Category Archives: William Morrow

Review: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

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  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (April 2, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0061950726
  • Source: Publisher

Molly Ayer is in foster care, about to “age out” of the system. When she steals a book from the library, she’s forced to do community service to avoid placement in juvenile hall.  She agrees to help an elderly woman named Vivian clean out her attic, filled with decades of possessions and memories. As the two begin the task, they soon understand that they are more alike than it may appear on the surface. Vivian opens up to Molly, sharing a part of her history she’s kept silent about for decades.

As a child, Vivian was orphaned after a horrendous fire tore through her family’s home.  As a young Irish immigrant with no surviving family, she was sent on a train that left from New York and traveled out west, known as the orphan train. Thousands of other children embarked on trains like this,  their future unknown. Many were matched with warm, inviting families. Others, like Vivian, weren’t treated as part of a family but instead workers or caregivers for younger children.

Told in alternate point of views, switching from present time to the late 1800s/1900s, both Molly and Vivian share the experiences and situations that brought them to their current place in life.  When their relationship begins, Molly sees Vivian as a wealthy senior citizen that couldn’t possibly understand the challenges she is going through. While she is placed in a foster home, the relationship she has with her foster mother is less than inviting. Like Vivian, who was a constant outcast due to her red hair and Irish heritage, Molly (a Penobscot Indian) feels shunned due to her own heritage. As the bond between these two individuals is cultivated, they each see a bit of themselves in the other, an understanding that not many others share.

Orphan Train is a heartwarming novel rich with dynamic, sympathetic characters and rich historical detail. All of the characters, including the secondary, become alive on the pages making the reader easily forget that they are fictional entities rather than actual living people. It is impossible not to form a connection with Vivian and Molly and celebrate the connection they have found in one another.

I originally learned about orphan trains while reading The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty. Since discovering this often unfamiliar part of our country’s history, I have become fascinated with the subject matter. I was pleased to see the amount of information Christina Baker Kline has on her web site about this topic, including the actual journey Vivian would have taken on the orphan train in 1929 to historical background information the author discovered in writing this novel. While this novel is rich with historical detail, the reader never feels like they are being lectured or overwhelmed with historical facts. Personally, I wanted to know more about the orphan train system, a subject matter I plan to do more research on myself.

All in all, Orphan Train is a novel is one that will resonate within me for some time. To hear of the journey taken by these orphan children and what they had to endure to find a home is incredibly heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Vivian came alive within the pages of this novel. While I am not adopted, she has inspired me to learn more about my own heritage for she has proven the power and importance of honoring and celebrating one’s heritage.

This is a novel that is full of discussion worthy topics perfect for a book club, including love, resilience, endurance and more. Highly, highly recommended.

Orphan Train is the May book club selection for She Reads. Join us Thursday, May 23rd for an online discussion about this title. Click here for more information.

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Review: Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank

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  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 23, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0062211765
  • Source: Publisher

While Jackie McMullen is serving her country overseas as a military nurse her husband Jimmy, a fireman, is killed when the floor in a building he is attempting to save from fire collapses. Jackie and her and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are completely devastated. Jimmy was a wonderfully supportive husband and father and their grief seems as though it will never cease. Jackie reluctantly agrees to return to her childhood home on Sullivan’s Island to spend the summer with her mother, Annie.

Jackie and Annie have always had a tumultuous relationship with vastly differing opinions on nearly everything. Growing up, Jackie always assumed the battles her mother forged against her father were done out of spite with some underlying motive at hand. Now, her father is estranged, having walked out on her mother the day after Jackie’s wedding. Still, realizing the healing powers of the beautiful Lowcountry, she is certain the time spent with her mother will be a good change of pace for her and Charlie.

Within a short period of time, Charlie once again begins to resemble the happy and active ten-year-old boy he was before his father died. Jackie is determined to return to their life in Brooklyn once the summer ends but Charlie has other things in mind!

Having read every one of this author’s titles, I can state that she is truly an expert at portraying the lush setting of Lowcountry South Carolina. The beautiful seascapes, the quiet and laid back pace of life feel like home to me.  I swear I was a Lowcountry girl in another life!

