Book Review and Giveaway: Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum

on February 10, 2011

** this giveaway is closed ****

Synopsis: Meet Dick, Seena, and their four Marys: Mary Catherine, Mary Grace, Mary Tessa, and their youngest aMARYillis.

Seena has felt unloved and unvalued most of her adult life, so she escapes into her books, particularly her Greek myths and legends, to satisfy her desire to find meaning. Her life has been built on secrets and lies and she wants to protect her daughters from the truth she knows will destroy their happy home—it’s not until her own words to her youngest daughter explaining the contents of Pandora’s box come back to haunt her and foreshadow what’s to come: “Maybe, unlike hope, truth couldn’t be contained in a jar”.

Each Mary recounts her piece of the larger surprising and revealing story and each is unique and distinctive. Mary Catherine seems to be the strong, faithful one, who in deference to St. Catherine, cuts off all of her hair, but she’s also a lost soul who desperately needs love and attention. Mary Grace is the eldest and the most beautiful—the one who easily seduces but is also easily seduced, especially when she’s faced with an exotic and fascinating culture so unlike her own. Mary Tessa is the investigative reporter, who will tell all and claims to be the most reliable when it comes to the facts of her mother's case, and then there’s Amaryllis, who was born with an extra sensory gift of seeing things other can’t see, of knowing when bad things are about to happen, and of telling when those who profess to know the truth are the biggest, fattest liars of them all…

Opening with the dramatic scene of Seena on trial in Africa for murdering her husband Dick, this engrossing and lyrical novel flashes back to the year before she, Dick, and her four Marys left for missionary work in Africa and how the buried secrets of their past came back to haunt and heal them all.

About the Author: Christina Meldrum received her Bachelor of Arts in religious studies and political science from the University of Michigan. After working in grassroots development in Africa, she earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. She interned with the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, Switzerland, and worked as a litigator for the law firm of Shearman & Sterling. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and is on the advisory board of WOW, an organization that helps grow women-led businesses in West Africa. Check out her blog at http://www.christinameldrum.com

Review: The synopsis sounded interesting, but when I started the book, I wasn't sure it was going to live up to the preview. I'm glad I kept on reading! The book just got better and better and it went on, and more and more interesting! Meldrum really gets into how dysfunctional a family can be, yet work as a whole and stay together. I really liked how each chapter was from a different character's perspective- it gave the reader a better picture of what was going on in ACTUALITY, versus how the characters perceived reality. It made the book!

It is hard to pinpoint this book- at it's core it is about family dynamics and love. By changing continents and locations, Meldrum is able to show the universality of family love and dysfunctionality!
I actually tore through the book in three days- once it gets going, you want to keep on reading-another benefit with changing characters- it keeps the book moving along at a quicker pace! I think this book will be one of the sleepers of the month- it may not get alot of press, but everybody will be talking about it! ANd now one of you will be able to too!

Giveaway:

Winner will receive this review copy of Amaryllis in Blueberry!

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Contest will end on February 26th, at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on February 27th, and emailed. As soon as winner's info is received, I will mail their book to them within the week!

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I was sent this book, free of charge, for review purposes, from Gallery Books. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about the book either