Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week.  Feel free to grab the button and join in!

This week’s Frightful Friday book is The Chalk Girl  by Carol O’Connell:

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (January 17, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0399157743
• Source: Publisher

School children on a school field trip to Central Park come across a young girl. She’s bright-eyed, red-headed and appears to be okay other than the blood on her shoulders.  She dismisses this, stating that it fell from the sky when she was looking for her uncle, who had turned into a tree. It isn’t until later that police, including Special Crimes Detective Mallory, begin finding bodies hanging from trees.

Mallory has just recently returned to the force after a three-month “leave.” She feels a close bond with the little girl, Coco, due to their similar history. Mallory, too, was a “found” child, fostered by a police detective, spurring her interest in law enforcement.  Due to her childhood, she’s quick to form bonds with others with attachment disorders.  It’s not long before they learn that Coco has a disorder called Williams syndrome, giving her a fairy-like appearance and the desire to form close attachments with complete strangers.  The man she refers to as her uncle isn’t her uncle at all, but a man who abducted her after her grandmother passed away.

The discover of Coco uncovers murders spanning back nearly two decades and a series of deep secrets kept hidden thanks to good, old-fashioned blackmail. The serial killer responsible for the current crimes is referred to as The Hunger Artists, for all of his victims are found close to death due to starvation.

The Chalk Girl is a multi-faceted thriller. Not only is it an investigation of a serious set of crimes, it is also a psychological examination of Mallory herself. While this is my first Mallory novel, I felt I learned a great deal about this incredibly rich character.  She has quite a history, largely influenced, in my mind, by her difficult upbringing.

Additionally, it is an examination of the life of a troubled set of children. Each chapter begins with a statement by a character named Ernest Nadler from his childhood. It isn’t until much later in the book that the reader discovers Nadler’s connection to the other victims mentioned.

As mentioned, this is my first Mallory novel.  I can’t wait to dive in the other nine novels in the Kate Mallory series. Mallory is a no-nonsense, incredibly strong female character. I can’t wait to trace back her history with the New York City Police Department, to see how her character has evolved over the years. Recommended.

Frightful Friday Review: The Chalk Girl by Carol O’Connell is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (December 20, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0062041193
• Source: Publisher

When Chelsea’s grandmother passed away she was devastated.  She was incredibly close to Gran and can’t seem to fathom how she and her mother are going to survive without her. Despite this closeness, Chelsea is surprised to learn that she has inherited Gran’s cottage in the Adirondacks, a cottage that has been closed for decades. 

In a letter left for her, Gran urges Chelsea to visit the cottage to find out what was so special about this property. She ends up staying the entire summer, discovering a past her grandmother had literally buried years ago.  War-time romances, pain, loss, so much she never knew about her grandmother. In the months she spends in that serene cabin, in rediscovering her grandmother, Chelsea also experiences a bit of an awakening herself.

In addition to her grandmother’s journal, she comes across a journal full of her wartime recipes; a true legacy passed on from one generation to another. The recipes are named after influential individuals, including war leaders, actors and more. They range from MacAurthuroni and Cheese to Roosevelt’s Roast, Eisenhower’s Eggs Benedict, and more. (The recipes themselves are included in the bonus material at the back of the book)

The past she uncovers isn’t one that she initially believed should be kept hidden from her family, but with the help of local townspeople and her attractive doctor neighbor, Chelsea learns that some secrets, if they don’t change the present, are better left alone.

Admittedly, the budding relationship that forms between Chelsea and her neighbor, Brandon Yale, is a little too “Nicholas Sparks” for me.  That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this book; I really did. Not for the romance, but for the story, the legacy, that Chelsea uncovers in her grandmother’s cottage.  As she reads the journal entries, the storyline flashes back to Gran’s youth as the beautiful young bride, Brooke, and that fateful summer of 1942. Like other readers, I found similarities between this book and Sarah Jio’s Violets of March. Fans of multi-generational family sagas will be drawn into this novel, just as I was. Recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to participate in this tour. Be sure to check out the other stops along the way:

Tuesday, December 20th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, December 21st: A Cozy Reader’s Corner
Thursday, December 22nd: Teresa’s Reading Corner
Monday, December 26th: Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books, and Brainstorms
Tuesday, December 27th: Amused By Books
Wednesday, December 28th: BookNAround
Thursday, December 29th: Reflections of a Bookaholic
Friday, December 30th: Wandering Thoughts of a Scientific Housewife
Tuesday, January 3rd: Hospitable Pursuits
Wednesday, January 4th: Library of Clean Reads
Thursday, January 5th: Diary of an Eccentric

Review: More than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback:320 pages
• Publisher:Plume; 1 edition (December 27, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0452297672
• Source: Publisher

The summer of 1942, young Anne Calloway sets off to the Pacific island of Bora-Bora to serve as a nurse for the Army Nurse Corps.  She’s engaged to get married; this venture is her last bit of adventure before becoming a married woman.  She goes to Bora-Bora with her best friend, Kitty, a flirtatious, free-spirited young woman.

Once they reach Bora-Bora, an island full of military men who haven’t seen women in ages, it doesn’t take Kitty long to find a few potential love interests.  Anne, still questioning her engagement, yet also feeling guilt for “abandoning” her fiance to embark on this adventure, soon forges a friendship with a soldier named Westry. They find solace in one another at an abandoned bungalow, leaving notes to one another using fictitious names. Soon, their friendship blooms into something much more.  A horrible murder & the ravages of war threaten their budding romance.

The reader “meets” Anne decades later, an elderly woman now.  As she ages, she can’t help but look back upon this time spent in Bora-Bora, wondering “what if.” She’s taken back in time when she receives communication from the island that forever changed her.

Spanning not only time but location, The Bungalow is a breathtakingly beautiful look at undying, endearing, true love. Those that know me well know that I’m not really a fan of love stories, yet for some reason the power of Jio’s writing envelopes me, takes me away to a completely different time and place. She did so with The Violets of March and succeeded and doing it again with The Bungalow.  The love that is shared between Anne & Westry is a genuine one, not over the top or forced. The setting, despite taking place in the midst of World War II, is a beautiful one. It adds to the romance shared between these to young individuals.

Bottom line: The Bungalow is a book that will completely engage you; don’t be surprised if it forces to be read in one sitting. It’s a story of love in the midst of death, love that continues despite the passing of time. Highly recommended!

Review: The Bungalow by Sarah Jio is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (November 15, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 006195876X
• Source: Publisher

Classic literature is rich with female  characters deserving of the term “heroine.” From Jane Eyre to Anne Shirley, each of these characters overcame some sort of loss or struggle, landing firmly on two feet at the end. As a teen, I sought out these characters personally, treating them as my own solace from the world:

There’s something in the pause to read that’s soothing in and of itself.  A moment with a book is basic self-care, the kind of skill you pass along to your children as you would a security blanket or churchgoing habit.

Blakemore takes these characters, utilizes the lessons or characteristics depicted by these women, to produce a sort of lesson to inspire the reader. Additionally, each author’s own life is compared to that of her characters, detailing their motivations for writing that particular individual into existence. 

Of foremost importance is one’s responsibility to one’s self, forgoing love, success, etc. in the name of self-respect.

As with many of the authors, their own journey to personal happiness wasn’t necessarily successful. That said, the work they produced provided enough joy to generations of women to follow. They inspired many of us, reading these novels as teens, to aspire to more:

As women, we are the protagonists of our own personal novels. We are called upon to be the heroines of our own lives, not supporting characters.

Blakemore evaluates each of these characters, expanding upon the trait each held that inspired us as readers. These traits include self, faith, happiness, dignity, etc.  At the end of each chapter, Blakemore suggests occasions for reading the particular novel referenced. These range from “When your inner people-pleaser threatens to drown out your gut instinct” to When someone repeatedly misspells your name or implies that they’d rather interact with a man.”

At the conclusion of each chapter, Blakemore also lists each character’s literary sister, listing books of similar topic and theme.

The Heroine’s Bookshelf is guaranteed to be loved by all the women in your life, whether they’ve read the classics or not. I can imagine a book club being formed around the premise of the book, reading the initial classic, followed up by one of its ”sisters” for comparison.

