Under the summer sky, anything is possible....
Author of the acclaimed novels Cloud Nine and Follow the Stars Home,
Luanne Rice returns with another moving portrait of a family in
crisis—as three sisters come face-to-face with the past and find in each
other the courage to go on.
Coolly sophisticated and steadfastly
single, Caroline Renwick has always been the sister everyone could
count on. As she and Clea and Skye gathered at Firefly Hill, their
childhood home, Caroline thought that they had all put the past behind
them. But as summer gets under way, a mysterious man arrives—a man who
has the power to bring it all back....
Joe Connor was only six
when his father died at Firefly Hill. Though he and Caroline had never
met, the five-year-old girl reached out to him. They became pen pals and
friends, until a teenaged Joe finally learned the truth about what had
happened to his father that night. Now, after years of silence, Joe is
suddenly here ... and Caroline still feels a connection. But she can't
help but wonder if this handsome man holds the key to her family's
healing—or its destruction. And in his presence, how long will she be
able to guard her heart?
'Firefly Beach' is not my first Luanne Rice novel and I seriously doubt it will be my last. Truth is I know it won't as there are more sitting on my bookshelf right now waiting for me to choose one. I really enjoyed the story, liked the characters and at times wanted to beat their heads, or mine, into a wall. Set in New England three sisters live their adult lives in the shadows of the past. Being the children of a famous artist just adds flavor. Three separate women living three separate lives all in the shadow of each other. While living under a cloud of the past that they, and their mother, cannot seem to spread beyond.
At times I literally wanted to bash heads. Someones. Anyones. I got so frustrated with everyone alluding to and talking around these horrible things that had happened to shape who each sister had become. Rarely did they actually talk about it. Work through it. They talked around it. And that made me want to bash heads. But it also made me actually think. Not something you expect from what you picked up and anticipated to be a beach read. How often does each and every last one of us tiptoe around our own stories. How often do we talk around, walk around, think around those big tings that helped to create who we are, flaws and all? Instead of dealing with it, moving past it, and filing it into the bin of done and over with thanks for the experiences and the knowledge. I am just as guilty as the next person of letting the big stuff continue to dominate my choices and decisions instead of learning from it and then moving forward. We are all guilty at some point of letting our pasts dictate our futures. Rice did an excellent job of telling the story so the reader knew what was going on while also playing out these all to human circumstance. I think of all the girls, Skye and their mother gained the most throughout this novel. They gained self-respect, they gained a sense of self and in the mother's case she gained a sense that she was enough for her daughters in the best way she could be at any given moment. Not necessarily what they wanted or even needed but she was enough.
I'm glad I own this book because it is one I would read again. I also think that it is one that in re-reading you will pick out more things that were missed the last time around. I have to apologize for thinking that 'Firefly Beach' was just a beach read, and not because of the title. It's a book that makes you want to bash heads but also makes you think. If you really think you can find the parallels, in thought process if nothing else, to yourself and others you know. Hopefully through the characters' growth you might just find a little bit of growth for yourself as well.
Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble
About Luanne Rice
Luanne Rice is the New York Times
bestselling author of thirty-two novels including THE SECRET LANGUAGE
OF SISTERS, her first YA novel. Five of her books have been made into
movies and mini-series, many have been New York Times bestsellers and
two of her pieces have been featured in off-Broadway theatre
productions. She divides her time between New York City and the
Connecticut shoreline.
Website |
Facebook |
Twitter |
Pinterest |
Instagram |
Goodreads
This book is no longer available. Please visit www.amarastarling.com or facebook.com/amarastarling for the most up to date information.
I have to preface this review with a couple of tidbits of information that I feel are important to share. First, I know the author. I consider her a friend. I respect her as a person, as a parent, and as an author. Second, as the background reveals, this book is a fantasy book. I do not like fantasy books. I've tried to like them. I've tried to read the classics of this genre and just cannot do it. There are a few authors out there that have written fantasy that I enjoy but those are few and far between. Revealing these two tidbits also brings the conundrum I found myself in. What if I hate the book due to it's genre? How do you tell a friend you hate her book? What if I love the book? Who will take a good review seriously when they know the reviewer is a friend of the author? I've had this book sitting on my Kindle shelf for several months due to all of the above fears. But I did read it. I did finish it. And in the end, I loved the book and I'm going to write the review my way. You can doubt my review as authentic if you want but it's my way, my review, just mine.
'Secrets of Erhynvale: Children of the Eclipse' is the debut novel by Amara Starling. This book is set in a world that I think I would definitely add to my travel wish list (if that were possible). It's well created and completely believable, even with dragons. Covering several centuries 'Children of the Eclipse' tells the story of Symphony, in her own words. I have to add that while this book does cover such a time span it does so seamlessly, which I find many authors struggle with over a much shorter span. The synopsis reveals that is is a fantasy book, as well as action and romance. Heck there are even love triangles! But it is so much more than that. There is also faith in humanity and an understanding of faith in oneself. No matter how much a person has there are also moments of self-doubt. I do have to say that I did figure out the 'twist' by the first few chapters. That is not a bad thing, it's rare for a book to completely leave me guessing. However, I kept waiting, and waiting for the twist to be revealed and dealt with. It was 1 in the morning as I was reading thinking 'just tell it already!', true story. Should I have been reading at 1 am? No. But I had to. I had to know how it was all going to play out. I also appreciate that this book doesn't have the cliche happy ending. Unless I'm reading a 'beach read' I do not appreciate a happy ending as I feel it's not true to life. Even when things work out they are never wrapped up in a perfect box with a smart red bow.
'Children of the Eclipse' is the first book in a series and while it was wrapped up well without leaving an open cliff hanger (which I also appreciate) it did leave itself open to more. More fantasy. More adventure. More romance. More drama. Just more. And the truth is, I want more.
Goodreads
About Amara E. Starling
Full time author, mother, and
seeker of knowledge, Amara E. Starling is a temporary resident of
Cincinnati, Ohio, but permanently resides in the deepest recesses of the
human imagination. There are few topics Amara won’t write about, and
she often finds comfort in breaching the darker subjects that society
tends to shy away from. Her writing style is often poetic and thought
provoking, and embraces the theme of finding strength in the face of
adversity. Fragments: Book One of the Symphony Ryelle Saga is her debut
novel.
When she’s not writing, Amara can be found wandering
through state parks, finding adventures with her children, donating to
charities, and more often than not, drinking copious amounts of coffee
while passionately researching into the night.
Website |
Twitter |
Pinterest |
Google+ |
Goodreads
