Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: woman

  • Postcards from the Cove (Sand Dollar Cove Book 1)

    Postcards from the Cove (Sand Dollar Cove Book 1)

    A carved wooden box, a jar with old postcards and a few sand dollars discovered in an old cottage due for demolition at Sand Dollar Cover Resort, sparks a great sense of curiosity in Hannah Turner’s mind, as she wonders who the mysterious Joe was that penned such a heartbreaking message on the postcards.

    As she decides to send them on to the address on the postcards she hopes they will find the original owner. Whether she will ever find out who they were meant for the story behind the message is a curiosity.

    Struggle street was something Hannah and her small family had become used to over the years, as her Gran was eventually succumbing to a lifetime of hard work, her sister was completing a degree and she was working all hours at the Resort, to simply keep things moving along.

    A fresh and very good looking face appears on the scene as the personal instructor in the Fitness Centre and Hannah finds she is drawn to his kindness towards the guests and his friendly nature. Guy seems to be a little bit over qualified to work at the aging resort but it is giving the place a much needed boost on the socials.

    Still grieving for her father, killed in an accident many years before she has always believed he did not commit suicide, but had no answers for what happened; she realised that life always seemed to have far too many burning questions, too much sorrow and so few answers.

    When the postcards do eventually reveal their story, she discovers the answers in the most heart-warming and gentle way possible – by falling in love; something she had ruled out of her life as almost impossible.

    Postcards From the Cove is a gentle and comfortable read for a cold winters day or a lazy day on the couch.  Book 2 Photographs from the Cove is Mary’s story with a tantalising teaser included at the end of Hannah’s story.

    Enjoy the journey as life unfolds in Sand Dollar Cove.

  • The Womanpriest

    The Womanpriest

    In a polarising story Stafford Betty takes the Catholic Church into the future, where a woman is ordained as the Pope for the first time in the history of the Church. This has not come without conflict and this conflict is why Macrina McGrath’s twin brother is telling the story of his sister; the woman who became the Pope.

    Ex-marine and single mother Macrina McGrath is facing a crisis of faith in her life. The Church she has grown up in and loved has seemed to have taken a sideway step, refusing to modernise, still steeped in sexism, with a disgusting history of paedophilia and harsh treatment of anyone who is divorced or part of the LGBTQ sector of the community.

    Looking for a way forward she travels to India where she studies Hinduism and then Buddhism, which then leads her to believe that Religion does not have to be specific to one faith; that anyone can be a part of that faith regardless of their standing in life.

    Making the decision to become a Priest, she slowly moves up through the ranks of the Church to eventfully find her place in the Holy City: Rome.  Her philosophy reaches far and wide, finding acceptance of a kinder, more understanding Church, which brings back the followers, who were leaving in droves.

    When the Pope abdicates for the first time in the history of the Church, sending shock waves through the Vatican, it is time to elect again; Macrina, now holding a senior office is put forward and is duly, after considerable controversy, elected as the Pope! But how many enemies has she made and how secure will she be in the male dominated city of power and corruption, all covered up nicely under the rite and ritual of a Church that has refused to change.

    Stafford Betty in The Womanpriest takes to task the Catholic Church, it’s refusal to move with the demands of its massive congregation’s world-wide and refuses to accept the atrocities that have been committed over centuries, by the very men who are touted as God’s servants – the Priests.

    Definitely a book that will be read with many conflicting emotions, it is a novel of modern times looking into the future, in the hope that the Dogma of the Church will eventually change to reflect the requirements of the future citizens of the world.

  • The Woman from Uruguay

    The Woman from Uruguay

    The longing and yearning and desire that seep out of The Woman from Uruguay are almost palpable.

    Pedro Mairal describes a day in the life of a man who has become obsessed with a woman he met at a dance. Lucas was drinking at a nightclub when he met Guerra. They talked, they laughed they danced, and they drank. Each moment becoming more special than the last. The man suggested they meet the following day and go for a walk, which served to outline their compatibility.

    Later that day, Lucas had to return home by ferry to his wife and son. He plans and plots and fantasizes about meeting this dream woman, so much so that his wife remarks that he is talking in his sleep. Eventually the day comes when he can yet again catch the ferry to Uruguay, he emails Guerra, who lives there, and asks her to meet him.

    He has one day to be as intimate with her as his dreams have unveiled. However, even though her dreaded boyfriend has gone, there are many reasons why their intimacy is not easily fulfilled. Time is passing and although Lucas has many plans, they all seem to go astray.

    The Woman from Uruguay is a short story of 152 pages. Lucas is the narrator and through his eyes we experience the longing and the single mindedness of his actions. It is hard not to become involved and judgemental while riding on the wave of suspense that is created.

  • BRAVE: COURAGEOUSLY LIVE YOUR TRUTH

    BRAVE: COURAGEOUSLY LIVE YOUR TRUTH

    How does a woman go from being a corporate high flyer to a following the pathway she was destined to follow, makes a very interesting story which is told in Brave: Courageously live your truth from Sheila Vijeyarasa, a woman who had it all, or seemed to have it all.

    A glowing career, a corporate title Chief Financial Officer and what she considered the world at her feet, was what Sheila had worked hard to achieve ever since she was a small girl who looked like being dropped to a ‘B’ grade for her studies.