I want to personally thank Erin for reuniting me with my heroines.  I’ve made it a point to create my own “Heroine’s Bookshelf,” a place where I can seek solace in my heroines when life gets a little too rough. Highly recommended.

I have two copies of The Heroine’s Bookshelf to give away to one lucky reader, one paperback and one audio book. To enter, comment below with your favorite heroine from literature. It can from more modern literature, it doesn’t have to be classic. Be sure to indicate which format of the book you would prefer.  The winners will be contacted via email on Friday, November 25th.

If you want another chance to win a copy of the book, be sure to participate in today’s #Indiethursday on Twitter & Facebook (click here for more information on IndieThursday).

Review: The Heroine’s Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder by Erin Blakemore is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (June 14, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0307595129
• Source: Personal Copy

Review: Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover:352 pages
• Publisher:Algonquin Books (May 24, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 1565129903
• Source: Publisher

Dana Lynn Yarboro and Bunny Chaurisse Witherspoon are both teen girls, growing up in 1980s Atlanta.  They are also half-sisters, both daughters of a bigamist, James Witherspoon.  Only Dana and her mother, Gwen, are aware of James’ double life.

Dana and Bunny live vastly different lives: Dana & Gwen struggle to get by, only receiving minimal financial support from James. Dana has memories of her father sitting her down, ordering her not to reveal the truth behind their “secret family.” To all concerned, Raleigh, James’ close friend, is Dana’s father. To prevent being referred to as “illegitimate,” Raleigh goes as far as to sign Dana’s birth certificate.  In Dana’s mind, however, she will always be illegitimate:

In my mind, Chaurisse is his real daughter.  With wives, it only matters who gets there first.  With daughters, the situation is a bit more complicated.

Chaurisse and her mother, Laverne, on the other hand, appreciate all the comforts of a “normal” family. James and Laverne married quite young; Laverne was unable to complete high school due to her pregnancy. Her only existence is that which she shares with James; she never had the opportunity to experience the milestones typical teen girls do.

James and Raleigh do their best to keep the girls apart, to prevent their meeting.  However, 1980s Atlanta, according to James “ain’t nothing but a country town, and everyone knows everybody.” 

I read Silver Sparrow in one sitting, unable to tear myself away from the story of these two girls. The first line: “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.” This sentence prepares the reader for the drama that is about to ensue.

Silver Sparrow is told by the viewpoints of both girls; the first half in Dana’s voice and the second in Chaurisse’s. The reader can’t help but feel sympathy for Dana; she knows of her father’s “deception,” realizes there is another family who she’s forced to share him with.  the lack of a male role model forces her to make poor decisions, all due to desperation for male attention and love.

On the opposite side, Chaurisse and Laverne are completely clueless; they live years believing their family is a secure and normal one.

The insecurities each of the girls feel is quite compelling: Dana and her mother are attractive but this is not apparent in their feelings about themselves due to the lack of security they feel as a family.  Chaurisse and Laverne, on the other hand, are plain, typical women and have a sense, albeit false, of security in their lives. Each family is missing something, apparent or not.

Since Silver Sparrow is told through the eyes of Dana and Chaurisse; the reader doesn’t get to see the saga in the eyes of the two mothers, or James and Raleigh.  I believe this adds to these unique novel; had it been told by the two wives the reader would experience a completely different story.

Bottom line: Silver Sparrow is a stunning novel with several topics and themes worth discussing, making this the perfect book club choice. Highly recommended.

Review: Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback:320 pages
• Publisher:Mira; Original edition (May 31, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0778312917
• Source: Planned Television Arts

Childhood friends Samantha, Isabel, Kendra and Mina get together every summer at some luxurious vacation spot, joined by their parents. This year, however, the clan is not complete; Mina lost her battle with cancer six months ago.  They all join Sam at a beach house in the Honduras, struggling to fill the space missing since Mina’s death.

