In My Pear-Shaped Life Greta Gale is an unsuccessful actress whose peak of her career to date happened when she was a child. She’s the funny one and constantly making her friends and family laugh with her self-effacing humour. Greta is fun to be around.

Underneath though Greta is hiding a lot of pain. It’s the pain from being the butt of her family’s jokes and her belief that she ‘s already reached and gone beyond the peak of her life. She’s overweight and not fulfilling her acting ambitions. Greta begins taking sleeping tablets to help her sleep and switch off from her lack of self-confidence and nagging disappointment in herself. She can’t see how anyone could love someone as overweight as she is and hides her hurt behind a bright smile.

Greta’s father constantly criticises her. He can’t understand why she is like she is when he and her two brothers are so fit and healthy. Greta’s mother is concerned about her as is her uncle Ray, the one person she feels she can confide in. One day Greta’s world falls apart and when it’s time to start working on putting it all together again, she is given a gift by someone close to her who shows her that just because your life goes a bit pear-shaped, there is still an awful lot to look forward to.

This is a gutsy, funny, heart-breaking, but heart-warming and satisfying read. For readers who are also fans of The Wizard of Oz you’ll enjoy the thread connected to the film, but to find out more you’ll have to read the book. Thanks to HarperCollins for an arch copy of My Pear-Shaped Life in return for an honest review.