Cover Image: A Life WIthout Water

A Life WIthout Water

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Member Reviews

Marci Bolden's emotional book A Life Without Water is a book about relationships - the ones you have with a partner, with a child, and with yourself. While Carol had closed the door on her first marriage, when John comes back into her life, incredibly sick, with a request, she cannot say no. What happens from there is a journey that tests them both and the power of forgiveness.

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Grab your tissues before starting this amazing book. The story covers a difficult subject of disappointment, disillusionment, death , a search for forgiveness and acceptance , and finally forgiveness. Although a difficult subject to read about , the author has handled it with understanding and characters so well written that you have so much empathy for them. the book pulls on all your emotions from anger, to sympathy and finally acceptance with a well thought out and acceptable conclusion. Don't skip reading this book because of the subject matter, you may be able to accept death differently afterwards.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in return for a fair and accurate review

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Unfortunately, I didn't finish this book. I had high hopes for it, but it started slow and stayed that way. The opening pages, when he shows up at her office, were intriguing. Learning of their shared dead daughter was another raised eyebrow. But then we got into her new marriage, and bogged down with details about their past (though with no answers about how their daughter died).

They were supposed to go on a road trip together, but I was quite far into the book and they were still only talking about it. Her attitude toward him was understandable in the beginning, but quickly grew annoying. By the time I started reading that he was being discharged, I had lost interest and decided to move on to another book.

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This book was so emotional, it will tear at your heart strings. The author makes this book an emotional journey. I couldn't stop thinking about this book.

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A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden was a book that quickly drew me in. Reading this book was heart-wrenching for so many reasons; the relationship between Carol/Caroline and her ex-husband John, is realistic. Not only does Bolden explore life after loss, she also examines relationships on so many levels. Whilst reading this novel I found myself loving and hating Carol and John at different points, but only because they were written in such a realistic manner; these characters are flawed and imperfect, and these imperfections are what made me care about them as a reader (enough so to cry several times!).

Additionally, i really loved the relationship that Carol had with her mother-in-law, Mary, and her family. There was something so comforting about the way this family was written that I found myself wanting to be a part of their family as well.

Overall, I truly adored this novel. It was definitely one that made me think and reflect upon my own life, marriage, and family. I look forward to reading more works by Marci Bolden in the future.

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This is a story full of life, loss, regrets, grief, pain, hatred, forgiveness and many many “aha” moments. Caroline and John were married. One tragic moment destroyed their lives forever. She left him in the middle of the night and started another life somewhere else. Many years later John finds her. He wants to take their daughter on a vacation he promised her 24 years ago and he wants Caroline to go with him. Will she choose to go on this journey with a man that she has HATED for so many years?

This book was fantastic but not a book I would normally read. Nevertheless, it left me emotionally drained. I ugly cried MANY times! Reading this book was like watching a movie playing in my mind but more real. It was like I was in the RV with them. I felt their anger, laughter, sadness, tears and every other emotion they went through. Believe me when I say that they went through them ALL. Such a sad, BRILLIANT and EMOTIONALLY draining story!

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A LIFE WITHOUT WATER by Marci Bolden

There are two main characters in this book and then two that you meet throughout the story. Carol/Caroline, John, Katie and Tobias. Carol was married to John and they had Katie. She left John and met and married Tobias. The story is mainly about Caroline, John and how the loss they shared. John needs to make amends before he dies. They need to find a way to find closure and peace between them. They started out together as a young couple in love. They need to find a way back to that. Not as a couple but as friends. Caroline was the name John always called her and will forever. Caroline needs to find a way to forgive John and herself for things that happened between them. Things that happened that they could not seem to control.

This book has lots of heartaches in it. It’s actually one that will make you cry from almost the first page to the very end. I don’t mean just crying, I truly mean weeping, ugly, heartbreaking tears. The ugly crying you don’t want anyone seeing you do. I cried so much reading this book that if I had not invested time in it I would not have finished it. I kept having to put it down to get up and move around so I could actually see the words. It’s truly a very sad book. A very well written, very interesting, very good book but it will break your heart into tiny pieces if you have feelings at all.

I liked the story but hated the sadness. I loved the interaction between Caroline and John but hated what happened to them. I liked that she moved on but hated the why of it. I felt so sorry for John yet thought of him as a jerk so many times and blamed him so much until I finally realized that it was not him being so mean and cruel. He had a problem. He needed help. I liked Caroline a lot but also felt she was a bit selfish in places until I saw exactly why she did some of the things she did. Both were human. Humans are capable of failure without being bad people. Both experienced the ultimate pain. The deepest pain a person ever feels. Though Caroline went through it way more than John did. She lost so much and was there for him anyway. Until the end. She sacrificed for him in ways that some would never even think of doing. I’m not sure I would or could ever do what she did. I think she was a very very strong woman who lost so much and loved so deeply.

While this is not a love story it is about love. The love between a man and woman. A woman and a man. Parents and a child. It’s a story of a love so great you never get over it. It stays with you until you take your very last breath. It is a very heartfelt story for sure.

I do not believe the author could have possibly written this without shedding many many tears her own self. It’s a very well written book and makes you feel like you are right there with the characters. I went on a road trip. I saw places that I would never see if I had not of gone. I felt things I have never felt while reading. Deeply and heartbreakingly.