To Sam, it seems wrong not to have Mina around. In addition to dealing with her good friend’s death, she’s struggling with her own identity.  Her boyfriend, a weathly, attractive, French man, proposes marriage. She’s happy with him, but is that enough? She battles with how this big decision will influence her future?  She uses a journal Mina left behind as a sort of “Magic 8″ ball; she asks Mina a question, opening to a random spot in the journal, hoping for some of Mina’s wisdom.

Mina’s not the only one missing from this year’s get together.  Kendra, one of the strongest women of the group, chooses not to join her friends (and parents) this year.  She’s struggling with her own decision. She’s always been the one to make the right decision, always the responsible one. This time, however, things are different.  She’s unable to admit to her closest friends that she’s made a huge mistake, forcing instead to deal with this on her own.

The parents, the older generation, share their insights with the girls, each revealing an elaborate past the girls were unfamiliar with.  This information, and the “messages” Mina appears to be leaving behind for the girls, reveal to each one of them the paths they must take in order to find true happiness.

The Summer We Came to Life is quite an emotional read; not only are the girls still healing from the loss of their best friend, they are all struggling to find their own identities.  Each one thinks rather rationally, not realizing it is their own heart they should follow, the only thing in life that is consistently honest. Cloyed does an outstanding job at building and revealing each of these characters.  One can’t help but feel for Samantha, the lead character.  She seems to be taking Mina’s death the hardest, she still has yet to return to the “real world” and deal with her future.  Life is difficult, meant to be challenged.  Nothing worth living for every comes easily, a stark reality Sam must face.

There is a great deal of discussion about physics in this book, the idea that objects can move between alternate universes.  At first, I thought this was just random filler information thrown in for effect, but ultimately it becomes an integral part of the story, adding a slightly paranormal/”otherworldly” feel to the book.

The book is told in alternating chapters, each character taking the role as the narrator. At first, this got a bit confusing but once I understood and became familiar with each voice, the shift in characters became almost natural.

A lot of deep topics are discussed in this book, including important events in history such as the Iranian Revolution , the Civil Rights movements, as well as topics like the possibility of an after-life, making this the perfect book club selection. Additionally, the gorgeous Honduras setting makes this the perfect beach read.  I hate to refer to this as women’s fiction or chick-lit, because it’s so much more. It’s a book that leaves a resounding message, a book that I highly recommended.

Review: The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

It’s 1969.  Atlanta-native Frances Ellerby is in Miami for a college-friend’s wedding.  She meets Marse Heiger, a free-spirited Miami-native.  Marse has her eyes on the handsome  Dennis DuVals, yet within a matter of time it is Frances and Dennis that fall in love on the dock of a stilt house. 

Frances leaves her Atlanta life behind and moves to Miami. Within a year she and Dennis marry, ultimately having a daughter, Margo.  They continue their life together in Coral Gables, experiencing the typical ups and downs of marriage.  Dennis, a lawyer, despises his job. He’s depressed, wants to do more with his life. Margo is forced to go back to work.  She, too, questions her life, coming close to ruining their marriage. It is when she finds herself, her true purpose in life, that she finally reaches the happiness she’s been searching for all her life.

Stiltsville is a wonderfully endearing tale of Frances & Dennis’ life; how they, along with their friends, change over time. The author so vividly depicts the characters: they are genuine, make real-life decisions and mistakes. The reader witnesses these choices in their lives and how it affects their future.

Frances evolves from a young, naive girl into a strong, supportive mother.  Margo, at an early age, was intellectually superior to classmates her age.  After much debate, she advanced a grade at school. She was now in a class of students older than her, experiencing things she had yet to understand. Frances ensures that Margo learn from her mistakes and challenges just as she did, but maintaining her individuality is the core lesson she hopes Margo learns. After a particularly trying experience at a sleepover, Frances gives her daughter the following advice:

….no one should have the power to make her feel bad or ugly or embarrased, that she was the one to decide who could hurt her feelings and who could not.  I was just filling the air, of course; she knew well enough that this wasn’t true.  I hoped, however, that at some point she’d learn what is true: that although we like to believe we are our own islands, capable of protecting ourselves as well as sheltering and welcoming others, this i snever really the case.  Still, we must behave as if it is, and hope we can withstand the wills of other people more often than we cannot.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I never thought I would fall for this book and its characters as much as I did. The book ends in 1993 and in this span of time, I bonded with the characters. I cheered their successes, I criticized them for some of their decisions.  By the end of the book, I was bawling.  Not the quiet crying that you can do without anyone noticing, but the chest-heaving sobs. Don’t let this lead you to believe this is a sad or depressing book, I not only cried for the characters losses but for what they gained in life as well.

