Ann Marie Stewart

This is quite an emotional read of a family trying to heal, come to terms with, and move on after a horrible tragedy strikes. Abby, the narrator, takes on so much of her family’s pain, along with her own, yet is observant and hopeful. While some of the characters may make questionable decisions, unless a reader has been in their shoes, no one can truly judge why they acted and felt the way they did. This book is dense and heavy and will give you a good cry. Well-written, raw, and emotional.

*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*… (mehr)

Out of The Water features a diverse cast of characters from across the decades. While it took me a bit to get my bearings with the various threads and timeframes, this novel was worth the extra concentration. Stewart tells the tale of several women who struggled with hard choices. Siobhan is a young Irish immigrant who longs for family, Genevieve seems to have everything in her life and marriage, yet desperately wants a child, Erin and Claire, mother and daughter, face the uncertainties of Claire’s search for her birth mother, and Anna struggles with guilt and shame as she attempts to build a life. Added to the women’s stories are the backdrops of WWI, the immigrant experience of early 20th century America, the Great Depression, and 1950/60’s America. The historic details are naturally added to each story thread providing important context to the choices that are made. All the women share lost hopes and dreams and the feelings of rejection and abandonment. What is unique about Out of The Water, aside from the complex narrative and the varying timelines, is the way Stewart addresses all sides of adoption — those who choose to give up their child, those who give those children a home, and the adoptees themselves. I became engrossed in each woman’s story — they all became very real to me. And if you are book nerd like me, you will love how Siobhan stays in contact with a friend from the past. The book’s ending was beautiful — yes, I shed a few tears!

Filled with heartbreak, sacrifice, hope, and redemption, Out of The Water is a novel you will not want to miss. There is so much to contemplate, making this book a great choice for book clubs. I guarantee after reading it you will want to talk about it!

Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)… (mehr)

Ann Marie Stewart’s novel, Stars in The Grass, won the 2017 Christy Award for Debut Novel, and after reading it I can understand just what wowed the judges. Moving, insightful, and full of heart and heartache, this novel grabbed my imagination from the beginning. I would not characterized it as an easy read by any means, but would call it a must-read. A grieving family is the at the center with all facing a new reality with differing responses. The journey is painful, but with a whisper of hope that touched this reader. Stars in The Grass is very highly recommended.

The year is 1970 and nine year old Abby McAndrews is faced with days of love and fun with her family. That is until the unthinkable happens, leaving a gaping hole in their hearts. Abby, brother Matt, dad John, and mom Renee return to their home and begin the process of getting over what occurred. But there is no getting over a broken heart or lost dreams or a shattered family. And the grief they experience prevents them from going back or moving forward.

Stars in The Grass is told in Abby’s first person perspective. I really identified with this character for a number of reasons — I am exactly one year older than her since we share the same birthday. But it is her response to the loss of her brother that resonated with me. The losses I have experienced in my life — death of a child, loss of parents, and sudden death of my brother-in-law — were met with the same reaction as Abby. Fear. The fear of what the next day or moment could bring because life had become uncontrollable and uncertain. Stewart’s realistic portrayal of Abby and the other characters’ responses to death are so realistic that I felt the bitterness, the guilt, the anger, the fear, and the hopelessness of each. But in the end they and we can know that grief can be accompanied by hope. Was it easy for the McAndrews family (or for us)? No. But the assurance of a God who brings light even in the darkest of pits can get us through.

Easter came in the midst of the family’s grieving and Abby found the following:

My Easter was about being lost and found. It was about a Comforter. About hope and life, and the birth of a Church, and resurrecting dreams even when nobody quite knew how. But we were together and we were talking. And something about that felt — for now — almost good enough. (p. 245)

As I stated, Stars in The Grass is not an easy read, nor is it a quick one. This book is meant to be read in an unhurried manner, allowing for breaks for emotion and thought. It is an award winner for a reason. It is beautifully written with realistic and complex characters, and a subject matter that will make you think. If this is what a debut looks like, then I am eager to read more from Stewart.

Very Highly Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)… (mehr)

Stewart tells a compelling story of a nine year old little girl and her family who must walk through a dark time in their life, and the struggles that comes with. The story is told through the eyes of nine-year-old Abby. And Stewart puts you right in little Abby's shoes. This is where a good storyteller, and a great storyteller are made.

Stewart is GREAT storyteller. You become little Abby. You feel her grief and pain, her heartache.

This is a wonderful book that allows you to discover with sensitivity the different paths that each of Abby's family members will take. The spiritual aspect of the story. And most importantly, the faith that it will take to see them all through heartbreak.

With faith in God, and allowing Him to work in their lives, they will come through their tragedy. Changed, it's true. But they will survive, and without losing hope and their trust in the Almighty.

I rate this book FIVE STARS.

I give it a BIG THUMBS UP!

And I give my personal RECOMMENDATION.… (mehr)