Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel

From Goodreads

Five stories – Five Lives.
Five fictional, compelling true-to-life stories about how people can be manipulated by others, yet eventually find the strength to move on.

Manipulators are everywhere. At first these devious and calculating people can be hard to spot, because that is their way. They are often masters of disguise: witty, disarming, even charming in public – tricks to snare their prey – but then they revert to their true self of being controlling and angry in private. Their main aim: to dominate and use others to satisfy their needs, with a complete lack of compassion and empathy for their victim.

In this collection of short novellas, you meet people like you and me, intent on living happy lives, yet each of them, in one way or another, is caught up and damaged by a manipulative individual.

First you meet Tess, whose past is haunted by a wrong decision, then young, successful and well balanced Sophie, who is drawn into the life of a little boy and his troubled father. Next, there is teenage Holly, who is intent on making a better life for herself, followed by a manipulator himself, trying to make sense of his irreversible incarceration. Lastly, there is Lisa, who has to face a parent’s biggest regret.

All stories highlight to what extent abusive manipulation can distort lives and threaten our very feeling of self-worth yet ultimately, also send a positive message that once you understand a manipulator’s moves, you can break free from them and let go of the past.

About the Author

Helene Andrea Leuschel gained a Master in Journalism & Communication, which led to a career inradio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She later acquired a Master in Philosophy,specializing in the study of the mind. Helene has a particular interest in emotional, psychological and social well-being and this led her to write her first novel, Manipulated Lives, a fictional collection of five novellas, each highlighting the dangers of interacting with narcissists. She lives with her husband and two children in Portugal.

My thoughts

My thanks to Emma of Damppebbles Blog tours for the invitation to take part in  the Blog tour of this book.  I would have received a copy of this from the Author via Emma in order to take part, but it was already sat waiting to be read on my Kindle.

I gave this collection of stories an overall 4 stars or 8/10.  If I was to rate them all individually, some would get different ratings than others due to having enjoyed some more than others, that's if you can say you enjoy reading about the misery others face at the hands of people who don't always have their best interests at heart. 

This is a well written collection of 5 novella length short stories all with a common link of the characters being manipulated in some way by another individual or individuals.  All the stories focus on a different set of characters, none of them are interlinked.  Due to the length of the stories the reader becomes invested in the characters and the scenarios surrounding each story, making you want to read them through to the end to find out what fate has in store for them.

I felt that I could relate to the female lead of Holly in the Runaway Girl.  As a young teenager of a similar age to her, I was possibly very similar in some ways and feel that if I had crossed paths with someone like Luke that I could so easily have been in her shoes.  For that reason I feel that the Runaway Girl was probably my favourite of them, due to the memories of that time that it invoked in me.

This book would make a great reading group read, as there is so much that could be discussed about it.