"That Certain Summer"
By Irene Hannon
I must admit that I am a great fan of Irene's books! She is an author who always grabs my interest on the first page and keeps me enthralled to the very end. This new book is no different from the others. In the first chapter, one of the main characters, Karen introduces a new storm in her life- she calls it a "tsunami"!! Right there and then, I KNEW I would enjoy this book. The descriptive language that Irene comes up with gets me involved immediately and it compelled me to keep reading!! I had to know what this storm was all about!! AND a challenging and sometimes disastrous family situation develops from there.
Karen and Val are , along with their mom , are the main characters. They are described in detail and with the book being written in a different style- alternate chapters tell the story from each sister's point of view, it captures your attention . I felt that I could understand both of them and wanted to, at times, give them each a good shake!! Val and Karen are not close. Karen has been the daughter who has cared for her aging mother and taken on the task of remaining with her , handling all of the responsibilities . Meanwhile, Val went off to pursue her dreams in the theatre. We find out that actually Val has other reasons for moving away , the BIG secret, so coming home has never been an option, until her mom has a stroke and this becomes the breaking point for Karen. She just cannot deal with this alone, so appeals to her sister for help.
The story proceeds to engage us in their struggles with the past mistakes as together they care for the ailing mother. Then to complicate matters more, two handsome young men enter the scene. This is truly a story of learning to let go, forgive and move on! BUT , can both of them do this??? With courage and the healing power of faith , can they find love again??
Irene, once again, has written a creation of hope- a true to life story of complex relationships and how to find forgiveness and love, even when at your lowest ebb. Her plot is engaging and exciting, along with heart rending and challenging.
Definitely worth the read! Loved this book.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".
Hi Karla, I just found your blog. I do love Amish books and quilts too. I lived in New Jersey in the 80s and it was the awakening of the Amish quilts and way of life back then. I enjoyed the life very much here. We moved to Texas in the 90s and came back to Moorestown NJ where we currently live, my husband, son and his family now.
ReplyDeleteI still shop for fresh farm foods sold at our local Dutchwagon Market by the Amish people of Lancaster and they still bring their hand made quilts to sell. I always look for the novels that are written about the Amish however, I look for quilting related mostly. Do you know of some quilt related novels and Amish? Thanks, Izzy
There are LOTS of authors of Amish fiction who I love!! Take a look at some of my reviews. Vannetta Chapman writes Amish mysteries, centred around a quilt shop. Beth Wiseman is another favorite, as is Suzanne Woods Fisher, Barbara Cameron, Wanda Brunsteter , Kathy Fuller, Beverley Lewis, and I could go on and on. Nancy Mehl writes Mennonite mysteries which are a bit different. Try some. I have reviewed quite a few and loved all of them.
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