The Woman Who Stole My Life: A Novel
By: Marian Keyes
Rating: 5 of 5
I have read several books by Marian Keyes prior to reading “The Woman Who Stole My Life.” What I have found with all of these books is that the author has a beautiful way of encasing serious subjects within a humorous story. In “The Woman Whole Stole My Life”, the primary subject of the story is Stella Sweeney – a woman who has beaten the odds and recovers from a tremendously serious case of Gullain-Barre Syndrome. The story is told both in the present and in flashbacks to the past. The actual story begins with a flashback to a car accident which deals with Karma. As it turns out, the idea of Karma (or lack thereof) is one that we will read about throughout the book.
Stella is a woman who is 40 and one quarter at the start of this story. She is facing very dramatic life changes, not the least of which was recovery from almost complete paralysis from what turns out to be Gullain-Barre Syndrome. She was hospitalized for months – confined only to her own thoughts until a neurologist realizes that she can communicate by blinking her eyes. From this unlikely beginning, Stella emerges from her illness and with the help of the neurologist, has a book in hand that may become a best-seller. The story follows Stella as she tours across the US promoting the book (past flash backs) and while she struggles almost hopelessly to write a second book in the present.
There are a myriad of other characters who add to the humor and the seriousness of the story, amongst whom are a moody doctor who is almost able to read Stella’s mind, a daughter who is trying to find her niche, a son who is simply angry about life in general, a husband who has gone off the deep end, a man-hating best friend, a Pilates pushing personal trainer, and a sister whose business acumen is second to none. The end result of which is a full-bodied story which kept me riveted until I had finished it.
As with the other books I have read by Ms. Keyes, this book made me laugh and it made me cry. I had never given serious thought to what it might be like to be trapped in your own body with no way to communicate and reading this story made it very real to me. There were certainly other facets of Stella’s life I could sympathize with, especially insomnia and the dreaded belly. Stella works her way through some of her demons to emerge, by the end of the book, a woman comfortable with her life decisions.
The book is set both in Ireland and in New York City. Because of Ms. Keyes and a few other Irish authors, I’ve starting seeking out more and more books set in Ireland. While I am part Irish, I cannot claim this has any pertinence in my reading. I think that it is because their works are now being presented to us here in the States and we can welcome a wealth of what seems like new (to us) authors who are really accomplished and experienced authors whose works are interesting, funny and/or informative.
I recommend this book to adult readers, men and women alike, who enjoy reading what I call “a slice of life” story. Because of some of the events and subjects of the story, I don’t recommend it to young readers unless they are used to mature situations in books and frankly, because quite a bit of the story is geared to those of us who have experienced a little bit of life. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of Ms. Keyes’ back list and future books. She is an author that I have grown to trust and will always be willing to spend some time with.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
I have read several books by Marian Keyes prior to reading “The Woman Who Stole My Life.” What I have found with all of these books is that the author has a beautiful way of encasing serious subjects within a humorous story. In “The Woman Whole Stole My Life”, the primary subject of the story is Stella Sweeney – a woman who has beaten the odds and recovers from a tremendously serious case of Gullain-Barre Syndrome. The story is told both in the present and in flashbacks to the past. The actual story begins with a flashback to a car accident which deals with Karma. As it turns out, the idea of Karma (or lack thereof) is one that we will read about throughout the book.