Please note that this title is currently out of stock but is available for pre-order. While we don’t have an exact publishing date yet, it is expected to be available within approximately 4 to 6 weeks.
When Alex receives a phone call from England telling her that her mother has died, she makes a decision that will change everything. Leaving behind a controlling marriage in Australia, she flies home — not knowing that this journey will reshape the rest of her life.
In Nottinghamshire, grief opens the door to unexpected friendship. Edith, sharp-tongued and loyal. Ruth, a single mother doing her best to survive. And little Lorna, four years old and full of joy. Together, they become the “3.5 Musketeers” — a chosen family bound by kindness, humour, and the courage to begin again.
As the years unfold, Alex navigates independence, love, loss, dementia care, and second chances. What begins as escape becomes a deeply human story of resilience, friendship, and the quiet triumphs that define a life well lived.
Warm, wise, and rich with lived authenticity, The Extraordinary Diary of an Ordinary Woman is perfect for readers who love character-driven novels, book club fiction, and stories that celebrate the strength of ordinary women.
For fans of Joanna Trollope, Sarah Winman, Elizabeth Strout, and Anne Tyler.
Dianne Preston is an 80-year-old debut novelist from Nottinghamshire’s East Midlands.
After surviving a forty-year controlling marriage, Dianne rebuilt her life, reunited with her childhood sweetheart, and later nursed him through illness until his death in 2022. She began writing in 2023, finding solace and purpose through storytelling — often accompanied by her rescue puppy.
The Extraordinary Diary of an Ordinary Woman draws on a lifetime of lived experience and a deep connection to Nottinghamshire’s Robin Hood country. Her writing explores resilience, love, loss, and the quiet strength of ordinary women living extraordinary lives.
