A Life WIthout Water

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Pub Date 13 Aug 2019 | Archive Date 08 Mar 2022

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Description

Carol Denman divorced her husband over twenty years ago and has never looked back. But on the day before their daughter’s thirtieth birthday, John barges back into Carol’s life with a request that threatens the fragile stability she has built. John Bowman is sick. Very sick. While he still can, he has some amends to make and some promises to fulfill. But to do that, he not only needs his ex-wife’s agreement…he needs her. With the past hovering between them like a ghost, Carol and John embark on a decades-overdue road trip. Together they plunge back into a life without water…but which may ultimately set them free.

Carol Denman divorced her husband over twenty years ago and has never looked back. But on the day before their daughter’s thirtieth birthday, John barges back into Carol’s life with a request that...


Advance Praise

"Oh my goodness. This book had me sucked in from the beginning. A well written, heartbreaking book about forgiveness, and finding peace amidst a tragedy that no parent should face. Get the tissues ready!!! This was a great book. I need a day to recover. 😭"

Stefani Reads


"A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden is a beautifully written novel that takes you on a journey of forgiveness and acceptance."

Carol, Netgalley Reviewer


"OMG! I didn't know what to expect. I surely did not expect to feel so much for Carol and John. I wept and just felt how invested I become in this book. Excellent read. "

Edna, Netgalley Reviewer



"Oh my goodness. This book had me sucked in from the beginning. A well written, heartbreaking book about forgiveness, and finding peace amidst a tragedy that no parent should face. Get the...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781950348213
PRICE $6.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)

Average rating from 135 members


Featured Reviews

From the get-go this book sweeps you up in the life of the protagonist Carol. This book will have you on an emotional roller coaster as you traverse her life and the things that had happened to her to bring her to the point where you meet her at the start of the book. This book is so much more than just a story. It's a look into the life of a real person, experiencing real life and dealing with it as well as she can.
The ending, although you know how it will be, still had me crying like a baby.
Well deserved 4 stars!

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Oh my goodness. This book had me sucked in from the beginning. A well written, heartbreaking book about forgiveness, and finding peace amidst a tragedy that no parent should face. Get the tissues ready!!! This was a great book. I need a day to recover. 😭. Thanks @Netgalley and @Pinksandpress for the chance to read this ARC. Book releases in Aug 2019 I will leave my review on Twitter @StefaniReads (Booked-up22)
Goodreads @ Booked-up22
Instagram @Booked-up22
Amazon @Bookedup22

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A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden is a beautifully written novel that takes you on a journey of forgiveness and acceptance.

Carol Denman has recently lost her second husband when her first shows up unexpectedly at her office. She had left him in the night, shortly after losing their six year old daughter in an unspeakable accident. He is there to ask her to join him on an incredible journey and due to circumstances, against her best instincts she agrees. As they work through so much pain surrounding the loss of their daughter and their difficult marriage, they both grow in understanding each other.

This was a heartening novel, helping you realize that you really can forgive, even if you can't forget. Thank you to the author, Pink Sand Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Carol Denman has not seen or heard from her ex husband, John Bowman in twenty four years, when suddenly he appears in her office requesting her help. He arrives at Carol's office, unexpected, on the day before their daughter's thirtieth birthday, which is significant. The details of what happened all those years ago between Carol, aka Caroline, and John are revealed very slowly, chapter by excruciating chapter, until the very end, a slow but compelling burn. This is Carol's and John's journey into their past in order to understand what happened so that they could finally move on with their lives.
I truly enjoyed reading a #alifewithoutwater, and, I especially love the cover! Thank you #netgalley and @pinksandpress for the e-ARC. The book is on shelves 08/20/19.

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Carol Denman divorced her husband over twenty years ago and has never looked back. But on the day before their daughter’s thirtieth birthday, John barges back into Carol’s life with a request that threatens the fragile stability she has built. John Bowman is sick. Very sick. While he still can, he has some amends to make and some promises to fulfill. But to do that, he not only needs his ex-wife’s agreement…he needs her. With the past hovering between them like a ghost, Carol and John embark on a decades-overdue road trip. Together they plunge back into a life without water…but which may ultimately set them free.

OMG! I didn't know what to expect. I surely did not expect to feel so much for Carol and John. I wept and just felt how invested I become in this book. Excellent read.
Thank you, NetGalley for the advance copy for my honest review.

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Oh...what can I say about this heart-wrenching book?! This book had me reading so fervently and so deeply. I loved the storyline and the progression of the emotions and the building of the characters. The journey of redemption for Carol and John and their deceased daughter is so poignant and beautiful. This is a great book and I highly recommend it! Thank you for the great read Marci!