    To her this was considered as a failure, something not to be tolerated. The only way up was to work hard which she did, coming out as Dux at the end of the year; a year of sacrifice, hard work and more hard work. Coming from a family of high achievers this appeared to be acceptable for one who was a perfectionist.

    Pursuit of perfection became the mantra that drove her to reaching the top spot in the world of Corporate Finance, but as the years flew by friends married, had children and in so many ways left her behind. Coming from a Sri Lankan family, marriage and children were considered as high on the list of important things to achieve in life, along with a successful career.

    She became deeply disturbed and depressed, realising that deep in her heart she had a calling to do more with her life, but was fearful of moving away from the accepted norm; to becoming a failure in her and her families eyes.

    As with many of life’s dark moments it took losing her job to help her re-evaluate her life pathway and to step bravely onto the pathway of healing herself, discovering her life purpose and in her usual style of learning, she set out to discover everything she possibly could about her life purpose to become a spiritual teacher and intuitive medium.

    Raw but with a brave and warm honesty Sheila Vijeyasrasa shares her journey, reaching out to all the women who are teetering on the edge of beginning their own Brave and Courageous Journey, and through the eyes of others who have already walked their pathway, offers understanding, a helping hand and evidence, most importantly of listening to your inner voice, your guide, to show you the way forward.

    Life is life; it is what you choose to make of it that is important. Following your dream, stepping out onto your courageous pathway with courage and bravery is important as is knowing people such as Sheila, along with the many others who have shared their journey, are there to offer a helping hand, will make the journey so much more enjoyable.

    The final word on the journey is a ‘power phrase’ that really encapsulates the message running throughout the book, ‘I am courageously me and I inspire others’. Make that your mantra!

  • The Women’s Atlas

    The Women’s Atlas

    The Women’s Atlas is a unique and select Atlas that has been superbly researched and presented. It shows a global view of women’s lives around the world and gives statistics to support the understanding of the main issues that face women. The research is current and is interesting as well as challenging. There are many aspects of injustice which are not being dealt with, and the facts show where and how this is happening.

    Some of the headings for the teasing out of issues are Health, Education, Power, Work and Body Politics. Under the heading of Household Size, we see a map of the world with colours denoting households with less than 3 people, and 6 people and over. Australia has fewer than 3 people in a house as an average. We also learn that in Sweden, 52% of all households have only one person. Women comprise the majority of single person households.

    There are pages of data showing things such as “Dress Offensive.” The actual percentage of people who agree that women should choose their own clothing is varied. In Tunisia, 56% of people say yes, while in Egypt the number is just 14%. Honour killings and Justified beatings were also voted on, and in Ethiopia, 68% of people agreed with the practice.

     An interesting page shows the location of the greatest number of births in the world. The highest rates are in Nigeria, Somalia and Mali. The lowest birth rates are in Hong Kong, Portugal and Singapore. Moving to sport, there is a section on Women in the Olympics. In 1900, there were just 2% of women involved, compared with 45% in 2016.  Another page discusses cosmetics. It shows that personal care products often contain dangerous substances such as parabens and neurotoxins. The skin whitening products sold to women contain Mercury and steroids, and in the USA, many cosmetics manufactured are unregulated.

    Looking at the statistics for women in the work force is surprising. Australia, China and Canada, along with Denmark, Norway and Sweden have 70% or more women who work. India and Mexico, along with countries in North Africa, have fewer than 30% of women working for pay.

    The amount of data and statistics gathered for this Atlas is enormous. Already it is out of date, as the numbers were obtained in 2016. However, no other book has so comprehensively shown the information about women as raw data and this makes it a valuable resource. The presentation of maps demonstrating numbers by colour and the following pages of explanation, is well done. This will be the basis for many a policy discussion and should be available for all to see.

     

  • Entrepreneurial Women: Stories of Women who Dared to Succeed

    Entrepreneurial Women: Stories of Women who Dared to Succeed

    The author is no stranger to writing, as she was an English teacher in a rough inner suburb of Texas, and then moved to Abu Dhabi, where she became a freelance writer. It is this range of experiences that has helped her cover these stories of entrepreneurial women so professionally.

    Stories are told of the journeys of successful women, who turned “their ideas into highly profitable businesses”. The common thread throughout all of these stories is the daring and risk taking made by women, and the juggling of their personal life to achieve their goals.

    The book is presented in sections, under which each woman is listed. Some of these are, “Women in the Media, Medical Innovators, Networking Women, and Women doing things their own way”.

    Each woman was written about in depth and where possible, personal interviews were held to discuss the stories. The birth, childhood and background of each person have been carefully related, as are the early pointers to their success.

    For example, Oprah Winfrey was encouraged to participate in public speaking by her grandmother, and always was given a positive sense of self.  Kirsty Dunphey, a Realtor to Loan Office, saw her wealthy family go bankrupt as a child, and vowed never to experience that drama again.  Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founded her company in India, and was refused a loan unless her father went guarantor.  Enzyme technology was a new idea back then in 1978, and for the first few years, her Company operated out of a shed.

    Together, with many other women who have created an Empire, where there was a vacuum before, the author has experienced great diversity in her working life.  We read about these women of fashion and art, their childhoods, dreams, adversities and courage.  The bitter- sweet is evident in most of these stories, as sacrifice on many levels is needed to ensure the continuity of a dream.