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The addition of incredibly lush characters that one can’t help but love, Benton Frank has once again graced readers with a truly remarkable and heartwarming read. She won me over with quotes from Edgar Allen Poe (who was post in the United States Army at Ft. Moultrie on the tip of Sullivan’s Island in the 19th century) and a character (Annie) who had a vast knowledge of this talented writer.

All in all, if you are looking for an escapist read, one that will transport you to paradise, this is the title for you. Rich with endearing characters, a heartwarming story and a tinge of romance, Porch Lights has it all. Highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this title! Be sure to check out the other spots in this tour, which features a read-a-long of four of this author’s books.

Dorothea-Benton-Frank-readalong

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Frightful Friday: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

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Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week.

This week’s featured title is NOS4A2 by Joe Hill:

  • Hardcover: 704 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow (April 30, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0062200577
  • Source: Publisher

Like many children her age, Victoria (Vic) McQueen enjoys taking off on her bike, exploring new frontiers. Unlike other children, however, Vic’s bike can transport her to wherever she needs to go…in a matter of seconds. All she has to do is ride her bike through an old, decrepit bridge, coincidentally named the Shorter Way bridge, and she’s transported miles away. These journeys aren’t made without consequence, however, for the act leaves Vic weak and feverish for days.

On one of these adventures, Vic meets a young girl, Maggie Leigh,  who has her own special talent.  She is able to seek answers by reading Scrabble tiles. Like Vic, Maggie’s “talent” has a side effect.  In her case, it is stuttering. She started of speaking normally and without impediment but her talent has caused her speech to deteriorate over time.

It is Maggie who tells Vic about Charles Talent Manx, a man who drives a 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with a vanity plate that reads “NOS4A2.” Manx is an incredibly evil man. His “talent” is the Wraith. It can transport him, and the children he abducts, to a terrifying place known as Christmasland. Manx uses the energy and essence of the children to stay alive; a soul-sucking vampire of sorts.

He takes children for rides in his car and it does something to them. He uses them up – like a vampire – to stay alive. He drives them into his own inscape, a bad place he dreamed up, and he leaves them there. When they get out of the car, they aren’t children anymore. They aren’t even human. They’re creatures that could only live in the cold s-s-space of the Wraith’s imagination.

Maggie stresses that Vic should avoid Manx and the Wraith at all costs, yet after an argument with her mother, Vic treks out in search of Manx.  She finds him but is able to escape, the only child to have done so.

Fast forward a few decades. Vic is now an adult and has a child. Her life has been pretty messed up, largely in part to what happened when faced Manx. She is no longer the young and innocent girl she once was;  Substance abuse and mental illness have caused her to spiral downward. All these years, Manx has been incapacitated in a coma-like state. He hasn’t forgotten the child who got away. He’s out to seek revenge, going right to Vic’s weak spot: her son. Aiding Manx is Bing Partridge, a truly sick and demented individual. Bing, affectionately (or not) referred to as the Gasmask Man steals dental-grade anesthesia (which smells coincidentally like gingerbread) from his place of employment and uses it to incapacitate the children Manx abducts.

I’m going to warn you…the paragraphs that proceed contain a great deal of gushing about Hill’s brilliance. Please note this text has been trimmed down considerably. My original review was novella length. Figuring no one would want to read all that, I did a bit of editing.

Joe Hill is absolutely brilliant. I have been an avid follower of his for years, before it was known he was the son of the incredibly talented Stephen King. I have loved everything this man has ever written, but he has really outdone himself with NOS4A2. In it, he not only grants readers with a truly outstanding horror novel but a truly remarkable examination of good vs. evil and the strength of families.

At the heart of Manx’s abductions is the idea that he is rescuing these children from abuse of some sort (whether actual or imagined). In the case of Vic the intensity of one mother’s love for her son is what wins out in the end. Speaking of family, Hill gives a few nods to his father’s work and names a character after his mother. In the past, I have mentioned that King’s talented writing has been passed down to his son. I’m going to take that back. Prepared to be shocked…for I believe that, with NOS4A2, Hill has exceeded his father in horror genius. An “amusement park” with a Christmas theme that serves as a prison of sorts to captured children turned evil monsters. That terrifies me much more than any demonic clown might.

