Sea Change

Sea Change by Karen White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ava never felt like she belonged to her family - youngest sister of four brothers, who could be identified as funeral directors, just like her father. She had always deeply yearned for a sister. When Ava suddenly announced she was marrying Matthew and leaving landlocked Antioch, GA for the seashores of St. Simons Island, her mother Gloria took to her bed. Oddly enough as she left, her grandma Mimi, who had lived with Mimi forever, reminded her that some endings are really beginnings. As they draw closer to the island what Matthew doesn't know is that Ava, a professional midwife, has a very deep rooted fear of the water. Matthew has a few secrets of his own - some that when come to light, threaten their new marriage. As Ava settles in her home, she has a feeling of really coming home - it seems the house holds many secrets of its own and it's up to Ava to unlock them.

This is one of the best books I have read in awhile - it contains beautiful descriptions of the lush island and of earlier times so that it feels as if you are in that time period. Told with the voices and thoughts of three women, history and modern times entangle themselves into a story that is just so hard to put down.

As a gardener myself I love these two phrases:
"Ava and I had always known that sticking our fingers in the dirt was a lot like holding the past and the present in your hands, understanding that decaying plants nourished the soil for new seedlings" and "being a mother is like being a gardener of souls."

...and one more:
"Because sometimes we have to be a hero and do the right thing, even if it's just for one person and even if nobody else notices."

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Call It Courage

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven't read Call It Courage, a juvenile Newbery Medal winner, in many a moon. A friend had returned it to the library and she left a note about how much she had enjoyed reading it as a child. So to refresh my memory - I reread it myself. This particular copy included the preserved original, beautiful blue and white illustrations.

Mafatu, 15 year old son of a Polynesian island chief, has had great loss in his life. His mother died when he was only three. Both had been at sea in their small canoe when a great storm flung them into the shark infested water. Barely alive, both had been washed to a nearby island. Only Mafatu survived - but was left with nightmares and a fear of the water so great that it impairs his daily life. At last, tired of the talk and judgment in the eyes of his people, Mafatu decides to strike out and confront his fear of the ocean - with only his friends, Uri, his pup,in the canoe and Kivi, his pet albatross, in the air. In the coming days, Mafatu's courage is tested over and over again and although he feels very small and alone in the world, he rises to meet the many challenges. With each hurdle crossed, Mafatu becomes more self assured and confident.

Anyone that is bullied or has a fear confronting an issue, juvenile or adult alike, would be advised to read this simple but rich story of historical fiction published originally in 1940. And in its simplicity, lies part of the charm...

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The Weird Sisters

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Such a trio of sisters - stalwart, bossy Rosalind(Rose), wild, willful Bianca(Bean), and spoiled, irresponsible Cordelia(Cordy) have shuffled back to their hometown for personal reasons - fear, theft, and pregnancy.

"We came home because we were failures. We wouldn't admit that, of course, not at first, not to ourselves, and certainly not to anyone else. We said we came home because our mother was ill, because we needed a break, a momentary pause before setting off for the Next Big Thing. But the truth was, we had failed and rather than let anyone else know, we crafted careful excuses and alibis and wrapped them around ourselves like a cloak to keep out the cold truth."

They move back in with their college professor father, who loves to quote all things Shakespearean and stay-at-home mom. The sisters grew up connecting with each other and their parents by speaking the Bard's words.

"How sharper than a serpent's tooth is it to have a thankless child"

The characters are deep and the relationships complicated. The sisters describe themselves as dysfunctional, but what is normal and what is not? The sisters learn to reconnect and move beyond their old fears and personas.


A delightful, enjoyable book - worth rereading, and written in first person plural style. Please read!



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