This Shining Life

Aug 24, 2025 2:36 AM

Author:Harriet Kline

This Shining Life

A captivating, emotional novel that weaves together an achingly beautiful picture of love in all its forms.

'An exquisitely beautiful and compelling novel about love, loss and life'Rachel Joyce

________________________

For Rich, life is golden.

He fizzes with happiness and love.

When Rich dies, he leaves behind a family without a father, a husband, a son and a best friend.

His wife, Ruth, can't imagine living without him and finds herself faced with a grief she's not sure she can find her way through. At the same time, their young son Ollie becomes intent on working out the meaning of life. Because everything happens for a reason. Doesn't it?

But when they discover a mismatched collection of presents left by Rich for his loved ones, it provides a puzzle for them to solve, one that will help Ruth navigate her sorrow and help Ollie come to terms with what's happened.

Together, they will learn to lay the ghosts of the past to rest, and treasure the true gift that Rich has left them: the ability to embrace life and love every moment.

Readers have been moved by THIS SHINING LIFE:

***** 'Compelling, bittersweet and beautifully written.'

***** 'This book will make you weep and laugh. It is so raw and real that I could feel what the characters are going through.'

***** 'Beautifully observed, compellingly written. I found it incredibly moving and I couldn't put it down.'

***** 'Harriet Kline conveys beautifully the whole range of emotions experienced by different people.'

***** 'I love this book from start to finish.'

'This captivated me...This beautiful book shows us that grief is not a problem to solve, but an expression of love, as we watch a family come together in the most heartwarming way.'Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward

'This Shining Life gives us a heartbroken family, complicated and familiar in the best ways, going through the hardest of times but finding love and hope and, especially, one another.' Laurie Frankel, author of This is How It Always Is, the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick

Reviews

A poignant story

—— Woman

Deeply moving and empathetic ... very poignant and well-informed

—— NB

Exquisitely written [with] terrific characterisation [that is] unforgettable

—— Irish Examiner

[I] loved this gorgeous, funny, poignant and very human book

—— Rowan Coleman

Charming and compassionate, dark at times yet peppered with joy. I fully expect Duckling to spread its wings and fly!

—— Eleanor Ray

The most delightfully bonkers historical fantasy romance of 2021! I enjoyed every absorbing moment

—— Jen DeLuca, author of Well Played

The most charming, clever, and laugh-out-loud funny book I've read all year . . . India Holton's utterly delightful debut is pure joy from start to finish.

—— Martha Waters, author of To Have and to Hoax

India's debut is charming, clever, action-packed, with masterful bantering-while-dueling choreography: it reminds me of The Princess Bride, except swoonier and more fantastical. It's an instant beloved favorite.

—— Sarah Hogle, author of You Deserve Each Other

The perfect diversion for a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea. What fun!

—— Manda Collins, author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem

Magnificent in every sense. India Holton's writing is gorgeous and lyrical, her dialogue clever and witty, and her characters loveable and unforgettable

—— Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, author of Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything

A tongue-in-cheek swashbuckling adventure

—— Library Journal

Black is a master at world-building.

—— The New York Times

The many mysteries keep the suspense sizzling as Charlie guides readers through this slippery world. Black's adult fans and readers looking for dark urban fantasy will be thrilled.

—— Publishers Weekly

Book of Night delivers hot sex, a breathless plot, perfect characters, and some of the most gorgeous writing I've read in years, sharp as a razor blade, clear as a one-way glass.

—— Ellen Kushner, award-winning author of Swordspoint

...[T]he story builds to an exciting climax that will certainly leave you crossing your fingers for a sequel.

—— Paste Magazine

Book of Night is both wickedly clever and dangerously entertaining.

—— Grimdark Magazine

Black is a veteran fantasy writer, which shows in the opening pages as she neatly and easily guides the reader through the engrossing world of gloamists, magical shadows, and Charlie's brand of criminality... The mystery elements are well executed, as is Charlie's characterization, and the big twist at the end packs a satisfying punch... Hits the marks for spooky thrills and mysterious chills.

—— Kirkus

Mesmerising . . . A promising debut from a talent to watch

—— Good Housekeeping

A deliciously lyrical novel . . . weaving between the dangerous yet excitable now and the years of ungodly traumas passed, this masterful tale of childhood love will wash over you like the refreshing, cold waters of The Paper Palace's nearby lake

—— BUZZ magazine

[Cowley Heller] brings to fiction an understanding of how to layer storylines, as well as an assured feel for dialogue and visual description . . . a skilful portrait

—— The Oldie, Book of the Month

The Paper Palace paints a vivid picture of family secrets and tensions, against the backdrop of a sun-soaked summer

—— Take A Break

Miranda Cowley Heller's debut The Paper Palace . . . finds Elle on the point of leaving her near-perfect family life for the visceral thrill of Jonas, green-eyed soul mate of her youthful vacations. With its atmospheric setting and rich backstory, the denouement is set to be an August talking point and a mini-series is already slated.'

—— Country and Townhouse

A stirring and sensual story

—— Woman's Weekly

This accomplished family saga is gripping and poetic, capturing the complexity of the human heart

—— Daily Mirror

A richly detailed family saga that nods to tales by Johns Cheever and Updike . . . this immersive novel makes for a lushly satisfying read

—— The Times

A feel-good read, with great characters to care about, it takes current issues seriously but adds plenty of humour

—— Choice

[It leaves] the reader with that fuzzy feeling you want from a feel-good book. Fans of her previous hit, The Authenticity Project, will not be disappointed

—— Woman's Weekly

A feel-good tale about the power of real-life connections

—— Sun

You can always rely on Pooley to deliver not just wonderful, lively characters but a story that leaves you feeling uplifted and hopeful

—— CultureFly

Batuman has taken what made The Idiot so brilliant, distilled it, and created an equally brilliant new work. Either/Or is unbridled joy.

—— Big Issue

Funny... Unforgettable... Batuman is particularly good on sex and sexual politics... The star feature is the narration... garrulous, rambunctious... full of baroque riffs and digressions.

—— Claire Lowdown , Spectator

A fresh voice is a rare thing, and Elif Batuman is one such.

—— Times Literary Supplement, *Books of the Year*

Either/Or is extremely funny and delightfully ludic, as it probes the very act of reading from the point of view of confused university student Selin.

—— Anakana Schofield, Irish Times, Books of the Year 2022

I was desperately looking forward to Elif Batuman's Either/Or, and it more than lived up to it.

—— Samir Chadha , White Review, *Books of the Year*

Re-encountering Selin...felt like being reunited with an old friend.

—— Helen Charman , White Review, *Books of the Year*

Hilarious.

—— Alice Hattrick , White Review, *Books of the Year*

I greatly enjoyed the comic zing of Elif Batuman's delightful Either/Or

—— Megan Hunter , White Review, *Books of the Year*

Witty, intelligent and funny... [Selin's] inner monologue is addictive enough to read a thousand more pages of, and I can only cross my fingers that this isn't the last instalment of the series.

—— Crack

Just as funny and self-aware and clever as The Idiot.

—— Jessica Zhan Mei Yu , White Review, *Books of the Year*

Funny, wry and insightful

—— The Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*

Laugh out loud…hilarious and thoughtful

—— Times Literary Supplement, *Books of the Year*

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