Additionally, it’s the depth Hill has added to the characters that really makes this novel stand out. It’s not only the protagonist that stands out in this case, but also a majority of the secondary characters as well. Hill takes the time to develop each and every one of them individually. The fact that the protagonist is a very, very flawed yet incredibly strong young woman pleases me to no end. Unlike many novels with female protagonists, Vic needs no saving. She’s kicking ass and taking names!

Some might think this novel (and perhaps this review even!) is too long. I disagree; for each and every word, every sentence, Hill puts on the page has value and meaning to the story. He isn’t liberal with his writing; he doesn’t insert a bunch of unnecessary, flowery text just to reach his word count. Each.and.every.word.counts. I’ve read this novel twice (and I’m about to start the audiobook, narrated by Kate Mulgrew ) and each time I just revel in Hill’s truly tremendous talent. So kudos to you, Joe Hill, for gifting your readers with a truly brilliant piece of art. Highly, highly recommended.

 

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Review: No Way Back by Andrew Gross

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  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow (April 2, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0061655988
  • Source: Publisher

Wendy Gould is an ex-cop turned suburban mom. One night, she meets an attractive man and ends up in his hotel room. She puts an end to their intense make-out session before it goes to far and, embarrassed, runs into the bathroom to pull herself back together. When she walks out, she finds herself in the middle of an altercation between two men: the man she nearly slept with and an unknown, armed man. She witnesses a murder and as the shooter escapes, she realizes she is the only witness. The shooter, a rogue federal agent, knows her identity and Wendy fears for her life as well as her freedom. She goes home, confessing everything to her husband. Before they are able to flee authorities end up on her doorstep, the first in a series of life-altering events. She is now being hunted, believed to be the killer. Her family doesn’t believe in her innocence and so Wendy is not only running for her life but also to prove her innocence.

Lauritzia Velez is a nanny who cherishes the children put into her care. When they narrowly escape a shooting, Lauritzia realizes that she is the intended victim and her past has come back to haunt her. Years ago Lauritzia fled to United States, illegally, to escape from a Mexican crime boss named Cano. His men have now found her and she must once again run from their murderous grasp.

These two women, leading completely different lives, are bought together bound by the fate dealt to them. Together, they must seek answers for crimes committed across the border in Mexico, crimes that, unsolved, will prevent the women from leading any semblance of a normal life.

In typical Gross style, the author portrays an incredibly riveting and intense thriller. While the reader is unaware of the connection between the two women, nor the cause of the actions of the rogue federal agent on their trail, until nearly halfway through the book, the storyline Gross delivers is captivating enough to carry the reader along.

What I particularly enjoyed about this particular thriller were the main characters: both were incredibly strong women who would put their own lives at risk in the name of justice. With nearly no one else to trust, they must rely on one another for their safety. While the author’s novels tend to follow a formula in their execution, it is a formula that works quite well, engaging me as a long-time fan! Gross has once again proven to be a true talent in the suspense/thriller genre. Highly recommended.

 

 

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Review: There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron

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  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow (April 2, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0062117602
  • Source: Publisher

Evie isn’t all together surprised when she receives a call from her sister, Ginger, indicating their mother has been hospitalized. Sandra, an alcoholic, has frequent health “issues” as a result of her drinking and her daughters assume this incident is the same. Evie reluctantly agrees to go to Sandra’s house and get to the bottom of the problem. The condition of the house is absolutely horrid; covered with graffiti and filled with overflowing bags of empty vodka bottles. As she attempts to clean up the ruin, she is reunited with their elderly neighbor, Mina. Their relationship rekindles, much to the dismay of Mina’s nephew who is struggling to get Mina to agree to move to a nursing home.

Mina has her own host of issues. Her mental health appears to be deteriorating; she often forgets where she’s placed items, forgets food cooking on the stove, etc. Not helping the situation is her persistent and deceptive nephew. She’s drawn to Evie, who works as a curator at the Five-Boroughs Historical Society, because of their shared interest in preserving history.

