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Meander Scar

by Lisa J. Lickel (Goodreads Author)

4.52 of 5 stars 4.52 · rating details · 31 ratings · 24 reviews

Love can heal even the deepest scars ... After seven years with no clue as to the whereabouts of Ann Ballard's missing husband, nearly everyone presumes him dead. Now forty-something, Ann is ready for her stagnant life to flow again. Then one day, a dark-haired younger man from her past shows up on her doorstep offering a river of hope in place of tears. Former neighbor Ma...more

Paperback, 226 pages

Published February 15th 2010 by Black Lyon Publishing

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May 19, 2010 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-ve-endorsed, books-you-will-find-my-name-in, christianfiction, forreview, forpleasure, favorite-2010

I loved this story because it was SO not formulaic even though it was very romantic. I saw it more as a love story because it was tragic and beautiful and breathtaking all at once. In fact, Meander Scar was so unique--as were the issues the couple dealt with--that it made the story that much more compelling to me. I found the conflict very emotionally moving in several places as the heroine dealt with seemingly impossible situations. The hero was incredibly heroic and I loved him from the beginn...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Nora St Laurent rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ann Ballard’s life has been on hold since her husband vanished, leaving no clues to find him. Everyone including Ann presumes he’s dead, even though they can’t find the body. Ann was in the middle of straightening out legal matters with her husband’s family and the Ballard family trust! The trust hasn’t been settled because her husband, Gene Ballard, can’t be found.

To Ann’s surprise, young Mark Roth shows up at her house one day. He lived next door, moved away to become an attorney, now he was b...more Ann Ballard’s life has been on hold since her husband vanished, leaving no clues to find him. Everyone including Ann presumes he’s dead, even though they can’t find the body. Ann was in the middle of straightening out legal matters with her husband’s family and the Ballard family trust! The trust hasn’t been settled because her husband, Gene Ballard, can’t be found.

To Ann’s surprise, young Mark Roth shows up at her house one day. He lived next door, moved away to become an attorney, now he was back in town to pursue the woman he loved!

Mark's relationship with Ann might have a few complications, but he was sure he could work out the kinks. He’d been in love with Ann Ballard for many years, "He didn’t have a problem dating an older woman but would Ann consider dating a younger man? – There was also the current state of her marriage to consider!"

Mark felt this about the age issues, “Age isn’t necessarily that important in a relationship…stage of life means more.” He felt the need to convince Ann of his sincere love for her.

Lisa Lickel deals with the issue of a younger man dating an older woman on many levels; how they deal with this issue with friends, family and as a couple.

Mark wants to help Ann with many things in her life, and settling the trust with the Ballard family would help get Ann out of the rut her life had been in for many years. Once the trust was settled, she could move on with her life.

Mark lets life take its course and love starts to bloom in Ann’s heart for Mark. Ann realizes for the first time how much of a rut she was in and how numb her heart was. Mark brings sunshine into her life. All looks bright until new information about her missing husband turns up! Is it real? What would happen to the trust? How was she to get to the bottom of this new discovery? She had to know!

This author pens a slice of life while strongly discussing issues of relationships with younger men/older women, husband/wife and family. The story takes quick twists and turns near the end, where all the events take place in a short period of time. If you are looking for a different type of love story with an unexpected twist, this is the book for you! I am thankful for receiving a review copy of this intriguing book.

Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org
Finding Hope Through Fiction www.psalm516.blogspot.com
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Jul 29, 2010 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

For the past seven years, Ann Ballard has had no knowledge of her husband Glen's whereabouts. Assumed dead by many, and even sometimes by Ann, she feels like life must move on. Legally declaring her husband dead has been blocked. Must she live alone for the rest of her life, always haunted by his disappearance, whether he was dead or alive?

One day, Mark Roth, a former neighbor's son, shows up on her doorstep. He's been a practicing lawyer out East, and has returned to his home town. Unbeknownst...more For the past seven years, Ann Ballard has had no knowledge of her husband Glen's whereabouts. Assumed dead by many, and even sometimes by Ann, she feels like life must move on. Legally declaring her husband dead has been blocked. Must she live alone for the rest of her life, always haunted by his disappearance, whether he was dead or alive?

One day, Mark Roth, a former neighbor's son, shows up on her doorstep. He's been a practicing lawyer out East, and has returned to his home town. Unbeknownst to her, he has secretly loved her since he was in high school. So he looks her up once he'd settled in his new job. There's one major problem: there's more than a decade between their ages, leaving gossips and family flabbergasted.

The truth about her husband's whereabouts and a subsequent illness will test the love between Mark and Ann. How strong is their love? What choices will they make?

Lisa's book has got to be one of the most tender, touching, romantic love stories I've ever read. The intensity of the characters' feelings and relationships are intricately developed and oh so real-to-life, warts and all. That intensity follows through to the very end of the book. The love and other feelings were very palpable.

Lisa touches on a subject of scrutiny in today's society-an older woman marrying a younger man. She weaves a story of how it affects not just Ann and Mark, but her family, their co-workers, and Mark's parents. One can see by her writing how one's choice affects the lives of all those around. As they say, we are not an island unto our own.

Issues of faith come up because of the possible issue of being unequally yoked should Ann and Mark marry. Their faith is also tested through the circumstances of unexpected illness and learning of the whereabouts of Ann's husband. Lisa handles the issues in different ways, showing a pastor, co-workers and family exhorting Ann and Mark in these difficult situations.

I was hesitant about Ann and Mark developing a relationship since she was officially still married, though her husband's total absence of activity qualified him as being legally dead. I think it was handled by Lisa in a very delicate way. Hard issues, yet true to life issues. A great read!

This book was provided by Lisa in exchange for my honest review.(less)

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Jul 23, 2010 Delia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ann Ballard is a wife with no husband. Hers has been missing for seven years. Is she a widow, or simply an abandoned woman? Her life goes on, set on automatic while Ann simply exists, putting one foot in front of the other, getting through one day at a time. Denied the financial benefits she should gain from her husband’s trust, she makes ends meet the best she can, lives in the house she once shared with a mostly disinterested man, and deals with a spoiled, resentful son who blames her for the...more Ann Ballard is a wife with no husband. Hers has been missing for seven years. Is she a widow, or simply an abandoned woman? Her life goes on, set on automatic while Ann simply exists, putting one foot in front of the other, getting through one day at a time. Denied the financial benefits she should gain from her husband’s trust, she makes ends meet the best she can, lives in the house she once shared with a mostly disinterested man, and deals with a spoiled, resentful son who blames her for the absence of a father in his life.

When the son of a previous neighbor shows up on her doorstep—handsome, successful, and determined to win Ann’s heart despite their age difference—life takes on new meaning. Mark Roth awakens long-dead emotions and physical responses in Ann, who is very much aware of the social taboos involving this type of May-December relationship. Will the disapproval of a snippy sister, the snide disrespect of an unappreciative son, and the raised eyebrows of society cause Ann to walk away from the first thing that’s brought her happiness in more years than she cares to count?

As pressures build, Ann’s chronic migraines increase in frequency and severity. When she stumbles on the truth about her husband’s disappearance, her entire world is threatened, including her own health.

Mark wants to be there for Ann, but when she seems to pull away after a brief visit to New York, he wonders if their love stands a chance. What is bothering this woman that he loves, and will she ever get past the gap in their ages enough to enjoy the happiness he knows they could share? Or…did she find someone more suitable during her solitary trip out of state?

A catastrophic turn of events forces Mark to make a difficult decision. Stay or go? Give up or give his all?

