Being a mother isn't easy, especially when you never wanted to be one. Nora became a wife and mother at age eighteen, long before she planned. Now she finds that fulfilling society's expectations in a rapidly changing world is much more difficult than she ever anticipated.
After losing a friend to domestic violence, Nora helps start a shelter to protect other women, and she struggles to balance her passionate activism with her duties as a parent.
As she deals with constant guilt and confusion from conflicting priorities, Nora discovers the solace and support that only good friends can provide. They add the love and balance that she needs after her marriage ends. When her daughter gives birth to a baby girl, Nora becomes a grandmother and finds more joy and wonder than she ever dreamed possible.
Nora's mid-life takes some interesting turns when unexpected romantic relationships add a satisfaction that she couldn't have predicted. In a story that encompasses three generations of intelligent and strong-willed women, Nora realizes that there are many different ways for a woman to build a life on her own terms.
The Life That She Wanted is a thought-provoking novel, a complex portrait of motherhood, friendship, family, love, and ambition.
