The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle in Aussie Readers

Jul 18, 2019 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, own-read, aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, uncorrected-proof, 2019-release, reviewing-by-request, contemporary-fiction

By the ocean in the suburb of Shelly Bay in NSW, four women lived their lives. They didn’t know one another, but soon they would. Theresa, mother of two young children, a husband who never helped around the house and her Nonna all lived in one house; Elaine, originally from England where her two adult sons still resided moved to Shelly Bay with her Australian surgeon husband, James. Marie, widowed for the past five years had a quiet, lonely existence while Leanne kept her past locked away, worki ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Helen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am not sure where to start with this book, I can tell you how fabulous it is and how much I loved it and how well this one is written and that MS Green has bought together four strangers who over the seasons of a couple of years swim and become the best of friends who are there for each other no matter what, it is set in the beautiful beachside suburb of Shelly Bay and that it really is a must read.

Theresa is married to Andrew they have two children and Theresa has decided that she wants to lo I am not sure where to start with this book, I can tell you how fabulous it is and how much I loved it and how well this one is written and that MS Green has bought together four strangers who over the seasons of a couple of years swim and become the best of friends who are there for each other no matter what, it is set in the beautiful beachside suburb of Shelly Bay and that it really is a must read.

Theresa is married to Andrew they have two children and Theresa has decided that she wants to lose a bit of weight and get fit and seeing as they are close to the beach and she loves swimming an early morning swim will also give her some much need time to herself.

Marie is widowed and in her sixties and has swam every morning no matter what the season for decades, it is something that she has always loved.

Leanne is single and in her twenties a nurse and very much a loner and there are reasons for that, but she has been having swimming lessons and decides that trying to swim in the ocean is something that she really wants to do.

Elaine is married to a doctor, but has moved from England to Australia and left her adult sons behind and is trying very hard to fit in and as swimming was something she did when she was young taking it up again is what she does.

These four woman meet by chance at Shelly Bay and then every morning just on dawn they swim through different weather and become fast friends, they are all from different backgrounds and have different personalities, they learn to open up to each other, there is heartbreak and happiness through some very difficult situations, but above all they cherish their time together and the bond and companionship that grows and the love they have for each other.

I cried and I smiled throughout this book, and still tear up thinking about it even though I finished it yesterday, it really will be a book that stays with me for a long time to come. We all need our best friends those people that are there to laugh with and cry with and help whatever the problem is, I am lucky enough to have those and I hope that you pick this book up and love it as much as I did.
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May 25, 2024 Catsalive rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2024, aww

At sunrise in a seaside town, four women head to the beach to swim every day. With her husband dead, it is the one constant in Marie's new life. Housewife Theresa is trying to get fit & wants a few precious minutes to herself. Having recently moved from England with her husband, Elaine takes to the sea in an effort to overcome the loneliness she feels. Leanne, estranged from her family for years, has only herself to rely on & takes strength from her daily swim. Theses four women find each other ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-are, provided-by-publisher, aussie-author

The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green is an inspirational and heartwarming testament to female friendship.

In need of some time for herself, busy wife and mother Theresa Howard opts for a daily dawn swim at Shelly Bay Beach. It’s there that she meets the widowed Marie, who has swum from Shelly Bay to Little Beach, and back again, almost every morning of her long life. The two women are soon joined by Elaine Schaeffer, the British wife of an Australian heart surgeon, who is struggl ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 Kathryn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-authors, fiction, 2020-reading-list, 5-stars, aty-2020, ps-2020

I loved this story of 4 women who meet when they start swimming at the beach, but their acquaintance grows into a friendship and they become involved in each others lives.

I listened to it as an audiobook, and Anthea Greco is a wonderful narrator - I could easily tell which of the four women were talking.

I loved the description of the water and the beach and swimming. It spurred me on to exercise, although my exercise is mostly done on land, but it was still nice to listen to these women battling ...more

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Sep 12, 2019 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian, library-reads, aww2019

This is the September read for an online bookclub I am a part of and because the year is going so quick, I only realised the other day so I quickly put in a request at my local library and the book, although checked out until late in the month, was miraculously returned and waiting for me within days. I ended up reading it the day I picked it up, just to make sure I was super prepared for the up and coming discussion!

