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, clutching only her wallet, her phone and her latest manuscript on a USB stick.
To pull herself up from rock bottom, Belinda drew strength from the real-life women who had inspired her bestselling historical fiction: her mother, Tatiana Morosoff, a White Russian who had fled a home more than once 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 despite being born into abject poverty in Barcelona rose to become the greatest Flamenco dancer of all time; Edna Walling, who lost her own dream home in a freak fire but created garden designs that made her one of Australia’s most celebrated landscape designers.
They were women who had faced seemingly insurmountable challenges and found ways to forge ahead 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.
Buy a copy of Emboldened here.
Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:
What an amazing book! Emboldened makes you think about life, its different paths, and our responses to what some would call adversity. The stories that the author weaves into aspects of her own life are truly interesting and show how resilient anyone can be when “put to the test”. As a result, I am inspired to read Belinda Alexandra’s novels. Anne, NSW, 5 Stars
Belinda Alexandra has long been one of my favourite authors and reading how she recovered after trauma has given me a new insight into life. After reading about the brave women in her family and the other women whom she admired and who inspired her made me look back to the women in my family, many of whom survived wars and diseases and then travelled to new countries for a better life. These women made me realise that we can all do things that we have to and so we can all become ’emboldened’. Liz, VIC, 5 Stars
From the stunning cover to the final page, I loved every bit of this book! Belinda Alexandra is a much-loved fiction author so as soon as I saw her name I knew I’d enjoy this. Belinda uses her own family history as well as stories of other historical women to tell tales of persevering and recovering from hardship and loss. Written after she herself had suffered major loss, this book is inspirational and reminds us there is always a way out of hardship. Denise, QLD, 5 Stars
Some time after Belinda Alexandra fled her home with only a few possessions, she began regaining her life and recovering from CPTSD by researching and writing Emboldened. She clearly states that this is not a self-help book, but it contains stories of amazing women, and Alexandra’s reaction to them, to demonstrate how we can become emboldened ourselves and improve the course of our own lives. Alexandra draws on many sources: her own life experiences and reflections, her family history, and scenes from her many works of historical fiction. The book’s four sections centre on several of the inspirational women who informed those novels. Because of the many varied sources that Alexandra refers to, Emboldened is both informative and inspiring. She weaves a meandering narrative into a coherent work that shows readers how they too can live boldly and fully. Margaret, SA, 5 Stars
I absolutely love Belinda Alexandra’s books, as you get to read a great book as well as learning some historical details/facts. I rarely read memoirs and tend to stick to historical and mystery fiction. However, Emboldened was a great change and a great read. It gave me an insight into Belinda’s life as well as learning about her mum, Tatiana, along with American Virginia Hall, Spanish lady Carmen Amaya and Edna Walling. An interesting read. Yvette, NSW, 5 Stars
This was a heartfelt read; a very challenging story by Belinda, really tugged at the heartstrings. Learnt a lot about purpose and strength and hope reading this page-turner, which grips you as a reader and keeps you engaged from beginning to end. Julie, NSW, 5 Stars
For fans of Richard Fidler history books and fans of Tania Blanchard’s writing style. Emboldened didn’t go where I thought it would; it’s like Julia Baird’s Phosphorescence. It’s like a textbook come memoir and it’s educational regarding trauma, etc. You will learn a lot. By chapter 6, it was only 1945. It was a hard-going read. I found 4 chapters interesting and wondered why the history lesson and why the family history, this could have been a book by itself on Russian history. It does what it states: ways to forge ahead after insurmountable challenges. You’ll be heartbroken by stories of her mother, Virginia, Carmen and Edna. It’s worth reading to the end and you’ll come away more educated. Louise, NSW, 5 Stars
Very lovely story, well written and interesting, would recommend highly. Kathleen, NSW, 5 Stars
This is the first novel of Belinda Alexandra’s I have read and it did not disappoint! Written as part memoir and well-researched history, it was very compelling right from the start. The stories inside are honestly so inspirational and heartbreaking all at the same time. But they all have one thing in common: they never give up. I found this book very inspiring and highly recommend you all to read it for yourselves. Thanks again! Amanda, VIC, 4 Stars