As Evie becomes more involved in the goings on of her childhood neighborhood, she realizes at once that something is amiss. Homes that stood during her childhood are now being demolished. Her mother, barely getting by on her father’s pension, is now receiving packages full of bundled cash. Is it a coincidence that two of the few remaining individuals who own property on this incredibly historic (and valuable) land are so ill and unstable? It becomes Evie’s mission to get to the bottom of what is transpiring, putting her life at risk in order to save childhood memories that are slowly being destroyed.

Alternating between the viewpoints of Evie and Mina, Ephron develops an genuinely suspenseful read. The development of these characters, so rich and descriptive, is so pristine and genuine. Readers, myself included, will have a difficult time determining just who can be trusted. Are Evie and Sandra elderly women, far beyond their prime, unable mentally and physically to continue living on their own or is there something far darker (and deadly) amiss?

The pacing of this novel is relatively slow, building up in intensity with time. What starts off as a novel with a quiet neighborhood as its setting ultimately is revealed as community rich with corruption and greed. While this novel isn’t as dark and suspenseful as many of Ephron’s other works, the author instead draws you in with an engrossing storyline and incredibly sympathetic characters. Additionally, in executing this fine piece of suspense, Eprhon touches on a number of social issues including ageism and alcoholism.  There Was an Old Woman is guaranteed to intrigue and captivate readers of all genres.  Highly, highly recommended.

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Review: The Secret of Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs

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  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (February 19, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0062201034
  • Source: Publisher

Anna is shocked when she receives a phone call from her grandmother, Goldie. The two haven’t seen each other in five years after Goldie made it clear how she felt about Anna’s husband, Ford. Ford has since passed way to leukemia, yet the pain that caused the estrangement still lingers. Goldie’s sharp tongue and high resistance to mediocrity has caused a riff in their relationship. Anna is further stunned when Goldie asks her on a cross-country trip to San Francisco to return a collection of valuable Japanese art to its owner. The art, in Goldie’s possession since the 1940s, given to her by someone close to her heart before they entered a Japanese-American internment camp. For obvious reasons, the art holds a great deal of meaning to the elderly woman. Just how meaningful is unknown to Anna…until now.

Reluctantly, Anna agrees and the two embark on the cross-country journey in Goldie’s Rolls-Royce. As the journey passes, Anna’s strong feelings about her grandmother soften as Goldie reveals a terrible secret she’s kept hidden for over half a century. From her own struggles as a young Jewish immigrant to a love she was forced to abandon, Goldie realizes she must open up about her past in order to let Anna, still recovering from the loss of her husband, heal.

Alternating between Anna’s point of view in the present time to Goldie’s young adult years, The Secret of the Nightingale Palace tells a beautiful, yet also heartbreaking, story about the power of family, sacrifice, forgiveness, and ultimately, love. The journey Anna and Goldie takes is an incredibly enlightening one, Anna realizing the motive behind her grandmother’s pain and sharp conviction. Anna is certainly not a weak woman, but the loss of Ford, and the period preceding his death, has turned her into a shell of a woman. She’s unable to feel love or passion and instead throws everything into her job. Goldie realizes her granddaughter has so much more hope in her and is frightened that Anna will never live up to her full potential if she continues to dwell on the past.

The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is a truly rewarding novel that will pull at your heart-strings. The alternating timeline and point of view adds a completely new dimension of the story, showing a parallel in the lives of two women that are a lot alike, yet refuse to admit so. The historical aspect of this novel is incredibly well-developed, the reader given a glimpse of two cultures that are quite different, yet due to the treatment they received, ultimately have strong similarities.

What makes this novel so attractive are the incredibly strong, richly drawn-out characters. While they each had their faults and were incredibly fallible, both Anna and Goldie were characters readers can’t help but sympathize and relate to. Their relationship is rocky at best and it was tremendously rewarding to watch it grow, heal, and nurture during their journey. A truly strong and memorable novel, perfect for a wide-range of readers from fans of history to those drawn in by character-driven novels. Highly recommended.

