Broken Wings by Carla Stewart. © 2011 FaithWords. ISBN 9780446556569. Trade Paperback. Contemporary. 272 pages. Source: ARC furnished by the publishers.

Synopsis: Onstage, the singing duo of Gabe and Mitzi Steiner captured America’s heart for more than two decades. Offstage, their own hearts have throbbed as one for sixty years. Only now, Gabe has retreated into the tangles of Alzheimer’s, leaving Mitzi to ponder her future alone.

On the other side of Tulsa, everyone believes Brooke Woodson has found the perfect man—a handsome lawyer with sights on becoming Tulsa’s next District Attorney. If only Brooke felt more sure. If only her fiancé could control his anger. If only love didn’t come with so many scars. When an accident lands Brooke in the hospital where Mitzi volunteers, the two women quickly develop an unlikely friendship birthed by providence and bathed in grace. And with Mitzi’s help, kindness, and insight, Brooke learns how to pick up the broken pieces of her life.

Review: Not much can be added to the above detailed synopsis without giving a lot of way but I will say that Broken Wings is an extremely well-written and emotional book. The subjects of Alzheimer’s and domestic abuse are handled very carefully and with immense compassion, though I will give my normal caveat that if your life has been touched by domestic abuse, this book may trigger memories so be mindful.

Broken Wings is a two-part story, one part tells Brooke’s story from the present and the other Mitzi’s from the 1930s. This title falls under the genre of Christian Fiction, and I don’t normally read this genre–as I’m not a Christian–but the story is so touching that the faith aspect was easily overlooked for me. I recommend this for fans of Francine Rivers, Nicholas Sparks, Fannie Flagg and Joshilyn Jackson. 3/5.

Giveaway

Thanks to Sarah Reck at FaithWords & Center Street we are giving away a copy of Broken Wings to one lucky reader! US/Canada residents only, no P.O. Boxes, please. Simply fill out this form. Contest ends June 20th.

Join the Party

To celebrate the blog tour and release of Broken Wings, hop on Twitter and join the party by following the #brokenwings hashtag!

Teresa

Teresa (nom de plume: Torrance Sené) is a self-proclaimed geek, a Janeite, a lover of werewolves and bad-ass angels, an aspiring novelist and an avid book reader who freelances as a web designer. You can follow her on Twitter at @eireannoir.

Website - More Posts

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. © 2009 Dial Press Trade Paperback. ISBN 0385341008. Paperback. Epistolary Fiction. 290 pages. $14.00 US. [ Purchase ] Source: bought at Target

If you’ve seen any other reviews of this book, it is not unlikely you’ve seen comparisons to 84 Charing Cross Road. It’s somewhat inevitable, given the format of this novel, presented as it is in the form of letters between the various characters. It is a leisurely and familiar way to go about telling a story, and in this case works quite effectively.

As I’m finding it hard to pinpoint what exactly prompts me to give this book 4.5, if not 5, stars out of 5, I wonder if it is the authors’ skillful ability to represent humanity not only accurately but optimistically. While the recent history of World War II casts a shadow over the lives of the characters, from the start the reader knows there is more to this story than the devastation wrought by war – there is the constant hope of deliverance and the perseverance of a people not willing to submit themselves docilely to the invaders.

Not only does the method work and the story embody reality in a touching and poignant way, the characters pull one in with their life. They truly come alive in the pages of the book, and as the book progressed I think I came to think of them less as characters in a book than relatives who had given me the joy of this window into their earlier lives. We see relationships blossom and the fruits of life-long friendships. We cheer on our favorite character and have to chuckle a little when the busybody gets her comeuppance.

Shaffer and Barrows’ writing draws the reader into the world of this small island of the English channel. It is not a difficult read, but it is sprinkled throughout with gems of wisdom and wonder. One character observes that “Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.” And The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a good book.

Allison

Allison Dauer, 24, works in corporate IT but dreams of an editorial career in the book publishing field. Visit her at her blog Sparsile.

Website - More Posts