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This book completely took me by surprise. I could not put it down. What a rollercoaster of emotions. Absolutely love it!
Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

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This book had me hooked from the first chapter. Well written, this heartbreaking story gave me a really good cry that I just needed!

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A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden is a must read! Just be sure to have some Kleenex ready!

I loved this book, although it was not really a “gosh this makes me smile “ read.

A tragic accident tears a family apart to the point that neither one heals! After 24 years cruelties of life bring them back together to face a very painful past.

Will incredible hurts be healed?

I highly recommend this book! Although I ugly cried!!!

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A very heartbreaking book that grabbed me from the first page. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All opinions are my own. Publication date is set for August 2019.

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This book - A Life Without Water - basically ripped my heart out - smashed it into a million pieces and put it back together again.

A story about finding peace & forgiveness. I won’t forget this book anytime soon! It’s not my normal type of read but I’m so thankful I read it!

Get the tissues out - it’s worth it to go on Carol’s and Jon’s journey.

Thanks to NetGalley, author and publishers for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars so deserved! Read
This guys!

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This was a great story of life, love, expectations and disappointments. Wonderful character development that let the reader become deeply involved in this passionate tale. Very easy to relate to with true life experiences. I found this very touching and tender. Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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An emotional journey into one of the most painful things a person or couple can ever have to deal with. When John barrels back into Carol's life, all she wants is for him to go away. It's been over twenty years since she left and divorced him. She's built a new life, although it is also not without pain. She puts up her walls, her ice princess facade. Carol has no intention of forgiving the man. But when she realizes why he is really there, and he makes a final request of her, she gives in, despite her misgivings. The trip they must take will test them both, their strengths, their weaknesses, their pasts, their memories, their pain. What starts as a trip to fulfill her ex-husbands dying last wish becomes a journey of healing. I totally ugly cried during the last third of the book. I found it difficult to read at times only because I saw myself in Carol, in her loss of self at the hands of another but also at finding the strength to forgive and release the pain.

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5 Stars! A totally gut wrenching story!

WOW! I have never cried ... no sobbed more when reading a book! I have never read a book anything like this one. This is one of those books that I’m not going to forget ... I don’t have many of them, maybe 10 out of the 800 or so books that I have read. Ms Bolden sure know how to write a story that will rip the heart right out of your chest and make you look at things in a different way than you originally did.

At first I absolutely hated John for how he was during his marriage to Caroline, but by the end I just felt sorry for him. Caroline went through so much in her life ... how can someone come out of all that heartbreak and be sane. I’m crying now as I’m writing this review. Nothing can be worse than the death of your child and this book shows how people react differently to horrific events. I highly recommend this book ... but make sure you have lots of tissue on hand.

I received an early copy courtesy of Pink Sand Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

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"When I was younger..........My English teacher said "Don't Judge a book by its cover!" Hmmmmmmm...........
What did I do with this book "A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden".............I did exactly that!!!!
Its a gene I would not usually of chosen as I like a bit of mystery and thrillers etc.......... I was so surprised that I enjoyed this book.
It made me think about loved family member......our beloved grandad we have lost and we still have their ashes.
So a plan of action to be put together with my sisters to let my grandad's ashes be scattered in all the places we all loved to go when we were younger."

A Life Without Water was a lovely find and very moving read. Carol Denman is divorced to her husband John Bowman over twenty years ago and never got in touch with him. Whilst Carol was in her office her past catches up with her. Her ex-Husband John wants to speak to her.

What does he want after all these years?

It's a day before what would of been their daughter's thirtieth birthday. Twenty-four years after she died.

John Bowman is very sick. He wants to make amend on his past between them and fulfil his promises he made to his daughter before she died. John need's his ex-Wife to agree and go with him before he gets worse. They will need to face this painful past and grieve together especially as they have not grieved for her after all these years.

Carol and John embark on a decades-overdue road trip. Together they plunge back into a life without water…...........

However, This book needs to come with a Big Warning especially, If you have recently experienced the loss of a loved one.
You will need Tissues lots of them - I did xx

I am Glad I Judged the book by its cover and read this book...........

Big Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for this Advanced Reader's Copy. I will be reading more of Marci's books now that I know who she is. I wouldn't have heard of her without NetGalley and doing something my English teacher told me Never to do! lol x

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I read the overview of this book and knew right away it sounded like a good one! I was really excited to get a chance to read and review an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) from the Author and NetGalley!

“A Life Without Water” by Marci Bolden might take your heart and your brain to a few places that you’ve never wanted to go-and force you to think about somethings that none of us ever want to face. In my lifetime, I will never look at little red rain boots the same way again! It is well written, shows raw emotions, and you may shed a couple of tears along the way. I will look for more from this Author, Marci Bolden! -Janell @ Green Gables Book Reviews

What would you do if your ex-husband showed up out of the blue…its just a regular day at work and all of a sudden, John is standing in front of Carol. What should she do ? Throw him out? Hug him? It’s been over 20 years. How dare he? How dare he show up now? The day before their daughters 30th Birthday? What is John thinking?

