A resonant tale of resilience, bravery, and the power of forgiveness.
In Thomas’ novel, a prominent author struggling with profound loss and heartbreak strives to rediscover herself.
In the 2010s, novelist Raine Reynolds has a successful writing career, a best friend from childhood as her publicist, a loving husband of 15 years, and a beautiful Atlanta home. She endures some emotional hardships, including the tragic loss of her father and infant daughter, her husband’s extended unemployment, and other challenges, but she perseveres. Then she receives life-altering news during a book tour that changes everything: Her husband has been murdered by his lover. Feeling unmoored, Raine seeks solace in Paris, which she’s visited before and sees as a sanctuary: “In Paris, I felt like I found my being. It felt so right to be there. I hated to come back. To be honest, I just wish I could have stayed. Maybe I should go back there.” Now, five years later, as a senior vice president for an advertising agency, Raine finds herself back in Atlanta to open a new office. When an old acquaintance comes back into her life, she’s forced to reconcile with the past and determine if she can indeed go home again. Thomas, the author of Someone Like Me (2021), delivers smooth, evocative storytelling, portraying the raw realities of challenging experiences while also capturing the healing power of love. Raine is a relatable character as she deals with real-world problems; her reactions, choices, and decisions feel genuine and rational, but not conservatively so. Although her five-year emotional recovery in Paris takes place off-page, its results are seamlessly woven into the later narrative. Some elements of this emotional novel feel familiar at times, but readers will feel moved and inspired to root for the protagonist’s success.
A resonant tale of resilience, bravery, and the power of forgiveness.Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781732488083
Page Count: 294
Publisher: L.B Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A vibrant tale of a remarkable woman.
Who was Shakespeare?
Move over, Earl of Oxford and Francis Bacon: There’s another contender for the true author of plays attributed to the bard of Stratford—Emilia Bassano, a clever, outspoken, educated woman who takes center stage in Picoult’s spirited novel. Of Italian heritage, from a family of court musicians, Emilia was a hidden Jew and the courtesan of a much older nobleman who vetted plays to be performed for Queen Elizabeth. She was well traveled—unlike Shakespeare, she visited Italy and Denmark, where, Picoult imagines, she may have met Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—and was familiar with court intrigue and English law. “Every gap in Shakespeare’s life or knowledge that has had to be explained away by scholars, she somehow fills,” Picoult writes. Encouraged by her lover, Emilia wrote plays and poetry, but 16th-century England was not ready for a female writer. Picoult interweaves Emilia’s story with that of her descendant Melina Green, an aspiring playwright, who encounters the same sexist barriers to making herself heard that Emilia faced. In alternating chapters, Picoult follows Melina’s frustrated efforts to get a play produced—a play about Emilia, who Melina is certain sold her work to Shakespeare. Melina’s play, By Any Other Name, “wasn’t meant to be a fiction; it was meant to be the resurrection of an erasure.” Picoult creates a richly detailed portrait of daily life in Elizabethan England, from sumptuous castles to seedy hovels. Melina’s story is less vivid: Where Emilia found support from the witty Christopher Marlowe, Melina has a fashion-loving gay roommate; where Emilia faces the ravages of repeated outbreaks of plague, for Melina, Covid-19 occurs largely offstage; where Emilia has a passionate affair with the adoring Earl of Southampton, Melina’s lover is an awkward New York Times theater critic. It’s Emilia’s story, and Picoult lovingly brings her to life.
A vibrant tale of a remarkable woman.Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9780593497210
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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