Abby Slovin

I can't even begin to do this book justice. The author was kind enough to send me a copy and I really wish I could have read it faster than I did. This book creates a wonderful sense of nostalgia, of hope and growth. It's a process to get there, but the journey is well worth it. Check out my fully detailed review here.
http://midnight-orchid.blogspot.com/2012/02/letters-in-cardboard-boxes-review.ht...

*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*… (mehr)

I've never read a book by an independent author before. I think I was over-analyzing it in the beginning. Then I stopped myself before I went crazy and eased into the story. From then on out I let the story fill me up.

Parker is a 29 year old who seems t like being stuck in a rut. At least she doesn't seem to notice that she acts way older than she really is. At 29 I would think I wouldn't be as sad as I felt she was. Well anyway the one person she could trust sent her a letter. It's not unusual for her grandmother to do so because her childhood was filled with these letters. Letters going back and forth between their houses that aren't that far away. Letters filled with adventures across the sea or just in a new place altogether other than their home in New York. They were something to pass the time away but not only that. It filled a hole missing from Parker's life. A bond that has been seemingly unable to break. Her grandmother raised her after all while her parents explored the world and researched all of what they could so they can change the world. But what happened to Parker? Now she's all grown up and she looks to see why her grandmother would send such a letter again. This letter will drastically change her life and the way she views it.

I had to stop with this story after awhile. It's just that type that makes you sigh... I just wanted to get up and walk aimlessly to think. Because this book makes you think. At least contemplate especially with a character like Parker. Parker. Parker. Parker... she seriously acted way too old and I wanted to push her out the door into the world. She's so self conscience and that made me worried because I am too. The whole book felt solemn but in a good way. Again it made me think. I really liked Tanya. So self assured but also not. On the verge of being and adult but also in the verge of slipping up as teenagers like to do. I got really connected with both of them and their relationship even more so then Parker's and her grandmothers. Oh I did shed tears for them but I liked the hope and positivity their relationship represented. A new beginning. I don't know what I expected out of this book in the beginning but it evolved into something that I know I had no idea it would end up being like. I really think this book should have way more readers already and I don't know why it doesn't. It was truly great. Thanks for letting me read it Abby.… (mehr)

There are very few fiction books that focus on a female protagonist that choose to focus on the female relationships in her life without going all “beaches” on us, focusing on how she needs to “get the man” (either back or stealing him from a friend), or focusing on how she has totally fallen down on her knees and will never recover until some extreme twist of fate changes her life and suddenly she’s saved! SAVED!Let me save you time. That doesn’t happen here.Some events in life are quiet, painful, thoughtful, and, by turns, beautiful. Parker is a 29-year-old who is a part of the boomerang generation. She works in a job she doesn’t despise, and yet she finds herself lacking partnership in her friendships and her romantic relationships. Her ties are weak, at best, with everyone in her life including her parents. The exception to this is the amazing bond she shares with the grandmother who raised her. When Dotty, her grandmother begins to exhibit signs of memory loss as well as the inability to care for herself, Parker’s carefully constructed life does begin to crumble and the question is begged: to whom does an adult child turn when there are no parents who are emotionally able to catch her fall and there is no support system other than the person who is ailing?In Parker’s case, instead of leaning on the weak supports she has, she turns inward in a way that I have rarely seen in a novel. We tend to despair from the notion of an extrovert who has the ability to reach others or at least who has others that care about reaching her ignoring that help. In this case, Parker is left to go on her own until events with Dotty reach a bitter climax. Letters in Cardboard Boxes explores intergenerational friendships and how the most unlikely places provide us support in times of need. We never truly reach Parker and, frankly, that’s just how she’d prefer it. In the process, though, we get a story that winds us through some realistic life events that someone will need to hear and process.If you are looking for a serious read that allows you to just feel the differences in relationships between women, this is the novel for you.Note: I received this novel for free in exchange for my open and honest review of it. You can also see an interview with the author at my blog: http://blueshelled.com/2012/02/22/book-review-letters-in-cardboard-boxes-by-abby...… (mehr)

