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A Pebble That Floats: A Memoir to Inspire
One woman's victory
Imelda Argel's book, "A Pebble that Floats," is the story of a woman's victory over her own gender's self-imposed limitations and a bold escape from her imprisonment in family and cultural traditions.
Through hits and misses, she manages to free herself from a loveless marriage, leaves her country of her birth, and finds her new place in the sun-and a lifetime partner, too-in Australia. Imelda is the pebble in the title that defies the down pull natural to a pebble's circumstances and floats to success, freedom and fulfillment.
It is not uncommon in our culture for even an intelligent, successful, and pedigreed woman to feel as lost as any young wife. After only eight years of marriage and despite all effort to save it, Imelda, by then mother to a son, realized that her marriage had come to its end.
As possibly divinely intended, out of an ill-fated union, a good son is born. Imelda's Enrico became for her the motivation to succeed.
Before leaving she had filed for state and Church annulment. While other problems, like her status and the stigma of a broken home, were solved by migration to Australia, other trials presented themselves. In 1988 most young Filipino women there were presumed mail-order brides. Imelda's 15 years of court experience, which might have spared her from the prejudice, made her, on the other hand, overqualified for any job.
Imelda made time to pursue her masters at the University of Sydney. Step by step she managed to knock down the barriers that stood in the way of a law practice. It is partly to her credit that Australia now recognizes a Philippine Regulatory Commission board certificate as an equivalent of an Australian degree.
Empowered by her proud lineage, her excellent education, and tenacity and resilience, along with the emotional support from family and her other professional friends, Imelda has indeed become an invaluable asset for both her country of birth and home country of choice.
Now 74, Imelda has been semiretired since 2012. She lives with her life partner, Manny, in a dream house they built together, a four-level with a panoramic view, in Collaroy, Sydney. She met Manny, an Australian divorcee with his own children, at a dancing school in 2009. They went very naturally from dancing partners to traveling partners to business partners to lifetime partners.
Marriage is nowhere in their plans, and if you ask her why not, she has a confident, liberated, lawyerly, Australian, and un-Theresian answer.
Imelda Argel's book, "A Pebble that Floats," is the story of a woman's victory over her own gender's self-imposed limitations and a bold escape from her imprisonment in family and cultural traditions.
Through hits and misses, she manages to free herself from a loveless marriage, leaves her country of her birth, and finds her new place in the sun-and a lifetime partner, too-in Australia. Imelda is the pebble in the title that defies the down pull natural to a pebble's circumstances and floats to success, freedom and fulfillment.
It is not uncommon in our culture for even an intelligent, successful, and pedigreed woman to feel as lost as any young wife. After only eight years of marriage and despite all effort to save it, Imelda, by then mother to a son, realized that her marriage had come to its end.
As possibly divinely intended, out of an ill-fated union, a good son is born. Imelda's Enrico became for her the motivation to succeed.
Before leaving she had filed for state and Church annulment. While other problems, like her status and the stigma of a broken home, were solved by migration to Australia, other trials presented themselves. In 1988 most young Filipino women there were presumed mail-order brides. Imelda's 15 years of court experience, which might have spared her from the prejudice, made her, on the other hand, overqualified for any job.
Imelda made time to pursue her masters at the University of Sydney. Step by step she managed to knock down the barriers that stood in the way of a law practice. It is partly to her credit that Australia now recognizes a Philippine Regulatory Commission board certificate as an equivalent of an Australian degree.
Empowered by her proud lineage, her excellent education, and tenacity and resilience, along with the emotional support from family and her other professional friends, Imelda has indeed become an invaluable asset for both her country of birth and home country of choice.
Now 74, Imelda has been semiretired since 2012. She lives with her life partner, Manny, in a dream house they built together, a four-level with a panoramic view, in Collaroy, Sydney. She met Manny, an Australian divorcee with his own children, at a dancing school in 2009. They went very naturally from dancing partners to traveling partners to business partners to lifetime partners.
Marriage is nowhere in their plans, and if you ask her why not, she has a confident, liberated, lawyerly, Australian, and un-Theresian answer.
232 pages, Paperback
Published March 25, 2019
5 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 25, 2022
I rarely get to read a book these days due to life's busy-ness. This book was highly recommended to me so I was curious. I browsed through it several times and read in the beginning, midway and towards the end. Then I decided it's a book I can actually finish reading! I get frustrated with books that necessitates holding lots in your memory from the pages I managed to make time for. Somehow, "A Pebble That Floats" is not like that at all. Somehow, I remember most, if not everything and look forward to my next lot of pages I can make time for. I think it's because the author shared and bared all, wrote it in easy to read, matter-of-factly manner. This book will empower those who experienced what the author went through...to also write it to come through whole and a much bigger person. Domestic violence comes from a cause or causes that hopefully may be prevented or at least lessened one day through these real life stories. Well done and many, many thanks, Imelda!
