A Life Singular; Volume One, Part One

A Life Singular #1

by Lorraine Pestell

First in Epic 14-part Serial: Love and Loss, Celebrity and Secrets

The Endless Pursuit of Love and Wisdom

In essence a love story, "A Life Singular" is a multi-part contemporary fiction serial. Recipient of a WILDsound Review Award (November 2015), official selection for the New Apple Awards for Literary Fiction (October 2015) and a Shelf Unbound Notable Book of 2014 (December 2014), "A Life Singular - Part One" follows a successful rock star while he writes his autobiography after the tragic loss of his soul-mate.

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.

Jeff’s wife was the stabilizing factor that grounded her family with love, intelligence, and grace and he feels her ”ghost’ with him as he tries to keep his children and himself afloat through the murder trial and every day after. He can either spiral into the dark abyss of depression or strive to honor her memory by moving forward, all while under the scrutiny of the public eye.

720 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 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

[Aisha-Kimberly Hashmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. I received this book from the author, writing a review to show my appreciation for her sharing her work with me, with no strings attached, and I cannot even begin to tell you, I could not put this down! If you know me and have read my reviews, you know I do not not like to base liking or disliking a book based on someone else's reviews, or many a wonderful book I would have never read and missed out on as it is subjective, such as it is with beauty. I do not like to discuss the plot to death, if the characters are fleshed out enough, give away spoilers,etc. I only say if it, in my humble opinion, is a thumbs up, two thumbs up, or move on, do not waste your time or money. This book was a two thumbs up, and I had many emotional responses to the book, and want to read the rest!!! Thank you, Lorraine for all your hard work.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down!

There is a so much happening in what is a beautiful story about life and love. Even more appealing than your typical love story is how the author has embedded into the storyline some of the more difficult social questions that we often avoid addressing, making it more intellectual than your typical love story.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

A Life Singular - Part One

[Jane Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars as I rarely give 5. This book is very different from ones I usually read, however, once I started I became totally absorbed in Lorraine's deftly-drawn story. For most of us, there is nothing usual about the book's characters' lavish lifestyles. But this book isn't about 'us and them'. Two themes stood out for me: connections and the universality of emotions. The author shows us that when faced with acute trauma, wealth can be a fragile and burdensome thing for those who struggle. We see her characters grow in their humanity as they come to terms with their loss, particularly the daughter who rides a steep learning curve to adulthood. The characters care for other family members, even one in particular who would be particularly challenging to like in real life. Although the book is lengthy, I'm so looking forward to the next episode. There's so much left to explore!

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful tale of true love, devastating loss and the pain of rebuilding a new life from the emotional ashes, A Life Singular by Lorraine Pestell is an emotionally charged, eloquently written struggle of one man’s journey through the steps of loss and grief when he loses his best friend and wife to a gunman’s bullet. The Diamond family had it all, shared love and respect, wealth, beauty and fame, a fairy tale life to the world who adored them. Jeff’s wife was the stabilizing factor that grounded her family with love, intelligence, and grace and he feels her ‘ghost’ with him as he tries to keep his children and himself afloat through the murder trial and every day after. He can either spiral into the dark abyss of depression or strive to honor her memory by moving forward, all while under the scrutiny of the public eye.

Lorraine Pestell writes with an intensity that does not let up from page one. Although written at a pace to be savored, never once does this tale drag as the relationship between spouses, and parent and child are examined and strengthened through loss. For anyone who has suffered a devastating loss of a loved one, clearly the pain is just as great for the wealthy as for the poor. Is it so wonderful to “have it all” and live under the microscope of a curious public? The emotions Ms. Pestell gives her characters are brutally raw, often agonizing as they struggle to hold each other up. The use of words like “the widower” brilliantly bring home where Jeff is in the grieving process.

Although a very long read, every word, page and scene is a vital part of this story that captures the essence of reality in the aftermath of loss. I savored each and every page and highly recommend this intricate tale.

I received a copy of A Life Singular from the author in exchange for my honest review as part of the Lorraine Pestell's A Life Singular Book Tour & Giveaway stopping at Tome Tender Feb 3, 2014.

Series: A Life Singular, Book 1
Publication Date: January 26, 2014
Publisher: Lorraine Pestell/Xlibris
Genre: Adult Fiction/Romance
Number of Pages: 768
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

[Misha Almira · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging story of love and loss. The basic plot revolves around celebrity Jeff Diamond, as he struggles to keep his family together, following the tragedy of losing his wife. The Diamonds have a beautiful love that is the admiration of many, and nothing could prepare them for the choices they would be forced to make.

As the story begins, Jeff and his wife Lynn are preparing to celebrate their anniversary of twenty years. They begin to reminisce about years spent apart and their life together, with family and friends. Prior to the celebration, they take a trip to Sydney for a charity luncheon. Jeff quickly gets caught in a tangle of events that threaten the harmony he has found, which brings back his past more intensely than expected. He captures the reader with his all encompassing devotion to his wife and children. The love of the characters is inspiring and even left me a bit love sick.

The author gives deep insight into the characters as she describes in detail their nuances and grieving processes. It is fascinating to travel with these wonderfully endearing characters, as we see the very real, raw vulnerability of each one.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Win Copy (The win was actually for Part 3)

In Part One of this six part series, we watch as our celebrity writer learning to move on after the unexpected murder of his wife as he copes with his depression along the way as his teenager children try to be there for him.