I saw this book listed on the goodreads first reads program and signed up to win. I remember being disappointed when I lost. The synopsis hooked me. When I was contacted by the author later, I was so ecstatic and couldn't wait to get started. My grandmother and I are close and have always been close, which is why I wanted to read this book so badly.
The story begins with Parker. She is a woman with no direction, raised by her grandmother (for the most part) because her parents travel often. I immediately thought of Leonard from The Big Bang Theory for some reason, because his parents were both professional psychologists and weren't really there for him emotionally and I sensed that was exactly what was happening with Parker.
I loved and hated Parker. She was one of those characters that reflect all of our insecurities. She has no self esteem, lacks confidence, is socially awkward, and as a side effect, forms pointless relationships with people that have no depth. She needed to grow. When her grandmother becomes ill, she is forced to connect with other people and grow up.
During Parker's childhood, her grandmother and she would exchange letters pretending they were on some grand adventure, though neither of them left New York.
I'm going to refrain from telling any more of the story because it's just one of those things I think you have to read and experience for yourself. It's full of growth, emotion, love, loss, regret, etc. While this novel definitely made me email my own grandmother, it isn't one of those novels that try too hard to make you cry or rethink your life, which I found extremely refreshing. Instead of forcing you to feel a certain way, the story flows naturally and leads you on your own journey.
I felt like I could relate a lot to Parker, though half the time I just wanted to scream at her. She was frightened of herself and never let herself simply be comfortable in her own shoes. I used to be like that and I just wanted to either yell at her or invite her over for a cup of a coffee and dose of advice. I love characters like that because they feel real to me and become multidimensional instead of flat and predictable.
The story was broken up into parts, which symbolized the growth of Parker in coming to terms with what happened and the stages of grief. I liked how it was broken up and I thought it was clever and organized. The writing was excellent and I felt like I really got to know the characters. I can't stress enough how much it irks me to read a book that lacks character building, so I thoroughly enjoyed this story because of how the characters were presented and built upon.
Letters represented a lot in this book. As I said earlier, Parker and her grandmother exchanged letters that helped Parker cope with her teenage years. Her grandmother also sent letters to a teenager she mentored. Letters were also in box that Parker found between her grandmother and an unknown love interest. I felt like letters were windows into the soul, not just Parker's, but the people she connected with and her grandmother as well.
I recently found a journal at the bookstore entitled The Book of Myself. In it were questions that began with childhood and kept going throughout life stages. It was invented by a grandfather and grandson. When I saw this, I purchased one for my grandmother and one for my husband's grandmother. While I am much closer to my grandmother than my husband is with his, I felt like there is still so much we don't know about life back then. Both of our grandmothers are single now, so I wonder about falling in love and what not along the way. In a sense, having our grandmothers fill these books out is like finding a box of letters they may have saved. You found out so much about a person through letters and journals and I couldn't help but think about this when I was reading this book.
As a young adult, I sometimes have to force myself to stop and slow down and reconnect with people that are close to me. I guess at this age, most of us think there is still so much time ahead. But what if something happens to our older family members and we start to formulate questions that we can't get answers to anymore?
This book definitely made me think about this more and like I mentioned, email my grandmother to let her know that I am thinking about her. You never know what may happen.
And it's not death that I'm necessarily referring to.
For example, one of my family members had a stroke about a year ago. She's pretty young and she recovered for the most part, but she's left with aphasia. She can understand you, but she cannot speak very well. She is getting better at writing and it's usually easy to understand her through questions and charade type activities, but every once in a while I think about how much I miss being able to sit down and talk to her the way we used to. Now she can't tell me things I don't already have some idea about, since a major part of understanding her is a guessing game. I am so thankful that she's here and she's okay, it's just that I miss some things sometimes. So, as I said, you never know what may happen to the people you love and it's probably best to start expanding your relationships with them. And it's probably best to start expanding your relationship with yourself, because you can't build meaningful relationships without that.
Anyway, I can't stress enough that this book is wonderful and thought provoking, but it's not one of those inspirational forced messages that you get from some books. It's natural, flowing, beautifully written, and interesting.
http://meganm922.blogspot.com/2012/03/letters-in-cardboard-boxes-review.html… (mehr)