“You are obese, Mrs. Moriarty.”
Peggy Moriarty is stunned by her doctor’s words. She knows she’s let herself go a bit, but she thinks the young, skinny physician is exaggerating. Her husband’s death fourteen years ago left her to raise their twins, Grace and Greg, alone. But now that they’re teenagers, doing their own things, her only hobby is watching Messages from Beyond, a show about a medium who connects the grieving with their deceased loved ones.
When the twins leave for college, they give Peggy a gift certificate for an exercise class. At first, Peggy is insulted. But once the sting wears off, she realizes if she gets in shape, she might gain the confidence she needs to go on her favorite TV show and talk to her husband one last time.
With help from her new friends at the gym and Carmen Tavarez, the mother of Grace’s boyfriend, Peggy begins to emerge from her prolonged grief and spread her wings.
She may soon discover that her sum is more than a mother, a widow, and her body.
Funny, Touching – and Honest! 
What a brilliantly funny read – yet packed with honesty! I just loved everything about it!
Peggy Moriarty was widowed young and left with four year old twins to bring up on her own so it’s understandable that they became the whole focus of her life. Now they will head to college in less than a year and Peggy’s self-neglect has caught up with her when she hears the dreaded words ‘You are obese, Mrs Moriarty’ from her doctor. But Peggy is in denial; the odd treat can’t hurt, surely? But circumstances – and people – conspire against her and before she knows it she finds herself joining a gym for boot camp. Who’d have believed it? Certainly not Peggy!
Like a lot of us, I’ve been overweight (losing the pounds at present) and if you are sick to death of people who infer that you are overweight, then this is the novel for you! It’s not a preachy diet and exercise book – far from it! This is a very honest and extremely amusing account of one woman’s life as she heads towards being a sole empty-nester dealing with high blood pressure. Peggy isn’t an icon for the perfect, super-fit woman; rather she is just herself and it’s an absolute pleasure to get to know her throughout this story. With a lightness of hand, Diane Barnes slips the reader into Peggy’s life so easily making this is such an enjoyable, entertaining read. I couldn’t find fault with it, and it left me with a fabulous feeling of light-hearted happiness. Such a feel good read, beautifully written and so well crafted that it definitely totally earns all five shining stars!
My thanks to the author for requesting my review and sending my copy of her novel; this is – as always – ,y honest, original and unbiased review.
Tags: women’s fiction
- Format: ebook, paperback
- Size: 304 pages
- Publisher: Red Adept
- Publication Date: 29 October 2019
- Links: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48499524
- https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Diane_Barnes_More_Than?id=ppazDwAAQBAJ
- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/more-than-diane-barnes/1133948754
- https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/more-than
- https://wordery.com/more-than-diane-barnes-9781948051378
- https://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Than-Diane-Barnes-ebook/dp/B07YM2X52C
Author Bio
How many people get to do what they love? Since I was old enough to hold a pencil, I’ve loved writing. Today, I’m fortunate enough to have two careers that give me the opportunity to write. By day, I write marketing copy and corporate communications for a company in the healthcare market. After hours I pen fiction. I’m also a voracious reader and can sit for hours, preferably on a beach or by a pool, devouring good books.
I live outside of Boston with my husband. I don’t talk like a Bostonian, but some people still detect Southern California in my accent from the years I lived there. When I’m not writing or reading, I’m at the gym, running, or playing tennis, trying to burn off the ridiculous amounts of chocolate and ice cream I eat.
Social Media
Website: https://www.dianembarnes.com/
Twitter: @DianeBarnes777
Facebook: @dianebarnes19
Instagram: @dianebarnes777
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