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Only One Life  By  cover art

Only One Life

By: Ashley Farley
Narrated by: Sophie Amoss, Elizabeth Wiley
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Publisher's summary

A reunion between an estranged mother and daughter opens a world of secrets in a poignant novel by the bestselling author of Magnolia Nights.

Julia Martin grew up wealthy, but it wasn’t until she met her husband, Jack, that she knew true happiness. He made her feel worthy and loved. Their marriage was also an escape from her sister’s bullying, her father’s scrutiny, and her chilly and enigmatic mother. But when tragedy strikes on the night she gives birth, Julia’s happiness is shattered. She has no choice but to return home to her family’s South Carolina mansion, where the grief and guilt buried in her mother’s past await her.

As a young woman trapped in a bitter marriage, Julia’s mother, Iris, once needed her own means of escape. In Lily, she found a best friend. In the flower shop they opened, she discovered independence. Then came a transgression - unforgivable, unforgettable, and unresolved - that changed Iris’s life forever.

Now, in Iris’s most desperate hour, her only hope is to regain the trust of the daughter she loves - and to share the secrets of the heart that could rebuild a family’s broken bonds.

©2019 by Ashley Farley. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Only One Life

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Depressing

Could not even finish listening. Just too depressing. I want to feel a bit more uplifted when I listen to a story, and this one just made me sad and want to cry so definitely a no.

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4 people found this helpful

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So freakin good

You guys this narrator has like 10 voices that are completely different! This story was sad then happy then suspenseful and sad again! The women are resilient and a few of the men are beautiful souls, like the sweetest guys! It had more twist and turns than nascar!! I thought it was gonna be slow in the beginning, then it picked up!

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3 people found this helpful

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Much love

I really enjoyed this book. It had me mesmerized. It also impacted my life by having me look over my life and realize that it’s only one life and I better enjoy it.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This book was amazing. I couldn't stop listening.

This book was so amazing. I couldnt stop listening. I wish there was a part two to the book. How it tell her and her mothers story is heart felt. If you choose this book it won't disappoint.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Only One Life

As with.the.other books ive.read.by.this.author, I emjoyed this one immensely..She gives such depth to.her.characters.that one can't help but identify with them and.root for their happy ending.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

FAMILIES ???

Another great book by Ashley FARLEY. Right from the beginning, it pulled me in. Definitely a page turner. With sadness through out, it ended with much happiness!

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1 person found this helpful

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Storyline is full of the ups and downs of living

Ms. Farley has delivered another beautifully developed storyline full of pain, forgiveness, redemption, healing and love.
The narrative is told from the mother's perspective, Iris, as a young woman in flashbacks in the beginning and then in the now. It's also told in one of the daughter's perspective, Julia, on the now setting and remembering back. Both women share a special connection. Unlike Iris other daughter, Alexandra, and her husband Max.
Their is also a best friend key to the story, Lily, and Lily's husband.
There is old Southern money versus coming from nothing/having no family pedigree. The many taboo topics covered in the storyline make it quite a book. I found it to be good plus worthwhile.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Mostly good read

I just didn’t like the actress who narrated Julius’s part. She was monotonous and depressing. Alex and Maxi’s characters were rather extreme. Mostly a good story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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a story of family secrets, with love and betrayal

this was a nicely told story about Iris and Julia's struggles and lives. Their lives were full of struggles, joys, and Love.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

This book drags on….

The characters are not well developed, and the story just drags on forever. Not my favorite listen, for sure.

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