An Ordinary Life

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Her uneasy relationship with her mother, at a time when the whole world was living in perpetual fear of the unknown. Molly's story made for an enjoyable read, but lacked that something extra to give it some excitement as Molly's life after the war becomes rather humdrum.

I love that the lives of the people most intricate in the beginning of the story are all neatly tied up at some point in the story bringing the reader a sense of closure and happiness. And then things change when Geer introduces Molly to her brother Johan and the two fall instantly in love! Amanda Prowse brings to us yet another powerful story of first love, loss, war and the endurance of a woman through all of this. With themes of PTSD, spies, societal expectations and family, Amanda Prowse has written a beautifully described story that is filled with love, danger, tension, sacrifice and heartbreak.We then worked with several sites around the country running small projects to explore how they could improve the services and support available to people who have complex health needs and their families. I do not wish to spoil the plot for anyone who has yet to read the book, so I'll just say that after finishing the novel, Molly stayed with me, as if I'd been reading a book about a real person. Without giving too much away, I also need to say that her mother is simply awful … but … she was just being the only way she knew how to be, and that’s how women of her generation were: set in their ways, and unable to waver from their ‘my way or the highway’ opinions. Many children and young people with complex health needs, dependent on medical technology are unable to do ordinary things like going to the leisure centre or visiting friends or family.

Looking in from an external perspective her life seems anything but ordinary, tainted with joy and sadness in equal amounts.

Molly is working for the war effort, and given her gift for languages she is actually more of an asset than she realizes. Read all Fadhumo and Helen are two refugees seeking sanctuary, one in Tel Aviv and one in Berlin, each coping with discrimination, otherness and a life away from home.

We follow Molly's extraordinary life through the ups and downs of love, friendships and family in a time of war. The story starts off with Molly age 94 writing a very important letter followed by a tumble down the stairs.We were thinking of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle, when we made ours so we coloured the semi circles in red, the large rectangle in green and the triangles orange. An Ordinary Life is a sometimes gritty, sometimes heartbreaking, and sometimes uplifting story of a woman who has to live with her choices for her whole life. Based on that response alone, they instantly make judgments about our whole lives and whether or not we are good enough to be involved in their circle. A folded piece of paper, paint on one side squish it together - the sort of craft that never loses its magic!