My Pear-Shaped Life by Carmel Harrington

My Pear-Shaped Life by Carmel Harrington

This is a joyful, uplifting book for those of us who sometimes wake up and feel we’re not good enough.

nough.Spoiler alert: we are!

Meet Greta.

She’s funny.

She’s flawed.

She’s hiding so much behind her big smile she’s forgotten who she is.

But Greta is about to discover that the key to being happy is…being you.

Greta Gale has played the part of the funny fat one her entire life, hiding her insecurities behind a big smile. But size doesn’t matter when you can laugh at yourself, right? Until Greta realises she’s the only one not laughing. And deep down, she’s not sure if she’ll ever laugh again. But with her world feeling like it’s falling down around her, Greta is about to discover she’s stronger than she feels. And that sometimes the best moments in life come when it’s all gone a bit pearshaped.

Carmel Harrington is a natural storyteller … with heart, humour & hope. RTE

Beautifully written, emotionally intelligent & moving in the extreme. DAILY MAIL UK

Heartwarming humour, with tears, laughter & friendship. Immensely enjoyable. IRISH TIMES

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My Thoughts on My Pear-Shaped Life

Everyone knows someone like Greta or has felt like her at some stage of their life. She is the person who is guaranteed to be outwardly jolly, with self-deprecating humour and witty one-liners …..but full of self -loathing inside.

Greta has a weight problem which is destroying her self esteem and leading to some excruciatingly cringeworthy moments. Additionally, she believes that her dream of becoming a successful actress will never materialise. She has also become too reliant on sleeping pills to help with insomnia.

Her Irish family are warm and loving, with typical Irish banter banded around by her parents and younger brothers. However, Greta feels like an outsider, everyone in the household is thin and extremely health conscious. She relies on best friend Dylan and shares a close relationship with her Uncle Ray who describes her as the daughter he never had.

My Pear-Shaped Life takes you on Greta’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance. She learns how to trust her loved ones, show her vulnerabilities and open her heart to love and happiness. Her recovery takes her on an amazing road trip, where she learns that she is not alone in hiding hurtful emotions. She also recognises that so-called weaknesses can actually make a person much stronger. 

The references and parallels to the story of The Wizard of Oz are brilliantly subtle, clever and inspiring. There is incredible love, warmth, and wit in the story despite the serious issues. Greta never feels sorry for herself but instead recognises vulnerability in people and shows great empathy. She is a relatable main character who everyone will adore and her story is charming, warm and thought-provoking.

About The Author

Carmel Harrington is an exciting voice in women’s fiction – twice shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards, she has the potential to fill the Maeve Binchy slot with her warm, moving and deeply felt novels about family life. She’s extremely well connected in the Irish literary world. She chairs the Wexford Literary Festival and is on the panel of TV3’s Elaine Show. Carmel has a strong base in Ireland but her voice captures readers’ hearts all over the world and we’d now like to grow her in the UK and in Australia as well as accelerating growth in Ireland. Her stories are heart-warming, deeply emotional, and deal with some dark themes but are always ultimately uplifting.

Carmel Harrington is an internationally published novelist from Co. Wexford, where she lives with her family. She has published seven novels and been shortlisted twice (2016 & 2017) for an Irish Book Award. Her books have captured the hearts of readers worldwide and are published in eight languages to date. She is co-founder of The Inspiration Project and was Chair of Wexford Literary Festival from 2015 – 2018.

info@carmelharrington.com | www. carmelharrington.com | FB/TW/INST: @HappyMrsH