Publisher book description:
Twenty-year-old Abigail Turner knows her mother, Claire—who died shortly after she was born—through letters, videos, postcards, and journals. Abby’s father, Josh, has raised his precious daughter himself, but Abby longs to forge out on her own and see the world after a childhood trapped indoors: she suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which means a case of the sniffles can rapidly escalate into life-threatening pneumonia.
But when Abby’s doctor declares her healthy—for now—her grandmother Millie whisks her away to Europe to visit the Christmas markets that her mother cherished and chronicled in her travel journals.
Despite her father’s objections, Abby and Millie embark on a journey of discovery in which Abby will learn secrets that force her to reevaluate her image of her mother and come to a more mature understanding of a parent-child bond that transcends death.
My comments: Young Abby is plagued by a childhood illness that carries over into adulthood. She has to be careful as she could get ill at any time. Abby's mother died leaving a series of messages and instructions for her husband Josh and for Abby, in the form of letters of guidance, counsel, and a form of mothering that will take Abby from childhood into adulthood.
Abby visits Europe to follow in her mother's footsteps, but becomes ill in Brussels. She meets her half-brother Jackson, and learns things about her mother that will answer a lot of questions.
A little sentimental and more than a little heartfelt, Abby's Journey will touch those readers who know or who have young Abbys of their own.
For a list of other reviews, visit the TLC Tour Stop for Abby's Journey
Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
About Steena Holmes
After writing her first novel while working as a receptionist, Steena Holmes made her dream of being a full-time writer a reality. She won the National Indie Excellence Book Award in 2012 for her bestselling novel Finding Emma. Now both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Steena continues to write stories that touch every parent’s heart in one way or another. To find out more about her books and her love for traveling, you can visit her website at www.steenaholmes.com or follow her journeys over on Instagram @steenaholmes.
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First chapter:
Prologue
Claire
Dear Josh, I've written this letter a thousand times (okay, that might be exaggerating just a little, but I have written it a few times now). At first, it was a list of parenting tips, because that's what I do. I write lists. And then you would read it and memorize it,. because that's what you do to humor me.
MEME: Every Tuesday Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros sharing the first paragraph or two, from a book you are reading or will be reading soon.
I love stories based on secrets...some of which are revealed in letters. Thanks for sharing...and here's mine: “IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME”
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this book and the one that precedes it. I've read other books by Steena Holmes and liked them very much.
ReplyDeleteOh this leaves me curious for more.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing — I'd keep reading for sure. Here's my link for today: http://wp.me/p4DMf0-1v4
ReplyDeleteThe opening makes me want to know more. I'd keep reading!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts about this book as well as the opening! It sounds like a touching novel.
ReplyDeleteSince I like books that are sentimental and heartfelt, this sounds like a story I'd enjoy a lot. I'm definitely curious about the list!
ReplyDeleteMy Tuesday post features A Thread of Truth.
Letters from a loved one who has passed on are some of the most treasured items I can think of.
ReplyDelete