The Invisible Women's Club by Helen Paris

 The Invisible Women's Club 

by Helen Paris

The Invisible Women's Club by Helen Paris was published on 3rd August 2023 by DoubleDay. My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Books Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

A joyous and refreshing read about the power of unlikely friendships, women’s voices, and a reminder that it’s never too late to find joy and meaning later in life

One woman’s journey from invisibility to being seen once more, as she strives to save her beloved community allotment, perfect for fans of The Lido and Keeper of Stories.

Ignored. Overlooked. But they’re about to prove everyone wrong…

Janet Pimm is used to being invisible. 70 something, with her beloved allotment for company, she simply doesn’t need anyone else.
But when the local council threaten to close the allotments, Janet will do anything she can to try to save them – even enlisting the help of her irritatingly upbeat and interfering neighbour, Bev.
As the two women set off on a journey together, Janet begins to realise that perhaps she isn’t so happy to blend into the background after all. And that maybe there’s more to Bev that she first thought. As the bulldozers roll in and they fight to save the place Janet loves most, both women find their voice again and no one can silence them now…

A story of friendship, female lives post-menopause, community spirit and the importance of connection and finding your voice.

My Review

What is there not to love about this book? I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this story and the eclectic mix of characters in it from start to finish. However, even more captivating than the characters was the storyline behind them showing the "invisibility" of women at different times in their lives for whatever reason that hadn't been addressed in any way.

The love and support that evolves with the story is beautiful and shows both sides of a relationship and the care and feeling of belonging it brings. Many of us will find as we read this beautiful story that certain aspects ring true with our own lives, whether it be losing our mother, our lover, our child, the menopause, our job or simply wondering what our role is.

The clever idea of linking it to the allotments and what each allotment means to its community is lovely, plus I learnt a lot about the health benefits of different herbs, many of which are already growing in my garden. The sharing of idea, gardening tips, cutting and seeds is all about what gardening is. This connects to the whole story of nurturing , strength and the invisible power that we all have within us that just needs the right environment to grow and flourish.

This is a book for all women out there to show you that you do have the strength to be yourself and that you are important and not " invisible". Whatever inspires you, go for it, whatever you believe in stand up for it and above all else be yourself.

A huge 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for me .

About the Author

HELEN PARIS worked in the performing arts for two decades, touring internationally with her London-based theatre company Curious.

After several years living in San Francisco and working as a theatre professor at Stanford University, she returned to the UK to focus on writing fiction

A note from Helen Paris:

Dear reader,

The inspiration for The Invisible Women’s Club and particularly for the character of Bev is my mum, a big hearted Scottish nurse and midwife. Growing up, I was drawn to the calm ferocity of her friendships with her fellow midwife pals, all adept at bringing life into the world. They loved their work, they loved each other and they loved to garden.

They were always slipping each other seedlings and plant cuttings and I was often go between in these quiet propagations. I watched them perform their horticultural obstetrics and I watched them care for each other, their support as intricately interwoven as the bamboo canes holding up their sweetpeas.

I was also inspired by my local allotment community. Allotments, like NHS hospitals, are communal spaces of life, nurture and dedication; public benefit over private profit. This story is about the people who carefully tend such spaces and fight to preserve them.

The Invisible Women’s Club is about connectivity and community, about protest and survival and, at its heart, about intergenerational female friendship. It’s about older women who refuse to be erased, who transform hot flushes into power surges and wear their oestrogen patches on their hips like holsters. It’s about the otherwise invisible women who stand up for the common good.

As I wrote this book I’ve been inspired by so many bold, brave women who stood their ground and spoke out, for themselves and for one another.

Thank you for so much for your support, it means the world and I am deeply grateful. I hope you enjoy your encounter with The Invisible Women’s Club.

Helen