I’ve only read a few of Amanda Prowse’s books but every one I have read has been extremely special and has never failed to move me. Amanda’s writing is, in one word, divine and she has a very real talent for writing very powerful tales about domestic issues that get right to the heart of the subject matter. When her latest novel, My Husband’s Wife, dropped through my letterbox I couldn’t wait to get started and it was just as outstanding as I thought it would be.
In My Husband’s Wife we meet Rosie Tipcott who, having never known her mother, was raised solely by her father. Whilst undoubtedly affected by not having that all important maternal influence, Rosie is now married to Phil with two adorable children, Naomi and Leona. As far as she’s concerned life’s not perfect but she’s relatively happy and determined to be the best wife to her husband and mother to her two children. One day the unthinkable happens when she gets home to hear her husband reveal that he’s leaving her for another woman. What happens in the aftermath and how does Rosie come to terms with such devastating, life-changing news?
Rosie was a character who I not only admired for her strength but also had a lot of empathy for. Despite suffering a great deal, she was always mindful of the needs and feelings of other people and often even thought of them before herself. Witnessing her go through all that she did, my heart broke for her on more than one occasion and I couldn’t help but feel desperate for her to find the peace and happiness she deserved after an exceptionally difficult time. Her two children were an absolute credit to her and their childish chatter and innocence really helped to make this novel as super as it was.
What Amanda has done within My Husband’s Wife really is quite extraordinary. She’s taken what is both a very serious and realistic theme that I fear many people will be able to relate to and created something that is injected with humour and hope at the appropriate times. Everything about it was powerful and emotive which led me to laugh and cry in equal measure. Amanda’s signature writing style that I have fell in love with more and more as time’s gone on shone through throughout the duration of this book which is so worthy of every five star review it receives.
