Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Art of Saying Goodbye

The Art of Saying Goodbye: A Novel
Author: Ellyn Bache
ISBN: 978-0-06-203368-0
Publisher: HarperCollins
Purchase Link: The Art of Saying Goodbye: A Novel
Source: TLC Book Tours
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About the Book:
She was the thread that wove their tapestry together.

With a group of women as diverse as the ladies from Brightwood Trace, you might not think them to be close. There’s Julianne, a nurse with an unsettling psychic ability that allows her to literally feel what her patients feel, Andrea, a strong fortress sheltering a faltering core, Ginger, a mother torn between being a stay-at-home mom or following her career aspirations, and Iona, the oldest, whose feisty, no-nonsense attitude disarms even toughest of the tough. Not exactly the ingredients for the most cohesive cocktail . . . Until you add Paisely, the liveliest and friendliest of the clan, who breathed life into them all.

But when their glowing leader falls ill with cancer, it’s up to these women to do what Paisely has done for them since the beginning: lift her up. Overcoming and accepting the inevitability of loss, the women draw closer than ever; finding together the strength to embrace and cherish their lives with acceptance, gratitude and most importantly, love. Finally living with the vigor that Paisely has shown them from the start, they are able to see their lives in a new light, while learning to say goodbye to the brightest star they’ve ever known. Over the course of just three months, these four women will undergo a magnificent transformation that leaves nobody unchanged.

Review:
I absolutely loved this novel! Ellyn Bache captivated me from the moment I started reading. The characters are truly realistic, I was able to relate to each one in various ways. They are well developed in a story is simple yet complex. I couldn’t put this one down. I was very impressed with the authors writing. She keeps the story intriguing, relatable and heart breaking. The novel flows smoothly and is easy to read. At no point while reading this novel was I distracted by other things. I actually couldn’t read it unless my kids were asleep because I was getting frustrated with the constant disruptions. The novel is simply one of the most heartfelt, truly poignant and emotionally captivating books that I have read in a long time. I enjoyed each and every character, I felt as if I knew them by the time I was finished. I will, without hesitation, purchase Ellyn’s two other novels.

While I must apologize for this short review, I really can’t say more. I am still in awe. I totally enjoyed this book and it was a simply wonderful read. As you probably know, I hate spoilers! I don’t feel like I can say much about the actual content in this book aside from the synopsis above because it would spoil it. I hope you’ll add this to your “to be read” list, its most definitely worth it.  Even the cover is great! 


About the Author:
A native of Washington, DC, Ellyn Bache studied English at the Universities of North Carolina and Maryland, but didn’t begin writing seriously until the first two of her four children were born and she knew, for sanity’s sake, she’d better find an “adult” activity to do at home during the children’s naps. She began as a freelance newspaper journalist while teaching herself to write fiction. After nearly six years of rejection slips, her short stories began to be published in both commercial magazines like Good Housekeeping and Seventeen, and literary magazines ranging from Shenandoah to the Carolina Quarterly. A collection of sixteen of her stories, The Value of Kindness, won the Willa Cather Fiction Prize.

After more than twenty years in Wilmington, NC, Ellyn now divides her time between the Carolinas and Pennsylvania. Find out more about Ellyn at her website, and connect with her on Facebook.


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