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Mallory Cook and the Road Not Taken
'I was enthralled . . . Nash's skilled storytelling will keep you turning pages until the very end' FLEUR MACDONALD 'Fans of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel will enjoy this tale of friendship, family and the road' The New Daily
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One single mother. Three escaped pensioners. An unforgettable road trip. In their tiny, pale green cottage under the trees, Mallory Cook and her five-year-old son, Harry, are a little family unit who weather the storms of life together. Money is tight after Harry's unreliable and impulsive father, Duncan, abandoned them to expand his business in New York. So when Duncan fails to return Harry after a visit, Mallory sets off, determined to bring her son home any way she can. A chance encounter with three retirees on the run leaves Mallory leading an unlikely group road trip across the United States. Zadie, Ernie and Jock each have their own reasons for making the journey and along the way the four of them will learn not only the lengths they will travel to save each other, but that it's never too late to change the path you're on . . . ______________________________ Why do readers love Charlotte Nash? 'The writing is beautiful . . . Perfect for those seeking a romantic read with some bite' Booklist 'A tender story of living through grief and regrets' Library Journal 'A poignant story of loss, love and redemption . . . Beautifully rendered' Christine Wells, author of THE WIFE'S TALE
______________________________ *ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE SAVING YOU*
______________________________
One single mother. Three escaped pensioners. An unforgettable road trip. In their tiny, pale green cottage under the trees, Mallory Cook and her five-year-old son, Harry, are a little family unit who weather the storms of life together. Money is tight after Harry's unreliable and impulsive father, Duncan, abandoned them to expand his business in New York. So when Duncan fails to return Harry after a visit, Mallory sets off, determined to bring her son home any way she can. A chance encounter with three retirees on the run leaves Mallory leading an unlikely group road trip across the United States. Zadie, Ernie and Jock each have their own reasons for making the journey and along the way the four of them will learn not only the lengths they will travel to save each other, but that it's never too late to change the path you're on . . . ______________________________ Why do readers love Charlotte Nash? 'The writing is beautiful . . . Perfect for those seeking a romantic read with some bite' Booklist 'A tender story of living through grief and regrets' Library Journal 'A poignant story of loss, love and redemption . . . Beautifully rendered' Christine Wells, author of THE WIFE'S TALE
______________________________ *ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE SAVING YOU*
336 pages, Paperback
Published August 29, 2019
20 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Nash
30 books154 followersCharlotte Nash was born in England and grew up in the sunny Redland Shire of Brisbane. Before becoming a writer, she spent time building rockets and working as an industrial accident investigator (she swears the two were not related). Somewhere in that time, she acquired a penchant for motorbikes.
She now writes women's fiction, romance, science fiction and fantasy, teaches in some semesters, and works in technical writing with fascinating people. She has degrees in engineering and medicine, and a PhD in creative writing from The University of Queensland. She swears she is still fun at parties.
She now writes women's fiction, romance, science fiction and fantasy, teaches in some semesters, and works in technical writing with fascinating people. She has degrees in engineering and medicine, and a PhD in creative writing from The University of Queensland. She swears she is still fun at parties.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 23, 2023
Enjoyed this entertaining read.
September 3, 2021
Cute but a little bit predictable
February 17, 2022
Hartverwarmend boek! Goed geschreven en zorgt regelmatig voor een glimlach. :)
September 24, 2019
Just when I think that the idea of Uplit may be few and far between for me, I am rewarded for persevering in trying to find more of them. I wept through the second half of the book so much that I had to finish and then explain to my husband as to why I was randomly weeping in the evening. He felt a tug (or so he said) after I told him my reasoning and that in itself should be a testament to the storyline.
Mallory Cook is twenty-four and thinking that the day the story begins is when her new, happier life would begin. She was expecting one positive change after another but as luck would have it, neither happened. When I read that part, I sighed and resigned myself to another average narrative of a woman finding herself. I was sorely mistaken in being complacent. The narrative whacked me on the heart once it picked up. The best part of such a story is how Mallory grows with each setback. Every time something goes wrong- she has no money, she is stranded, people are being obnoxious to or at her, she makes sure that the next time the same situation occurs, she has something up her sleeve to push her out of the hole that the situation dug for her. She is determined on reaching her son in NY at any cost but so many things happen to slow her down and the cost is heavy indeed. As fate would have it, the speed at which she gets to her destination supplies her with ammunition to survive her hurdles. On this journey, Mallory spends the most time with (three)pseudo-grandparents who have heart-wrenching troubles of their own. Jock is an enigma and the other couple end up on two opposite ends of the personality spectrum. I also liked the interesting way the ending started a whole different type of story for all the people involved.
I loved the narration and although there are some cliches, it does not mar the emotion packed into the story. The main one being Mallory finding another man. Her husband's behaviour may seem over the top, and very paranoid but given the fact he is a schemer himself he must have expected some sort of counter moves from his wife. I received an ARC from NetGalley but the review is completely based on my reading experience and directly proportional to the amount I cried for Jock and his life ( even if he was not the central character).
Mallory Cook is twenty-four and thinking that the day the story begins is when her new, happier life would begin. She was expecting one positive change after another but as luck would have it, neither happened. When I read that part, I sighed and resigned myself to another average narrative of a woman finding herself. I was sorely mistaken in being complacent. The narrative whacked me on the heart once it picked up. The best part of such a story is how Mallory grows with each setback. Every time something goes wrong- she has no money, she is stranded, people are being obnoxious to or at her, she makes sure that the next time the same situation occurs, she has something up her sleeve to push her out of the hole that the situation dug for her. She is determined on reaching her son in NY at any cost but so many things happen to slow her down and the cost is heavy indeed. As fate would have it, the speed at which she gets to her destination supplies her with ammunition to survive her hurdles. On this journey, Mallory spends the most time with (three)pseudo-grandparents who have heart-wrenching troubles of their own. Jock is an enigma and the other couple end up on two opposite ends of the personality spectrum. I also liked the interesting way the ending started a whole different type of story for all the people involved.
I loved the narration and although there are some cliches, it does not mar the emotion packed into the story. The main one being Mallory finding another man. Her husband's behaviour may seem over the top, and very paranoid but given the fact he is a schemer himself he must have expected some sort of counter moves from his wife. I received an ARC from NetGalley but the review is completely based on my reading experience and directly proportional to the amount I cried for Jock and his life ( even if he was not the central character).
June 14, 2021
This book is a fantastic read.
I loved all the characters even when one in particular was annoying! Mallory has a difficult job in keeping all her road trip partners in order but thankfully she has the help of ever trustworthy AJ.
Mallory embarks on a road trip to bring her 5 year old son - Harry back to Australia after staying with his father in New York.
Such a fun read and very emotional at times.
I thoroughly recommend it.
I loved all the characters even when one in particular was annoying! Mallory has a difficult job in keeping all her road trip partners in order but thankfully she has the help of ever trustworthy AJ.
Mallory embarks on a road trip to bring her 5 year old son - Harry back to Australia after staying with his father in New York.
Such a fun read and very emotional at times.
I thoroughly recommend it.
June 27, 2020
This books follows Mallory on a very unexpected physical and emotional journey. On the whole I enjoyed it, it’s written in a way that flows well and had lots of quirks.
There were parts however, that I felt dragged a little and the ending, in my opinion, could have been better.
There were parts however, that I felt dragged a little and the ending, in my opinion, could have been better.
July 1, 2020
Nice to read a book [partly] set in Australia! There are not enough of them. This wasn't quite the light and fluffy book that I was expecting, there were a lot of deeper moments.
September 2, 2019
'Life was addictive in its promise of goodness and wonder, in its hope that even in the dark cracks of sorrow, something better could come again'.
Mallory Cook and the Road Not Taken was a beautiful story of hope, regret, friendship and new beginnings. Mallory's son Harry is in New York visiting his father. When Mallory goes to the airport in Australia to await his return, only to be left standing there alone, she has no idea her whole world is about to take an unexpected turn. Her ex husband declares his intention to keep their son Harry. Faced with no choice, Mallory books a plane ticket to New York to get her son back where he belongs. But fate conspires against her, and with an erupting volcano grounding all flights,she is unable to get to him. Stranded and with no money after her ex freezes her account, she loses hope until she serendipitiously bumps into three escaped residents from the nursing facility she works at. Together, they embark on an epic cross country journey across America. Along the way, Mallory forms a bond with Jock, Ernie and Zadie that will change her forver. A chance encounter with AJ who helps her when a storm is brewing and their car has a puncture, is another fateful moment that gives her hope for a new beginning.
Full of tender moments, as well as laugh out loud mishaps, Mallory Cook is a warrior mother, who with a lot of help from her friends, is able to get to Harry and bring him home where he belongs. Sweet and thought-provoking, I truly loved this book.
Mallory Cook and the Road Not Taken was a beautiful story of hope, regret, friendship and new beginnings. Mallory's son Harry is in New York visiting his father. When Mallory goes to the airport in Australia to await his return, only to be left standing there alone, she has no idea her whole world is about to take an unexpected turn. Her ex husband declares his intention to keep their son Harry. Faced with no choice, Mallory books a plane ticket to New York to get her son back where he belongs. But fate conspires against her, and with an erupting volcano grounding all flights,she is unable to get to him. Stranded and with no money after her ex freezes her account, she loses hope until she serendipitiously bumps into three escaped residents from the nursing facility she works at. Together, they embark on an epic cross country journey across America. Along the way, Mallory forms a bond with Jock, Ernie and Zadie that will change her forver. A chance encounter with AJ who helps her when a storm is brewing and their car has a puncture, is another fateful moment that gives her hope for a new beginning.
Full of tender moments, as well as laugh out loud mishaps, Mallory Cook is a warrior mother, who with a lot of help from her friends, is able to get to Harry and bring him home where he belongs. Sweet and thought-provoking, I truly loved this book.
August 26, 2019
Mallory Cook is a single mother to her 5 year-old son Harry after her husband left them to move half way around the world to New York. He had spent years trying to get his software company to take off while Mallory worked to support them, and as soon as things started working for him, he left. Now a year later Harry has been for a visit with his dad and his dad has decided to keep him in New York. Mallory has little choice but to try to get her son back any way she can...
I absolutely loved this book, everything about it, the way it was written, the characters, all of it. It was such a feel good read, and even though there were a few predictable bits, it still didn’t detract at all from my enjoyment of the story.
The author gave us characters to love and some nice complex ones to be frustrated by whilst still liking them underneath. The story contains sadness and strength as well as love and warmth and I genuinely didn’t want to put it down. I definitely recommend this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this book, everything about it, the way it was written, the characters, all of it. It was such a feel good read, and even though there were a few predictable bits, it still didn’t detract at all from my enjoyment of the story.
The author gave us characters to love and some nice complex ones to be frustrated by whilst still liking them underneath. The story contains sadness and strength as well as love and warmth and I genuinely didn’t want to put it down. I definitely recommend this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.
September 2, 2019
A book that is heart wrenching and heartwarming at the same time.
I liked the engrossing and entertaining plot, the well written cast of characters and the atmosphere.
It was the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I liked the engrossing and entertaining plot, the well written cast of characters and the atmosphere.
It was the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews