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Signs of Life

Natalie Taylor author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:John Murray Press

Published:15th Mar '12

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Signs of Life cover

Natalie Taylor, newly married to her childhood sweetheart and expecting their first child, is suddenly widowed in a senseless accident. Her journey from wife to widow to mother is a story of sadness, hope and inspiration.

Signs of Life is Natalie Taylor's story. It starts the day her husband dies and ends sixteen months later on her son's first birthday.


Natalie's journey from wife to widow to mother is heartbreaking, blackly funny and will move you to laughter and tears as she makes it across that finish line. And you have no doubt she will make it because Natalie is a warrior and a woman to cheer for.


Intelligent, witty and moving, this is the very best kind of indie movie in a book. A book to delight, to treasure and to press into the hands of your best friend.

never before have I felt so changed by a book. The world looks more inviting after reading Signs of Life, as if I am suddenly seeing it the way Josh might have seen it. . . For all its strengths, Signs of Life is also one of the most candid books that I have ever read and for this reason alone I would urge anybody reading this piece to buy a copy of Signs of Life this instant * Vulpes Libris *
Profound yet funny, painful yet hopeful. I couldn't put it down. * Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project *
This is a really good book. Smart and honest * Kelly Corrigan, author of The Middle Place and Lift *
Sit down with this book. See if you can stop after page one * Elizabeth Berg, author of Talk Before Sleep *
Some writers have a compelling story; others have an original voice. But it is the rare writer who has both. Natalie Taylor is one of those writers * Laura Zigman, author of Her and Dating Big Bird *
With wit, gutting honesty, and a modicum of self-pity, Natalie Taylor gives us permission to cry the necessary gamut of tears that healing requires... and that includes tears of joy * Laura Munson, author of This Is Not the Story You Think It Is *
A touching, hopeful memoir * Sainsbury Magazine Hot Summer Reads *
Young women and solo mothers everywhere will find a new best friend in Natalie Taylor, who meets the challenges of her life with grace and humor. * Julie Metz, author of Perfection *
This candid memoir of a journey into and out of darkness has a full quota of humor and ends on a note of hope * Kirkus *
More than a grief memoir, this is about the triumph of imagination and the role that time plays in healing. * Better Homes and Gardens *
Raw, honest . . . touching and funny. * Sunday Herald Sun *
Natalie's hard-won lessons remind us that whatever the circumstances we face in life, there is a warrior in all of us with the strength to persevere. * Senior Lifestyle Southern Highlands *
Josh died when Natalie was just five months pregnant and never met his son. For the first year after his death, Natalie kept a diary and eventually that diary became this book, a witty, heartbreaking and deeply personal one you'll want to share with friends. * Image Magazine *
a searingly honest look at the journey from wife to widow - and the trials of becoming a mother. Natalie's writing style is fluid and yet simple, letting events speak for themselves . . . And because she doesn't hid anything, you'll find yourself rooting for her * News of the World *
the book deftly sidesteps the tag of misery memoir - from her pain, the irrepressible Taylor contrives to mine nuggets of pure humour * WHO Magazine (Winter Reading Guide) *
It's hard to believe that Signs of Life is Natalie Taylor's first book . . . Whether you've lost someone close to you or not, this heart-rending book will make you appreciate how important loved ones are and the healing power of time * Press Association *
Tissues at the ready! This true story is a definite weepy. An account of her struggle with grief, the entries are intensely moving and inspirational and is a worthwhile read for anyone, whether you have lost loved ones or not * U *
Compelling * Working Mother *
An absorbing memoir about sorrow and growing up handled with such dignity and grace that you will forgive Ms. Taylor for making you cry. * New York Review of Books *
Yes, I cried. Yes, I laughed. And yes, books have had this effect on me before. But never before have I felt so changed by a book. * Lisa Glass, Vulpes Libris *
Buy it, read it, love it. * Claire Maxwell, I Think I Just Blogged Myself *

ISBN: 9781444724684

Dimensions: 198mm x 130mm x 21mm

Weight: 228g

320 pages