Very soon, Carol discovers John is not himself, he is quite ill and he has come to make amends for his actions during their marriage that caused Carol to leave all these years ago. He begs Carol to go on a long over due road trip with him to try to help both of them heal their wounds. Carol wrestles with her mind-can she take this trip with John. Can she stands being around him that long? Will this trip and time heal their very, very deep wounds? How will they each handle the emotional toll it will take on them?

A book that will show you how fragile life can be and how sometimes moving out of our comfort zone can show us where we belong.

LOVED THIS BOOK!

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First I want to thank Netgalley for providing me wth this ebook.

This was an intense journey.
Carol is recently a widow and has a past she wants to forget, and she has managed to do that until now, that her ex husband showed up from nowhere to bring all those memories back and she's forced to confront what she has dreaded for 24 years.

I had an idea of what I would find in this story, but it was more than a I thought. It's narrated from Carol/Caroline's POV, and we get to know pieces of her past through some extracts availabe in every chapter.

This is a book about grieve, loss and forgiveness. At first I was as reluctant as Carol to hear what John had to say and to do what he wanted her to do. But in the end, I saw what was really important.

I loved how Carol evolves through the story, how she comes to accept all that has happended to her (which is not little).

Also, there's some humor in here, I was surprised by that and enjoyed it a lot.
This is a beautiful book, but to read it you have to be strong emotionally speaking, there are "trigger warnings" relating to children and it can be very unsettling if you've lived something like losing a child.
Eventhough, I thoght the author did a great job telling this story, it's highly emotional and it succeeds at showing the insight of the main character.

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Carol/Caroline fled in the middle of the night from her husband John after the death of their daughter Katie. She divorced him and married Tobias who encouraged her to earn her Doctors Degree and tp do things that challenged her. Twenty Four years later her ex John arrives at her office with a request. We learn that 8 months before Tobias died and John has an inoperable brain tumor with little time to live. His request is for Carol/Caroline to help him spread Katie's ashes at all the places he promised her they would visit.

The story is told in past and present time lines. At times the story is heartbreaking. Make sure you have tissues at hand as I found myself sobbing. A story of love, marriage, family, forgiveness, and moving ahead. Thank you to Netgalley, Pink Sand Press, and Marci Bolden for an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

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I shed so many tears reading this book.
This book was heartbreaking and tears would pour from my eyes.
This book is one that you must read
This author has an amazing talent that you will adore.
Great novel

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Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster of a book!
Carol has been divorced from her husband John for many years when he unexpectedly turns up on her dead daughters anniversary. What follows is an intense journey both emotionally and physically as they come together to finally say a very overdue goodbye to their daughter Katie! This journey is compounded by the fact that John has an inoperable brain tumour and is nearing end of life, this book intimately explores the relationships we have in life and how these experiences affect/shape us for the rest of our lives,it’s all about forgiveness, letting go and ultimately finding peace by taking yourself out of your comfort zones in order to achieve this.
A sobering thought provoking heartfelt read delivered in a sensitive and tender manner.
Thank you net galley for this early read

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Beautiful beautiful book. So well written. Given the content of the book it could have been depressing and hard to read but it was anything but.

I loved the characters in this book and could identify with so many of them. I wanted to hate John for how he was but the writer really thought about human relationships and how different people react to situations

It was clear wjat had happened t’ Katie from the start of the book so it wasn’t a shock ending. I likedcthatcthe focus was on people and their interpersonal relationships. carol’s wonderful second in laws made me want to go and eat ribs and hang out with them. You felt you could really fit right into the story in so many ways - I am so glad I read it, even though I on’y Chose the book from the wellies on the cover because I used to wear wellies with everything!

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Great book that kept me gripped till the end!
Will be going and buying a physical copy for my shelf.

Thank you for letting me read a preview copy

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Phew this was a tough one because of the amount of feels it gives you... I loved it. I loved the characters, and I loved the message and the power of love. It’s one of those books that you will remember because of the thoughts and emotions that it evokes in you. It’s so worth curling up and reading this book.

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WOW,WOW,WOW! A Life Without Water should be the next book you purchase! The story is very emotional, its heartbreaking, and heartwarming, a tearjerker for sure. I like a book that stays with me long after I've read the last word, and this book is it. I am so glad I read it and will be recommending it to my friends. The book is so well written and the characters have such depth, you will not be able to put this book down, even though you have to wipe your eyes many times, you like me will want to read everything Marci Bolden has written.

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