The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle is set focusing around a small beach town This is the September read for an online bookclub I am a part of and because the year is going so quick, I only realised the other day so I quickly put in a request at my local library and the book, although checked out until late in the month, was miraculously returned and waiting for me within days. I ended up reading it the day I picked it up, just to make sure I was super prepared for the up and coming discussion!

The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle is set focusing around a small beach town beginning in the spring of 1982. Mother of 2 Theresa has made the decision to take up ocean swimming each morning. She’s a busy mum with a lazy husband who thinks she has let herself go so the only time she can really fit this into her life is at dawn. It isn’t long before she spots Marie, a woman in her 60s who also swims every morning. Marie is a proficient swimmer who has been swimming in the ocean every day for decades. It’s something she used to do with her husband but now that she’s a widow, Marie is on her own again. They begin swimming together, Theresa behind Marie and soon they are joined by Elaine, an English woman who has moved to Australia with her husband. They met and lived their married life in England but now he’s wanted to return home and with their children grown and doing their own thing, Elaine finds herself at a loss in her new country. She doesn’t seem to fit in, until she helps with a rescue at the beach and meets Theresa and Marie. Last to complete the group is Leanne, a young nurse who has only just learned to swim. Although she agrees to swim with the group perhaps for safety reasons, Leanne is determined to hold herself apart and give nothing away. A painful past means she relies on herself and trusts no one.

I really enjoyed this story. Each of the women have interesting backstories and different personalities and the way in which they come together is not this amazing gelling and automatic friendships. They are all prickly in some ways, some more than others, they have misunderstandings and moments where they don’t want to share. They have Theresa who helps bind them all together with her exuberance and friendly personality. The women are in different stages of life – Leanne is the youngest, single, Theresa is about my age, in her late 30s with two children and a husband that needs a royal kick up the backside. Elaine is older, one of her sons is at uni, the other graduated and working and Marie should be enjoying life with her husband after his retirement, however he passed away several years ago, which has left her cash strapped and at a loss with life. Swimming becomes the anchor for all of them and they confide more and more in each other as they spend more time together. And when tragedy strikes one of them (also again, a book that contains my greatest trigger!), the other three pull together with such determination and strength and love in order to help and keep that person’s every day life afloat. I found that the way the story revolved around each lady really gave a strong picture of all their lives. I really appreciated the way the slow bond between the woman formed, and how strong it became. They broke down a lot of barriers within themselves and each other to create something between four women who didn’t have a lot in common to begin with, except swimming.

There’s a lot of charm to this book, it’s a feel-good (despite the elements of sadness and some uncertainty about the future) story with warmth and a really lovely friendship. Women supporting each other without judgement (in some case, learning not to judge, or to let go of the urge to judge) and just being there for each other in many different ways. They each bring something to the group and each come to lean on the other women for emotional support. The friendships become so important to them and quite often it highlights how support from other areas is lacking in their lives. They have created their own village so to speak and it was really lovely to read about that.

I found this a delightful and easy read, a good way to pass a spring afternoon. I have a copy of Sophie’s first book, The Inaugural Meeting Of The Fairvale Ladies Book Club in audio but I don’t really have a lot of luck with audio books – I lose concentration too easily so I think I will have to get myself a print copy. ...more

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Feb 18, 2020 Nikki Sims-Chilton rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5*
After reading “The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club” by Sophie Green, I was excited to read her new book “The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle”.
In a seaside suburb (Shelly Bay) four women find themselves enjoying an ocean swim each day; housewife Theresa; widowed Marie; 25-year-old (lonely) Leanne and recently immigrated (from England) Elaine.
The story takes you through the development of their friendship but also their challenges at home. It’s a story of friendship, love ...more

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Mar 31, 2021 Dee-Ann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: five-star, australian-authors, humour, recommended-by-friends, warm-fuzzy, romance, movie-material, health-medical, mental-health, strong-women

This book is comfort food. Great characters, all of who have relatable problems and are easy to identify with. There are some funny and touching moments, but then again there is serious troubling events, some which got me teary. No one in the book is perfect, but they are at the same time. How is that for cryptic?

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