What was supposed to be a normal getaway at a hotel turns out to be a trigger of unhappy events. While parking their car as his wife checks in, quickly turns into a nightmare when a jealous immigrant shoots his wife dead when his initial intent was him.

The life of the billionaire musician and his former tennis professional wife and their perfect world quickly changes. He keeps thinking he should be dead and that he somehow could have prevented it. At first, he has trouble coping with the memories and ends up living at their in town apartment.

We watch as he tries to move on and attends the trial of the murder and somehow manages to sympathize with the killer. Learning to find his place after his wife death and do things for the better of mankind. We watch his journey go forward.

A heart riveting part one as we are invested in his journey and that of his children.

[Eileen Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynn and Jeff Diamond are due to spend their wedding anniversary in their favourite hotel. However, while Jeff is parking the car, a man filled with jealousy and hate, shoots and kills his beloved wife, Lynn.
Nothing will ever be the same again for Jeff. How will he cope with the loss of his soul mate. His two children are also devastated, but Jeff knows they are young and will get over their loss.

I found the story to be very interesting. I did enjoy reading how Jeff learns to cope with his loss by writing his wife's life story with the help of letters and other material he finds amongst her things. However there were times when I felt parts of the story were a little over-long. But that is just me. That said, I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a novel where they can become so engrossed and captivated up with the characters' emotions.

[Janec · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself captivated by this book and can not wait for the next instalment to find out what happens with the Diamond family.

[AmyKatherine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note: I received a copy of this book for free to consider for review, however the words and thoughts in the review are my own opinions.

I had great hopes for this book but it wasn't quite what I had hoped for. The story is a compelling story of loss and how to move on after suffering such a devastating loss. However as a reader my attachment to the characters fell a bit flat due to the author's writing style. I think the flatness of the characters caused me to have trouble getting into the story initially and provided the disconnect I felt with some of these characters. The book might have been so much better if it had been told in a different point of view.

However the story as I mentioned is a compelling one- Jeff, the main character loses the love of his life and of his family's life to what comes to be a very bad decision. After the loss, Jeff seeks to write about how his loss can matter by musing on how to make people make the right kind of decisions and not the kind that killed the star of his life.

Do note that this very lengthy book does end on somewhat of a cliffhanger so if you don't like cliffhangers this might not be the book for you.

[Sandi Whipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story begins with the tale of a family, pillars of their community, who seem to have everything. The greatest of that everything, is a love as strong as steel.

But life can turn as quickly as a snap of two fingers, as the famous Jeff Diamond sadly discovers. Jeff’s almost forgotten past, seems to surface, causing things to happen that could crush the happiness of the last twenty years.

He suddenly loses his whole world. The greatest wife a man could have. And in a way that is unforgiving, murder. Yes, one can heal from such a painful loss, but certainly not easily. As the children too, are of course heartbroken, Jeff finds himself fighting to keep things together, amidst the trial and his own pain.

Surviving, and one day at a time, Jeff slowly starts to soothe his pain and loss through the written word. His life begins again after he goes through her things, and he starts to write about his beloved wife’s life.

I found the characters more than creative and the descriptions and explanations of loss were so real, at times I think I felt Jeff’s pain as I followed his path of recovery.

The author obviously took time and gave a great deal of thought to this story. Though it was an extremely long book, I don’t think any part of it was unnecessary, or could be considered fillers.

I’m not overly fond of series. I much prefer a stand-alone book. But this was well done.

[Jujumoomoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a complex protagonist, you won’t be disappointed with Jeff Diamond, a man who appears to have it all. Blessed with good looks, a loving wife and family, wealth, talent and influence, Jeff leads a seemingly charmed life until an unexpected tragedy befalls the faultless Diamond family and things quickly unravel.

Readers are then given glimpses into Jeff’s dark past which sheds some light on his somewhat unconventional relationship with his children and continuous struggle to resurrect his life without his beautiful wife by his side.

A Singular Life – Part One explores the notion of how an individual can let adversity consume them or make a choice for a better life. It also provides a commentary on the pressures modern society places on an individual to ‘keep up with the Jones’ and the potential harm this may have on an individual’s feeling of self-worth. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that those that lead what appears to be a perfect life are also vulnerable to life’s challenges and may be struggling with their own inner demons.

A Singular Life – Part Two is on my ‘To read list’.

[Samreen Ahsan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a journey of a rich, successful man who loses his wife one fine day when suddenly fate knocks at his door. He never thought he'd lose love of his life, his best friend, mother of his two kids and the person who was his better half. The characters are believable and endearing as we take a journey with Jeff through the writer's beautiful words and very well written book. It is indeed a long book but once you read it, you will realize that no matter how BIG the loss is, you still heal, heal with the people who are still there in your life and you live not for yourself then, you live for others. The author gives deep insight into the characters as she describes in detail their grieving processes and how they treat their lives ahead despite their biggest loss.

[Linda Rutland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story but I thought it dragged. The main character was a rock star and humanitarian. I wanted to get to the end of the story but it was difficult. He loved to hear himself talk and I tired of hearing him. This was a long book and I see that it is the first in a series of seven equally long books. I've read enough. I don't think I could take listening to this character and his philosophy on life any further. I see other reviews that are very favorable, maybe this just isn't my cup of tea.