Post by janetandjohn on Jun 1, 2016 9:26:50 GMT
It is not often that a book reduces me to real tears. Not the kind when she finally gets the love of her life books, not the little acts of kindness books. This is a book by an author who rights about real stuff. The kind of things that really do happen in real life. I have read several of hers, and always appreciated her style, and the fact that not all families are lovey dovey. This one crept in slowly, for a while I was unsure whether this would be just a read, or a great read. It turned out to be the latter, but it is a very very dark tale indeed.
Mary Beth Latham is a mother of three children, a girl, the oldest, and boy twins - all in their teens. She has a nice home, a decent husband, and a landscaping business of her own. The kids do what kids do, they get their first car, they do the prom, they argue, they have friends over. And if you didn't know from the cover, you wouldn't know that a tragedy was on it's way - a tragedy of epic proportions. But that comes at around half way through the book. So you get to know the family, what they do, what they want to be, and of course, Mary Beth's feelings for them all. Also you get to meet MB's friends and acquaintances too. She's a nice woman, bossy with the kids, likes Thanksgiving and is not worried about sex much. So you could say a rather normal family of Americans.
The second half of the book is the dark part. I cannot say more because it is essential that you don't know how things will go. Don't dip in anywhere, don't read the last page. Have a large handkerchief at the ready - I was reading this on a plane with no handkerchief nearby, so I had to keep my head down and choke away the sobs. If this sounds dramatic, I loved the character of Mary Beth, a Mum keeping several balls in the air at once - I had sympathy for her woes and wanted everything to turn out OK for her. And whilst it does, in a way, my heart went out to her. I'd be surprised if this one didn't break your heart.
Mary Beth Latham is a mother of three children, a girl, the oldest, and boy twins - all in their teens. She has a nice home, a decent husband, and a landscaping business of her own. The kids do what kids do, they get their first car, they do the prom, they argue, they have friends over. And if you didn't know from the cover, you wouldn't know that a tragedy was on it's way - a tragedy of epic proportions. But that comes at around half way through the book. So you get to know the family, what they do, what they want to be, and of course, Mary Beth's feelings for them all. Also you get to meet MB's friends and acquaintances too. She's a nice woman, bossy with the kids, likes Thanksgiving and is not worried about sex much. So you could say a rather normal family of Americans.
The second half of the book is the dark part. I cannot say more because it is essential that you don't know how things will go. Don't dip in anywhere, don't read the last page. Have a large handkerchief at the ready - I was reading this on a plane with no handkerchief nearby, so I had to keep my head down and choke away the sobs. If this sounds dramatic, I loved the character of Mary Beth, a Mum keeping several balls in the air at once - I had sympathy for her woes and wanted everything to turn out OK for her. And whilst it does, in a way, my heart went out to her. I'd be surprised if this one didn't break your heart.
