Friday, July 25, 2014

**#COYER Review ~ The Anonymous Blog of Mrs. Jones ~ Ellen Harger**

CoyerSummerVacation



The Anonymous Blog of Mrs. Jones
The Anonymous Blog of Mrs. Jones by Ellen Harger
Release Date: July 21, 2014
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms

Synopsis
An apartment fire costs everything, including the illusion of a tolerable marriage.

Gillian is depressed, her moods shifting like earthquakes raising deep, roiling anger. Convinced her friends and family won't understand, she turns to strangers through a blog she writes as Mrs. Jones, a nondescript anyone.

Despite exposing herself on the internet, she assumes no one will notice her among millions of voices. Cathartic writing helps her to transform as she makes new friends, seeks help from a non-traditional therapist, and considers divorce.

Then Mr. Write answers. A strange man who asks questions, who peels away the layers. Gillian finds love, but life is absurdly stubborn. She must confront her husband, Evan, before she can move on.




The Anonymous Blog of Mrs. Jones is a well-crafted, provocative, and moving novel. Told, in part, through blog posts and comments, it is a unique look at soul searching and finding a second chance at love.

Gillian is trapped. Trapped in a mediocre job. Trapped in a marriage. Trapped in the chair her depression won't let her leave. Following a fire where she and her husband lose everything, Gillian and Evan seem to have lost each other as well. After almost a year, Gillian feels it's time to make some changes. She begins seeing a therapist, accepts the offer of friendship from a coworker, asks Evan for a divorce, moves in with a roommate, and she starts an anonymous blog.

It is through all these changes that Gillian begins on the path of finding herself. Oh, she changes and had changed following the fire. But she finds the Gillian at her core - her inner self - and that's what leads her towards love.

The blog allows Gillian to express herself and explore herself in a way where there is no judgement. She finds a lot of freedom in this. Particularly when Mr. Write, whom Gillian began writing to as Mrs. Jones, answers her. Mrs. Jones and Mr. Write really converse with one another and, in turn, realize what they're missing...what they want in life.

I think there is probably a point in every marriage where one or both spouses wonder whether or not the marriage is built to last. So I could relate to Gillian's feelings. I enjoyed living through Gillian's soul searching experiences. She found friends and new hobbies. She learned things about herself - about her needs in a relationship and how to just be. I think her most important lesson was how to communicate. Through everything - but especially the connection with Mr. Write, Gillian was able to shed her old self and embrace the new Gillian. And she was able to fall in love.

I love stories of second chances. The Anonymous Blog of Mrs. Jones is endearing and fulfilling. Ms. Harger drew me into Gillian's life and struggles. And in the end, I was happy to have been on the journey with her.




I’m a word gypsy and emotion sifter, writing about broken condoms, unhappy marriages and women’s issues at the chick-lit end of women’s fiction and women’s fiction end of chick-lit.
I believe great storytelling asks readers to confront what they've stuffed deep down. We all get blinded by emotion and stuck in ruts. In June 2005, I woke up to a wall of fire. Watching the flames eat away my life was my biggest turning point in life. 

My first novel Strong Enough released February 2013. My sophomore work, The Anonymous Blog of Mrs. Jones, debuts this July.

Find us at: ellenharger.com. Contact me at ellen@ellenharger.com.

14 comments:

  1. I love stories about second chances too. Know what else I love? Books you read for the express purpose of getting them out of the way, but turn out to be amazing ;) Great review, Brandee!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds so good! I love marriage-in-crisis stories and those of women searching for themselves. Thank you for the great review, Brandee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think this is a book you'd really like, Andrea. :)

      Delete
  3. The told through blog posts and comments parts sounds very unique and interesting. So glad you enjoyed it! Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I really liked that aspect, Jaclyn. Thanks for dropping by!

      Delete
  4. The Anonymous Blog of Mrs. Jones sounds like a very compelling story, Brandee! I love that some of the story happens through blog posts and comments - I can so relate to that! I will be adding this to my TBR of course, I think I need to invest in a new crane ;)
    Beautiful review, my dear. Have a great weekend, and a fantastic week. *BIG HUGS*

    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was sooo good, Lexxie. And I enjoyed the blog post/comments element as well. Such a relevant way to convey a story. Maybe we can get a good deal if we purchase new cranes together?!? Thanks so much for dropping by. I hope you have a lovely vacation week. :)

      Delete
  5. What an interesting book! Love your review, Brandee, it's great that you had fun in the journey with the character.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a neat way to tell a story! I tend to like books that use emails and text messages creatively, so I think I would probably really enjoy the blog medium too - especially since I'm a blogger and totally get how well you can get to know people through a blog. Some of my best friends are Bloggers after all :) Great review Brandee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was unique, relevant and fun, Berls. The blog thing really resonated with me - for the same reasons you listed. :) I think you'd enjoy this one!

      Delete
  7. Oooh... this sounds like an interesting read. That's how we communicate, but i doubt we will be falling in love any time soon... *snickers* Great review Brandee!

    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Speak for youself, Naomi...I'm already quite enamored with you! *grins*

      Delete

Now you know what I think...what are your thoughts??