On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to the book tour for A Silver Willow by the Shore, a powerful novel spanning three generations, by Kelli Stuart. Today I'm sharing my review of this touching novel with you. You can follow the tour to find out what others have to say about it. And there's also an amazing giveaway at the end.
Welcome to the book tour for A Silver Willow by the Shore, a powerful novel spanning three generations, by Kelli Stuart. Today I'm sharing my review of this touching novel with you. You can follow the tour to find out what others have to say about it. And there's also an amazing giveaway at the end.
A Silver Willow by the Shore
By Kelli Stuart
Adult Historical, Contemporary, Time-Slip
Paperback & ebook, 380 Pages
October 15th 2019 by Fine Print Writing Press
How do you face the future if you don’t know your own past?
When an unexpected pregnancy changes her dreams, seventeen-year-old Annie tries to keep it from her mother and her grandmother. But secrets have a way of coming out. In a household of strong women, the arrival of a new life sets off a spiral of truth that reveals a past full of whispers and lies—a past that existed in another world under the heavy hand of Soviet oppression. This history has dictated the circumstances of the present, but hope, redemption, and forgiveness will grow in the rocky places of these generational differences.
A Silver Willow by the Shore is the story of the unshakeable love between mothers and daughters and of the impact that past decisions can have on present day circumstances. This novel weaves together the stories of generations of women, from the gulags of 1930’s Siberia, to the quiet oppression of 1980’s Soviet Moscow, to present day Tennessee. It is an unforgettable narrative of the treachery of secrets, and of the light that unites the heart of a family.
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**My thoughts**
To me, this is a very powerful book. Probably some of that is because I just lost my mother last year, so I am inevitably taken back to our own personal ups and downs over the years. And of course, I had also been close with my grandmother, whom we just lost a few years ago, though it seems much more recent than that.
Relationships between mothers and daughters are complicated. There are always going to be ups and downs, disappointment, misunderstandings, and overwhelming joy and laughter. It's a natural part of life. Unfortunately, when we meet these three women, they're deep in the throes of not being close to each other. They're living in the same house, in almost parallel lives, each one with secrets that the others cannot know. And yet it is imperative that they all know the truth in order to heal themselves and their relationships with each other. You can really feel their pain as they interact with each other and remember both the good and the bad times.
The story is told from three points of view. Annie, the granddaughter, and Nina, the mother, are told from a third-person point of view. Elizaveta, the grandmother, is the only one who narrates in first person, giving us an even deeper look into her very soul. And that makes sense, because she is the matriarch of this family. Elizaveta is the one who grew up in Russia and lived there until she came stateside to join her daughter and granddaughter just a few years ago. Nina grew up in Russia and then came to the States after college. And Annie, of course, has only known America as her home. You can really see how these backgrounds play into each woman's character and decisions she makes in life. Elizaveta is very old school, Annie is much more modern, and Nina is stuck somewhere in between and struggles with that. And yet, Elizaveta and Annie have much more in common and truly understand each other the best.
As they move forward through these few months, secrets are slowly revealed, some to each other, and some just to us, the readers, making us complicit. But you understand why they are hiding the stories and the information they are hiding, even though you want it all brought to light so that they can start to work through all of this and really know the truth.
And you do see some of those repairs begin to happen, even unexpectedly. I had to bust out the tissues during some of the scenes, because they were so emotional. These histories and these stories intertwine to weave a tragically beautiful story that does involve love and loss, but also some redemption and second chances in life. I relished every single page.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest, voluntary review.
About the Author
Kelli is a wife, mother, novelist, and the driver of a smoking' hot minivan. When she isn't wrangling her five children, she can be found tapping away at the keyboard. Kelli is the award winning author of Like a River From Its Course, her debut novel which won the ACFW Carol Award for Best Historical and was nominated for two Christy Awards. Kelli is also the co-author of Life Creative: Inspiration for Today's Renaissance Mom with Wendy Speake. You can find more information on her life and writings at www.kellistuart.com.
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One winner will receive a Kindle Fire Tablet with Alexa Hands Free + $50 Amazon Gift Card
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