Book Review: Sand In My Eyes by Christine Lemmon

Synopsis: Twenty years ago, Anna Hott thought she could control everything-her crumbling marriage, her demanding children, her hectic life-by quitting her high-paced job in New York City and moving her family to tranquil Sanibel Island, Florida. But she brought her untamed emotions, her rage toward her cheating husband, and her yearning to write a novel with her. When her husband and children left the house for a week, Anna thought at last she would get her household, her novel, and her mind in order.

Instead, her elderly neighbor Fedelina Aurelio knocked on her door bearing flowers and homespun wisdom, and when Fedelina's recently divorced son arrived, Anna had a test of passion and a test of truth.

Now, with an empty nest, Anna Hott pulls out the incomplete manuscript she started that memorable week and-to find closure for her life and a conclusion for her novel-travels to Indiana to visit Fedelina who know lives in a nursing home.

About the Author: Christine Lemmon is the author of Sanibel Scribbles, Portion of the Sea and Sand in My Eyes. She lives on an island off Florida’s Gulf Coast - in a house on stilts! - with her husband and children. For more on Christine Lemmon and her books, visit: www.christinelemmon.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Review: Sand in My Eyes is a story about difficulties and stress of motherhood, and how personal dreams get placed on hold when children come into a marriage. I love how the author interweaved the meanings of flowers into stories of everyday life. I will never look at an orchid the same: " there are more varities of orchids than any other flower in the world., and you've got to know what type of variety you are dealing with in order to care for it properly..and like orchids,one must be aware of whom she is before she can flourish". So women are like orchids, not Venus! But I think the best quote was at the end: "not everyone can have a green thumb, that's why God invented wildflowers".

It is a perfect cross-generational inspirational book for all women. It is the perfect book to give your daughter when she gets married- there are so many truths in the letters from Fedelina's mother, that I know I want to write down for my daughter, with additional stories from our family. Read this book with your mother and make a family album of stories of motherhood/womanhood/love- it will inspire you and your mother!

 

Disclosure / Disclaimer:  I received this book, free of charge, from Booksparks PR Firm, for review purposes. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to review it.