Michelle Buckman

The imagery and use of description in this was absolutely gorgeous. I was absolutely transported to the rural south... to horse rides and sticky summer days and cornfields and town squares that consist of three buildings. Was so impressed by how the writing nailed every tiny detail, down to the gossip and boredom and tendecy to hurry to the scene any time there's anything at all remotely exciting going on.

And oh, how I felt for the two sisters in this drama. Both Savannah, who can see trouble coming from a long way off and struggles to know what to do bout it... and also Charleston, who clearly acts out both because it's in her nature, but also because of hints of issues with her self-worth. The author does such a nice job, such a delicate job painting these characters, and it made for a truly delightful read.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos. Learning to use screen reader.… (mehr)

The back cover explains this story so well: "The woman who has everything wants one more small thing - and she's willing to risk everything to get it". Carla had everything she wanted, until she decided she wanted children and her and her husband, Simon, just can't seem to make it happen. So she decides to go against her husband's wishes and take the next step. Meanwhile an old flame arrives back in town and Carla starts to think the "grass might be greener" with him. Add to that a 5 year old little girl they have been left to care for and you have quite a roller coaster ride for this family. Back cover again: ". . . a powerful story of love and betrayal, a story of a couple torn apart, and making their way back together again."

This was a complex story and I had a hard time liking Carla and Simon at different times during this story. Both were very strong-willed and not really caring what the other felt. A real lack of communication and sharing of deep personal struggles. The author did a good job of making this a realistic story and not necessarily a "happy ever after" ending, but one that takes time and diligence and a letting go and letting God take control in a marriage for it to work.

(As a side note - I kept wondering how the title of this book fit in with the story, but near the end the author reveals where she got this book title.)… (mehr)

This is the first book I've given 5 stars to in 2013 and I also added it to my list of favorites. It's a great novel that addresses the most important of all human rights issues, the right to life. Here's what the author recently said about the book on her facebook page "I'm really depressed to see so much of DEATH PANELS becoming a reality. I thought when I wrote it back in 1994, I had made it way too far-fetched. Other than the Dome, which was done for story-telling purposes of having the hero be an outsider, the whole scenario is opening right in front of us."… (mehr)