has died, and her relationship with her husband Rob is distant at best, but nothing prepared her for the news that Rob was leaving for a year to travel alone and find himself. Truly alone in every sense of the word can Susannah find a way through the mess that has become her life and really feel alive again?
While at the same time super-organised and responsible Katie Corrigan is working all the hours possible to work her way up the ladder for the Daily Post while having the occasional date night with her boyfriend Luke. But when Luke makes a push for more commitment, Katie wants to run in the opposite direction and even into behaving rashly ... but after experiencing the fallout of broken promises through her parent's divorce, can Katie ever really let down her guard and throw caution to the wind for a chance at love?
Perfectly paced with engaging and endearing characters, REINVENTING SUSANNAH by Joan Brady is flawless and I was swept along with the drama from the very first page. There are moments that will make you laugh and moments that will make you pause and really connect with the characters and what they are going through, and I loved everything about this book.
REINVENTING SUSANNAH by Joan Brady is a fabulous contemporary novel about life, relationships, and discovering what truly makes you happy, and I highly recommend this novel to fiction fans everywhere.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
Susannah Stevens and Katie Corrigan are two women at different stages of their lives who suddenly find themselves questioning everything about their lives and themselves. Susannah's children are grown and living in New York, her mother has died, and her relationship with her husband Rob is distant at best, but nothing prepared her for the news that Rob was leaving for a year to travel alone and find himself. Truly alone in every sense of the word can Susannah find a way through the mess that has become her life and really feel alive again?
While at the same time super-organised and responsible Katie Corrigan is working all the hours possible to work her way up the ladder for the Daily Post while having the occasional date night with her boyfriend Luke. But when Luke makes a push for more commitment, Katie wants to run in the opposite direction and even into behaving rashly ... but after experiencing the fallout of broken promises through her parent's divorce, can Katie ever really let down her guard and throw caution to the wind for a chance at love?
Perfectly paced with engaging and endearing characters, REINVENTING SUSANNAH by Joan Brady is flawless and I was swept along with the drama from the very first page. There are moments that will make you laugh and moments that will make you pause and really connect with the characters and what they are going through, and I loved everything about this book.
REINVENTING SUSANNAH by Joan Brady is a fabulous contemporary novel about life, relationships, and discovering what truly makes you happy, and I highly recommend this novel to fiction fans everywhere.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
July 4, 2017
Brilliant book I read it in one day, could not put it down.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews