I just finished reading The Color of Light by Karen White and would highly recommend it. I thought it was an excellent book. The main character, Jillian grew up with distant and abusive parents. She spent her life trying to make her parents care about her. Because of how her parents treated her, she is afraid that she is/will be a terrible mother.

Jillian's refuge was her grandmother's house on Pawley's Island. Her grandmother was more of a mother to her than her own mother.

While a teenager one of her best friends disappeared and the best friend's boyfriend was accused of her disappearance. The book delves into this mystery and how this episode shaped Jillian and Linc (the boyfriend) and their need to come back to Pawley's Island.

The book opens with a pregnant Jillian moving back to Pawley's Island with her 6 year old daughter. She has come back to heal after her divorce and to discover who she is. Jillian's daughter calls her Jilly-bean instead of Mommy. Over the course of the book, Jillian discovers who she is as a mother and discovers she likes it and is a good mother.
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Will re-read this! ( )

Enjoyed it, and read it in one sitting. Plan to read more of White's books. ( )

The Color of Light. Karen White. 2005. What an easy read after Blood Meridian and Wise Blood. White is a step above a lot of Southern Romance writers. She reminds me of Anne Rivers Siddons. Just divorced, pregnant Jillian takes her young daughter and returns to Pawley’s Island, N.C. The island is the only place she’s ever felt safe and loved. Grace, her daughter, who has imaginary friends immediately starts talking to a new friend, Lauren. Lauren is the name of Jillian’s best friend who disappeared without a trace years ago. Linc has also returned to the island. He was Lauren’s boyfriend who was blamed for her disappearance. There you have it: all the elements for a good southern romance! ( )

Jillian Parrish newly divorced and pregnant with her second child returns to the only place she has happy memories to start her life over. This book has love, mystery and secrets to keep the reader interested. ( )

I really liked this book...romance, mystery and good characters! ( )

Both NAL and Berkley/Jove were really pushing this one, and I don't know why. Women's fiction with a mystery & romance, and it wasn't bad, but it was really pretty standard. I could see all the plot twists coming a mile away, and I've read this identical plot dozens of times before. ( )

Well written. Good story. Going back to the beach solves all problems. ( )