It was once said that life is like a book. There are good chapters, and there are bad chapters.

For Mary Anne Willow this is certainly true.

In her heartfelt memoir, The Grace of a Nightingale, Innerleithen resident Mary, takes readers on the journey of her turbulent life.

Mary describes her story as both ordinary and extraordinary. Ordinary because she was searching for the same thing as many of us: love, understanding and purpose.

But the journey was stormy for Mary as she speaks of the hell she had to go through to find them.

Mary was born in Yorkshire in a decaying northern town to a dysfunctional family in 1962. At three years old she witnessed her father beating her mother as she clung to her baby brother believing they were going to die.

At the age of seven she moved with her family to her parent’s home town in north west England. But the nightmare of abuse continued for a decade.

Growing up in a culture of misogynistic oppression and irrational hate, Mary escaped to Wales to work in a sea-side hotel where she became “enlightened” by coastal beauty.

In the years that followed she trained as a nurse and worked in some of the most prestigious hospitals across England.

But the storm was set to return in Mary’s life. Following a disastrous marriage she was haunted by the demons of her past. Despite embarking on a journey of healing and hope, years later she was rocked by her father’s suicide, a second failed marriage, and a near death episode following the insertion of surgical mesh, regarded by some as the biggest health scandal since Thalidomide.

Through the darkness of her life, Mary discovered her inner courage and faith, combined with her love of nature, books and music, she began to glimpses of light and hope.

She said: “I felt compelled to write my memoirs which describe my personal journey of self discovery, falling in love with nature, animals, beauty and God. It is a heartfelt odyssey of survival.

“My book attempts to expressively and reflectively trace the stories of my life. In order to survive and thrive after abuse and loss, personal meaning must be made of what has been suffered.

“The style of this book provides an aid to the grieving process as well as challenge social stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems.”

Mary felt compelled to write her story over 25 years ago. “I wanted to reach out and share my story of survival from a childhood littered with abuse and neglect.”

However, her story was far from its ending and the years that followed provided further tales of survival.

The unknown author began penning her memoirs three years ago and her manuscript was accepted by Arrow Gate Publishing without an agent or publicist.

Although Mary’s memoirs are harrowing at times, they are also full of hope. And like all the best stories, she says, there is a happy ending.