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    Meeting Lydia
    Unavailable
    Meeting Lydia
    Unavailable
    Meeting Lydia
    Ebook394 pages4 hours

    Meeting Lydia

    By Linda MacDonald

    5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “A must-read for anyone interested in psychology and relationships” - Norma Patrick


     


    Meeting Lydia explores the very relevant topics of childhood
    bullying, midlife crises, the pros and cons of internet relationships, and how
    the psychological effects of these affect the main character and those around
    her. Readers will be gripped by the turbulent life of Marianne who navigates
    the onset of menopause, an empty nest, a suspected errant husband and a
    demanding new obsession that pulls her in deeper as the story unfolds. Those
    interested in the psychology of relationships will enjoy this novel, as well as
    those who delight in an enthralling story with relatable characters and the
    powerful question of what happens when the past catches up with the present.
    This second edition has reworked the early chapters of the first edition,
    making for a pacy and shorter version more in line with the audiobook.


     


    Marianne comes home from work one day to find her husband
    talking to a glamorous woman in their kitchen. Old childhood insecurities
    resurface, stemming from a time back at school when she was bullied. Jealousy
    rears its head and her happy marriage begins to crumble. Desperate for a
    solution - and introduced by her daughter to social networking - she tries to
    track down her first schoolgirl crush, the enigmatic Edward Harvey. But
    Marianne is unprepared for the power of email relationships ...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTroubador Publishing Ltd
    Release dateMar 23, 2018
    ISBN9781789010923
    Unavailable
    Meeting Lydia
    Author

    Linda MacDonald

    Born and brought up in Cockermouth, Cumbria, Linda MacDonald has a degree in psychology and a PGCE in biology and science. She retired from teaching in 2012 in order to focus on writing, and published two books with Matador before The Alone Alternative. She lives in Beckenham, and travels to speak at libraries and to various other organisations about the inspiration behind the ‘Lydia’ series and the psychology of internet relationships.

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    Reviews for Meeting Lydia

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    • 5/5
      MEETING LYDIA is my first ever audio book that I have listened to.  I must say that I highly enjoyed being able to sit back, close my eyes, and enjoy the beautiful storytelling presented by the narrator, Harriet Carmichael. She really brought Marianne to life for me and in a way almost feel a connection to Marianne and her story.

      Marianne's life may not have always been easy.  She was bullied at school when she was younger and although it left a lasting impression on her, she went on with her life, got married, and started her own family.  She loves her husband and the life they both created for themselves.  Now, that Marianne is in her 40's insecurities begin to pop up, especially when she finds her husband talking to a beautiful young woman.  Is he attracted to this younger woman?  Is he cheating? Will he cheat? Is Marianne not enough for him any longer?

      Honestly I think we have all gone through this stage in life with a partner and/or a husband especially as we get older and may not feel as sexy as we used to be.  We always think that it is just men who go through a midlife crisis, but women can go through one too.  Menopause can be devastating to some women. I think many women feel like they are in limbo from being a vibrant woman to realizing that they are now getting older and a new chapter in their life is about to begin.  Marianne is feeling the affects of getting older and of maybe not being desired by her husband.  Jealousy is rearing its ugly head and Marianne can't seem to open up to her husband about her feelings.

      Marianne's daughter encourages her to join Friends Reunited and see if she can connect with any of her old friends.  Marianne finds herself searching for the one person she had a sort of connection with back in her high school days, Edward Harvey.  He was one of the very few people who was never truly horrible to her. This is really the starting point to Marianne's journey of self discovery and learning to accept who she is, scars and all.  

      I know that feeling an old connection makes Marianne feel good about herself.  It makes her feel what she thinks she is missing in her relationship with her husband.  All her thoughts, remembering the insecurities of the past, all the hurt that she as been through, I feel is finally being addressed within herself. On the other hand though, I find her to be a bit hypocritical getting upset over her husband talking to a much younger woman and then she goes out of her way to reconnect with someone from her past. I realized though, it was part of her journey and in essence was needed.

      Will Marianne be able to distinguish what is online and what she has in real time with her husband and will she be able to open up to her husband and let him in?

      I thoroughly enjoyed MEETING LYDIA. The story just had so many layers that drew me right in and piece by piece the author, Linda MacDonald, peeled away each layer exposing life for Marianne through the good times and the bad. The story is raw and emotional and so many other feelings all bundled up into one which made this a fantastic read for me and, in a way, extremely relatable. I found myself, once finished with the story, really thinking back on it and that is when I knew that this story has really had an impact on me and really had me looking into my own life and things that I have gone through that have shaped my life today.  I highly recommend every woman, older and younger, pick up a copy and immerse yourself, the way I did, in this wonderful and heartfelt story.