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February 5, 2020Hopefully this book will give courage to those women who do not have the confidence to get out of abusive relationships. This is an easy read book.
November 9, 2022
This book will make you nostalgic (if you grew up in the Philippines), smile at times, sad for the author's plight and at the end, it will leave you inspired. Atty Argel is an inspiration to all women.
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November 23, 2022I love the happy ending of Atty Imelda Argel. It put a smile on my face.
Salute to your perseverance, intelligence, determination and most of all for being a strong woman.
Most of us, the migrants, seemingly have experienced the same plight surviving in Australia. Praise God as we were all winners in our own field.
Atty Imelda thank you for your life story. You are an inspiration to many Filipina. Kudos to you. God bless you and Manny with more years of togetherness and happiness.
Salute to your perseverance, intelligence, determination and most of all for being a strong woman.
Most of us, the migrants, seemingly have experienced the same plight surviving in Australia. Praise God as we were all winners in our own field.
Atty Imelda thank you for your life story. You are an inspiration to many Filipina. Kudos to you. God bless you and Manny with more years of togetherness and happiness.
February 4, 2020
I found "A Pebble That Floats" very inspiring not only to women who have had bad relationships but also to immigrants who have experienced racial bias and difficulties finding employment in their new country. It is unfortunate that such conditions continue; Imelda's memoir imparts lessons in always knowing your worth and not settling for anything less, striving to do your best, and not giving up on your goals and dreams.
I loved the book, especially the light and candid Epilogue.
I loved the book, especially the light and candid Epilogue.
May 22, 2019
This is a wonderful story. I highly recommend reading the great book!
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March 9, 2021I finished reading the book in just half a day. I could not stop reading not under I finished it to the end. I could equate Imelda to Hydra, the dragon that Hercules wanted to kill, that every time he cut one head, another or several heads sprang out. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb described it as "Antifragility", things that gain from disorder (get stronger when harm).
She can be a great motivator and a great inspiration to all of us because she is speaking through experience. I hope more people can read her book, she can be a life changer.
Kudos to Imelda Argel. Thank you for sharing your life.
She can be a great motivator and a great inspiration to all of us because she is speaking through experience. I hope more people can read her book, she can be a life changer.
Kudos to Imelda Argel. Thank you for sharing your life.
February 6, 2020
This is a true story of a woman who suffered psychological and emotional cruelty at the hands of her husband and his family, who finally managed to escape to a foreign country with her young son, only to suffer racial discrimination.
Refusing to accept defeat, she struggled for years in a new land, finally finding redemption in her successful career, capped by the blessings of a new love.
A must read for all who feel overwhelmed by life's burdens and sorrows.
Refusing to accept defeat, she struggled for years in a new land, finally finding redemption in her successful career, capped by the blessings of a new love.
A must read for all who feel overwhelmed by life's burdens and sorrows.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2022
Sunday, 27 November 2022
11:14 AM
The author by her story provided an honest account of that aspect of Filipino patriarchal society of that era, where women were regarded as second class citizens. She is inspiring in the way she rose above the challenges of being a migrant and more remarkably, how she has helped other migrants by successfully lobbying for overseas qualifications to be recognized on par with Australian degrees. A good read for all - men, women, migrants.
11:14 AM
The author by her story provided an honest account of that aspect of Filipino patriarchal society of that era, where women were regarded as second class citizens. She is inspiring in the way she rose above the challenges of being a migrant and more remarkably, how she has helped other migrants by successfully lobbying for overseas qualifications to be recognized on par with Australian degrees. A good read for all - men, women, migrants.
July 3, 2019
A very inspiring life-story that is really worth reading and reflecting. It teaches us about holding on to faith, hope, love, courage, and perseverance in spite of life's disappointments, failures, despair, and seeming hopelessness. Thank you Tita Imelda for sharing your life with us!
February 5, 2020
I enjoyed this book! It was well written and an easy read!
It’s a great real life story that is very inspirational especially to those who can relate.
I highly recommended this book. You won’t be disappointed.
It’s a great real life story that is very inspirational especially to those who can relate.
I highly recommended this book. You won’t be disappointed.
March 29, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, once I started I couldn’t put it down.
May 31, 2020
A must book to read!
A woman’s journey of courage, determination and eventual success.
A woman’s journey of courage, determination and eventual success.
November 22, 2022
Relatable and inspiring
November 26, 2022
Easy to read and inspiring.
November 26, 2022
A powerful and inspiring book of resilience, perseverance and hope.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews