Pages

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

There You'll Find Me [book review]

 Finley Sinclair is struggling to keep control of life. Two years ago she lost her older brother Will who lost his life on the mission field. Now Finley is heading to Ireland for a semester abroad, clutching Will’s journal that tell the story of his own visit to Ireland, and in the pages of his thoughts, Finley hopes to find a part of what she lost.
But life after death isn’t a smooth ride when you are faced with the challenges of a teen heart throb who is more than what he seems, a school project that assigns her to a grumpy senior who rejects Finley attempts at kindness and an eating disorder that threatens to break Finley’s last hold of control.
This book is such a good read. Finley is a character that anyone who remembers their teen years will adore and relate to. She isn’t perfect, she is hurting but she wants so desperately to feel whole and worthy again. The author raises the subject of an eating disorder in a way that makes you understand the “why would a person do that?” question and you are right there with Finley when she faces what she is becoming.
A fiction story about a real person is what this feels like. Jenny B Owens has always been one of my favorite authors and this book is just another “must have” of her’s you should be adding to your own reading list.  
Ps. if you're thinking that this character sounds familiar, you might have read the first book, Save The Date. Another highly reccomended read of mine

*I recieved a free copy of this title from the amazing BookSneeze program in exchange for an honest review*

A Sound Among The Trees [book review]

Synopsis:
Adelaide is the matriarch of Holly Oak and a committed great-grandmother to the children of her deceased granddaughter Sara but when her son-in-law remarries and brings his bride to live at Holly Oak, Adelaide is torn between loyalty to the memory of Sara or accepting Marielle and sharing with her the secrets of Holly Oak.
Marielle’s world has turned upside down when she married and moved across the country to start a life wither her new husband and his two children. When she uncovers the dark past of Holly Oak’s ancestor, Susannah, she starts to question the existence of ghosts and her own insecurities are heightened by the memories of Sara that haunt Holly Oak. When she discovers letters written by Susannah herself, the past and present collide to bring healing for both Marielle and Adelaide.

My own thoughts:
Ghost stories. Not really my thing so my whole viewpoint is already skewed. This is a rather moody and dark novel about the sins of multiple generations finding them out. The book is written first from Adelaide’s perspective, then Marielle’s and then finally Susannah’s. None of the characters were particularly relatable or even likable to me. Perhaps it is because the overall feel of the book is dark or the fact that each character is bringing pain to another, you can’t really get past feeling depressed. Even with a relatively happy ending, I walked away feeling sad.

Objectively, I think the writing style is excellent. Good amount of detail, well explained events and the ability to give each character their own voice. I just believe that the author could create a much more enjoyable book if the plot had been less spooky and more driven by each character’s own growth through the story.

If you want me to pass this book along to you, just send me an email =)

*I received this book free from the wonderful people at WaterBrook Multanomah's Blogging For Books program, in exchange for an honest review*