Belinda Alexandra has been a favourite author of mine for years and I have read all her fiction books so was intrigued to learn she had written a non fiction book entitled ‘Emboldened: On finding the fire to keep going when all seems lost’.
On a wet cold Sunday afternoon I began this story of discovery and could not put it down. The book shares the stories of four real life women who inspired the authors fictional books but also helped her through her own journey of recovery from a traumatic event.
The book is divided into four themes : resilience, purpose, passion and connection and how these qualities are displayed in real life women: Tatiana, the authors mother; Virginia Hall, an allied agent in WWII who had her leg amputated after a hunting accident prior to the War; Carmen Anaya, the worlds greatest Flamenco dance and Edna Walling, landscape gardener who lost her own house and garden in a fire.
Through the stories of these real life women and the tragedies, trauma and difficulties they all faced the author weaves a story of her own recovery and the strength she found to move forward.
This book is a celebration of women particularly strong women, their mothers and their daughters.

The publisher, Affirm Press, provides a magnificent blurb for Belinda Alexander’s book, Emboldened.
“How do you begin your life again when you've lost everything you've worked for and your dreams have been shattered?
That was the question beloved Australian author Belinda Alexandra faced one freezing winter night when she ran from her home in terror. She had only her wallet, her phone and her latest manuscript on a USB stick. She was wearing her slippers.
To recover from the devastating emotional and psychological aftermath, Belinda turned to the real life women who had inspired her bestselling historical fiction: her own mother, Tatiana Morosoff, a White Russian who had fled a home on more than one occasion due to wars and revolutions; Virginia Hall, an American who lost her leg in an accident but went on to become one of the most revered Allied agents in World War II France; Carmen Amaya, who was born into abject poverty in Barcelona but used her inner spirit to rise to become the greatest Flamenco dancer of all time; Edna Walling, an Australian landscape designer and independent thinker, who lost her own dream home and artwork in a freak fire but created garden designs that celebrated the unique Australian landscape. 
They were women who had faced seemingly insurmountable challenges, and yet found ways to forge ahead and create new lives on their own terms.
In a compelling and exquisite blend of memoir and history, Belinda shows readers that, no matter what challenge they might be facing, there is always the possibility of building a bold life full of meaning again from the ashes.”

Boldened by Belinda Alexander is a journey of her dealing with her Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her sharing of this journey aims to give strength to others to take control back of their lives and find individual ways to move forward in their lives.

Some quotes reflects this for me:

“To be emboldened we need to have a vision and a purpose. Boldness is a forward-moving energy. It involves charging ahead bravely.”

And

“Break it down and do each step well, seems to be the way. This is an important principle for becoming emboldened. We may not change our lives in one gigantic leap. Rather, we might have to take”

An inspiring rendition that provides guidance and inspiration.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Affirm Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#Enboldened #Netgalley

‘Emboldened people have a connected strong energy and a clear sense of direction.’

One freezing winter night, Belinda Alexandra ran from her home in terror. She had her wallet, her phone, and her latest manuscript saved on a USB flash drive. To move ahead and to rebuild her life, Ms Alexandra drew strength from several women who had inspired her.

These women included her mother, Tatiana Morosoff, a White Russian who had been forced to flee home more than once — from both Russia and China — because of wars and revolutions; Virginia Hall who, despite losing her leg in an accident became an effective Allied agent in World War II France; Carmen Amaya who, despite being born into poverty in Barcelona, became a great Flamenco dancer; and Edna Walling who, despite losing her own dream home in a fire, became a celebrated Australian landscape designer. Each woman faced, and overcame, significant challenges.

‘To be emboldened we need to have a vision and a purpose. Boldness is a forward-moving energy. It involves charging ahead bravely.’

Each of these women found her own path ahead, as has Ms Alexandra. Of the women named, I was only familiar with Edna Walling and Virginia Hall. I found each of their stories interesting, was interested in reading how the lives of such women have inspired Ms Alexandra’s historical fiction. While Ms Alexandra writes of the impact of her mother’s experience on her own life, her focus in writing of these lives is on moving forward rather than looking back.

‘It’s impossible to become emboldened without being passionate about life at the same time, or at least some aspect of it.’

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Affirm Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

𝙴𝚖𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 (𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹) 𝚋𝚢 𝙱𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚊 𝙰𝚕𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚊

Belinda Alexandra is an Australian writer of international bestsellers - and I'm sure the fans of her many novels will love her latest book.

𝙴𝚖𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 is part memoir told alongside stories of five remarkable women who have inspired @belinda_alexandra_author . From her grandmother, Alexandra; her mother, Tania; Virginia Hall, an American who worked as a spy for the UK Special Operations Executive; the greatest flamenco dancer, Carmen Amaya; and Edna Walling, an Australian landscape artist.

My favourite part of the book is about Alexandra's grandmother and mother and their migration story from Russia to China and then Australia - it is an incredible story.

Through the many stories of strong and resilient women, Alexandra alludes to her own experience of overcoming trauma. She gives little about her own experience other than to describe how she is moving forward and it seems this book is part of that journey. Alexandra writes:

𝙸𝚗 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍, 𝚠𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎. 𝙽𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚞𝚙𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚞𝚖𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚠𝚎 𝚍𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎. 𝙸𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐.

@affirmpress are releasing this book on 26 April. My late mother whose mantra was 'never feel sorry for yourself! Hold your head high! And always be kind!' would have loved this book. It will inspire you to reflect on the strong women in your life. ❤️

Thanks to #netgalley and @affirmpress for the e-ARC in return for an honest review.

#netgalleyreads #memoir #history #australianwriters #strongwomen #emboldened #truestories #womensstories #resilience #affirmpress #mothersdaygift

This is a very interesting book/read and I did quite enjoy it. I love the way the author entwined the true stories of women including herself and her mother who have seen tough times but have come through as stronger, successful women.

It is a story that blends memoir and history in a seamless way and proves to us that no matter what we can get through and come out the other side a better, strong and bolder person.

A great book by a woman for all women.