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The Invisible Women's Club - Helen Paris

 



Description

Readers have fallen in love with this beautiful, heart-warming and uplifting story about one woman's journey from invisibility to being seen once more...

'A heart-lifting and thoughtful read, that gives a huge shout out to the power and strength of women'
'This book is all heart and soul ... and just the right amount of humour'
'A story of courage and strength that's wittywarm and filled with wisdom'
'Helen writes so sympathetically about characters who may not fit into the 'normal' bracket but are so likeable and instantly relatable'

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Ignored.
Seventy-something Janet Pimm is invisible. Spending most of her days alone, she tends her beloved allotment with the care and love she doesn't receive from people. Plants, Janet thinks, are more important than friends.

Overlooked.
Janet's neighbour, Bev, has reached the age when a cloak of invisibility threatens to descend. Her friendly advances are rebuffed by Janet, but when the council threatens to close the allotments, Janet must swallow her pride and enlist Bev's help.

But they're about to prove everyone wrong.
As the two join forces, Janet realises that she isn't happy to be a wallflower after all. And that maybe there's more to Bev than she thought. As the bulldozers roll in and they fight to save Janet's treasured allotment, both women find their voice again. And no one can silence them now...


Review

Amazing story.

This book began a little slowly and I was wondering if I had made a mistake to read it. I decided to keep reading and I am so glad I did because I would have missed one heck of a story.

Janet is retired and lives alone, she loves the plants at her allotment more than anything. She doesn't need anyone she thinks, least of all her neighbour Bev.  Bev appears to be making Janet a charity case by offering her help and looking out for her which Janet definitely doesn't need. All that changes when Janet decides to take a trip to Windermere to seek help to save her beloved allotment being bulldozed. 

Whilst Janet is waiting for the bus to the train station Bev offers her a lift. It was really from the moment that Janet got into Bev's car that this book changed for me. I couldn't put it down. As Bev unlocked Janet's character on the journey, it also unlocked the book for me. There was so much to Janet that had lain hidden for years.

With wonderful descriptions of plants and their traits and uses, the book is not only a story about invisible women but a delight to read. The ensuing camaraderie at the allotments and the cloak and dagger exploits of Janet were wonderful as were the straight talking delights of Bev. Janet and Bev become two unstoppable forces with a trail of minor crimes and a rage against the establishment. I would love to read a follow up book. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars despite the slow start, because once it got going this book was on fire. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

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