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Book Review

Review & Giveaway: More Than You Know

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More Than You Know

More Than You Know
By Nan Rossiter
(Kensington, Paperback, 9780758283894, April 30, 2013, 352pp.)

The Short of It:

A wonderful, heartwarming tale about family, faith and the memories that bind us.

The Rest of It:

This is a feel-good book. The kind that warms you from the inside out and puts a smile on your face. I know what you are thinking, “But Ti, you always read such heavy books!” Yes, I know! I do prefer a meaty chunkster to most mainstream fiction but I also like to feel good too and Nan Rossiter has perfected the art of writing books that fall into the feel-good category and her latest is no exception.

Mia Graham’s world changes in an instant when the sudden death of her husband is immediately followed by the delivery of her beautiful baby girl. Beryl and her older sisters Isak and Rumer, grow-up under Mia’s watchful gaze. She is always there for them, helping  them through the challenges of life and when the girls are grown and Mia is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it’s the girls, especially Beryl who come to her aid. But after a long battle, Mia is taken from them and they are forced to return to their childhood home to go through her belongings and lay her to rest. While going through her things they discover her diary and realize that their mother had been keeping a secret from them for years. Curious, they dive into her story.

There is a lot of “wonderful” in this novel. When the girls gather at their childhood home in New Hampshire, it’s as if they’ve stepped back in time. Suddenly, they are young girls again and remembering all the special little things that their mom did for them. Simple things like making them cinnamon toast and a good cup of tea. The work of preparing the house for sale is bittersweet but its weight is made lighter by the casual conversations and the meals they share together as a family. Their interactions with close friends and the rest of the town, are enough to sustain them. And let me tell you, if you are a foodie, you will want some comfort food on hand as the food talk really got to me at times! Rossiter must have known this because she included recipes of some of the dishes mentioned in the book.

Of course, I made the one dish that was not included in the back of the book! A dip using cream cheese, chili, green chiles and cheese and let me tell you, my family gobbled it up.

More Than You Know Hot Dip

As far as the story goes, I loved the way Rossiter handled the diary aspect. Shared in sections and read by the girls, it took on a very personal tone and when all was said and done, I really felt as if I got to know Mia quite well which made her passing all the more real.

If you’ve not read Rossiter’s work before, I should tell you that she is a dog lover from way back. Her books always include a canine companion which I find especially nice. And this particular book has some surprises in it. Readers of her other books will notice right away what they are. I enjoyed discovering them on my own so I won’t mention any more about them here.

Overall, a very touching and enjoyable read. I can see LOTS of you reading this one over the summer while sipping a tall glass of iced tea. Gosh, I adore Rossiter’s books.

And a little surprise for you, the author has provided a copy for me to giveaway! If you’d like a chance to win a copy, check out the details below.

Source: Review and giveaway copy provided by the author. Thank you!
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of More Than You Know and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from the author. Only one entry per person.  Giveaway closes on May 17, 2013 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

Book Review

Review, Tour & Giveaway: Orphan Train

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Orphan Train
Orphan Train
By Christina Baker Kline
William Morrow & Company, Paperback, 9780061950728, April 2013, 273pp.)

The Short of It:

Alternating between heartbreak and hope, Orphan Train is a story of resilience and survival.

The Rest of It:

Molly Ayer is a foster kid, trying to make do with the life she’s been dealt. At seventeen, she’s been bounced around from one family to another; none of them a home. Her current situation is no better. Willful and defiant, she often argues with her foster parents and when she steals a book from the library, she finds herself in a boatload of trouble.  Her friend, Jack, finds her a community service opportunity helping an elderly lady clean out her attic. Molly’s not too excited about spending all those hours helping a perfect stranger. But as Molly gets to know Vivian and the history contained within those boxes, Molly begins to realize that they have more in common than she thought.

The story is told in alternating chapters and takes us from Vivian’s story in 1929, to Molly’s story which takes place in 2011. Vivian’s story is absolutely heartbreaking. Losing her family in a fire, Niamh (pronounced Neev) is placed aboard a train of orphans. The train stops in each town with the hopes of finding homes for the children aboard. Niamh, at ten years of age is already considered too old to adopt. If she finds a home at all she is guaranteed  life of hard labor. Whether it be taking care of children or working her fingers to the bone doing mending or cleaning or whatever else comes to mind. She also quickly realizes that she won’t be able to retain the name given to her by her family. Her fierce red hair and Irish descent raises an eyebrow everywhere she goes so when a family steps up and offers her a place in their home as a seamstress, she quickly learns that she’ll be Dorothy. Something that she is forced to accept and a practice that is repeated until she settles on the permanent name of Vivian.

Vivian’s story is riveting, but as sad as it was to read about her poor living conditions as a child. I found myself gravitating towards her chapters more so than Molly’s. Molly is difficult to like. She assumes the role of troublemaker by dying her hair dark, wearing a nose ring and playing the all-around bad girl. Only those very close to her know that she’s not that way. Her friend Jack for one, and perhaps her guidance counselor, but her story did not pull me in as much as Vivian’s, so I didn’t feel as connected to Molly as I wanted to be.

However, when these two unlikely characters meet, Kline does a good job of weaving between the two stories and figures out how to make them come together in a satisfying way. My only quibble, is that the ending was a tad rushed and perhaps, too convenient.

Nevertheless, this is a riveting story and highly readable. I should mention that these trains actually existed. Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe but it’s true which of course makes the story even more interesting.

If you’d like a shot at winning the book, I have a copy to giveaway to one of my readers! Details below.

Christina Baker Kline

To visit her website, click here.

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To visit her other tour stops, click here.

TLC Book Tours

Source: Review and giveaway copy provided by the publisher via TLC Book Tours.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of Orphan Train and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from the publisher. Only one entry per person.  Giveaway closes on April 30, 2013 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.

Click here to enter the giveaway.