While I truly think this is one of the best books I have read in a long time, I also think or know, it’s one of the saddest that I have ever read. I only recommend this book if you need or want to weep. If you want or need to shed tears this is definitely the book for you. I will say it’s a great story and it’s worth every single tear. I actually loved the story. It was well written, well developed characters and a well developed story. You will either love it or hate it. Maybe like it. But you will without a doubt shed lots of tears while reading it. Every tear I shed, I have to say was worth the ending and what Carol/Caroline went through to the very end.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #PinkSandPress for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

I have to give it 5 stars and I only recommend it if you have lots and lots of tissue and are up for a deep ugly heartfelt cry. It’s good but so sad. Well done Marci Bolden. I look forward to checking out more of your books. I just hope they don’t make me cry quite so much.

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This was my first novel by Marci Bolden, and I absolutely loved it. I may have shed some tears while reading, but my goodness. After John and Carol reunite after twenty-four years of the loss of their child, it becomes a wild roller coaster ride of emotions.
This is every person nightmare. I was so emotional myself for Carol, John shocked me. The author did an amazing job, delivering us the worst in a marriage, how tragic changes things, and we end up divorcing and trying to move on.
Yes!! This book is heartbreaking and emotional, but it is truly one that needs to be read. It will open your eyes to your own situation.

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I need to start this review (as I sometimes have to) by saying that the writing was great. It was very easy to read and evoked the right amount of emotions.

That said, this was not what I expected and was not a book for me. Despite that fact, I could read it completely and like it enough to recommend it to other readers of this genre who like family dramas. We meet Carol/Caroline at work when her past walks in the door. She is in an emotional place due to the fact that she recently lost her husband but she has bigger issues to deal with now. She has to confront her life and the choices she made during it. The past is revealed to us as flashbacks based on conversations in previous chapters but apart from one startling discovery about Carol, I expected the rest. It was easy to see where the story was going for the most part. It almost solely focused on the two lead characters for the major 3/4ths of the book and it got mildly repetitive in terms of the story itself. The tale is about forgiveness and moving on and all the emotions that go with the process. It is not an easy journey and Carol and John work hard at facing their demons. It was written in such a way that the entire experience that they have did not feel fruitless to me, which should have been the case since nothing really 'happens' in one sense on that word. 

The extra people who were in the story without playing an active role during the weeks when the story unfolds were interesting and very different people and I had fun being introduced to them, each in their own turn. As mentioned earlier, I liked the book without loving it but I think it works well for the write audience and I recommend you give it a shot!

I received this as an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is completely based on my own reading experience.

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A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden is such a powerful and emotional book. This book hooked me from the very first page. It was filled with so much drama, it's like riding on an emotional roller coasters. I will be reading more by this author, between funny books. I need to stay balanced. I highly recommend this book.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

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This was the first book I have read by Marci
It was very good but I must say it was a hard book to read, Normally it takes me 2 maybe 3 days to read a book this one took me 5.

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This book was one outstanding roller coaster ride of emotions for me, I think I cried in every chapter of this book, the story was beautifully written and the characters were so well written that you could not help but feel right along with them.

This is a story about letting go and moving on with your life, Carol/Caroline and John have been divorced for 20 years when he suddenly shows back up in Carol's life (shortly after she has lost her husband) and wants to take their daughter, who has been past for 20 years. John wants her to bring on a road trip, a road trip they had planes shortly before she died, John wants to finally say goodbye. Carol wants no part of it, till she learns that John is dying.

Their journey of saying goodbye to the little girl they lost was so heartbreaking, but so good all at the same time, a warning that Kleenex will be needed though.

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I cried through this whole book. A women trying to come to terms with so much death in her life and trying to forgive her ex husband before he dies. It was gripping and sad I loved it.

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This book gutted me. I read it in one sitting. Marci Bolden wove a beautiful and heartbreaking tale. It covers family, love, loss and forgiveness. You get a view of parents who are still going through the heartbreaking tragedy of losing a child, their relationship and themselves.

This book sucked me in, made me cry and made me hug my kids a little tighter.

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

What a beautifully written book. Seriously. Believe the good reviews. I couldn't put this book down. It drew me in immediately.. read it!!!

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24 years ago their daughter died. It;s been 20 years since their divorce with little contact. Her ex-husband has a request. He wants to revisit the places their daughter wanted to see and scatter her ashes there. They make that trip in a motorhome - lots of opportunities to talk and nowhere to escape. Marci Bolden explores the human connection, family ties, memory and regret. The pacing is slow, the emotional impact is large. 3.5
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

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A deeply emotional journey filled with so much heartbreak, longing, insight and love.... this story is both tragic and hopeful all in the same breath. Pulls at the heartstrings from the very beginning and does not let go.. If you are looking for a good reason to cry your eyes out this the book for you!

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A parent's tragedy isn't something that can be overcome, this book leads you through heartbreak, forgiveness and ultimately the peace that forgiveness brings.

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A Life Without Water is my first novel by Marci Bolden.
John and Carol reunite twenty four years after losing their child. Their reuniting is quite unique and takes us on a intense roller coaster ride of raw emotions.
A truly emotional story about love, loss and forgiveness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pink Sand Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

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I had heard about this book and it looked really good. I was excited when Netgalley provided an arc. I knew this was going to be a tear jerker. Carol Denham is living her life when her ex-husband of 24 years shows up and they go on a journey to heal old wounds. This is a story of forgiveness, healing and love. This was such a powerful story. I had a hard time putting it down and it brought me to tears several times. I highly recommend.

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