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Marriage, A Journey and A Dog
A lonely marriage, an incredible journey and a small dog. Natalie's sport-obsessed husband, Gerry, has a cycling accident in France. In her old Fiat, and with her little dog, Spike, she leaves her sleepy market town in the South of England, for France.
A new life begins for Natalie when she is 40. On her journey through France and Spain, Natalie makes many mistakes, but she has a big heart that carries her through. Her story is told with insight and a unique sense of humour.
Natalie takes Spike across the English Channel to collect Gerry from Rouen Hospital. She cannot read maps and gets lost, and finds herself alone in Paris. A new world of experiences awakens her desire for a different life. In Le Louvre, she stares at the Venus de Milo, wishing this goddess of love could change and inspire her marriage.
From Paris, Natalie's journey becomes a pilgrimage and she travels on through France, across the Pyrenees into Spain, and finally to Barcelona, before returning home. She experiences unexpected pleasures, but also faces times of sadness. A busker, a glider pilot, new friends on a boat trip, including Alex, add colour to Natalie's story.
Art plays an increasing role in her life, and flamenco dancing brings out her wild side. Natalie wants to fit her new found self into the life she left behind, but with the potential for new love with Alex and an exciting offer of a career, writing for a magazine about travelling alone, she must decide - should she leave Gerry?
This book is for people who like to escape into a story of love lost and found. Marriage, a Journey and a Dog, includes discussion notes for reading clubs.
A new life begins for Natalie when she is 40. On her journey through France and Spain, Natalie makes many mistakes, but she has a big heart that carries her through. Her story is told with insight and a unique sense of humour.
Natalie takes Spike across the English Channel to collect Gerry from Rouen Hospital. She cannot read maps and gets lost, and finds herself alone in Paris. A new world of experiences awakens her desire for a different life. In Le Louvre, she stares at the Venus de Milo, wishing this goddess of love could change and inspire her marriage.
From Paris, Natalie's journey becomes a pilgrimage and she travels on through France, across the Pyrenees into Spain, and finally to Barcelona, before returning home. She experiences unexpected pleasures, but also faces times of sadness. A busker, a glider pilot, new friends on a boat trip, including Alex, add colour to Natalie's story.
Art plays an increasing role in her life, and flamenco dancing brings out her wild side. Natalie wants to fit her new found self into the life she left behind, but with the potential for new love with Alex and an exciting offer of a career, writing for a magazine about travelling alone, she must decide - should she leave Gerry?
This book is for people who like to escape into a story of love lost and found. Marriage, a Journey and a Dog, includes discussion notes for reading clubs.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2014
516 people want to read
About the author
Brenda H. Sedgwick
2 books24 followersI like stories of people who consider themselves ordinary and who become extraordinary. The kind of people who have little self confidence and find a self worth of dreams.
This is reflected in my work with students with mental health issues, prisoners, homeless people and those who find writing helpful. Finding your own strengths is a theme in my novels.
I have written examinations for Creative Writing students and assessed their projects. They taught me a lot.
Life can be hard so I write to entertain readers with settings and characters to escape into.
I have been teaching in the UK and Sri Lanka. Now The Trinket Wife is available on Kindle I can move on to preparing the paperback and a short story project.
This is reflected in my work with students with mental health issues, prisoners, homeless people and those who find writing helpful. Finding your own strengths is a theme in my novels.
I have written examinations for Creative Writing students and assessed their projects. They taught me a lot.
Life can be hard so I write to entertain readers with settings and characters to escape into.
I have been teaching in the UK and Sri Lanka. Now The Trinket Wife is available on Kindle I can move on to preparing the paperback and a short story project.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 14, 2017
Change...
Life is all about changes and this story takes the reader through a multitude of major changes in every aspect of her life. It was easy to feel with the characters as they experience the outside forces which influence the changes. Good job.
Life is all about changes and this story takes the reader through a multitude of major changes in every aspect of her life. It was easy to feel with the characters as they experience the outside forces which influence the changes. Good job.
October 6, 2015
I received this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A lonely marriage, an incredible journey and a small dog. Natalie's sport-obsessed husband, Gerry, has a cycling accident in France. In her old Fiat, and with her little dog, Spike, she leaves her sleepy market town in the South of England, for France.