A fascinating book that grips the reader from page one and never lets go. While relationships between young women and older men are at least somewhat accepted, when the genres are reversed, society considers it something ugly and reproachful—especially to the woman. Lickel offers a heart-warming love story based around such a relationship. Meander Scar is beautifully written, with sensitive handling of a delicate issue, and an absolutely fascinating storyline. The unexpected twist at the end comes right out of the blue, forcing the reader to keep turning pages. Masterful storytelling. Very highly recommended.(less)

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Jul 08, 2010 Shawna Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

I truly loved and appreciated this book. Every bit of it -- story, plot, writing, setting and characters! I'll be honest, sometimes I get tired of reading another romance with a formulaic feel. (Boy meets girl, they hate each other for some reason, but they can't stop thinking about each other. They get together and everything is great for awhile, but either boy or girl has some dark secret that threatens to tear them apart. It does, but then they work it out and everybody lives happily ever aft...more I truly loved and appreciated this book. Every bit of it -- story, plot, writing, setting and characters! I'll be honest, sometimes I get tired of reading another romance with a formulaic feel. (Boy meets girl, they hate each other for some reason, but they can't stop thinking about each other. They get together and everything is great for awhile, but either boy or girl has some dark secret that threatens to tear them apart. It does, but then they work it out and everybody lives happily ever after.)

Okay, it's not that there's anything wrong with that. There are plenty of entertaining stories that are molded around that setup. But since I do read so many, when I come across a well written book, where the story is molded around characters and events on several different levels, I'm hooked. I'm not just hooked, I'm enamored.

And I'm enamored with Meander Scar.

Everything about it was unique. And I don't mean weird. The story had its own individual mold and that's because the pacing and drama was completely controlled by the characters. This gave it a true to life feel with plenty of depth, complexity, and total believability. And it took me on an emotional journey -- which was heart-wrenching in places -- but also moved me on a deep level.

From the very beginning Lisa Lickel gives the reader something to think about by introducing Ann's situation, where her life is in a state of limbo. From there, we get to chew on the controversy of romance and age difference. There are lessons in grief, lessons in letting go, lessons in closure and forgiveness – lessons in faith. I just loved this book.

One of the most touching parts in the story is near the end, when Mark discovers a diary of Ann's. It's a journey of her feelings and insecurities from the moment he came back into her life, and when he read it, I wanted to cry.

If any of you have read Nicholas Sparks, A walk to Remember, you may recall that it ends with a single, powerful line. There's some speculation as to what actually happens, but that line offers the reader tremendous hope. The ending to Meander Scar has a similar feel. I thought it was perfect.
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May 17, 2010 Margaret Metz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read a lot of romance novels. Sometimes I can predict where the story is going before the first chapter is over. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy the trip ~ it just means it's not always very surprising where I go. This book is nothing like that.

It is a rare book that includes older characters. Then you have the whole issue of their age difference (11 years) and whether they will be able to overcome everything that comes with that themselves - and how their families, friends, churches, and co-w...more

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May 19, 2010 Casey rated it 4 of 5 stars

More like a 4.5 star book, this novel really surprised me.

The beginning was a bit hard to get into, but once into the novel I had a terrible time putting it down. This is certainly not your orthodox romance. It is unusual and gripping with a love story that proves to transcend time.

It really made me think, how would I have approached this situation? Would I be able to bear the stigma of loving someone who could be my son? But as the love story progressed and you saw the depth of the characters,...more

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Apr 25, 2010 Ellen Maze rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: If you like Christian Romance, Inspirational fiction

Recommended to Ellen by: Lisa

Meander Scar is a love story; romantic, touching and inspiring. It’s is also a story of devotion, passion and perseverance. Main characters Ann Ballard and Mark Roth feed the flame of their growing love, despite the trials placed upon them by a judgmental public and the tribulations caused by hard-hearted family members.

Ann worries she might be a cougar, Mark wonders if he is a pervert. See, even though Mark is in his thirties, Ann is old enough to be his mother (but just barely). She’s a littl...more

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Feb 17, 2010 Margaret Metz rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Feb 09, 2010 Cathy Bryant rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story, mainly because it opened my eyes to a deep-seated prejudice that I wasn't even aware of. I love it when a book exposes something about myself that I need to deal with and come to grips with. Meander Scar did that for me.

