Change is unsettling for everyone, even changes we want. In this book, psychotherapist Julia Samuel talks about the process of change and how we can adapt and grow through change if we allow it to be felt, rather than suppressed or denied. She covers four areas - Family relationships, work, health and identity, using case studies of clients who have come to her for help in dealing with difficult changes. At the end she lists the 8 Pillars of Strength which offer practical advice for coping with change. Definitely a book to give the reader food for thought, and a comfort when facing life's obstacles. Accessible and candid, I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels stuck or anxious about change.

I enjoyed this case study from Julia Samuel. I found this book intriguing and interesting to see how people cope in everyday situations. It has case studies of real people and that's what I found gripped me too the pages. It was a well researched book and if you like case studies then I recommend picking this up.

There were plenty of useful nuggets in this book which deals with change in the many aspects as we go through life. A good book to have by the bedside, as we all find a way to cope through the current world virus crisis. It includes interesting case studies for varying life changes, and a useful conclusion which highlights eight pillars of strength to help through those changes and other difficulties that life presents to us.

Julia Samuel uses her experience as a psychotherapist to tell the stories of her patients. She does this eloquently and with feeling - we really feel we get to know Caz as he struggles to make the transition from student to independent working adult or Ayesha as she negotiates the menopause and addiction. She themes their experiences into chapters including love, health, work and identity. Each patient’s story is told in some detail and Samuel also reflects on her own feelings and part in the telling of their stories. At the end of each chapter, Samuel pulls together the threads of the stories within it - for example, reflecting on the different challenges of health at different life stages through the different experiences of her patients. I found it a fascinating read but it’s not a book I picked up and read from cover to cover. It’s dense and best savoured over some time, in my opinion. I was particularly interested in how Samuel uses herself as a therapist to give her insights into her patient’s world. For example, why she feels impatient or overwhelmed and when to reflect that back. Thoroughly recommended for those interested in the therapeutic relationship and the universal themes Samuel covers.

There are recipes which consist of a small number of high quality ingredients that are the best food. Barry's writing style is like that. Good plot+ great characters+ poetic but simple prose+ great narrator's voice= amazing quality book. Following on from Days Without End, the narrator is Winona ,Ojinjintka originally of the Lakota people. She was adopted by "misfits" Thomas McNulty and John Cole. Winona is obviously an intelligent young woman who works for a local solicitor . When people are able to see through prejudices and racist beliefs they can see what a special family they are. However they live on the fringes of a community and Winona has to survive an horrific incident. This is compounded by an attack on her good friend because he is black. Winona sets out to right the wrongs done with bravery, determination and a measure of youthful recklessness. During this quest she finds both enemies and allies in unlikely places. Will she be able to overcome the racism and prejudice in a "wild west" town which has a narrow minded and unfair justice which does not respect the "all men are created equal" part of the Constitution?. Winona is a narrator who makes the book flow quickly by. I am not sure of the ending and had to ask a friend how they interpreted it. Barry trusts that to the reader. Barry's book is flawless. Engaging, moving and it asks us to look beyond out own prejudices to what really matters about being human. Tracey Exeter