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  <id>3188756</id>
  <title><![CDATA[What Matters Most]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0553589709]]></isbn>
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  <description><![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past&#8212;and two undying love affairs.&#8230;<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past&#8212;and the son&#8212;they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette&#8217;s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette&#8217;s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only &#8220;family&#8221; he&#8217;s ever known. They&#8217;d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine&#8217;s Children&#8217;s Home, until Kathleen Murphy&#8217;s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she&#8217;s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand&#8212;but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything&#8230;for what matters most.<br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]></description>
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  <original_publication_year type="integer">2007</original_publication_year>
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        <name><![CDATA[Luanne Rice]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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    <![CDATA[director: Cassandra Campbell<br/>Jacket photograph by Stanislav Komogorov<br/>Original jacket design by Shasti O'Leary Soudant<br/>copyright 2007 by Luanne Rice and Books on Tape<br/>Published by arrangement with Random House Audio Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Random House is a registered trademark of Random House Inc.]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Oct 07 05:05:52 -0700 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[My library is slim with books on tape. I picked this up for the pretty picture as I had not heard of Luanne Rice.  <br/><br/>I apologize to anyone who bothered with my in progress reviews.  This book was tedious.  By the 7th cd, I was vested enough to want to finish it.  During the 8th cd, I was a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32677599">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Aug 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[A very preachy book about lost love. Two couples, one the parents of the son of the young couple, are drawn back to Ireland where the story began twenty-three years ago. Bernie and Tom had a child they gave up for adoption because Bernie felt a calling to be a nun in America. The son is raised in an...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31338492">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>47262436</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.85</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past&#8212;and two undying love affairs.&#8230;<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past&#8212;and the son&#8212;they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette&#8217;s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette&#8217;s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only &#8220;family&#8221; he&#8217;s ever known. They&#8217;d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine&#8217;s Children&#8217;s Home, until Kathleen Murphy&#8217;s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she&#8217;s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand&#8212;but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything&#8230;for what matters most.<br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <date_added>Mon Feb 23 10:12:35 -0800 2009</date_added>
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    <body><![CDATA[From a writer's standpoint, I completely and honestly appreciate the ending of this book. Well done!<br/>From a readers standpoint, I was saddened and a bit dissapointed by the ending.<br/>Overall, the book was well worth the read and entirely heart-breaking.<br/><br/>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>58979927</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 09 07:17:54 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 09 07:32:29 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book was cute. I enjoyed reading the thrill of Sister Bernadette and Tom Kelly trying to find their son that theyu gave up for adoption. The questions that kept me reading were whether or not Bernie would remain a nun, and if Seamus/James will ever reunite with Kathleen. I was devasted towards ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58979927">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>39189770</id>
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Dec 03 18:54:37 -0800 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Wed Dec 03 18:54:37 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Okay, I've been reading this for a couple of weeks now, and I'm almost done.  This just goes to show that I'm not very good at updating my stuff on this website!  I love LuAnne Rice's books.  They are easy-to-read love stories without the extra fluff that some romance authors like to put in.  I also...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39189770">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Sep 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Aug 19 21:55:38 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Sep 09 21:57:47 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm kind of torn between whether I liked or didn't like this book. <br/><br/>I liked the love stories, especially the one between Kathleen and Seamus (James). However, I was somewhat frustrated by Tom and Bernie's relationship. I've never been called to be a nun so I can't begin to understand it, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68138653">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Bev]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Parkville, MD]]></location>
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  <isbn>1415938954</isbn>
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.00</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[director: Cassandra Campbell<br/>Jacket photograph by Stanislav Komogorov<br/>Original jacket design by Shasti O'Leary Soudant<br/>copyright 2007 by Luanne Rice and Books on Tape<br/>Published by arrangement with Random House Audio Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Random House is a registered trademark of Random House Inc.]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <date_added>Sun Apr 26 05:16:47 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu May 07 12:52:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Unlike Sandcastles, the book from which this one stems, I was thoroughly engaged and fully invested in this novel, particularly a few of the  characters.  I actually liked the side story line of Sr. Bernadette and Tom in Sandcastles much more than that of the main characters, so I was pleased to pic...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53998812">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53998812]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>41642486</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Rebekah]]></name>
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  <isbn13>9780553805338</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">91</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173489400m/297217.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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    <rating>1</rating>
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  <date_added>Fri Jan 02 14:57:13 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jan 02 15:03:46 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[This was the worst love story I've ever read. I actually stopped to read portions to my husband and we laughed out loud at the sappy, ridiculous events.<br/><br/>A woman who is now a nun, and the groundskeeper at the abbey, take a trip to Ireland to see how the son they had together is getting alo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41642486">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>76269699</id>
