Only The Beautiful—a Review & a GIVEAWAY
I’ve enjoyed several of USA Today bestselling author Susan Meissner‘s books and have emerged richer from each, but her latest—Only the Beautiful—showcases her deft pen at an even higher level, not only of craftsmanship, but of relevance.
Others clearly agree. Chosen A Best Historical Fiction of Spring Pick by Amazon, PopSugar, AARP, and Bookbub, this book’s getting noticed.
From the first pages, Meissner’s characters lassoed me. Historical treachery and heartbreak roused me to high alert for trends in our own time. Even so, the story’s redemption left me flush with hope and courage.
Will you let me know if does the same for you?
I’ve bought two copies for Christmas gifts, and will be giving away the audiobook to one of my Saturday Letter subscribers this week. If you’d like to enter, join us by dropping me a note HERE with BEAUTIFUL in the header or text.
Here’s the gist:
California, 1938—When she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresser’s daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvert’s spacious house with a secret, however—Rosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother she’d never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place that seeks to forcibly take her baby – and the chance for any future babies – from her.
Austria, 1947—After witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitler’s brutal pursuit of hereditary purity—especially with regard to “different children”—Helen Calvert, Truman’s sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brother’s peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresser’s daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers a shocking American eugenics program—and learns that that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.
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I’ve been away for a few weeks, putting the finishing touches on my own novel—my third, slated for a May 2023 release. My second novel—Leaning on Air—continues the Sugar Birds story and releases this coming May! (PREORDER LEANING ON AIR HERE).
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I turned in that third manuscript to the publisher two days ago, so I’ve spent the morning gathering some favorites for you from my archives. Hope they carry you into wonder.
I took this first one in the Palouse, the setting for Leaning on Air. That’s Mamba running—my travel buddy on research trips.
When you veer.
“If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, ‘Here is the road. Follow it.’”
—Isaiah 30:21
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At the end of the day . . .
“what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
—Micah 6:8
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Red sky at morning, sailors take warning . . .
(Mt. Shuksan sunrise)
“When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free.”
—Luke 21:28
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When I tip my camera sideways . . .
Antlers! Whiskers?
(Dr. Suess?)
“So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm . . .”
—Genesis 1:21
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Cow talk with Papa.
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From a far country. (Another Palouse shot.)
“. . . while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
—Luke 15:20
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Thanks for stopping by, friends. So glad you’re here.
Watching Nature, Seeing Life: Through His Creation, God Speaks.
