‘Not The Life Imagined’ by Anne Pettigrew is a novel that follows a group of friends who are all studying to go into medicine in Glasgow in the 1960s. Although this is a fictional story Anne has used her own knowledge of the world of a medical student back then and that shines through like a beacon.

The story takes us through the ups and downs of the group, right up to the 1980s. The story is mainly told from Bethany Slater’s point of view, but the narrative shifts occasionally to other members of the group. The sexism that female medical students in the 60’s and even onward is shown for all its absurdity and, wow, I am glad I wasn’t a student then, made me so frustrated for the women in the group.

We see the clever and the not so clever people, the ones who are aware, it isn’t what you know, it’s who you know. One prime example in the book is Connor. Getting away with the right results because he knows the examiners. Connor seems to sail through the years causing chaos for the others and in a fabulous twist along the way, he pays the price.

I picked this book up, not expecting anything. I did like the blurb, but you never know how it will be until you begin. I was so absorbed in Beth and her friends’ lives by the end of a chapter, it took me by surprise. I laughed with them, cried and even got mad with them all! The story was written in such a way I just read and read, it was seamless, entertaining and gritty too, which it should be. We see not just the highs, but also the lows and I think these are important. We experience the type of bonding that some people experience with the friends they made at University or Medical School and see it last through the years.

Thank you to Damp Pebbles Blog Tours and the author for the book to make my views known on the blog tour today. I loved this book!