The Grace of a Nightingale by Mary Anne Willow
The Grace of a Nightingale is a story of survival in the face of sickness, depression, family suicide and abuse. Mary Anne's courage and faith, her appreciation of beauty in nature, books and music, bring glimpses of light and hope. Friends and strangers helped her to triumph over adversity. And, like all the best stories, there is a happy ending.
Willow, Mary Anne: - Mary Anne Willow was born in Yorkshire in 1962. As a child of three, she witnessed her father violently beating my mother 'like a deranged baboon' as she clung to her baby brother believing they would die. At 7, Mary Anne's family moved back to her parents' hometown in north-west England. Over the next ten years, she would face domestic and sexual abuse, maternal alcoholism, the agonising death of her beloved grandmother from breast cancer and the sadism and indifference of her school teachers. Growing up in a misogynistic working-class culture, surrounded by irrational hatred and lack of female power, Mary Anne escaped to Wales to work in a seaside hotel where she became enlightened by the beauty of the coastal scenery while discovering the joy of serving others. Empowered by the respite from domestic violence during she Welsh working holiday, she returned home to train as a nurse. In the years that followed, Mary Anne worked and studied in some of the most prestigious hospitals across England. She always strived to reach her full nursing and academic potential achieving a distinction in a master of arts degree in Leadership and Management. Despite the flawless career success, pain and suffering were constantly revisiting Mary Anne's life. Following a brief, disastrous marriage she felt empty and lost. Haunted by the legacy of self-contempt, guilt and shame from her childhood abuse, she searched for a deeper meaning to life. After an unplanned journey to see her brother, who was suffering from PTSD following his experiences as a naval seaman during the Falklands and Gulf wars, Mary Anne's life changed forever. One brief, desperate phone call to the naval chaplain, Paddy the Padre, was the beginning of a journey of healing, hope and lifelong transformation. The book describes her journey of self-discovery, as she fell in love with nature, animals, beauty and God.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781913142001 |
| ISBN 10 | 1913142000 |
| Title | The Grace of a Nightingale |
| Author | Mary Anne Willow |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Arrow Gate Publishing Ltd |
| Year published | 2019-04-18 |
| Number of pages | 254 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |