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BOOK REVIEW: Leaves of Hope
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by: Laura V. Hilton Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: Leaves of Hope Author: Catherine Palmer Publisher: Steeple Hill Books ISBN: 0-373-78560-7 Genre: Inspirational/Contemporary/Women/Fiction
Beth Lowell has always been different from her mother, father, and brothers, having been blessed with an adventurous spirit which led her away from Tyler, Texas, to New York City and beyond. Beth travels the world for her job while her family has all been content to stay home in good ole Tyler.
Jan Lowell is now widowed and wishes she could relate more to the daughter she loves but couldn’t be more unlike. Why can’t Beth be content with living in the quiet lakeside community? Jan is happy planting roses and walking beside the lake, living a solitary life alone with her thoughts. Travel has never appealed to Jan.
When Beth goes home to visit her mother, she disobeys her mother’s wishes and opens a box she finds in the closet. There she discovers a beautiful tea set and a note inside saying that the set was a gift from Beth’s birth father. Suddenly Beth’s whole identity has been wiped away. Who is her birthfather? Why is Jan so reluctant to talk about him? Beth sets out on a quest to find the truth, even if it means destroying her mother. Can Jan and Beth’s relationship be reconciled?
Leaves of Hope started a bit slow and took me a while to get into, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I grew to care about both Beth and Jan. I even loved Jan’s husband, even though he didn’t play an active part in the story, being deceased, he was still so well-portrayed that the reader could see him. Ms. Palmer did an excellent job with characterization in this book.
I related to Jan, unmarried when she learns she’s pregnant with Beth. Her boyfriend wanted her to run off to a foreign land with him for the summer and she refuses, knowing she’s pregnant, and not wanting to hurt her parents even more by leaving home for three months with her boyfriend. She wants him to stay with her because he loves her. When he doesn’t, Jan does what she needs to do to survive and care for the baby she carries.
Readers will love Jan and Beth, and not be disappointed in Leaves of Hope. I recommend this book highly. The faith message is expertly woven in and is not intrusive. $13.95. 288 pages.
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