A Life Found: A Life Singular, Book 2

A Life Singular #2

by Lorraine Pestell

Second in the Epic 7-part Series: When Two Souls Collide The Endless Pursuit of Love and Wisdom In essence a love story, "A Life Singular" is a seven-part contemporary fiction serial. "A Life Found" takes us back to the very beginning, as our successful rock star and his children use his autobiography to ease their grief and celebrate the loss of their wife and mother. The books' themes are triumph over mental illness, the choices we make between right and wrong, and how one affects the other over the relentless passage of time. Sales proceeds go to two Australian non-profit organisations assisting young people with their education: EdConnect Australia and The Smith Family. Dealing with some of the more complex social justice issues of our age, the universal theme of love and our fascination for celebrity spirit the reader behind the scenes of a superstar family who are plunged into grief, proving that there are always many sides to a story we see in the media. The important events in our public lives are always overshadowed by the backstory's real truth. >Synopsis Writing an autobiography on behalf of someone else presented Jeff with an interesting dilemma. Did he make assumptions about what Lynn would have included, or should he restrict her contribution to direct quotes from her letters and diaries? He had their kids to protect, and her parents. As he worked through the huge amount of material available in the press about their life as it had taken shape, interlacing it with highly personal stories, the widower crafted chapter after chapter of memories, both happy and heartbreaking. If this was to be a true account of their partnership, he owed it to the memory of his beautiful best friend to cover so much more than what was already on public record. When it came to adding his own reminiscences of those early months, about meeting someone he already knew intimately, Jeff had no difficulty in recalling every single, vivid moment. Entire conversations came back to him, sometimes word for word, rushing through his fingers and into the computer. Photographs prompted him too, as did the treasured possessions that surrounded him, like the old leather jacket he had received on his twentieth birthday. Lynn had left him shortly after that, just like she had left him now. The pull of being together again was unrelenting, but Jeff hung on to the dream that their life singular would one day resume. Once their story had been told. 5* Reviews - Even better than Book One! "So having read the second instalment of this epic, I am now well and truly hooked. My initial reservations about the length have been negated by the slightly quicker pace to part two, and the additional level of polish. It is also slightly shorter than part one. Dealing with bereavement, Jeff reminisces how he and Lynn met as he writes his autobiography, and Pestell has captured the sense of romance perfectly. This only emphasises the tragedy of events in book 1. Jeff was a handsome songwriter from a tough background, who managed to book himself an unlikely date with tennis player / pop star, Lynn. The skeletons in Jeff's closet gave him many doubts about the unfolding relationship, but Lynn's trust gradually helped him to heal the scars of the past. What I particularly loved was how this was very much a warts-and-all relationship, how the pair accepted and understood who the other was, and formed such a powerful bond as a result. This made their love seem so real. The sex scenes are hot and steamy, the tender moments are intimate and powerful, and the balance of it all is near-perfect. This is a great sequel/prequel of what is becoming a very impressive series, and I urge those who are daunted by the length to not be put off; it is quality that matters, and this series has it in abundance.

582 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Lorraine Pestell was born in London and has had a successful career as an Information Technology professional in the UK, US, Europe, Singapore, and more recently Australia. She currently resides in Queensland, and began her literary journey in 2008.

Lorraine has two main goals for her writing: first, to encourage fellow sufferers of mental illness to rise above their symptoms; and second, to encourage non-sufferers to tolerate, support and even love those afflicted in their quest to live normal lives.

Although working full-time, Lorraine finds that volunteering time and energy to those less fortunate is an effective antidote to life-long depression and the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sales proceeds from her writing go to two Australian non-profit organizations assisting disadvantaged young people with their education: EdConnect Australia and The Smith Family.

The idea for A Life Singular originated in her teens, and has developed over forty years as her life’s work; an invaluable therapeutic vehicle for her personal experience and to unpick life’s more complex and controversial social justice issues.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still reeling from the loss of his soulmate and wife, the other half that made him a whole, Jeff is writing his autobiography. The wealthy and generous celebrity becomes lost in the world he shared with Lynn, her goodness, her perfection and her strength that she so generously shared with the world while leaving the best for him. It was Lynn who saw beyond his “issues” and accepted him for who he was and he is finding that without her, he may have remained lost in his own private hell. With her letters and diaries to guide him, as well as the reams of press coverage that chronicled their public life, he learns to see himself through her eyes and begins to piece together a story of love, need and loss. His biggest concern was how much to tell, how much to reveal about their life together, but how could anyone truly understand him without knowing what she did for him? How could his story be told without sharing the wonder of this woman he loved and lost? Extremely revealing, yet from the heart, Jeff reconstructs their beginning, one day at a time.

A Life Singular: Part Two by Lorraine Pestell slowly unfolds into a beautiful canvas of love, hope, pain and loss as her main character excises his demons telling his story. Ms. Pestell’s work flows smoothly through each scene, taking on a life of its own as her main characters become like flesh and blood, no holds barred, raw with emotion, insecurity and the amazement of love. This is another of those books to be savored, slowly, with the powerful presentation made by its author.

Please do NOT be daunted by the size of each novel, they have so much to reveal and there is not a single wasted or excess word or emotion. I read a little each evening and loved the world I was taken to. I will say, one must remember the time frame of this book, young people with voracious "appetites", all part of the realism of Lorraine Pestell’s masterpiece.

Series: A Life Singular - Book 2
Publication Date: January 20, 2014
Publisher: Lorraine Pestell
Genre: Romance
Print Length: 731 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

[Sleepy Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Life Singular part two is both a sequel and prequel to part one. I would like to warn people that have not read the first book that spoilers may lie ahead, and that you would be better off checking out book one first.

In book two, the protagonist Jeff is dealing with bereavement, following the loss of his beloved wife Lynn. To help him cope, he begins writing his autobiography and shares with us the tale of how he and Lynn got together. What transpires is a truly epic romance that makes her passing all the more tragic. Songwriter Jeff fell for tennis player and pop star Lynn, managing to snare the woman of his dreams against the odds. He had a troubled past and demons haunted him, but Lynn offered support where others would offer judgement, and she changed him for the better. Their relationship was far from a smooth ride, and the tribulations the pair had to endure made the good times that much more powerful. This is a couple that you will care about. The book is pretty long but well-paced, and each scene has an important place in the story. As such it does not feel like you are drudging through unnecessary excess as in so many novels of this length. A Life Singular is a worthwhile continuation of a powerful romance and comes highly recommended.

[Misha Almira · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reader of romance novels will enjoy this intimate emotional odyssey.

Jeff Diamond, a well-liked,“swarthy, good-looking,” song-writer from the very wrong side of the tracks, packs his “old dark blue Ford Fairlane” with his few “worldly possessions” and leaves his life behind for the chance to meet tennis athlete/pop star, Lynn Dyson, his obsession. His rehearsed speech wins a date with this lovely young woman, unspoiled by wealth and fame, and so begins their idyllic love story. 
 
He is living on the edge, suppressing a past he would prefer to stay buried. Is she safe with him? Her love is unconditional, and is shown to heal him of deep emotional scars. We all wish to believe in such devotion. We get a very real glimpse into his ongoing struggle with PTSD, and how he manages to find strength.

The telling style is detailed and earnest, heartfelt, but liberally spiced with sex scenes.