This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
As Young As We Feel
David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010)
by
Melody Carlson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from pre-school teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write! Currently she freelances from her home. In the past eight years, she has published over ninety books for children, teens, and adults–with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards. And her “Diary of a Teenage Girl” series has received great reviews and a large box of fan mail.
She has two grown sons and lives in Central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Is there room in one little hometown for four very different Lindas to reinvent their lives … together?Once upon a time in a little town on the Oregon coast lived four Lindas—all in the same first-grade classroom. So they decided to go by their middle names. And form a club. And be friends forever. But that was forty-seven years and four very different lives ago. Now a class reunion has brought them all together in their old hometown—at a crossroads in their lives.
Janie is a high-powered lawyer with a load of grief. Abby is a lonely housewife in a beautiful oceanfront empty nest. Marley is trying to recapture the artistic free spirit she lost in an unhappy marriage. And the beautiful Caroline is scrambling to cope with her mother’s dementia and a Hollywood career that never really happened. Together, they’re about to explore the invigorating reality that even the most eventful life has second acts … and friendship doesn’t come with a statue of limitations.
If you would like to read the first chapter of As Young As We Feel, go HERE.
Watch the Video:
MY REVIEW:
As Young As We Feel is the story of four women who happen to share the same first name and have known each other since first grade. When they reconnect at a high school reunion after many years of doing their own thing, their friendship is renewed. The death of a classmate inspires each of them to examine their own life and the hopes and dreams that have been unfulfilled. As the women spend time together and share more openly, they realize that all of them are very different from their external public facades.
As Young As We Feel is related through four points of view which sometimes detracts from the cohesiveness of the storyline. Fortunately each chapter is labeled with the subject’s name so there is no difficulty keeping up with the characters. Other than that, I found the book easy to read and because I am a member of the same era I could relate to many of the issues faced by the Lindas. One warning – the book did not end with everything tied up in a neat package but the first chapter of the next book in the series was included at the back. After reading it, I look forward to the next installment. Things could get very interesting for these ladies.
