Pick Up The Love Story Of Missy Carmichael Articulated By Beth Morrey Distributed In Digital Version

and a half,
Millicent misses her son Alistair and her grandson Arthur who live in Australia with Alistairs Australian born wife Emily, As well Millicent otherwise known as Missy is haunted by the argument that happened with her daughter Melanie and the words that were said, Later when I found out what this mother said to her daughter I could not

imagine how any parent could say such words to their child.
Little wonder than relationship was more than a little strained, With her beloved husband Leo no longer with her, Missy finds the big house is empty, And the bills keep piling up, Without family and no friends to speak of, Missy is desperately lonely but it is a loneliness of her own making as she has cut herself off from people.
Until one day she meets Angela and her young son Otis, Angela then introduces her to Sylvie, an interior designer and eventually she comes to meet Bob, Bob is of the canine variety and Missy, after a traumatic incident that leaves her shaken, agrees to mind the dog for a while, Life changes for Missy in ways she never anticipated, But can she make up for the mistakes of the past And is there in thing in the future to look forward to
It is easy to empathise with Missys loneliness something many elderly people, I suspect, may deal with especially these days with COVID.
While the story interesting, I found it hard to relate to Missy, She is prickly and judgemental, Missy also has a secret she has clutched to her all her life and that has had a great effect on her life.
Bob or Bobby as she later becomes known is a delight as the canine becomes Missys confidante, There are moments of humour and moment that may have reader grabbing for the tissues, Towards the end is a surprise twist, Does it work That will be up to each reader to decide for themselves,
While I enjoyed it, I wasnt quite as enamoured of this book as some people I know were, However it is a good read and provides food for thought, especially about the way each of us treat others and the choices we make in life.
Choices that can have far reaching impact, But sometimes a little kindness and concern can make all the difference, So a number of positives to come out of it, even if the main character is not always likable, An enjoyable read that will appeal to a lot of people,
This is a debut novel so I will definitely be interested in reading what this author writes next, For some reason I kept pushing this off to the side, and even thought of the potential for not giving feedback, My word I don't know what I was thinking because this beautifully crafted story over achieved any expectation I had for it!

Millicent Missy Carmichael isyears old.
She lives by herself in a large, stately home in Stoke Newington, a villagelike residential area of London, She's very much missing her husband Leo, whose mysterious illness is touched upon throughout the book, She carries the air of a heartbroken widow, There was always tension with her oldest child, daughter Melanie, who lives in Cambridge, Her favorite child Alistair broke her heart when he moved to Australia upon his marriage, As a result, Missy only gets to see her grandson Arthur for a two week Christmas visit, Their main mode of communication throughout the year is via her laptop, As the book begins, Missy is contemplating her loneliness and taking a walk to the nearby park, She's pushing herself to endure the overzealous dog walkers, parents and children who make the park come alive, Her mission is to have an experience worthy enough to make it look like her life is interesting when she emails her son Alistair, She had heard there would be a fishstunning today, Now, I never heard about this before and it really caught my attention, Apparently, a park worker employs a device into the pond water which shocks the fish and makes it more manageable to transfer them to another body of water.


Missy is the kind of person who keeps to herself, under the radar, However, on this momentous morning she makes contact with some real characters, One lady is a redhead named Angela who is a journalist and a single parent to Otis who is around the same age as Missy's grandson Arthur.
She's rather loud, opinionated and pushy, but extremely kind hearted, The other lady Sylvie has two small dogs in tow and a penchant for baking, and she's cheerily passing out homemade croissants, Missy accepts one not because she's hungry, but just grateful to be noticed, After a momentary fainting spell, these new companions fuss over Missy and she's invited out to a coffee shop, Missy's still a bit antisocial and begs off with an excuse to go home, However, days later a chance meeting at the chemist with Sylvie sparks another invitation for coffee at the cafe across the street, and Missy is taking baby steps towards newfound friendships.


