The Second Life of Mirielle West

Amanda Skenandore

Jul 2021 · Highbridge Audio · Kuchazwe ngu-Nicole Poole

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1920s Los Angeles: Socialite Mirielle West's days are crowded with shopping, luncheons, and prepping for the myriad glittering parties she attends with her actor husband, Charlie. She's been too busy to even notice the small patch of pale skin on the back of her hand. Other than an occasional over-indulgence in gin and champagne, which helps to numb the pain of recent tragedy, Mirielle is the picture of health. But her doctor insists on more tests, and Mirielle reluctantly agrees. The diagnosis-leprosy-is devastating and unthinkable. Changing her name to shield Charlie and their two young children, Mirielle is exiled to rural Louisiana for what she hopes will be a swift cure. But the hospital at Carville turns out to be as much a prison as a place of healing. Deaths far outnumber the discharges, and many patients have languished for years. At first, Mirielle keeps her distance from other residents, unwilling to accept her new reality. Gradually she begins to find both a community and a purpose at Carville, helping the nurses and doctors while eagerly anticipating her return home. But even that wish is tinged with uncertainty. How can she bridge the divide between the woman, wife, and mother she was, and the stranger she has become? And what price is she willing to pay to protect the ones she loves?

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Amanda Skenandore is an award-winning author of historical fiction and a registered nurse. Her third novel, The Second Life of Mirielle West, was the 2023 Silicon Valley Reads selection, an Apple Best Book of the Month, and a Hoopla Book Club Pick. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Visit her online at amandaskenandore.com.

Nicole Poole, an Audie Award-nominated narrator, is the recipient of both AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Awards. She is a classically trained actor with equal passions for literature and improvisation.