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Nov 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Oct 30 20:52:47 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Nov 04 08:27:24 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I liked it ok until the end, which I think sucked! I can't actually believe that Tom died. Whatever. Plus, Bernie drove me crazy! I don't she was worth Tom wasting his life over. I don't know why Bernie couldn't make a decision about her life on her own if she was supposed to be such a strong person...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76269699">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>10911538</id>
    <user>
    <id>206027</id>
    <name><![CDATA[CLM]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Boston, MA]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173489400m/297217.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297217.What_Matters_Most</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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    <rating>2</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Dec 23 08:13:41 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Apr 19 06:11:03 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Although Bernadette is in love with her childhood friend Tom, she believes her vocation to the church comes first so insists on giving up their illegitimate child for adoption in Ireland (presumably in the 70s).  She then becomes a nun (also in Ireland, although she is American and mysteriously ends...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10911538">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10911538]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>4095968</id>
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    <id>146946</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Maudeen]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 05 00:14:13 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 05 00:14:52 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I just now finished this fabulous book -- though I must admit I could barely read the last 30 pages I was crying/sobbing so hard!!! Honestly, I couldn't see the pages. I dropped everything else I was reading when this book arrived Thursday but really started reading it voraciously Friday night, read...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4095968">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>2971909</id>
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    <id>64504</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Gabby]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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  <read_at>Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jul 12 04:54:41 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jul 17 11:24:23 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[From Publishers Weekly<br/>True love never dies—but it may need the helping hand of the Virgin Mary and the luck o' the Irish to survive in Rice's latest, effectively a sequel to last year's Sandcastles. Sister Bernadette Ignatius (the former Bernie Sullivan), Mother Superior at the coastal Conne...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2971909">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Oct 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Oct 02 19:36:30 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 12 08:30:20 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is a follow up to Sandcastles Luanne Rice seems to keep the location of her stories the same but different characters.  In this book and in most of Luanne's books they take a twist that you cannot predict. The search by Bernadette and Tim for their son that they gave away at birth, and what mat...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73260622">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73260622]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>67503728</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Maureen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Jakarta, 04, Indonesia]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">297217</id>
  <isbn>0553805339</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780553805338</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">91</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173489400m/297217.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297217.What_Matters_Most</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Aug 15 11:00:18 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 15 11:01:27 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Another great book from Luanne Rice for sure. This romantic book is far off from those other cookie-cutter 'love-you,love-me' book, it have religious elements too. I love the characters and could almost 'see' some of the story unfold on the pages as it catches my emotion as well. The story is both h...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67503728">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>61760486</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[R &amp; R]]></name>
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  <isbn13>9780553589702</isbn13>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.85</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>26</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past&#8212;and two undying love affairs.&#8230;<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past&#8212;and the son&#8212;they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette&#8217;s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette&#8217;s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only &#8220;family&#8221; he&#8217;s ever known. They&#8217;d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine&#8217;s Children&#8217;s Home, until Kathleen Murphy&#8217;s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she&#8217;s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand&#8212;but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything&#8230;for what matters most.<br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 01 08:55:56 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Sep 08 10:43:39 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was an awesome story...loved the characters and what they went through touched memories that I have.<br/><br/>Emotionally charged and beautifully written.  Luanne Rice has a way of digging deep within the soul and challenging your beliefs.<br/><br/>We are all affected by choices...from our ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61760486">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61760486]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>67143862</id>
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    <id>1874531</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Deb]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Summerville, SC]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">297217</id>
  <isbn>0553805339</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780553805338</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">91</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173489400m/297217.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297217.What_Matters_Most</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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    <rating>2</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Aug 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Aug 12 16:17:09 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Aug 19 17:15:29 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Liked the Irish elements to this one, although I found the female lead character, Bernie, a little tough to take - selfish and full of herself, unable and unwilling to see how the choices she made affected those closest to her.  Also found it repetitious in the characters describing events that happ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67143862">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67143862]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>31206037</id>