To be honest this book was not what I expected but I thoroughly enjoyed the stories within this book. It touched on many relevant aspects of life and I believe everyone could benefit from reading it. Women doing all they could to follow their dreams and become exactly who they wanted to be despite the obstacles in their paths. It shows a strength that we all have but many are unsure how to achieve this. This book opened my eyes to many things in the way it was written that I believe will stay with me and help me to become emboldened. One of the lessons I will take away is to break everything down in a way so as to not get overwhelmed by what I have to do, as I have a habit of doing. Well worth the read and as an animal and nature lover I loved Belinda’s attitude to this. Renee, QLD, 4 Stars
This is a book for our present times. So many people are experiencing traumas in their lives, be it financial distress, homelessness, domestic violence, or health issues. Belinda Alexandra firmly states that this is not a “Self Help” format, but readers cannot help but gain ideas from her recounting of the stories of several amazing, historically well-known people as to how they became emboldened to carry on their lives, though heavily traumatised. Mastery comes from failing at times but then learning from those failures. It makes us think about the fact that we would not be here except that our ancestors refused to give up at times during their own battles in life. We must develop a purpose for living and take our own responsibility to become emboldened. Belinda Alexandra’s thoroughly enjoyable descriptions of various world areas in her stories tells us how widely travelled she is herself. This is enriching for readers who love to travel also. A book for the mature reader. Marion, QLD, 4 Stars
This is a book of emboldened women with inspirational stories and at times you could picture the event and other times relate to the author’s feelings. The strength and resilience of these women shone out. An inspiring read and recommended reading. Margaret, NSW, 4 Stars
Emboldened is a story about women in history who have been badly affected by experiences most of us would never have to face and how they rose above their personal tragedies to make successful lives for themselves. It’s part personal memoir and part historical and includes the bravery of these women in very trying circumstances. It is very inspiring to read about the difficulties faced and overcome. I enjoyed it immensely. Gloria, SA, 4 Stars
Emboldened is a mixture of family memoir and the stories of some of the real-life women who have inspired many of the characters in her historical fiction novels. I knew about the life of Virginia Hall, an American who became a decorated allied agent in war-torn France and enjoyed hearing about other inspirational women, especially Belinda’s own mother and grandmother who had fled their homes during times of war with few possessions or money. The author alludes to but does not elaborate on a personal trauma where she needed to call on her own resilience to survive. It is almost impossible for those of us who have lived mostly comfortable, peaceful lives to appreciate what strength of character and spirit lies in women who face seemingly insurmountable challenges and yet go on to forge successful, meaningful lives and it is good to be reminded of what is possible. Dianne, QLD, 3 Stars
Not normally one to read true life, Emboldened took me on a journey of the lives of several courageous women without making it feel weary. I enjoyed the historical motivation and story, learning much about the strength and determination of not just the human spirit, but a woman’s spirit. We all seem to have one of the pivotal moments in life where you feel so broken and bettered, feeling like you can’t go on. Reading this book helped show me that it is the perception of the moment you’re in at that particular time – but we can drive forward and make huge accomplishments, no matter what past challenges may have been. It was not the sort of book I would normally choose off the shelf, but I feel all the better for reading it. Thanks for the opportunity. Suzie, WA, 3 Stars
Thoroughly enjoyed, quite thought-provoking, especially liked the telling of her mother’s story. It didn’t delve into what actually Belinda went through but inspires us to be the best we can be in difficult times. Excellent read. Paula, SA, 3 Stars
Emboldened has an interesting structure of combining stories of a range of women throughout history (as per the author’s interest) to illustrate her own stories of resilience and boldness. I liked this unique format, but unfortunately did find that it felt like the author was rambling at times, and the message was not clear at times throughout the novel. I also found her views on some other people to be intolerant and judgmental, which is in contrast to her perceived outlook of accepting and acknowledging people’s stories. Overall, despite these elements I didn’t like, I did enjoy reading the book and found myself picking it up regularly. Toni, NSW, 3 Stars
The author is definite to say this is not designed as a work of self-help, but her story of how she moved forward using inspiration from strong women. The author certainly showed strength and courage to be honest in her telling. She always shows eloquence in every part of this story. Suzanne, NSW, 3 Stars
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