Thursday, July 21, 2022

Review: These Numbered Days by Anna E. Collins

 


Genre: Women’s Fiction

Description:

“How do you ask forgiveness for the unforgivable?

When Annie Wolff’s ex-husband dies unexpectedly, she breaks her self-imposed exile and returns home to Snohomish, Washington. Annie hasn’t seen her children, Grace and Connor, in eight years, and now, her in-laws are making a bid to adopt them. She only hopes the depression that once sent her running will remain in check.

Annie is quickly drawn back into the lives of her now-teenage kids, under the skeptical supervision of their aunt. While Connor welcomes his estranged mother with open arms, Grace wants nothing to do with her. Annie is determined to be patient, even though her daughter’s behavior raises red flags.

As Annie sets out on this new, treacherous road, she stumbles into the path of Wic Dubray—the handsome but annoyingly honest woodworker who leases her a room. Not used to anyone caring for her, she finds his presence is both an unanticipated gift and a complication.

Annie must navigate old memories, hostile relatives, her wavering mental health, and a growing fondness for Wic. Only then will she have a chance to win back her children and her life and maybe find love.”

Author:

Based in the Seattle area, Anna E. Collins is a former teacher who decided to put her master’s degree in psychology “on the shelf” and become an author instead. This is her second novel.

For more, visit Ms Collins website.

Appraisal:

Pondering this book when I finished, I was struck by something that had never occurred to me before. There are a couple frequently used terms for book genres, chick-lit and women’s fiction, that indicate the protagonist is female and seem to imply to most people that these are aimed at women readers rather than men. Why is that? Why shouldn’t men read these books, women read books with male protagonists?

For a long time I’ve contended that many male readers, if they read the description of a lot of women’s fiction books would find the book appealing and enjoy reading them. Putting yourself in a position comparable to that of the book’s protagonist and imagining how you’d react or how that would feel, can be an eye-opening learning experience, just as reading a book with a male protagonist can often be. That’s how this book worked out for me.

As for what appealed to me in the story, the struggle Annie, the protagonist, was going through in reestablishing a relationship with her two children, questioning her past life choices, and fearing making the same mistakes in the future is one that drew me in. Even though most people haven’t experienced the things Annie did, we’ve known people who have and even though I haven’t experienced what she did I found it easy to imagine being in that position, pulling for her to work it out, and eager to see how the story was going to end.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

1 comment:

Maria said...

I read both male and female mains. But I admit I avoid books labeled "women's fiction." I'm pretty firmly in the "genre" camp when it comes to reading and writing. Most women's fiction I have read do focus on relationships. That's not a bad thing, but it's not something I read often.