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    <id>1462664</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kiana]]></name>
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  <id type="integer">297217</id>
  <isbn>0553805339</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780553805338</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">91</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173489400m/297217.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297217.What_Matters_Most</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <date_added>Mon Aug 25 22:31:29 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 01 08:08:29 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is the sequel to Sandcastles and is mainly about  Sister Bernadette Sullivan and Tom Kelly.  They decide to go searching for their son that they had together years ago in Ireland.  Meanwhile the book also follows James/Seamus Sullivan (their son) and his love Katherine.  Both couples go through...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31206037">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31206037]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31206037]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>63413029</id>
    <user>
    <id>2136582</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Darcie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Columbus, OH]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2136582-darcie-hollis]]></link>
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  <isbn>0553805339</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780553805338</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">91</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173489400m/297217.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297217.What_Matters_Most</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jul 14 05:27:27 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 29 15:59:44 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I liked this book.  I enjoyed finding out what would happen with Bernie.  I wanted to see if she would leave the convent for Tom and of course if they would ever get together!  She seemed to really struggle with her decision.  I found it to be a very easy read.  I was a bit surprised with the ending...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63413029">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63413029]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>40261292</id>
    <user>
    <id>1790079</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Melanie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Kidron, OH]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">3188756</id>
  <isbn>0553589709</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780553589702</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">9</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255666975m/3188756.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3188756.What_Matters_Most</link>
  <average_rating>3.85</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>26</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past&#8212;and two undying love affairs.&#8230;<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past&#8212;and the son&#8212;they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette&#8217;s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette&#8217;s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only &#8220;family&#8221; he&#8217;s ever known. They&#8217;d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine&#8217;s Children&#8217;s Home, until Kathleen Murphy&#8217;s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she&#8217;s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand&#8212;but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything&#8230;for what matters most.<br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 16 17:10:42 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 16 17:12:29 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Luanne Rice was a new author to me that my Mom recommended. I thought this book was fantastic!! The relationships were well developed, the plot was interesting. It kept me reading until late. A tear jerker at the end.. but still a wonderful boook!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40261292]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40261292]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Theresa]]></name>
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  <isbn13>9780553805338</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">91</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[What Matters Most]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297217.What_Matters_Most</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>478</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[With every <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, Luanne Rice illuminates yet another of the secret wonders of the heart. Her unforgettable evocations of family, friendship, and loves lost and won in such novels as <strong>The Edge of Winter</strong>, <strong>Sandcastles</strong>, and<strong> Summer of Roses</strong> give voice to our most powerful emotions. Now she brings back two of her most beloved characters to tell of their journey across the sea to unravel the mysteries of a shared past—and two undying love affairs.…<br/><br/><strong>What Matters Most<br/></strong><br/>Sister Bernadette Ignatius has returned to Ireland in the company of Tom Kelly to search for the past—and the son—they left behind. For it was here that these two long-ago lovers spent a season of magic before Bernadette’s calling led her to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. For Tom, Bernadette’s choice meant giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, where he could be close to the woman he could no longer have but whom he never stopped loving. And while one miracle drew them apart, another is about to bring them together again.<br/><br/>For somewhere in Dublin a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also on a search, dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and she vanished across the sea to America. Now, in a Newport mansion, that very girl, grown to womanhood, works as a maid and waits with a faith that defies all reason for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.<br/><br/>That miracle is at hand—but like most miracles, it can come only after the darkest of nights and the deepest of heartbreaks. For life can be as precarious as a walk along a cliff, and its greatest rewards reached only by those who dare to risk everything…for what matters most.]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sat Jan 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 30 07:34:10 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Feb 28 14:47:22 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[After reading all of Rice's books, this proves to me that she still has 'IT' and that I will continue to read her, as her books always provide enjoyment.<br/><br/>What Matters Most has some unforgettable characters, some of my favorite of all of Rice's. A touching story of a man and woman searchin...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41276852">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41276852]]></url>
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