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The Woman in the Middle
the perfect escapist read from the much-loved Sunday Times bestseller
Table of Contents
About The Book
THE NEW MILLY JOHNSON NOVEL, THE HAPPIEST EVER AFTER, IS OUT NOW!
'Warm, funny and moving. One to curl up with and devour' Ruth Jones
Sandwich generation
[noun]
A generation of people, typically in their thirties or forties, responsible both for bringing up their own children and for the care of their ageing parents.
Shay Bastable is the woman in the middle. She is part of the sandwich generation – caring for her parents and her children, supporting her husband Bruce, holding them all together and caring for them as best she can.
Then the arrival of a large orange skip on her mother’s estate sets in motion a cataclysmic series of events which leads to the collapse of Shay’s world. She is forced to put herself first for a change.
But in order to move forward with her present, Shay needs to make sense of her past. And so she returns to the little village she grew up in, to uncover the truth about what happened to her when she was younger. And in doing so, she discovers that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to find the only way is up.
The perfect novel to curl up with, or to buy for the woman in the middle in your life.
Praise for The Woman in the Middle:
'One of those novels that draws you in to its world and makes you wish you could be friends with Shay. So layered and textured and had me frequently shouting ‘noooooo!!!’ when Shay was getting the rough deal yet again, bounced from pillar to post. A really good story that kept me wondering what was at the bottom of it all. A tantalizing juicy tale full of twists and turns that kept me gripped. Warm, funny and moving. One to curl up with and devour' Ruth Jones
'An unputdownable tale of redemption and hard-won wisdom, this is a book that speaks for us all wherever we are in our lives. Milly Johnson always delivers an absolutely cracking read' Katie Fforde
‘The main characters are wise, loveable and so relatable. The humour is down to earth, the emotions are real and the storyline compelling. No one else writes quite like Milly and, with The Woman in the Middle, she has produced yet another winner’’ Jill Mansell
'Written from the heart ... honest, inspirational and great fun ... I loved it' Janie Millman
'This book is delicious. As moreish as a freshly made sandwich, full of your favourite filling. It's well worth the wait and joyous to bite into' Jo Thomas
‘Immensely relatable, tender and wise; Milly’s magic sparkles from every page’ Cathy Bramley
‘A complex family drama with a big heart, a light touch and lots of surprises’ Veronica Henry
'The perfect pick-me-up that you won't be able to put down. I loved it' Matt Dunn
'Milly Johnson gets better and better with every novel she writes'S Magazine
'A heartwarming tale about loss, love and second chances, that many women will relate to' The Sun
'Warm and hugely relatable, this is a must-read' Fabulous Magazine
'This absorbing book reminds us to be honest and true to ourselves' Woman's Weekly
'A brilliant read' Bella
'If you need a page-turner, then look no further. . . Emotional and heartwarming, it’s another gem from Johnson' Heat
'With Milly’s trademark warm wit and wisdom' My Weekly Special
'Warm, funny and moving. One to curl up with and devour' Ruth Jones
Sandwich generation
[noun]
A generation of people, typically in their thirties or forties, responsible both for bringing up their own children and for the care of their ageing parents.
Shay Bastable is the woman in the middle. She is part of the sandwich generation – caring for her parents and her children, supporting her husband Bruce, holding them all together and caring for them as best she can.
Then the arrival of a large orange skip on her mother’s estate sets in motion a cataclysmic series of events which leads to the collapse of Shay’s world. She is forced to put herself first for a change.
But in order to move forward with her present, Shay needs to make sense of her past. And so she returns to the little village she grew up in, to uncover the truth about what happened to her when she was younger. And in doing so, she discovers that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to find the only way is up.
The perfect novel to curl up with, or to buy for the woman in the middle in your life.