The main character, Ann Ballard, is in her forties, and the man from her past, Mark Roth, is the older brother of her son's childhood friend and is in his thirties. At first, I was taken aback by this scenario. Then I realized my prejudice, one that m...more

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Feb 04, 2010 Michelle Griep rated it 4 of 5 stars

Meander Scar, besides being an intriguing title, is quite the metaphor for the curve balls life often throws our way. A meander scar is basically the path water takes when confronted with a barrier so that it must split or bend, but then reunites to form a straight course. Author Lisa Lickel weaves a story that shows how hurt and healing frequently intersect.
The main issue tackled in this book is the appropriateness of love and romance between an older woman and a younger man. I had no idea ab...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Carrie Padgett rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Meander Scar a lot. I've never been to Wisconsin but I felt the cold of both the outside weather and the iciness of the suspended animation Ann Ballard has lived in since her husband disappeared seven years ago.

Both the weather and Ann's life begin to thaw when her former neighbor Mark moves back to town. Mark has had a crush on Ann for years, even though she's more than a couple of years older than she is. His feelings are still strong, in spite of the passage of time and he and Ann t...more

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Jul 10, 2010 Jennifer Slattery rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lisa Lickel really challenged my thinking in this novel, without killing the story. By drawing me into the life of Ann Ballard, a middle-aged wife and mother stuck in a dead--seriously, dead, like long, lost husband dead--marriage, she encouraged me to think outside the box, so to speak. When Ann fell for a dashingly handsome, caring and gentle man, who was eleven years younger than her, I quickly tossed any preconceived notions aside. I wanted this relationship to work, no matter how many obsta...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Dawn Kunda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gripping and heartwrenching as Lickel takes us through the fears and struggles of a woman abandoned by her husband.
After seven years of separation,in which the husband is legally pronounced dead, the heroine attempts to rebuild her life and herself along with a romantic interest in a long-time friend. Then she finds out her husband is not dead and he's not the same man from seven years previous.
A must read to understand the troubled conscious of the faithful.

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Aug 25, 2012 Susan M. Baganz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh. My. Word.

Meander Scar has to be one of the best books I have read in a long time. I couldn’t put it down and when I got to the end I just wanted to cry. I still do as I think of it.

Ann Ballard has been living her life in limbo since her husband Gene disappeared in New York seven years go. Attempts to rule him as dead were constantly blocked by Gene’s mother, Donna. Ann’s son has been angry and blaming his mother for his father’s disappearance but is now married about to have a child of his...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Tracy Krauss rated it 5 of 5 stars

Meander Scar

Meander Scar won last year’s ‘Grace Award’ for women’s fiction and now I know why. This book was nothing short of wonderful. Author Lisa Lickel has crafted an unorthodox romance fraught with complications and intrigue that draws the reader in almost immediately and keeps you guessing right until the very last page.

Ann Ballard is an older woman caught in emotional limbo. Her husband went missing years earlier without a trace. He left behind a thriving business but unfortunately his m...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Julie by: Debra Maynor

Shelves: arc, contemporary

Ann Ballard is tired of the waiting, the loneliness, the questions. Will she ever be able to put her husband to rest? Gene has been missing/dead for years, yet she is still married to him until the courts deem otherwise. If only the mother-in-law would allow it!! Just when Ann is at her worst, an old neighbor shows up for a visit. Mark Roth grew up next door to Ann and was her son Ricky's friend. Things became a little tense after Trey (Mark's half brother) died. Mark has now moved back to his h...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Naomi Musch rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lisa Lickel captured my attention big time with her themes in Meander Scar, a contemporary novel from Black Lyon Publishing involving an older woman still married to her missing husband, and the much younger man who's come into her life.

Ann Ballard is stuck in limbo. She's not a widow, and she's not feeling very married either. She doesn't know if she's been abandoned or if something terrible happened to her husband who's been estranged now for seven years. What she does know is that her mother-...more

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Aug 19, 2010 Wendy Marple rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 19, 2010 Lisa added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

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Jun 12, 2012 Brenda Hendricks rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Lisa J. Lickel

I live in southern Wisconsin with my husband Bill, a high school science teacher. I love to perform and write radio drama with local group FreeQuincy Radio Theater, besides occasionally freelancing for magazines and newspapers and devotionals. I agree that to work hard at being a writer, one should read every spare minute, and so I do. I also love to travel, hand stitch quilts and putter in the fl...more

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