The Grace of a Nightingale

Book design and cover illustration

The Grace of a Nightingale

The Grace of a Nightingale is the debut book of author Mary Anne Willow. The memoir is a brilliantly heartfelt odyssey of survival. Even in Mary Anne’s darkest moments she finds courage, faith and a love of music and nature. With the kindness of a handful of friends, strangers and animals she discovers that hope always triumphs over adversity.

The nightingale has huge significance throughout the book. Mary Anne, a former nurse, is not only drawn to the symbolism of this bird of love, loss and new beginnings, it is also the name of the founder of modern nursing. The nightingale first appears in the book when Mary Anne is 4 years old whilst staying on a ‘Nightingale Ward’, then again as a sketch Mary Anne did of Florence Nightingale on her bedroom wall when she is 7 years old. This continues until the nightingale’s final appearance in the last chapter of the book.

The ribbon, which is depicting the nightingale’s song, contains various important symbols derived from the stories within the book. There are 3 crosses, a horse shoe, a paw print, a dog and musical notes – these subtly invite the reader to discover there meaning as they read the book.

Sector

  • Publishing

Scope

  • Book design
  • Cover illustration
  • Book launch website
Monomo & Co have created a beautiful, graceful, elegant and feminine cover which brilliantly reflects the essence of the book and my life story. I could not have wished for a better design for my debut book.

Mary Anne Willow – Author

The Wisdom of a Nightingale

Author Mary Anne Willow was frequently asked by readers of her first book, The Grace of a Nightingale, how she managed to cope and persevere through difficult times. In her second book, The Wisdom of a Nightingale, she not only answers these questions but also shares how, despite her traumatic background, she has been blessed with the life she has always desired — one filled with hope, happiness, and love.

This new book is closely aligned with her debut book and is designed to feel like a companion piece or part of a series. The cover illustration was preserved, though the background colour was changed, and the use of similar typography throughout creates a sense of the books having a shared identiy.

Both books are now preserved for the nation in the five most prestigious libraries in the UK and Ireland: The Bodleian Library Oxford University, the Cambridge University Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales and Trinity College Dublin.