Praise for The Woman in the Middle:
'One of those novels that draws you in to its world and makes you wish you could be friends with Shay. So layered and textured and had me frequently shouting ‘noooooo!!!’ when Shay was getting the rough deal yet again, bounced from pillar to post. A really good story that kept me wondering what was at the bottom of it all. A tantalizing juicy tale full of twists and turns that kept me gripped. Warm, funny and moving. One to curl up with and devour' Ruth Jones
'An unputdownable tale of redemption and hard-won wisdom, this is a book that speaks for us all wherever we are in our lives. Milly Johnson always delivers an absolutely cracking read' Katie Fforde
‘The main characters are wise, loveable and so relatable. The humour is down to earth, the emotions are real and the storyline compelling. No one else writes quite like Milly and, with The Woman in the Middle, she has produced yet another winner’’ Jill Mansell
'Written from the heart ... honest, inspirational and great fun ... I loved it' Janie Millman
'This book is delicious. As moreish as a freshly made sandwich, full of your favourite filling. It's well worth the wait and joyous to bite into' Jo Thomas
‘Immensely relatable, tender and wise; Milly’s magic sparkles from every page’ Cathy Bramley
‘A complex family drama with a big heart, a light touch and lots of surprises’ Veronica Henry
'The perfect pick-me-up that you won't be able to put down. I loved it' Matt Dunn
'Milly Johnson gets better and better with every novel she writes'S Magazine
'A heartwarming tale about loss, love and second chances, that many women will relate to' The Sun
'Warm and hugely relatable, this is a must-read' Fabulous Magazine
'This absorbing book reminds us to be honest and true to ourselves' Woman's Weekly
'A brilliant read' Bella
'If you need a page-turner, then look no further. . . Emotional and heartwarming, it’s another gem from Johnson' Heat
'With Milly’s trademark warm wit and wisdom' My Weekly Special
About The Author
DAVIDCHARLES.COM
Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and has sold millions of copies of her books sold across the world. The Happiest Ever After is her twenty-first novel.
Milly’s writing highlights the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. Her books inspire and uplift but she packs a punch and never shies away from the hard realities of life and the complexities of relationships in her stories. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility and joy of second chances and renaissances. She writes stories about ordinary women and the extraordinary things that happen in their ordinary lives.
Milly’s writing highlights the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. Her books inspire and uplift but she packs a punch and never shies away from the hard realities of life and the complexities of relationships in her stories. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility and joy of second chances and renaissances. She writes stories about ordinary women and the extraordinary things that happen in their ordinary lives.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (October 14, 2021)
- Length: 448 pages
- ISBN13: 9781471198991
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Raves and Reviews
'An unputdownable tale of redemption and hard-won wisdom, this is a book that speaks for us all wherever we are in our lives. Milly Johnson always delivers an absolutely cracking read'
– Katie Fforde
‘The main characters are wise, loveable and so relatable. The humour is down to earth, the emotions are real and the storyline compelling. No one else writes quite like Milly and, with The Woman in the Middle, she has produced yet another winner’
– Jill Mansell
'Written from the heart ... honest, inspirational and great fun ... I loved it'
– Janie Millman
'This book is delicious. As moreish as a freshly made sandwich, full of your favourite filling. It's well worth the wait and joyous to bite into'
– Jo Thomas
‘Immensely relatable, tender and wise; Milly’s magic sparkles from every page’
– Cathy Bramley
‘A complex family drama with a big heart, a light touch and lots of surprises’
– Veronica Henry
'The perfect pick-me-up that you won't be able to put down. I loved it'
– Matt Dunn
'Milly Johnson gets better and better with every novel she writes. Filled with her trademark humour and populated with a cast of larger-than-life yet utterly realistic characters, this is a story full of wisdom and redemption. It’s a warm, touching read and you’ll be longing for Shay to find her own happy ending'
– Anne Cater, S Magazine
'A heartwarming tale about loss, love and second chances, that many women will relate to'
– The Sun
'Warm and hugely relatable, this is a must-read'
– Fabulous Magazine
'This absorbing book reminds us to be honest and true to ourselves'
– Woman's Weekly
'A brilliant read'
– Bella
'If you need a page-turner, then look no further. . . Emotional and heartwarming, it’s another gem from Johnson'
– Heat
'With Milly’s trademark warm wit and wisdom'
– My Weekly Special
'Bestselling author Milly Johnson is back with another poignant tale'
– OK! Magazine
'With well-drawn, believable characters, this moving story of love, friendship and family life is unputdownable'
– Candis
‘A life-affirming emotional journey – a wonderful read!’
– Trisha Ashley
'the latest heartwarming, relatable read from bestseller Milly Johnson'
– Yours
'A beautiful, heart-felt, wise, want-to-hug-the-book-when-you-finish kind of book’
– Miranda Dickinson, author of Our Story
'A relatable, beautifully funny and charming read. With Milly Johnson’s trademark feel-good spirit, it makes you laugh in all the right places while leaving food for thought after the last page'
– Yours
'Milly Johnson has come up trumps again with this poignant story . . . Warm, relatable characters ensure this tender story stays with you long after the final page. A perfect read from one of my favourite writers'
– My Weekly, Editor's Pick
'a gripping read'
– Pick Me Up
'A moving tearjerker of a read that's relatable and packed with wisdom'
– Closer
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Woman in the Middle Hardcover 9781471198991
- Author Photo (jpg): Milly Johnson DAVIDCHARLES.COM(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
