8 August 2015

Review #292: It's You by Jane Porter



My rating: 4 of 5 stars



“In case you never get a second chance: don't be afraid!" "And what if you do get a second chance?" "You take it!” 


----C. JoyBell C.



Jane Porter, USA Today bestselling author, pens her new book, It's You, which tells the story of a young woman who after the death of her fiance's death is losing herself a bit by bit, until she chances upon an opportunity to prove her worth as well as find herself through another old woman's heart-broken love story during the second world war in Germany.




Synopsis:

In the wake of a tragedy that tore her life down to the foundations, Dr. Alison McAdams has lost her way. So when she’s summoned to Napa to care for her ailing father, she’s not sure she has anything to offer him—or anyone else.

What Ali finds in Northern California wine country is a gift—an opportunity to rest, and distance from her painful memories. Most unexpectedly, she finds people who aren’t afraid of her grief or desperate for her to hurry up and move on.

As Ali becomes part of her father’s community, makes new friends of her own, and hears the stories of a generation who survived the Second World War, she begins to find hope again. In a quest to discover the truth about another woman’s lost love, she sets off on a journey across oceans and deep into history. And in making sense of that long-ago tragedy, Ali is able to put together the broken pieces of her heart and make new choices that are right for her.



Dr. Alison McAdams lost herself on the death of her fiance and especially she can't forgive herself for what happened to him. But when her father invites her to his retirement home at her hometown, Napa, she barely knew that the people of that retirement home would change her life drastically. Especially when a cranky old woman shares her life story during the second world war in Germany, when the Nazi government was ordering to hang and punish those Germans who participated in the Resistance, thus making Ali believe that there are many broken and unfulfilled love stories like hers and that she needs to move on with her life, but it is so hard to let her fiance go.


The writing style is really good, evocative as well as layered with emotions which will hit the readers sharply with it's intensity. The narrative style is coming-of-age and will sound realistic and contemplating enough to keep the readers engaged to the storyline. The prose is articulate with a steady pace. There are bit of twists in the end which have been nicely portrayed with little or no hints at all to the readers about it's wonderful and satisfying climax.

The characters are strongly developed and they voice the pain with lots of realism and intensity, and the grief of every other character in this story is real and can be related by the readers. The main character, Alison, may not feature herself a likeable one, since she is holding back so much with her past, yet somehow, the readers will grow on her since the way the author has depicted Alison to handle grief and pain is striking.

The last few chapters are set in Germany which have been portrayed like a guide book, the descriptions may not be that vivid and intricate with descriptions, but felt like something reading out of a guide book when visiting Germany, which streets to visit and which monuments to visit etc.

Overall, it's a compelling story with a history that takes us deep into the pain and hidden torture of the German-Nazi government. In short, a poignant as well as an engaging story where the emotions are portrayed deeply and the story has so quite a few layers and unraveling them felt like reading a historical romantic fiction, where the romance is hidden under depths of history.

Verdict: This book will appeal highly to the contemporary fiction lovers.

Courtesy: Thanks a lot to the author, Jane Porter, as well as her publishers, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book. 
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Author Info:
Born in Visalia, California, I'm a small town girl at heart. I love central California's golden foothills, oak trees, and the miles of farmland. In my mind, there's nothing sweeter in the world than the heady fragrance of orange blossoms on a sultry summer night.

As a little girl I spent hours on my bed, staring out the window, dreaming of far off places, fearless knights, and happy-ever-after endings. In my imagination I was never the geeky bookworm with the thick coke-bottle glasses, but a princess, a magical fairy, a Joan-of-Arc crusader.

My parents fed my imagination by taking our family to Europe for a year when I was thirteen. The year away changed me (I wasn't a geek for once!) and overseas I discovered a huge and wonderful world with different cultures and customs. I loved everything about Europe, but felt especially passionate about Italy and those gorgeous Italian men (no wonder my first very Presents hero was Italian).

I confess, after that incredible year in Europe, the travel bug bit, and bit hard. I spent much of my high school and college years abroad, studying in South Africa, Japan and Ireland. South Africa remains a country of my heart, the people, the land and politics complex and heart-wrenching.

After my years of traveling and studying I had to settle down and earn a living. With my Bachelors degree from UCLA in American Studies, a program that combines American literature and American history, I've worked in sales and marketing, as well as a director of a non-profit foundation. Later I earned my Masters in Writing from the University of San Francisco and taught jr. high and high school English.

I now live in Seattle and Hawaii with my three sons. I never mind a rainy day, either, because that's when I sit at my desk and write stories about far-away places, fascinating people, and most importantly of all, love. I like a story with a happy ending. We all do.  

Visit her here


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1 comment:

  1. I haven't heard of this book, it sounds interesting and really touching! Thank you so much for sharing! :)

    Lipstick and Mocha

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