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Four Minutes to Save a Life: The perfect uplifting read of friendship, laughter and hope for 2021
by Anna StuartWhen supermarket delivery driver Charlie is assigned the Hope Row street, he realises there are a lot of lonely people out there - and for some, he's their only interaction. The supermarket boss tells Charlie he's a driver, not a social worker - but Charlie's tough exterior begins to soften, and he can't help show a little kindness to the Hope Row residents, helping them find their place in the world once more. But will his helping hand make everything worse?'I adored this feel good book' Netgalley reviewer'A book about hope, forgiveness, love and friendship that will touch your heart' Netgalley reviewer'I couldn't love this book anymore if I tried!' Netgalley reviewerAn uplifting novel about community, friends and finding your way. Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Veronica Henry and Beth O'Leary
Four Minutes to Save a Life: The perfect uplifting read of friendship, laughter and hope for 2021
by Anna StuartWhen supermarket delivery driver Charlie is assigned the Hope Row street, he realises there are a lot of lonely people out there - and for some, he's their only interaction. The supermarket boss tells Charlie he's a driver, not a social worker - but Charlie's tough exterior begins to soften, and he can't help show a little kindness to the Hope Row residents, helping them find their place in the world once more. But will his helping hand make everything worse?'I adored this feel good book' Netgalley reviewer'A book about hope, forgiveness, love and friendship that will touch your heart' Netgalley reviewer'I couldn't love this book anymore if I tried!' Netgalley reviewerAn uplifting novel about community, friends and finding your way. Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Veronica Henry and Beth O'Leary
Four Mothers: A Year in Motherhood Around the World
by Abigail Leonard'An absorbing, moving, and beautifully composed exploration of motherhood and mothering across the world . . . a gripping, vital, and utterly compelling book'Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell WomenAS THE YEAR TURNS, FOUR WOMEN GIVE BIRTH.In Japan, Tsukasa's government-funded hospital room overlooks the mountains and she spends seven days there, before resting at her mother's house for a month. The day after giving birth in Kenya, Chelsea returns to her flat in the city, far from her extended family, and her friends help her settle in. Anna, who has already been on maternity leave in Finland for a month, delivers her baby in a midwife-lead birth centre, a tradition dating back a century. In America, despite her insurance, Sarah pays $3,000 from her savings for an uncomplicated birth, before heading home, excited and overwhelmed.Four Mothers follows these women over the next twelve months, through their first year of parenting. Through immersive storytelling and deep reporting, Abigail Leonard brings to life the policies that shape the experiences of both parents and children: access to healthcare and parental leave, community and workplace support. Both intimate and international, we see what is and what could be.
Four Mothers: A Year in Motherhood Around the World
by Abigail Leonard'An absorbing, moving, and beautifully composed exploration of motherhood and mothering across the world . . . a gripping, vital, and utterly compelling book'Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell WomenAS THE YEAR TURNS, FOUR WOMEN GIVE BIRTH.In Japan, Tsukasa's government-funded hospital room overlooks the mountains and she spends seven days there, before resting at her mother's house for a month. The day after giving birth in Kenya, Chelsea returns to her flat in the city, far from her extended family, and her friends help her settle in. Anna, who has already been on maternity leave in Finland for a month, delivers her baby in a midwife-lead birth centre, a tradition dating back a century. In America, despite her insurance, Sarah pays $3,000 from her savings for an uncomplicated birth, before heading home, excited and overwhelmed.Four Mothers follows these women over the next twelve months, through their first year of parenting. Through immersive storytelling and deep reporting, Abigail Leonard brings to life the policies that shape the experiences of both parents and children: access to healthcare and parental leave, community and workplace support. Both intimate and international, we see what is and what could be.
Four Mothers: An Intimate Journey through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries
by Abigail LeonardAbigail Leonard's page-turning narrative of four real women—Anna from Finland, Tsukasa from Japan, Sarah from the U.S., and Chelsea from Kenya—is a "deeply personal look at women worldwide grappling with the best and worst moments of their first year... eye-opening and cathartic, this is a love letter to parents and a clarion call for better policy.&” (Eve Rodsky, New York Times-bestselling author of Fair Play) Tsukasa in Japan grapples with memories of a difficult childhood as she tries to chart a new, healthier path for her own daughter while balancing onerous cultural expectations. Chelsea in Kenya endures a devastating loss just before she gives birth and finds that without the traditional support of previous generations, motherhood can be grueling – but it can also provide emotional healing. Anna in Finland navigates a complicated relationship with her child&’s father, but the country&’s robust family policies allow her to still pursue the kind of parenthood that she envisioned. Sarah in the US leaves the religious community that raised her in order to create a less traditional family of her own only to find she&’s largely confronting motherhood alone. Utterly moving and propulsively readable from page one, Leonard interweaves these stories with a critically researched exploration of how parental support programs evolved in each country—and why some provide more help than others. As nations around the world debate programs like paid leave, universal daycare, reproductive healthcare, and family tax incentives, Four Mothers offers a uniquely intimate, moving portrait of what those policies mean for parents on the ground—and considers what modern families really want.
Four Reincarnations
by Max RitvoReverent and profane, entertaining and bruising, Four Reincarnations is a debut collection of poems that introduces an exciting new voice in American letters.When Max Ritvo was diagnosed with cancer at age sixteen, he became the chief war correspondent for his body. The poems of Four Reincarnations are dispatches from chemotherapy beds and hospitals and the loneliest spaces in the home. They are relentlessly embodied, communicating pain, violence, and loss. And yet they are also erotically, electrically attuned to possibility and desire, to &“everything living / that won&’t come with me / into this sunny afternoon.&” Ritvo explores the prospect of death with singular sensitivity, but he is also a poet of life and of love—a cool-eyed assessor of mortality and a fervent champion for his body and its pleasures.Ritvo writes to his wife, ex-lovers, therapists, fathers, and one mother. He finds something to love and something to lose in everything: Listerine PocketPak breath strips, Indian mythology, wool hats. But in these poems—from the humans that animate him to the inanimate hospital machines that remind him of death—it&’s Ritvo&’s vulnerable, aching pitch of intimacy that establishes him as one of our finest young poets.
Four Seasons
by Jane Breskin ZalbenAllegra Katz has been playing piano since she was four. But these aren't just any piano lessons. She studies at the Julliard School in New York, where careers are being formed-or not. Between strict practice schedules, music classes, and regular school, Ally doesn't have time for much else. Sometimes she wishes she could break free, but she's never known any other way. Her parents-a professional violinist and a singer-would kill her if they knew she was thinking about quitting piano, especially her mother. So she keeps on going, but as the months go by, she begins to ask herself, does she even love the piano? Why does she play? And how much longer can she stand the pressure before she breaks? From the Hardcover edition.
Four Sisters: A gripping and emotional historical fiction novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author
by Val WoodA powerful story about the bond of sisterhood and how it can triumph against any adversity, from the Sunday Times bestselling author.Hull, 1852. Matty has had to care for her three younger sisters ever since their mother's death ten years ago. She and the girls' beloved father have worked hard to keep the family together and now it's time to celebrate as Matty turns eighteen. But their joy is short-lived when tragedy suddenly strikes and their father disappears on his way to London. The sisters have no way of knowing what has happened to him - only that he hasn't returned home. With little money left they're now forced to battle life's misfortunes alone... Praise for Val Wood:'A heart-warming story filled with compelling action' Rosie Goodwin, bestselling author of A Simple Wish'Hull's answer to Catherine Cookson' BBC Radio 4's Front Row'Wonderfully fully-fleshed characters are the mainstay of [Val Wood's] stories' Peterborough Telegraph
Four Weeks to Forever & Make Believe Match (Texas Cattleman's Club: The Wedding)
by Joanne Rock Karen BoothA one-night stand with the enemy? A fake engagement that turns too real? It&’s all in this sizzling Texas Cattleman&’s Club duo from Karen Booth and USA TODAY bestselling author Joanne Rock!Four Weeks to Forever by Karen Booth Business becomes pleasure when ex-lovers team up for the wedding of the year… Spending a hot night with head chef Colin Reynolds during a blackout was a mistake florist Corynna Lawson can&’t afford to repeat. Especially now that they&’re collaborating on a celebrity wedding. As they pair flowers and food, Corynna must resist the die-hard bachelor and their off-the-charts chemistry…and then she finds out she&’s expecting his baby!Make Believe Match by Joanne Rock Will her fake fiancé prove love is real? Wedding fever has hit the town of Royal, Texas! And graduate student Jessica Lewis has made a deal with the devil. Her one-night stand—bad boy CEO Oliver Price—has agreed to be her pretend fiancé. Their explosive chemistry makes their fake romance an easy sell. But when make-believe starts feeling real, will desire be enough to bridge their different worlds?
Four Years Later: One Week Girlfriend Book 4 (One Week Girlfriend)
by Monica MurphyFor fans of Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster, Abbi Glines and Jessica Sorenson, New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy returns with the fourth book in her emotional, addictive and passionate One Week Girlfriend series.Over. That about sums up everything in my life. Suspended from my college football team and forced to cut back my hours at The District bar because of my crappy grades, I can't keep turning to my sister, Fable, and her pro-football playing husband, Drew, to bail me out. I just can't seem to find my own way. Weed and sex are irresistible temptations - and it's messed up that I secretly hand over money to our junkie mom. A tutor is the last thing I want right now - until I get a look at her.Chelsea is not my type at all. She's smart and totally shy. I'm pretty sure she's even a virgin. But when she gives me the once over with those piercing blue eyes, I'm really over. But in a different way. I won't deny her ass is killer, but it's her brain and the way she seems to crave love - like no one's ever given her any - that make me want her more than any girl I've ever met. But what would someone as seemingly together as her ever see in a screwed up guy like me?Don't miss the rest of the intensely passionate One Week Girlfriend series: One Week Girlfriend, Second Chance Boyfriend, Three Broken Promises, Drew + Fable Forever and Four Years Later, as well as Monica's sexy Fowler Sisters trilogy and her breathtaking Reverie Series.
Four in Hand (American Poets Continuum Series #198)
by Alicia MountainComprised of four heroic crowns of sonnets, Alicia Mountain’s Four in Hand is both formal and experimental, ranging from lyric romantic and familial narratives to blank verses of reconfigured found text pulled from financial newsletter emails. Language and white space equally captivate with their sparsity and abundance as Mountain pursues the implications of national political identity with intersectional awareness. These poems interrogate our collective complicity in late-stage capitalism, drone warfare, the election of Donald Trump, environmental degradation, mental health crises, and the dawn of Covid-19 through the lens of gay poetic lineage, regionalism, and familial kinships structures.As in all lived experiences, treacheries and triumphs fade in and out of focus and intimacy, heartbreak, travel, eroticism, joy, and quotidian happenings offer character and momentum across non-linear narrative arcs. Through enthralling images, gripping storytelling, and world-building, Four in Hand carves out necessary space for lesbian gaze, speakership, and personhood. From the back corner of a vast, sprawling, yet gorgeous landscape of thought, Mountain's poems beckon us inside.
Four: A thought-provoking, controversial and immediately gripping story with a messy moral dilemma at its heart
by Andy JonesTwo couples. One reckless night. 'Secrets and lies have a nasty habit of coming out at the least appropriate time . . . moving, thought-provoking and beautifully written' Daily Mail'Engaging . . . an incredibly emotional story' The Book Bag'We love this novel and didn't see the ending coming. . .' Closer**************Sally, Al and Mike have known each other for twenty years. Now approaching their fortieth birthdays, life has proven more unpredictable than they could have imagined. But despite the disappointments, heartaches and regrets, their friendship has endured.And now there is Faye, Mike's new girlfriend - still in her twenties, carefree and uninhibited. She reminds the friends of their younger selves, of old loves and missed chances.Maybe Faye influenced what happened next? Why they did what they did. Whatever the reasons, one reckless night is about to change all of their lives for ever.Andy's new novel, The Last Act of Adam Campbell is available in eBook now!**************Praise for Andy Jones:'What happens the morning after the night before, when the night before was when you did the most reckless thing of your life? I loved Andy Jones's stylish portrayal of four people who make way too much history in one night, and just couldn't put it down until I found out the fate of each of them' Catherine Isaac'I'm always wary about comparing books but, just this once, I'm going to make an exception because for me this is one of those few novels that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as One Day. It has everything you could want from a romcom and then some' - Sun on The Trouble With Henry and Zoe
Four: A thought-provoking, controversial and immediately gripping story with a messy moral dilemma at its heart
by Andy JonesTwo couples. One reckless night.'Secrets and lies have a nasty habit of coming out at the least appropriate time . . . moving, thought-provoking and beautifully written' Daily Mail'Engaging . . . an incredibly emotional story' The Book Bag'We love this novel and didn't see the ending coming. . .'Closer**************Sally, Al and Mike have known each other for twenty years. Now approaching their fortieth birthdays, life has proven more unpredictable than they could have imagined. But despite the disappointments, heartaches and regrets, their friendship has endured.And now there is Faye, Mike's new girlfriend - still in her twenties, carefree and uninhibited. She reminds the friends of their younger selves, of old loves and missed chances.Maybe Faye influenced what happened next? Why they did what they did. Whatever the reasons, one reckless night is about to change all of their lives for ever.Andy's new novel, The Last Act of Adam Campbell is available in eBook now!**************Praise for Andy Jones:'What happens the morning after the night before, when the night before was when you did the most reckless thing of your life? I loved Andy Jones's stylish portrayal of four people who make way too much history in one night, and just couldn't put it down until I found out the fate of each of them' Catherine Isaac'I'm always wary about comparing books but, just this once, I'm going to make an exception because for me this is one of those few novels that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as One Day. It has everything you could want from a romcom and then some' - Sunon The Trouble With Henry and Zoe
Four: A thought-provoking, controversial and immediately gripping story with a messy moral dilemma at its heart
by Andy JonesA thought-provoking, controversial and immediately gripping story with a tangled and messy moral dilemma at its heart.Two couples. One reckless night. In the time they've known each other, Sally, Al and Mike have shared - well, almost everything.Sally and Al have been married for seven years, though now their relationship is hanging by a thread.Sally and Mike have been best friends since university. And on many occasions something more.Mike and Al have been friends and colleagues for many years. Yet with Al poised to become Mike's boss, their friendship comes under threat.And now there's Mike and Faye. They haven't been together long, but Mike's pretty sure that, this time, it's the real deal.As the three old friends sit on a train heading towards Brighton to meet Faye, little do they know that after this weekend, the four of them will have shared . . . everything.They all know they have made a mistake. But they could never have imagined the consequences.**************Praise for Andy Jones:''What happens the morning after the night before, when the night before was when you did the most reckless thing of your life? I loved Andy Jones's stylish portrayal of four people who make way too much history in one night, and just couldn't put it down until I found out the fate of each of them' Jane Costello'Beautifully written and wonderfully engaging. I loved it.' Daily Mail on The Two of Us'I'm always wary about comparing books but, just this once, I'm going to make an exception because for me this is one of those few novels that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as One Day. It has everything you could want from a romcom and then some' - Sun on The Trouble With Henry and Zoe(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School
by Michelle IcardThe fourteen essential conversations to have with your tween and early teenager to prepare them for the emotional, physical, and social challenges ahead, including scripts and advice to keep the communication going and stay connected during this critical developmental window. &“This book is a gift to parents and teenagers alike.&”—Lisa Damour, PhD, author of Untangled and Under PressureTrying to convince a middle schooler to listen to you can be exasperating. Indeed, it can feel like the best option is not to talk! But keeping kids safe—and prepared for all the times when you can't be the angel on their shoulder—is about having the right conversations at the right time. From a brain growth and emotional readiness perspective, there is no better time for this than their tween years, right up to when they enter high school. Distilling Michelle Icard's decades of experience working with families, Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen focuses on big, thorny topics such as friendship, sexuality, impulsivity, and technology, as well as unexpected conversations about creativity, hygiene, money, privilege, and contributing to the family. Icard outlines a simple, memorable, and family-tested formula for the best approach to these essential talks, the BRIEF Model: Begin peacefully, Relate to your child, Interview to collect information, Echo what you're hearing, and give Feedback. With wit and compassion, she also helps you get over the most common hurdles in talking to tweens, including: • What phrases invite connection and which irritate kids or scare them off• The best places, times, and situations in which to initiate talks • How to keep kids interested, open, and engaged in conversation• How to exit these chats in a way that keeps kids wanting more Like a Rosetta Stone for your tween's confounding language, Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen is an essential communication guide to helping your child through the emotional, physical, and social challenges ahead and, ultimately, toward teenage success.
Fourth of July Creek: A Novel
by Smith HendersonIn this shattering and iconic American novel, PEN prize-winning writer, Smith Henderson explores the complexities of freedom, community, grace, suspicion and anarchy, brilliantly depicting our nation's disquieting and violent contradictions. After trying to help Benjamin Pearl, an undernourished, nearly feral eleven-year-old boy living in the Montana wilderness, social worker Pete Snow comes face to face with the boy's profoundly disturbed father, Jeremiah. With courage and caution, Pete slowly earns a measure of trust from this paranoid survivalist itching for a final conflict that will signal the coming End Times.But as Pete's own family spins out of control, Pearl's activities spark the full-blown interest of the F.B.I., putting Pete at the center of a massive manhunt from which no one will emerge unscathed.
Fowl Play
by Kristin O'Donnell TubbKnives Out meets Finding Orion in this funny and heartwarming middle grade mystery by award-winning author Kristin O’Donnell Tubb about a girl investigating the recent death of her uncle only to find the healing power of family.Chloe Alvarez has never been to the reading of a last will and testament before, but she hopes it is just like the movies. Lies! Intrigue! The reading of her Uncle Will’s will is standard, until he announces his gift for Chloe: his African grey parrot, Charlie.Uncle Will was Chloe’s best friend. Without him, she’s left with only her memories of them together—which come to her in snapshots—and her new friend, Charlie. The parrot has a vast vocabulary, and soon Chloe hears her say something odd: It was murder, followed by homicide and cyanide. Chloe becomes convinced her uncle Will’s death was foul play. Why else wouldn’t he have told anyone in the family—especially Chloe—that he was sick?With the help of her family, Chloe begins the investigation to uncover Uncle Will’s murderer. The suspects: His nosy neighbor. An ex-girlfriend. A rude landlord. A loan shark. But it all leads to more questions than answers. Did someone really kill Uncle Will? Or could this journey help reunite Chloe’s grieving family?
Fox Crossing (A Fox Crossing, Maine Novel #1)
by Melinda MetzCrossing paths with a black cat is said to bring bad luck.But crossing paths with The Fox is a whole other story . . . SOME SAY THE FOX IS GOOD LUCK In the mountain village of Fox Crossing, Maine, everyone knows the story of The Fox. According to local legend, one of the town&’s founders crossed paths with a curious-looking fox with a distinctive white ear and paw. The unusual fox sighting not only inspired the town&’s name, it sparked a fantastical piece of folklore that&’s been passed down for generations. Some people say that whoever sees The Fox will be rewarded with good fortune, love, and happiness. Others say it&’s just a silly folk tale . . . WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY? Annie Hatherley doesn&’t believe The Fox legend—even though it was her great-great-great-grandmother who spotted the critter centuries ago. But now it&’s part of Annie&’s legacy, along with her family business, Hatherley&’s Outfitters. For years, Annie&’s been selling gear to hikers on the Appalachian Trail. But she&’s never seen The Fox—until now. Out of nowhere, this little white-eared vixen leads her to Nick Ferrone, a woefully unprepared hiker who needs her help. The Shoo Fly Bakery owner also spots the sly creature—who takes him to a homeless dog that needs his love. Annie can&’t deny that something magical is happening—because she&’s starting to fall for a certain foxy hiker named Nick . . . Praise for Melinda Metz&’s Talk to the Paw "Filled with romance and adorable kitty antics . . . a light and cozy read that is awesome to curl up with, particularly alongside your own mischievous cat!&”—Modern Cat &“Surpassingly cute story of a matchmaking cat determined to pair off his human with a neighbor through the power of stinky laundry.&” —Kirkus Reviews
Fox in the Firelight
by Susan Yoder AckermanDuring the Civil War the lines between Union and Confederate forces were impassable for everyone, even pacifist Mennonites—unless you were sly like a fox. In this adventurous story of historical fiction, discover how a courageous boy finds a way to help his community while respecting his beliefs.
Fractured: A Novel
by Tamar OssowskiForm the author of Left (over 25,000 sold), a love story for fans of Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife and Jack Finney’s Time and Again. If you had the chance to go back and fix the past, could you change the outcome and outrun your destiny? Sam Baird is lost. Is she experiencing a bout of amnesia or worse, slipping into the depths of madness? Her memories have been erased and everything she thought she knew is gone. She cannot even be certain of her name. She looks at the man standing beside her at the lake’s edge, but he is focused on something poking out from the water. She hears a whisper. Has he said something to her? Or is it just her intuition, warning her? She closes her eyes, but there is nothing except darkness. The man beside her is both a stranger and strikingly familiar. She knows this man, and she has been in this exact moment—with this man, in this place, in this time—before. But this time is different. Because this time, she runs. Slowly, things begin to fall into place. She remembers now that she is supposed to move to New York City. She is supposed to get her law degree. She has her whole life planned. Running was the right choice, the safe choice. But if Sam has really made the right choice this time, then why is it that she cannot stop thinking about the man at the lake? And why is it that he has jumped from her visions into her reality? Is she bound to this man and this life? Or is she strong enough to stray from the path she had always believed she was destined to walk?
Fractured: Book Two in the Slated Trilogy (Slated #2)
by Teri TerryPerfect for fans of the dystopian settings of The Hunger Games and Divergent, the gripping second installment of the Slated trilogy is a riveting psychological thriller set in a future where violent teens have their memory erased as an alternative to jail. Kyla has been Slated—her personality wiped blank, her memories lost to her forever. Or so she thought. She shouldn’t be able to remember anything. But increasingly she can—and she’s discovering that there are a lot of dark secrets locked away in her memories. When a mysterious man from her past comes back into her life and wants her help, she thinks she’s on her way to finding the truth. But this new knowledge lands her in the middle of a tug-of-war between two dangerous adversaries, and despite her misgivings about both of them, she’s forced to choose a side for her own protection.
Fragile
by Jae WatsonFollowing the breakdown of her marriage, in desperation Beth Swann uses a donor bank in her hometown of Liverpool to start her family. 18 years later, her daughter, Julia, increasingly intrigued by the identity of her biological father, goes against her mother's wishes and returns to Liverpool to complete the jigsaw of her background. Julia finds that not only Liverpool has changed but also her character, as she is drawn into an increasingly fraught and passionate journey that will turn her life upside down. Fragile follows the lives of Beth, Julia and Jack, Beth s ex-husband and closest to a father figure for Julia, on a rollercoaster trip search for understanding and love but, firstly, their identity.
Fragile Beasts: A Novel
by Tawni O’dellWhen their hard-drinking, but loving, father dies in a car accident, teenage brothers Kyle and Klint Hayes face a bleak prospect: leaving their Pennsylvania hometown for an uncertain life in Arizona with the mother who ran out on them years ago. But in a strange twist of fate, their town's matriarch, an eccentric, wealthy old woman whose family once owned the county coal mines, hears the boys' story. Candace Jack doesn't have an ounce of maternal instinct, yet for reasons she does not even understand herself, she is compelled to offer them a home.Suddenly, the two boys go from living in a small, run-down house on a gravel road to a stately mansion filled with sumptuous furnishings and beautiful artwork--artwork that's predominantly centered, oddly, on bullfighting. And then there's Miss Jack's real-life bull: Ventisco--a regal, hulking, jet-black beast who roams the land she owns with fiery impudence. Kyle adjusts more easily to the transition. A budding artist, he finds a kindred spirit in Miss Jack. But local baseball hero Klint refuses to warm up to his new benefactress and instead throws himself into his game with a fierceness that troubles his little brother. Klint is not just grieving his father's death; he's carrying a terrible secret that he has never revealed to anyone. Unbeknownst to the world, Candace Jack has a secret too--a tragic, passionate past in Spain that the boys' presence threatens to reveal as she finds herself caring more for them than she ever believed possible. From the muted, bruised hills of Pennsylvania coal country to the colorful, flamboyant bull rings of southern Spain, Tawni O'Dell takes us on a riveting journey not only between two completely different lands, but also between seemingly incompatible souls, casting us under her narrative spell in which characters and places are rendered with fragile tenderness.From the Hardcover edition.
Fragile Innocence
by James Reston Jr.When the author's daughter suffers brain damage from a high fever, he and his wife go on a quest to find the cause and hopefully a cure.
Fragments of Light
by Michele PhoenixAn impossible decision in the chaos of D-Day. Ripples that cascade seventy-five years into the present. And two lives transformed by the tenuous resolve to reach out of the darkness toward fragments of light. Cancer stole everything from Ceelie—her peace of mind, her self-image, perhaps even her twenty-three-year marriage to her college sweetheart, Nate. Without the support of Darlene, her quirky elderly friend, she may not have been able to endure so much loss.So when Darlene&’s prognosis turns dire, Ceelie can&’t refuse her seemingly impossible request—to find a WWII paratrooper named Cal, the father who disappeared when Darlene was an infant, leaving a lifetime of desolation in his wake.The search that begins in the farmlands of Missouri eventually leads Ceelie to a small town in Normandy, where she uncovers the harrowing tale of the hero who dropped off-target into occupied France.Alternating between Cal&’s D-Day rescue by two young French sisters and Ceelie&’s present-day journey through trial and heartbreak, Fragments of Light poses a timeless question: When life becomes unbearable, will you press toward the light or let the darkness win?Praise for Fragments of Light&“With depth of emotion and vivid images of a war-torn WWII world, Fragments of Light nails down the achingly real in a character&’s journey, tackling both raw and poignant moments from a practiced pen. Michele Phoenix shines a spotlight on God&’s chasm-crossing persistence to rebuild the shattered places of our lives—and the people He uses to do it—no matter how much time has passed between brokenness and the quest for healing. Readers will root for Ceelie and Nate long after they&’ve turned the last page!&” —Kristy Cambron, bestselling author of The Butterfly and the Violin and the Lost Castle novels&“Michèle Phoenix skillfully explores the strength and resiliency of the human spirit but also its heartbreaking limits. Brimming with expertly researched wartime details, Fragments of Light abounds with poignancy and insight.&” —Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War&“Ceelie&’s anguish and hope, Darlene&’s spunk and pain, and Cal&’s courage and conviction—all of it combines to create a story as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. In short, I loved this book!&” —Lauren Denton, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Hideaway and The Summer House&“A compelling story across time of love, loss, and what happens when tragedy strikes." —Katherine Reay, bestselling author of Dear Mr. Knightley and The Printed Letter Bookshop&“An immersive and unforgettable treatise on the power of love in all of its manifestations." —Rachel McMillon, author of The London Restoration&“It&’s not often a story moves me as Fragments of Light has. With a rare and honest voice, Michèle Phoenix weaves a story of heroes from yesteryear and also those from your neighborhood—each with hearts of valor—as they endure the fight of their lives." —Elizabeth Byler Younts, Carol Award–winning author of The Solace of Water