Daniel holds nothing back when she discusses Frances and Dennis’ marriage. She tells it how it is, doesn’t sugar coat any of the issues or problems that married couples face. Oftentimes in fiction, authors try to make marriage sound too unrealistic: marriage isn’t always happiness and love.  Arguments happen, feelings change. Frances & Dennis’ marriage was full of mistakes and challenges.  Daniel’s genuine depiction of adulthood, parenthood, friendship, and marriage is what made this book.  It is genuine, true-to-life, and without a doubt explains why I enjoyed it so much. 

Several subplots and topics appear in this book, making it the perfect book club choice.  The gorgeous Florida setting would make it a perfect summer read as well.  Highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to participate in this tour.  You can connect with the author on her website, on Facebook, on Twitter.

Please be sure to check out the other stops in this tour:

Tuesday, June 28th: The Lost Entwife
Wednesday, June 29th: BookNAround
Thursday, June 30th: Life In Review
Tuesday, July 5th: As I turn the pages
Monday, July 11th: Colloquium
Tuesday, July 12th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, July 13th: Books Like Breathing
Tuesday, July 19th: StephTheBookworm
Wednesday, July 20th: Crazy for Books

Review: Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (June 7, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0062033689
• Source: Publisher

The women of Brightwood Trace are all vastly different, yet despite these differences they have quite the close friendship.  When Paisley, their “leader” becomes ill, they are each forced to deal with the reality of what their life will be like when she is gone.

Julianne, a nurse, has a unique ability to uncover illnesses in her patients.  She was the one who suspected something was wrong, detecting the illness in Paisley.

Andrea has a strong shell, but it’s really just a guise for the weak core beneath.

Ginger has always been a stay-at-home mother; she is now torn between staying at home with her children or pursuing her long-buried career aspirations.

Iona is the oldest member of the group. A strong, no-nonsense woman, she was always sort of the outcast of the group.

When Paisley falls ill, each of these women have a different way of dealing will her illness. It’s hard to see such a strong woman so weak.  They all do what’s typical to do what it’s expected to do when someone is ill; they bring endless amounts of food.  But they don’t do what Paisley really wants or needs.  They don’t visit, they don’t sit down and talk to her.  Not all of them, at least.

Rather than become despondent due to her illness, Paisley becomes hopeful; hopeful for the people her closest friends an become should they put the effort into it.  She had some of the best advice for her friends when faced with a challenge:

“You’re always amazed what you’re capable of.  You swallow the lump in your throat, bite back the heart-pounding fear of discovery.  If the rush of blood in your ears makes it impossible to hear what you’re saying, you talk all the same. You smile and more forward. You don’t retreat.”

The Art of Saying Goodbye is not a dark, depressing tale of death, it’s an uplifting story of hope.  Paisley didn’t always live her life the way she wanted, so now she hopes her friends will live the life she never led.

Bache did an outstanding job of developing and portraying the characters in The Art of Saying Goodbye. Within the first several chapters, I felt as though they were people I knew, friendships I had.

The characters each get a voice through alternating chapters. This allows the reader to really experience each of the women first-hand, getting honest and accurate access to their true feelings.

The emotions her writing elicits are strong; I went from laughing to yelling to sobbing.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a sad book but by the end I felt almost rejuvenated, my heart warm.