This is one of those stories about an old, sad and lonely person who by luck or chance meets some very caring people.
In embracing these new friendships, she is like a flower slowly blooming, opening up to new, wonderful experiences that vastly improve her life, She's kicking and screaming in resistance at times along the way, This book was a marvel, I laughed, cried, and gasped in surprise, I kept thinking, "This is what great writing is all about!"

Thank you to G, P. Putnam's Sons / Penguin Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy via Edelweiss, My new quest is to read more about older people embracing life and this certainly fills the bill, If you don't feel better after reading about this pluckyyear old woman then you have a heart of stone, Missy Carmichael has made plenty of mistakes in her life but she picks herself up and opens up to the possibility of new life,

She is dealing with the loss of her beloved husband to whose life and career she devoted herself to, Her beloved son and grandson have relocated to Australia and she is estranged from her daughter, Her days stretch out long and lonely and some days she doesn't even leave the house, Then one day she takes a small chance and visits with a woman in a store line and a new world opens to her, Soon the woman, another young woman and her son and a dog brighten her life,

New experiences and opportunities open for her and she grows, She reaches out to her daughter, She confronts an abusive man hysterically, finds a job and gets a make over, Life is good until a tragedy happens and Missy must deal with it, Then there is a remarkable twist at the end that I never saw coming,

What a great way to start the New Year with a book that makes you feel good, I highly recommend it. The Love Story of Missy Carmichael was such an endearing and heartfelt story that Im thinking of bumping it up, This was such a wonderful debut, and I loved the character development that Beth Morrey creates in Missy Carmichael,

While I didnt find Missy to be of the same vein as Eleanor Oliphant that she is compared to, my heart went out to her because she is sad and lonely missing the great love of her life.
Not only is her husband gone but her son has also moved away to Australia, and her relationship with her daughter is strained,

This book brought all the emotions, and I highly recommend it!


Thank you Putnam for the gifted copy!,/

sitelinkThe Love Story of Missy Carmichael also known as sitelinkSaving Missy by sitelinkBeth Morrey is a heartwarming debut about Millicent Missy who isand incredibly lonely until she gets new neighbors.
It actually took me quite a while to get into this book even though I was listening to the audio, but eventually, I got to the point where I was fully invested in the story and Missy being happy.
One of the new neighbors happens to be a small child, and I loved the relationship between her and Missy, The dog was also a bright spot in the novel, and I love anytime an author makes an animal an important part of the story.
There is an interesting twist towards the end of the book that I wasn't expecting, and a lot of readers will find this novel very emotional.


The narrator for the audiobook is Harriet Walter and I really enjoyed her as our main character Missy, Sometimes I have issues with older narrators but that was not the case at all this time, fortunately for me! She really brought this book to life through her voice and inflections, and me having issues getting into it had absolutely nothing to do with her.
There are a lot of glowing reviews for The Love Story of Missy Carmichael and although I did find the book fairly enjoyable, there was still something missing for me that I can't quite put my finger on.
Some parts were a little repetitive, including phrasing, and I couldn't always empathize with Missy even though I think you are supposed to be able to.
I would still definitely check out another novel by Morrey though, and will be sure to check out her next book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own, Missy Carmichael is an English woman in her lates, She lives in the home she once shared with her husband and children, Now, her husband is gone, her son lives in Australia, and she is estranged from her daughter, Missy is set in her ways, asocial, and somewhat depressed,

Told using flashbacks, Missy's life story is revealed, The pieces of her past help explain her current life and behavior, Missy is hard to like, but the more of her that is revealed, the more I cared about her,

Missy is lonely, but she slowly opens herself to new friendships, This story may be about an older character, but it is still a story about growth, As Missy becomes more comfortable with herself, she finds her way in the world again,

An delightful contemporary, Bittersweet and emotional.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review, Oh how I loved Missy! Beth Morreys debut novel “Saving Missy”, is a wonderfully heartwarming tale of overcoming loneliness, forming friendships and accepting the kindness of strangers in a superb coming of old story.

The world has changed around Missy Carmichael, At seventynine, she's estranged from her daughter, and her son and only grandson live across the world, She spends her days drinking sherry in her big empty house, reliving her past, However, it's her mistakes and secrets that she dwells on the most, The last thing Missy expects is for two perfect strangers and one lively dog to break through her prickly exterior and show her just how much love she still has to give.

