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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this book! I miss the characters now that it is done. It is both sad and hopeful- humans making the most of strange, unfortunate situations to find goodness and happiness.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am a huge fan of Diane Chamberlain as trying to get to all her older books. Loved this book, as Diane has a way of bringing a number of different stories into her novels, connecting characters, and moving back and forth seamlessly between generations and times, filling in the blanks, and always some exciting twists and turns, making it difficult to put it down. I loved the setting, the characters, and the way she tied similar circumstances between (Joelle/Liam/Mara) and (Lisbeth/Gabriel/Carlynn). There was a lot of love in this book and as some of the reviews referenced, even though the characters do bad things sometimes which are unethical, you fall in love with them anyway despite their faults and sympathize with their circumstances! A beautiful story!
The beginning was a bit slow - but during the last half of the book, I couldn't put it down! Great twists at the end.
This is a great story. I love Diane Chamberlain- If you like Kristen Hannah you will like her
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is the story of Joelle. When she was a baby, she almost died. A woman who had been staying with a friend on the compound where her family lived, saved her life and then disappeared. Years later, when one of Joelle's best friends suffers an aneurysm after she delivers her baby, her parents tell her to reach out to the healer that saved her life all those years ago. Joelle is reluctant - as a Social Worker who deals with life and death of children every day, she doesn't believe in such things. But she will do anything to save her friend, even as she deals with her own personal turmoil.
I am plowing through audiobooks right now with the amount of yard work we are doing. And I think a few light books are just what I need as I work. This is definitely another beach read. Fluffy, and short on depth, it passes the time. I liked the backstory of the healer and her family, and figured out the truth of that group of people pretty quickly. The ending was just okay. I didn't like the turn it took once the truth of the healer came to light - seemed a little too far fetched (even for a novel wiht a bit of magical realism).
I am plowing through audiobooks right now with the amount of yard work we are doing. And I think a few light books are just what I need as I work. This is definitely another beach read. Fluffy, and short on depth, it passes the time. I liked the backstory of the healer and her family, and figured out the truth of that group of people pretty quickly. The ending was just okay. I didn't like the turn it took once the truth of the healer came to light - seemed a little too far fetched (even for a novel wiht a bit of magical realism).
I enjoyed this book a lot.
There were two stories going on in it. The first was back in the 50's and 60's about twins Carlynn and Lisbeth Kling--born into money. Carlynn was also born with a gift of healing. She doesn't understand that gift, but when she touches people, she can heal them. Carlynn ends up going into medicine and becoming a pediatrician and eventually word gets out that she's also a healer and she ends up starting her own foundation/research clinic. The story about Carlynn and Lisbeth is interesting because of the relationship between the sisters and the social norms during that time period (sexism, racism, etc). I don't want to give away too much because the way the story unravels is kind of a nice, slow surprise.
The other story takes place in present time and is about Joelle, Mara and Liam. When Joelle was born on a commune thirty-four years ago, she wasn't breathing. But miraculously there was a doctor nearby that helped--Carlynn--who was also a mysterious healer. So that is how the stories intersect.
Mara, Liam and Joelle all work together in a San Francisco hospital and are best friends. When Mara gives birth to her son, she has an aneurysm and is basically brain dead but still alive. Her husband Liam can't let go. For a year, Joelle and Liam visit Mara in the nursing home every day, wishing she would recover. They grow closer to each other and can't deny their feelings for each other. Is it wrong to fall in love? When Mara will never be her old self?
The ending had a good twist I didn't see coming. I liked it!
There were two stories going on in it. The first was back in the 50's and 60's about twins Carlynn and Lisbeth Kling--born into money. Carlynn was also born with a gift of healing. She doesn't understand that gift, but when she touches people, she can heal them. Carlynn ends up going into medicine and becoming a pediatrician and eventually word gets out that she's also a healer and she ends up starting her own foundation/research clinic. The story about Carlynn and Lisbeth is interesting because of the relationship between the sisters and the social norms during that time period (sexism, racism, etc). I don't want to give away too much because the way the story unravels is kind of a nice, slow surprise.
The other story takes place in present time and is about Joelle, Mara and Liam. When Joelle was born on a commune thirty-four years ago, she wasn't breathing. But miraculously there was a doctor nearby that helped--Carlynn--who was also a mysterious healer. So that is how the stories intersect.
Mara, Liam and Joelle all work together in a San Francisco hospital and are best friends. When Mara gives birth to her son, she has an aneurysm and is basically brain dead but still alive. Her husband Liam can't let go. For a year, Joelle and Liam visit Mara in the nursing home every day, wishing she would recover. They grow closer to each other and can't deny their feelings for each other. Is it wrong to fall in love? When Mara will never be her old self?
The ending had a good twist I didn't see coming. I liked it!