This is a book that should be discussed among friends.  We all know people like the characters in this book, facing the challenges they face.  A perfect book club selection, not light, not heavy, but full of discussion-worthy topics. Highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to participate in this tour.  Please be sure to check out the other stops:

Tuesday, June 14th: Reviews from the Heart
Monday, June 20th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, June 22nd: Bookstack
Monday, June 27th: StephTheBookworm
Tuesday, June 28th: I’m Booking It
Wednesday, June 29th: Crazy for Books
Tuesday, July 5th: A Cozy Reader’s Corner
Wednesday, July 6th: 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews

Review: The Art of Saying Goodbye by Ellyn Bache is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade; 1 edition (May 3, 2011)
ISBN-10: 9780451233073
Source: Publisher

When Julie was just twelve years old, her sister disappeared, never to be found.  Her once perfect family started to crumble.  Her mother became obsessed with searching for her daughter; when she died, Julie continued the search, keeping in regular contact with the officer on the case.

As an adult, working in a New York auction house, she meets Monica Guidry, a struggling artist from Mississippi.  Her depictions of her family draws Julie closer to her and they become close friends.

When Monica dies of a heart ailment she kept secret, she gives Julie custody of her five-year-old son, Beau, as well as a valuable payment and a piece of property in Biloxi, Mississippi.   Julie is devastated; it is like she’s lost another sister.  Biding by Monica’s wishes, she takes Beau back to Moncia’s hometown. But when Julie & Beau show up in Biloxi, they see that the property is destroyed, never rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.

Julie is devastated; she’s given up everything she has to bring Beau back to the family that Monica always talked about, yet been estranged from for years. She is now left without a home and an adorable young boy in her custody.

Before her death, Monica instructed Julie to find Ray Von, an elderly woman who has been a friend of the family for decades.  Upon meeting Ray Von, she is given a portrait that Julie’s own great grandfather, Abe Holt, painted.  Julie reluctantly decides that he best course of action is to sell the painting in order to obtain enough money to get by.

Julie and Beau aren’t in the town long before a buyer for the painting is found: Monica’s maternal great grandmother, Aimee, and her brother Trey.  Within reason, they are a bit hesitant of Julie; they haven’t seen Monica in years and now that she has passed, they want Beau to become part of their lives.

After much trepidation, Julie agrees to stay in New Orleans, where the family now lives, while the family beach property, River Song, is rebuilt. During her stay, she discovers that the portrait she has inherited unlocks a long-hidden family secret and the likely cause of Monica’s estrangement from her family. She also learns that meeting Monica wasn’t as coincidental as she thought; her own family has ties to the Guidry family.

The Beach Trees is a heartwarming tale of family, love, loss & deceit. Julie, a Massachusetts native, can’t comprehend why the victims of Katrina’s wrath continue to rebuild. Why stay somewhere when you know it’s going to be destroyed yet again? White so eloquently portrays the hope in people of Mississippi and Louisiana, their strong-will and determination to continue to live in a town so often devastated by hurricanes.  It is then she sees the true meaning of family and of “home”, and discovers a family of her own.

The storyline is told in two parts: Julie in the present and Aimee in the 1950s.  These storylines are so intricately woven, yet also completely independent.  The parallels between the two are uncanny.  Both women lost someone so near and dear to their hearts.  The parallel disappearances in each of the families is a bit startling as well.  I’m all about mystery and family secrets in the novels I read.  I particularly enjoyed how White allowed the mystery to unfold, slowly revealing details along the way.

As with her other books, White’s characters are extremely detailed and well developed. One couldn’t help but fall for Julie and Aimee, both incredibly strong minded and independent women.  They made quite the duo; I appreciated how the past was revealed to Julie through stories Aimee told her.  The act of passing down stories among generations is quite compelling; so much history is held in memories.

The descriptions of the setting allows the reader to feel they are there: the sounds of of the ocean, the smell of the sea water, the tactile feeling of the sand between their toes.  White has the unique abilty to transport the reader into her story, despite their location.

There hasn’t been a book Karen White has written that I haven’t fallen head over heels for. I often say that, despite my “Northern” upbringing, that I must have been a Southern girl in another life.  White herself notes Karen notes that “searching for home brings me to the south again and again.”

I doubt I need to tell you this, but I can’t recommend this book enough. A perfect read for book clubs, it covers so many topics worth discussing. It would be a delightful summer read, one that leaves your heart warm and full of hope as you turn the final pages. 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Please be sure to check out the other stops on the tour.

Review: The Beach Trees by Karen White is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.