Jeannie Hudson's Blog: Bookmarks - Posts Tagged "redemption"

Growing up in Two Rivers, Vermont during the era of Vietnam and the civil rights movement, Harper Montgomery loved Betsy
from the time they were children and marries her when they're just out of high
school. During his youth, he and two friends are involved in some dreadful activities, one of which is a horrific
racial crime. -- As the story opens, he is still haunted by his past and grieving for his mother who was murdered because of her civil rights activities, and Betsy whose death is somehow connected to the hate crime that still plagues him. His daughter Shelly was born the night her mother died and he has been a single-dad for twelve years. His life has been reduced by tragedy to a shallow existence divided between his job with the Two Rivers railroad and raising his daughter. -- While Harper
helps rescue passengers after a train
derailment, he is approached by Maggie,
a pregnant black girl who convinces him to let her live with him and Shelly. He
soon suspects that more than chance has
brought her into their lives. When he
begins unraveling the mysteries of the
past, he finds new hope and redemption
for all of them.-- TWO RIVERS is a dark,
lovely story of heartbreak and sorrow, of
making amends and finding forgiveness. I
give it three stars.

I found THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Vanessa
Diffenbaugh to be a most enjoyable read.
The main character Victoria's harrowing
passage through the foster care system was a sensitive work of character development.
We learn why Victoria is so scared, so
vulnerable, so angry, so weary. We can
understand her stubborn need for self-
reliance. She's been let down or has let herself down too many times. When she is
emancipated from the foster care system at 18 because 'there's nowhere else for her to go' she faces the hard truth that it's up to her alone whether she has a life or not. During one of her trial adoptions, she was taught 'the language of flowers' by her foster mother and she carries this with her until it is ultimately the source of her
redemption. Through her own unstable attempts to find love, friendship, motherhood and success, she comes close to having a stable, happy life. Yet she
continues getting in her own way because
of her ingrained lack of self-confidence
and belief that she is damaged beyond
repair. At this juncture when she teeters
at the brink of either grand success or
total failure, she turns to the lessons
she's learned while studying 'the language of flowers.' Because she identifies so completely with these tenets and has the ability to apply them
to the needs and problems of others, she
finds her gift that brings her untold
success happiness.

The title THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS sounds
like a rather lighthearted romp. The actual story is filled with quite serious themes with a satisfying ending.
I give it 4.5 stars.

SHOTGUN LOVESONGS is a wonderful book, one
of the best I've read in the past year. It
is about coming home for four friends, all
born and raised in Little Wing a small town in WI. The author Nickolas Butler deftly describes the losses and triumphs of the four as some seek success elsewhere. His honest and heartfelt descriptions of the love among them and their women are nothing short of miraculous. You'll lose yourself in this rollicking tale, be moved to laughter and tears and perhaps be inspired to call an old friend or two yourself. Filled with
compassion and joy, SHOTGUN LOVESONGS is
positively a Midwest masterpiece and I
am already anxious for Nickolas Butler's
next work