Its impossible not to immediately form a bond with Missy, shes one of those women who are prickly, unknowingly cause offence and have fierce opinions but are instantly likeable at a first meeting and someone who has so much to give, given the opportunity.
Her unlikely friendship with single mother Angela, an Irish plain speaking journalist and her son Otis made for some fabulous scenes, When Missy takes on a dog that needs a temporary home, her hardened shell begins to thaw and she realises so much love can come from having a pet.
Taking her into the local park and meeting other dog walkers, she forms new friendships and begins to enjoy her different routines, Missy starts to enjoy her regular walks and suddenly shes no longer lonely and stuck in a rut,
A deliciously uplifting and heartwarming tale that tugs on all your heartstrings keep some tissues handy for one particularly emotional scene and seeing life through new eyes in a near eighty year old woman gives the reader hope that we never need to be alone at any age.

A beautiful story and a brilliant debut that is already doing well and going down a storm with readers of all ages and I feel privileged to have met and made friends with Missy Carmichael!

Wow, I was absolutely not expecting to go on the rollercoaster of emotions that this novel sent me on.


Saving Missy follows Missy Carmichael, after the loss of her husband, Missy is lonely and stuck in a repetitive rut, A trip to the local lake changes the coarse of her life, as she meets new people and makes new memories,

This book is a heart wrenching love story, But the focus isnt just on romantic love, it considers the love between friends, and the love that can blossom between a human and an animal.
The relationship between Missy and Bobby was so pure and beautiful, I found myself cuddling my cat a little closer, relishing her warmth and love, It was a beautiful reminder of how much animals can change someones life,

I admit, at the beginning I was not Missys biggest fan, I wanted to shake her hard and tell her to get a grip, But as she started to come out of her shell, and let others in, I really warmed to her, Her transformation throughout the novel was one of the best Ive ever read, The glimpses of her past, both happy and sad, really helped to ground her character, This book really highlights how important love is in life, no matter where we get it from,

This book isnt the book for you if you want a Hollywood blockbuster romance, But if you want a look into pure and realistic, life changing love, then I wholeheartedly recommend this book to you! It is so easy to read although very emotional at the end and is the first book Ive read with anyear old lady as the protagonist.
I will definitely be looking out for more from this author, Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this electronic ARC,

This is a delightful book, the demographics will mostly appeal to older readers, parents who have survived teenagers and young adults holding breath for the moment when they leave home! Ahh! the tranquility.


However, the thought of the empty nest is not a joyous one for the main character, Missy Millicent who is similar to those women who have given up all ideas of a career after having children leaving the thought of her empty large house with her rattling around in it alone only intensifying her depression and loneliness.
However, it seems that Missy has really been alone all her married life propped up by alcohol, A successful husband, Leo, who as a parent did just the play thing with the children leaving Missy to do the real parenting, She has a strong relationship with her son who has to her dismay married an Australian and has moved that part of the world, Ali Alister and her grandson Arthur have just returned to Australia after spending Christmas with her and she is in an emotional black hole, Her relationship with her daughter, is tenuous, her daughter is successful like her father and with a similar personality, The two have had a terrible argument but the details are not revealed for sometime into the read,

Missy has decided to get out of the house, Leo's voice in her head, "onward and upward", so she's off to see the fish stunning in the local park.
It's here when she blacks out that Missy's life does an about face and her world begins to take on a new meaning filled with an assortment of colourful people that begin to enter her life.
This is a woman who has always been a giver, never asking for much in return and is a bit of an easy target for these pushy new friends but the reward is that she begins to look at herself in a new light and it's fabulous to see how she grows, finds her own voice, flexes her muscles, opens her heart and learns to role with the punches when small disasters happen, life! Her relationship with her daughter improves, she accepts that her grandson's Australian grandparents will adore Arthur as much as she does and she is eventually able to absolve herself of the guilt of a decision made as a young woman that has been a burden all her life.
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