Book review of The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O'Flanagan

The Women Who Ran Away Sheila O'Flanagan

 

The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O’Flanagan

 

THE NO. 1 IRISH BESTSELLER!

'One of my favourite authors' Marian Keyes

'If you've had to cancel your holiday plans this summer, don't worry - this beautiful new novel will transport you to sunnier climes...' - HEAT'S READ OF THE WEEK

In Sheila O'Flanagan's stunning new novel, two women face up to shocking truths about the men they've loved - and start to make their own decisions about what to do next...

Deira isn't the kind of woman to steal a car. Or drive to France alone with no plan. But then, Deira didn't expect to be single. Or to suddenly realise that the only way she can get the one thing she wants most is to start breaking every rule she lives by.

Grace has been sent on a journey by her late husband, Ken. She doesn't really want to be on it but she's following his instructions, as always. She can only hope that the trip will help her to forgive him. And then - finally - she'll be able to let him go.

Brought together by unexpected circumstances, Grace and Deira find that it's easier to share secrets with a stranger, especially in the shimmering sunny countryside of Spain and France. But they soon find that there's no escaping the truth, whether you're running away from it or racing towards it . . .

 

The Women Who Ran Away paperback release 4th March 2021

My review

This was such an easy book to get into, but a difficult one to put down. 

 

Grace and Deira were engaging characters, thrown together on the ferry from Ireland to France; two very different women, in the similar situation of holidaying alone whilst coping with the traumatic grief that comes with unexpected life-changing events. 

 

They form an unlikely bond as they both try to unravel their thoughts and work out what comes next in life, while solving the clues to a rather unusual treasure hunt. As they make their way from Nantes, to La Rochelle, Bordeaux and down through Spain to Cartagena, their journey takes them to museums and cafés where the lives of literary greats including Jules Verne, George Simenon, Earnest Hemmingway and Cervantes are remembered. This book actually made me want to look up these authors and learn more about their works and especially the places in France they were connected to. I found myself thinking about the clues and the characters even when I’d put the book down, and as much of this book is set in the west of France, close to home for me, it was great to glean some new understanding of some of my favourite places to visit. 

 

This book is more than just a literary road trip, it takes us on an emotional journey too. The destructive emotions we all experience when situations beyond our control throw our lives into chaos, like grief, anger, hurt and regret, were normalised as Grace and Deira learned to put the past behind them and began their road to recovery.

 

I was sorry to get to the end of the journey with them but felt a lovely sense of peace and calm descend in my head when I finished the book.

 

The Women Who Ran Away is available in ebook and paperback formats and if you enjoy a good book that will whisk you along on a journey and open your mind to new experiences, then this is one for you.

 

Purchase Links

Sheila O'Flanagan

 

Author Bio

Sheila O’Flanagan is the author of bestselling chart-toppers, including Her Husband’s Mistake, The Hideaway, What Happened That Night, The Missing Wife, My Mother’s Secret and All For You (winner of the Irish Independent Popular Fiction Book of the Year Award). After working in banking and finance for a number of years, Sheila’s love for writing blossomed into curating stories about relationships in all their many forms.

 

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The Women Who Ran Away
Publication Day Push 4th March 2021

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE WOMEN WHO RAN AWAY:

'Didn't want it to end' *****

'I would have given this 6 stars if I could'

'Within the first chapter, I had left reality and social distancing behind and joined two amazing women on a life-changing adventure' *****

'A great summer read'

'Five stars all the way!' *****

'Sheila O'Flanagan never disappoints' *****

'Fantastic read!'

'Couldn't put this book down!'

French Village Diaries reviews of books set in France