To Love and Be Loved

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I liked the story and the relationships, and I enjoyed Merine’s narration, and how she endured the pain and rebuilt her life. The jilting is, quite simply, awful. She gets all spiffed up, takes a magical horse carriage ride to the church, where the vicar tells her Digby (! that's right - that's his name) isn't showing up. So, the groom let her get ready for the wedding - PAY for the wedding trappings, finery, and celebration, and then just didn't show up. When she confronted him later that day, his inadequate explanation hinted at his mother's meddling and highlights his immaturity and unsuitability to assume the mantle of marriage. Our devastated h is accosted by village people who simultaneously pity and chastise her for daring to think she'd be "living in the big house". The h, being very young, super sensitive, and self-conscious, knows she has to leg it out of there because she simply cannot stand to be the object of the town's attention, gossip, and pity.

Merrin believed she had found her happily-ever-after in Digby, that is, until he abandoned her on their wedding day.Merrin has it all — a fiancé, a loving family, and the perfect home. Then her world is turned upside down. Amanda always reaches into your heart with her writings, and this story about Merrin (Merry) was so emotional. The ending made me feel so many things. I would have thought there were other ways Merrin could have ended in better but do I know more? I don't think so. Use italics (lyric) and bold (lyric) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part

I liked the author's writing style, the story wasn't super fast paced, quite a gradual build up to where it ended, but easy to follow and enough to keep me entertained. I will say I found it hard to picture this story taking place over 6 years. If it wasn't for the casual mentions of how long it had been since Merrin and Digby's non-wedding and other characters having children, I probably would've thought this book took place over a year or two. Sure characters changed and some died, but they never felt more mature or more worldly. Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1975). Beyond Boredom and Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. ISBN 0-87589-261-2 Not able to face the humiliation, Merrin takes a job away from her beloved home and family. Merrin knows she is hurting her parents, sister, and best friend being away, but she just needs time to heal. Years go by, and Merrin meets Miguel, a perfectly kind and handsome man, but Merrin’s still not ready or able to love or be loved. It takes the loss of someone very dear to Merrin, to make her open up to love once again. THE AUTHOR: Amanda Prowse was a management consultant for ten years before realising that she was born to write. Amanda lives in the West Country with her husband and their two teenage sons. Despite Ruby being painted as the insecure sister, Merrin seemed self-absorbed in many scenes. It was about her most of the time. Even when I understood what she went through, I couldn’t continue feeling sad for her for the rest of the book.

Merrin was madly in love, with her whole life mapped out with the man she adored, much to the envy of her older sister Ruby. However when he leaves her standing at the alter in her beautiful dress, and runs off, live in her gorgeous fishing village will never be the same. She can't cope with being the girl that everyone gossips about, so she leaves her beloved village and goes to work, and live, in a hotel several hours away. Her parents and Ruby are devastated, as is her best friend, although they do understand why she had to leave and make a life for herself elsewhere. Merrin lives in the beautiful fishing village of Port Charles in Cornwall, it's her happy place, filled with childhood memories and where she intends to stay for life, that is until she is faced with the worst humiliation possible, she flees the village and the comfort of her family, to escape the gossiping that every small village is known for.

The narration is too slow. I understand slow beginnings, but this one is slow from start to finish. At no point did I want to read fast to know what happened next. The story went its own sweet way. This is a remarkable story of family love and of a small town. Scandals, rumors and a wedding that didn't happen. It is about forgiveness and letting go, about learning to live and love after your heat has been broken and you have been humiliated and devastated by one that you loved and trusted with all your heart. It is a story of returning home to a family and a town that loves you as much as you love it. This is one of the few times I don't have a favorite character because they all have something different to bring to the novel. They are varied, complex and unique in their characterization.I really loved this story of love and hope amongst heartbreaking events. It is truly a wonderful story and I know you will enjoy it as much as I did. I recommend this book.

Amanda is a huge supporter of libraries and having become a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency, works tirelessly to promote reading, especially in disadvantaged areas. Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades... She meets Miguel and he is clearly besotted with her, but Merrin doesn’t feel completely the same. She cares for him but it isn’t love. It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.

Once home she realized this is where she belongs and decides to stay. However along the way she must mend her heart as she once again rebuilds her life and regains her confidence. Only when she confronts those that hurt her so badly and forgives them can she find peace. Curiosity, attention, compassion, and kindness, practiced as ways of honoring ourselves, allow us to develop a loving relationship with ourselves. And once we learn to love ourselves, to treat ourselves with care, consistency, and affection, we can direct our loving hearts outwards.