Free What You Don't See Translated By Livi Hallahan Available In EPub

National Indie Excellence Awardsamp IAN Book of the Year Awards,

Playful. Compelling. Deeply layered. What You Dont See raises the stakes in friendship against the bittersweet backdrop of motherhood and the endlessly entertaining activities of wellheeled womens groups.
The story follows Livi, a spirited, outspoken PR executive, pivoting at thirty to fulltime wife and mom.
That goes better than imagined, until she gets entangled in a relationship with another mom,

What You Dont Seeset in an affluent Southern California neighborhood and a local hangout bar on the Mississippi Gulf Coastis anything but ordinary.
Theres a talking, knowitall cat a large, menacing cockroach and a host of colorful characters, stirring it up as Livi wrestles with timeless questions of truth, friendship, and free will.
I just couldn't get into this book, so I didn't finish it, I got to a chapter where she had a whole twoway conversation with her cat, Just not my thing. A WISHING SHELF BOOK REVIEW
th October
TITLE: What You Don't See
AUTHOR: Livi Hallahan
Star Rating:

A wonderfully written literary novel populated with mesmerising characters.
I was enthralled. Highly recommended. The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
My oh my, this is good, Its not often I get to enjoy such a cleverly plotted story with such literary merit, What You Dont See is a gripping tale of two women who fall in love, Not only that, it is a study of character, conformity, vulnerability and intimacy, The writing is delightful Id call it a slow burner, the author taking her time to develop her characters so that the reader can fall love with them.

The first word I thought of when I read this novel was rebel, In many ways, the author is exploring the curbs and limits forced on women by the community they live in.
The protagonist feels so very much all of the time! But, still, even she must steer her way through a world of high heels and picket fence diplomacy.
This is a novel for women to yell about, I want to be what I want to be, I am what I am.

This, in many ways, is a book to curl up on a sofa with, Yes, the narrative tends to jump about a little bit but in many ways, this adds to the story.
Life is a little messy a little confusing, The structure of the narrative seems to reflect that,
To sum up, this is a gem of a book, Most readers, particularly women, will find it gripping the sort of book to get lost in the sort of book where every character is the sort of character you wish lived on your own street.
Also, I suspect, many will find this story helps them to reflect on family, husbands and conformity.
Its the sort of book you recommend to a pal that gets tatty corners as its read so much.

Enjoy!

A Wishing Shelf Book
sitelinkwww, thewsa. co. uk


A WISHING SHELF BOOK REVIEW
st March
TITLE: What You Don't See audio book
AUTHOR: Livi Hallahan performed by Becky Parker
Star Rating:

The narrator is superb, offering the reader a thoroughly entertaining version of this gripping novel.
Highly recommended. The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
I remember enjoying this book a few years ago, And, it was a joy, A tale of a woman who falls in love with another woman who must steer her way through a world of high heels and picket fence diplomacy.
I still recall how well written it was, and how the characters jumped off the page, I remember thinking this was the sort of book most women would find liberating a sort of call to arms.
And, it seems, I was right, for the book went on to win the gold medal in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards.

So, of course, when I was asked to listen to the audiobook of this novel , I was delighted.
And I'm happy to report, the narrator did a fantastic job, Her reading of the novel is light, relaxing, with perfect intonation at just the right time, There's a sort of whimsical, happy note to her voice that brings so much to this gripping novel.
On top of that, the quality of the recording is top notch, and I was able to hear every word but not every breath the way it should be.

If you happen to be looking for a gripping story but fancy listening to it on an iPod or in the car on the way to work, I can thoroughly recommend this audiobook.
The only problem is, when you get to work, you won't want to get out of the car.

Enjoy!
A Wishing Shelf Book
sitelinkwww, thewsa. co. uk
I really love this book, I read books from a lot of different genres, and this was a diversion from my typical fare.
I was rewarded by beautiful, fluid, and artistic story telling,

When the author writes of growing up in Mississippi, her descriptions and narrative make me feel like I am there with her.
The entire book has interesting characters who jump off the page as authentic, well developed, and interesting.
There are parts of the book which made me laugh out loud, which is unusual for me, and others which broke my heart.
I recommend this book for lovers of beautiful, descriptive and compelling writing, Proust would like this book! Women and Their Possible Relationships, . .

Note I did not finish this book, However I do believe this book had a lot of potential but seemed too convoluted by the plot layout in scenes jumping from present to past to.
. I'm not quite sure when, The story was like fried 'Green Tomatoes' meets 'Steel Magnolias' in a contemporary twist where the main character does a tell all about her life highlighting her various relationships with women throughout her life making her into who she is and how she ended up where she was.


I honestly wanted to finish the book and see how it all "ends" buuuut, I lost patience with how the main character would narrate one moment in her life jumping to the next without a time of reference only noting time had passed, and obviously a lot of drama.
The extra characters in the novel were interesting and entertaining all of whom could fill their own novels.
Not sure if I'll ever finish this book, it's a bit much for myself to read through, but it's obvious the author knows how to write and could tell many fantastic stories.
Cannot believe the meandering trails of philosophical blathering, I got to something likeof the book waiting for it to start, I finished the book because I don't like to give up, I will never get those hours back, When I read the synopsis of this book, I noticed that one of the characters is a talking cat and immediately worried that it might be rather a cutesy book.
I was completely wrong a cat who is prepared to discuss Kant, Sartre and Hegel would surely be offended by being called cutesy.


LA based stayathome Mum Livi becomes best friends with fellow mum Jamie, but over time their friendship deepens into love and eventually into a sexual relationship.
Although both remain married, the relationship lasts foryears but Livis insecurity, stemming from childhood, and possessiveness coupled with Jamies chaotic personality and unusual interpretations of the truth mean that it is often tempestuous.


However the final break eventually happens and, with her husband working away from home, Livi packs up her laptop and her cats and heads back to her home town in Mississippi to lick her wounds and write her book.
THIS book I kept wondering whether it was autobiographical,

The book is packed with wellwritten characters, Even though the two main characters are women I dont think I would want as friends, their personalities come over very clearly making it easy to understand why they fall in love and yet set sparks flying from each other.
Siggy the cat is an absolute star, but my absolute favourite character is bardwelling ageing rocker Mabel, who moved me to both laughter and tears.


My only reservation about this book is the amount of philosophical discussion in it, caused by Livis tendency to overanalyse every action and look for motives where there are none.
Not having studied philosophy myself, I found a few of the passages hard to follow, That apart, I loved the book,
That endinggggggg. UGH I couldnt put it down, Just everything. Livi Hallahan believes anything and everything should be out in the open for respectful discussion, And in that, shes a tireless advocate of speaking up, Truth and tact. In her debut novel, What You Dont See, she takes on a typically hushed subject matter and creates an entire world of argumentation around it, presenting multiple views that conflict and struggle with the norm.
Its a book club must read, Livi grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast but spent most of her adult life in Los Angeles and Pasadena, pivoting from PR and marketing exec to full time mom to college lecturer in philosophy.
Currently, she lives in San Diego, Livi Hallahan believes anything and everything should be out in the open for respectful discussion, And in that, she's a tireless advocate of speaking up, Truth and tact. In her debut novel, "What You Don't See,"

she takes on a typically hushed subject matter and creates an entire world of argumentation around it, presenting multiple views that conflict and struggle with the norm.
It's a book club must read, Livi grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast but spent most of her adult life in Los Angeles and Pasadena, pivoting from PR and marketing exec to full time mom to college lecturer in philosophy.
Currently, she lives in San Diego, sitelink.