 

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

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Review: A Future Arrived by Phillip Rock

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  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (February 5, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0062229354
  • Source: Publisher

The final installment of the Passing Bells trilogy begins in the 1930s, the Jazz era ending and a period of uncertainty as the younger generation, born during the great war, embarks upon adulthood.

Rather than continuing with the host of characters readers of the series have grown to love, Rock instead introduces a whole new cast of characters in a younger generation.  While a few of the original characters, like American writer Martin Rilke make an appearance, a great deal of the story focuses on a ten-year span of time with the younger generation.

The historical setting of these novels is incredibly rich. In this installment, Hitler is just beginning to make a voice for himself in Germany. Those who have just survived a war don’t even want to contemplate another battle but it seems imminent.  Additionally, while the characters Rock builds are in general new to the reader, the depth that he adds to each of these characters is commendable. Readers can’t help but grow to love them just as much as their family before them.

While this wasn’t my favorite of the trilogy, mainly due to the new slate of characters, as a whole I did find this series to be incredibly informative and engaging. Additionally, while I would have enjoyed more closure regarding the original characters, I did find the new generation to be an interesting set of individuals. The challenges they faced, including the uncertainty of their future, was far different than the same uncertainty that challenged the generation before them.

Fans of historical fiction will find this series to be incredibly rewarding. Additionally, fans of Downton Abbey desperate for another fix will enjoy this series tremendously. Recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this title. Be sure to check out the tour page for the entire series.

 

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Review: The Truth about Love and Lightning by Susan McBride

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  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (February 12, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 006202728X
  • Source: Publisher

When a tornado tears through Gretchen Brink’s land, the impact is not only structural but emotional. Gretchen and her twin sisters discover the body of a man unconscious on their property, a man who has no memory of his life or identity. Additionally, her grown daughter Abby returns home unexpectedly with her own emotional storm: she is pregnant, not certain if she will wed the father. Upon seeing the man, Abby is certain it is her long-lost father, Sam, a man who disappeared decades ago while volunteering in Africa.  The storm that brought this man to them is eerily similar to the storm that occurred shortly after Sam disappeared. The appearance of this man, affectionately referred to as “the man who might be Sam” unleashes a host of memories and deeply buried secrets Gretchen has kept repressed all these years. Worried that these secrets will shatter the fragile family she’s built, Gretchen must accept the inevitable and allow fate to take its course.

The Truth about Love and Lightning is a truly rewarding novel. The characters McBride creates are incredibly endearing and multifaceted. Adding to the completely unique storyline is a trace of mystery, really adding to the intensity of this emotional read. The pacing of this novel was impeccable, not rushed or forced but flowed quite naturally. Flashbacks allow the reader to uncover a tremendous amount of detail about Gretchen, Sam and his family’s “gift,” an aspect that added a tinge of mysticism to the story.

There are definitely a number of characteristics about this book that would make it the perfect book club read, including the P.S. section at the end of the book that includes information about the author and her other books and list of questions to aid a book club discussion

A truly unique and genuine story about the importance of family, of living in the past and not the present, and of accepting life’s gifts, The Truth about Love and Lightning is a novel that I wholeheartedly recommend.

Thank you to TLC book tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Please be sure to check out the other stops in the tour. Learn more about the author here.

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Review: Circles of Time by Phillip Rock

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  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (January 2, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0062229338
  • Source: Publisher

In the sequel to The Passing Bells, the world is forever changed after the Great War. Invisible boundaries between social classes has vanished as the war’s deadly grasp affects everyone equally. The rebuilding that comes is not only structural but emotional and personal as well.

Lord Greville is desperate to reconstruct Abingdon Pryory to its original, despite the fact that his family has no interest in returning to their home. Charles is away in a hospital, suffering emotional trauma from the war, what we would now call post-traumatic stress disorder. Greville barely notices the existence of his daughter, Alexandra, and his child he refuses to acknowledge as his grandson. Rather than facing the repercussions of the war, Greville instead attempts to erase all memories, rebuilding his life as it was before.