I really enjoyed this book a light easy read that took me a day held my attention and had all the right ingredients for a Chick Lit book!! Recommend (P.S) will make you want to travel :)
A lonely marriage, an incredible journey and a small dog. Natalie's sport-obsessed husband, Gerry, has a cycling accident in France. In her old Fiat, and with her little dog, Spike, she leaves her sleepy market town in the South of England, for France.
I really enjoyed this book a light easy read that took me a day held my attention and had all the right ingredients for a Chick Lit book!! Recommend (P.S) will make you want to travel :)
January 4, 2016
Natalie's life for the last 18 years has revolved around her husband, eighteen year old daughter and her father. When husband Gerry gets injured in a cycling accident in France it is upto her to drive to France. Natalie is rubbish at navigating, and this being before the days of sat nav is totally reliant on her map reading skills to reach where needs to get to. Natalie sets off with her little dog and ends up in an unforgettable adventure around Europe which has her questioning her life, her marriage and what she needs to do next.
A fun easy read. A filler book, for me, in between two heavy books, it works well.
A 3/5 read for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the review copy of this book.
A fun easy read. A filler book, for me, in between two heavy books, it works well.
A 3/5 read for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the review copy of this book.
November 1, 2015
This is a really good, well written, fantastic story. Natalie has been married to Gerry for 18 years, they have a teenage daughter Katie. Natalie's life is pretty average, she has a part time job as a bingo caller, a dog named Spike and two best friends. Greg cycles mostly in France, as a hobby. Natalie needs to go to France and collect him as he has a broken leg and bike. She takes her dog and gets lost on the roads in France. This is her time to live and she slowly realises that her life is not all it should be. We go on a journey with Natalie across France and Spain where everything in her life changes . I loved being on the journey with Natalie, it was entertaining, sentimental and thought provoking.
July 4, 2016
After what seems a lifetime of spending all her thoughts and time and energy on her marriage and her family, Natalie is given some unexpected ‘me time’ when her husband is injured whilst on a cycling holiday in France, and she is tasked with driving (in pre sat nav days) to France to pick him up. This is a journey in more ways than one for Natalie, who begins to question her life and marriage whilst travelling to rescue her stricken husband. I loved the colourful characters she met along the way and how the writer made Natalie’s character change and grow stronger with each day of her travels. The conclusion to the novel was bitter sweet but not unexpected, and seemed like the right ending for everyone concerned.
February 5, 2017
Garry and Natalia live in Eastleight, a town in South of England with their teenage daughter. Natalie has always relied on Garry and she has never got out of her comfortable world. But her life is about to change as she has to drive alone to France. Garry loves sport. He had an accident while he was cycling in France and Natalie has to pick him up in a hospital in Rouen. Natalie cannot read maps. She gets lost and ended up in Paris. She discovered a new world. During her journey she made some friends and realized that being lost wasn’t a bad thing. She gain confidence in herself and finds her own voice. She turns 40 and the changes in her life have just started.
A enjoyable reading.
A enjoyable reading.
August 9, 2016
Marriage,A Journey and a dog by Brenda H. Sedgwick, is a fun journey of a woman, as she travel's through Spain , encountering new friends, adventures , while discovering her own identity and feelings in her own relationship.
This book is fun to read and leads the reader into an adventure that is romantic, full of surprise friendships , and discovery into what is important in life when it comes to relationships.
I won this book through Goodreads.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book
This book is fun to read and leads the reader into an adventure that is romantic, full of surprise friendships , and discovery into what is important in life when it comes to relationships.
I won this book through Goodreads.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book
September 27, 2015
I normally steer clear of romance, but this story is gripping. I was quickly drawn into some tangled relationships, and worried if the character would get out of her misery, or a kind of passive existence, and if her adventure and dreams would be short-lived.
This novel goes beyond romance and provokes you some emotions such as love, loss, shame and guilt.
I think a novel that gives you pleasure, while challenging your status quo and disturbing you at the same time, is a success.
This novel goes beyond romance and provokes you some emotions such as love, loss, shame and guilt.
I think a novel that gives you pleasure, while challenging your status quo and disturbing you at the same time, is a success.
October 20, 2015
Sigh. thanks NETGALLEY for the ARC and for reminding me how much I enjoy Europe. THis was a pleasurable read- no heavy lifting.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews