Sweet Pea

 Family is what you make for yourself, and sometimes there are hardships in the making. I believe this wholeheartedly. Many members of my "family" are not blood, but they are as close to me as those who are. I love them dearly.

Perhaps this is why Sweet Pea, by Kit de Waal resonated with me so strongly.  

Paulette grew up in St. Kitts. She was raised by her grandmother who nicknamed her Sweet Pea. Paulette learned to cook island food and how to be the woman she is now. Paulette came to England as a young girl, but she took all the lessons of learning to love and forgive others that her grandmother taught her with her to her new country. She works as an auxillary nurse and cares for patients in a hospital. Tragedy strikes Paulette when the man she is involved with is killed in an auto accident. Her hopes and dreams of a home and family die along with him.

After his death she finds he has lied to her all along, and he has a family already in his life. 

Paulette never ends up with the family she envisions, but she does have a child with the a  friend  of her lover who was killed, and in the course of raising her son she finds herself only a few houses away from the man who drove the car that killed her man. 

Paulette's boyfriend was not the only casualty in the wreck. The Driver, Frank, also tragically injures his pregnant daughter, leaving him with his grandson to raise alone, while dealing with the guilt of his actions.  Fate brings Paulette and Frank together through the lives of her son, "bird", and his grandson, Cornelius.  The hard times don't end with the hard feelings. Yet, Kit de Waal weaves her story together with honesty and raw open emotions of loss, love and healing. 

I was pleasantly impressed with the depth  of feeling de Waal created with her characters. The pain of loss and healing power of forgiveness come forth as strong themes throughout the novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, characters and author's voice. I favorably recommend Sweet Pea, by Kit de Waal, being published November 3rd by St. Martin's Press.

Thank you St. Martin's  and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Sweet Pea, in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley. #SweetPea

Her Kind

 I am convinced that women need close female friends to be whole.  Both through family and community.  We can exist alone, but there are always pieces of our world missing until we find special karmic souls to connect with through our life's journey.  If I had to choose mine, I would say mine are Denise, Lisa, Beth, MaryLou and Amber.  Perfection would be to have them all together with me in my home, coexisting together.  

I am certain I connected so strongly with Sophia Lefens's debut novel, Her KInd, simply because I have been blessed with strong relationships with dear women who make my life more abundant through their presence. 

The main character, Ada, has lived a troubled life.  Abandoned by her mother throughout her childhood, Ada sees her Aunt Leigh as the one stable adult she can rely on. When her husband also walks away from their marriage and infant son, she turns to the only refuge she has, her aunt Leigh. Ada, and her now three year old son Lenny build a life at her aged aunt's lake home, where time together in nature and the lure of the water become balm to their souls. In such a calm serene setting, Ada is jolted by fear when she begins to have reoccurring premonitions or dreams that she will soon die, leaving her son Lenny alone in the world as she has often been left.  Her only balm for her troubled mind is to gather her friends to her there, and decide whom she would leave Lenny  with if she dies. Sage, Agnes, and Joanna are each going going through their own life's difficulties, and each also find a home with Leigh at the lake house.   Death does indeed come to Ada and her friends, but they learn and grow from their time together. 

Lefens 's novel is well written, with strong, real characters. She imparts a soul into each of her characters which makes them relatable. I think anyone who has experienced the gift of true and honest friendship can identify with Lefens's book.

I feel that I connected strongly with Lefens's book for several reasons.  I have shared special relationships with friends and family so dear that they are the ones I run to when I am frightened or in grief.  I also have lost loved ones that left gaping voids in my life. Finally, the poignant serendipity of her aunt Leigh's memory fading touched my heart.  My husband and I are experiencing that now with a shared family member and seeing her decline slowly is a sad but real event.  

Her Kind is set to publish on October 13, 2026 and would be a fine read for a book club. It would be interesting to see which character(s) each person relates with most strongly and who each one would choose in their own lives to be with if faced with challenges like  Lefens's character Ada is.

Thank you to the publisher Harper Collins and NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Proof in exchange for an honest review.

#HerKind #NetGalley

Contrapposto

My google internet search of the word Contrapposto told me, "Contrapposto was developed by the ancient Greeks and is an Italian word meaning counterpoise. Contrapposto is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with the majority of their weight on one foot. The other leg is relaxed and bent which causes the hips to tilt and the spine to curve. Famous examples of this pose are Michelangelo's "David" or the Venus D'Milo."  Now that you too have been educated on a facet of visual art information, you can learn more about the world of art in Dave Eggers newest novel, Contrapposto, to be published June 9, 2026 by Penguin Random House. 

Trained as a painter, Eggers brings his knowledge of the industry and unique climate of the art world through his characters. Contrapposto follows the lives of two individuals, Cricket (Robert Dib) and Olympia Argyros from the time they met as children through their 70's.  Fraught with life's complexities, Cricket and Olympia pursue art as a driving force in their lives.  Cricket learns young that he has a penchant for drawing, and he pursues this talent throughout his entire lifespan. as he trains as a painter. Olympia is a complex and often times troubled soul who uses her vast knowledge of art, artists, and business to propel herself through the tumultuous and often chaotic art scene, worldwide.  

While Olympia tends to thrive on the drama and rollercoaster ride of her career, often ending in personal addiction manifesting in various forms; Cricket gravitates toward the  quiet, creating his art through his love of line drawing and painting. Cricket is satisfied to work on the fringe of the art scene in order to create his paintings for himself. 

Olympia and Crickets' lives are ever interconnected. They share a love as friends and more but never a sustained life together.  

Eggers did a masterful job of intertwining the lives and personalities of his two characters so that the reader is continually drawn into their joys and struggles.  Eggers also educates the reader on the art world, the artists realm as well as the business side.  I learned so much about a topic I have never delved into, which is a mark of a great writer, to educate while entertaining.

I enjoyed Egger's newest book, Contrapposto. Eggers has another literary success!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Contrapposto in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley. #Contrapposto