Clearly the character that shines in this second book of a trilogy is Martin Rilke. After writing a book that reveals the true effects of the war, he is shunned by many. Rather than allowing this reaction to destroy him, he stands tall and continues to further his career in journalism by becoming further involved in the politics of the age.

Circles of Time is an incredibly strong follow-up to The Passing Bells. Reader is granted access to the after-effects of war and the devastation faced by each of the main characters. What I found incredibly rewarding about this novel was how genuine Charles’ experience and trauma was detailed. There are very few novels able to capture the trauma of war by those who experience it, a trait with which this author excels. While I wouldn’t say I avoid reading novels set in this era, I’m generally not drawn to them. That said, Rock’s fictional narrative has cultivated an interest. I now find myself not only drawn to, but obsessed with, reading fiction set in this time period.

As mentioned, this is the second book in a trilogy. While a small amount of back story is provided, I highly recommend starting at the beginning in order to gain a better understanding of the shifts and changes experienced by each of the main characters.

Bottom line: in Circles of Time Rock continues an incredibly informative, rewarding, compelling epic trilogy. I look forward to reading the next book, A Future Arrived.

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Review: The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley

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  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (February 5, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0062194178
  • Source: Publisher

Matt and Elle have known each other all their lives, growing up right next door to one another. Matt was two-years-old when he held baby Elle in his arms. Now in their late thirties they have been wed for a few years and suffered enough to last a lifetime. The couple, desperate to have children, have experienced numerous miscarriages and stillbirths, the last nearly taking Elle’s life. The last night they spend together, Elle breaches the subject of trying again, causing an argument. Matt can’t bear to think of losing Elle like he nearly did just a year ago.

Then the unthinkable happens: Elle falls from a ladder, striking her head. She suffers irreversible brain damage leaving Matt, a neurosurgeon, feeling helpless. He’s prepared to remove life support when the doctors discover that Elle is pregnant, nearly two months at this time. Everything changes, Matt knowing that Elle would do whatever it takes for a child, even if that meant keeping her body on life support so the pregnancy could be sustained. Elle’s always been a fighter, an astronaut who has experienced unbelievable physical and emotional stress and trauma. Yet, when Elle was a young teen, her mother suffered a slow and painful death from cancer. Matt can’t help but recall what that experience did to Elle and her family.  When Matt announces his plans to Elle’s family and his own, emotions flare up. Elle’s father, an alcoholic, still holds hope that she will survive despite the medical facts. Matt’s mother, Linney, believes he is in denial and believes that Elle wouldn’t want to suffer, kept alive by artificial means. Linney claims that Elle signed a document indicating such and a courtroom battle ensues, pitting Matt against his own mother. He knows Elle would do anything for this child but will the judge (and the citizens of the small main town) agree? Soon the courtroom drama spreads to the news stations and what Matt hoped would be a very personal decision becomes very, very public.  A painful battle begins, both Matt and Linney fighting for what they believe is right, what Elle would want if she was able to speak for herself.

If there was ever a book destined to be the topic of a book club, The Promise of Stardust is it. Sibley tells this incredibly emotional story with such grace and respect. A wide range of themes are brought to life, not only the obvious the pro-life/pro-choice debate but deep moral questions about life and death, about the pain of love and eventually, healing.

While the subject matter isn’t unique, Sibley makes the situation unique and wholeheartedly genuine and believable. Matt’s situation elicited such strong emotions; starting with complete sadness, devastation, and anger to a sense of closure and relief.  Readers are drawn into the internal turmoil and debate Matt experiences as he watches Elle, the love of his life, so vibrant and adventurous in life, laying like an empty shell in her hospital bed. He repeatedly questions his decision to keep Elle alive, but when he discovers the journals she’s kept most of her life, his decision is made for him.

A truly emotional novel, I can’t recommend this book enough. Don’t shy away due to subject matter for while it does start out quite sad and emotional, the ending is so completely powerful and healing it makes the entire journey of reading the book well worth it.  Highly, highly (HIGHLY) recommended.

Don’t believe me? Read an excerpt and judge for yourself!

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