Catching Heaven: A Novel

by Sands Hall

The complex bond and unspoken resentments between sisters . . . the aching search for home and connection and community . . . the ever-changing landscape of family and those who define it . . . Sands Hall weaves these powerful elements into a novel ripe with discovery and wonder. Set against the immutable backdrop of the American Southwest, Catching Heaven illuminates that quiet place in the heart where solitude embraces serenity and dreams meet possibility.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[Miriam]

tried my best to like this book, but just couldn't. the character development is so slow that i felt there was no movement. the plot is nonexistent. i simply couldn't get myself to like the two women or feel any empathy with them.

[Kathie Andriano]

It took me a long time to get into the story. The characters were unique with some unusual names. Jealousy between two sisters was evident along with the grass seems greener in someone else’s life was the key concept of the book. Glad there was an eventual happy ending.

[Betsy Fasbinder]

This is a beautiful, rich, and luscious story in which three characters face the life choices they've made, the fears and habits that have driven them, and the futures they want to embrace. Hall lets us into the points of view of two sisters, Lizzie and Maud, who have two very different lives. One has the seemingly glamourous life of an actor, traveling the world, while the other created a more stationary life with three kids and her art. The sisters' relationship--fraught with both deep love and unspoken resentments--is so true to life that I felt it in my bones as I read. And to round out the story, there is Jake, who brings another viewpoint to it all.

The characters vivid and the dialogue true. The extra bonus with Catching Heaven is the exquisite backdrop of the American Southwest which brings not only a sense of place, but an element of otherworldly spirituality to the story.

An exquisitely written novel.

[Katie]

I was prepared to be annoyed by this book but I actually quite liked it. I grew to like the characters even though they didn't live the kind of lives that I admire. I enjoyed the love/hate relationship between the two sisters and the "grass is always greener on the other side" theme.

[Lisa Kusel]

A lovely family saga. Great dialogue. Beautiful settings. A great read.

[Kim]

This book really spoke to me on a creative and emotional level. Talk about character development - this author really gets into the meat and core of her characters and she addresses the issue of what makes an artist truly happy (something I wrestle with on a daily basis for sure). If it's wide plot you're after - this is not a plot book. This is a beautiful study of people and what moves them through their days. As Karen Joy Fowler writes in her blurb for the book (and I'm paraphrasing here) - this is a story of one person returning, one person arriving and one person staying put in a small town. I love that statement - it's also the way each finds what matters there. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who has sought peace in a small place and has learned that it opens the whole world.

[Krystyn]

I enjoyed CATCHING HEAVEN a great deal and finding the characters real made me feel like I was right there with them. The character development really held my interest. Great book - great story lines - great ending!! ENJOY!

[Patricia Bunn]

good book

[Tatjana]

This is one of my absolute all time favourites!

[Elizabeth Eshelman]

See my thoughts on Catching Heaven here: http://elizabethanlit.blogspot.com/20...