Book Description:
Can your heart belong somewhere that you’ve never called home?
When Erica gets a phone call to say her mother, Ione, is ill in St Lucia, she knows she must go to her. Though the island – the place of her mother’s birth – is somewhere that Erica has never seen as her homeland.
Even when the plane touches down in the tropical paradise, with its palm trees swaying in the island breeze, the sound of accents so like her mother’s own calling loud in the air, Erica doesn’t find herself wanting to stay a moment longer than she has to.
But stepping into her mother’s house, she is shocked by what she finds. Her mother’s memory is fading, her once-immaculate house is now dirty and messy, and she’s refusing help from anyone but family. And Erica knows she must stay with her, even though it means leaving everything else behind.
What she doesn’t know is that – even as her mother’s memories get worse – Ione still has a final gift for her daughter. Because the unspoken secrets of their past are about to emerge, changing everything Erica thought she knew about her mother, her home, and who she really is…
A captivating tale of grief, love, and what it means to find home, perfect for fans of Andrea Levy, Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'My Mother's Gift' by Steffanie Edward.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Steffanie Edward, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous.
Publication date 22nd March 2022.
This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'This Other Island' which was Steffanie's debut novel and a book I would recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I am a fan of Steffanie and if this book is half as good as 'This Other Island' it is bound to be a great read. It also stated in the synopsis that this book is 'A captivating tale of grief, love, and what it means to find home, perfect for fans of Andrea Levy, Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse'. I am a huge fan of Jojo Moyes so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 47 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in St Lucia 🇱🇨, the Caribbean x
This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonist being Erica. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are, as long as they are well written, it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.
'My Mother's Gift' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Steffanie discusses/ includes Alzheimer's disease and death of a child.
This book is well written with vivid descriptions that places you on the scenes throughout. The cover, title and synopsis work well with the storyline.
The storyline itself is absolute emotional rollercoaster as we see Erica's life change dramatically after she goes over to St Lucia to go look after her mother believing it is temporary. It was extremely thought provoking and an emotional rollercoaster throughout and really makes you realose the impact Alzheimer's disease has not only on it's victim but in their family and friends. My Nan had dementia as does my Grandad and it is absolutely heartbreaking to watch them decline. The fact that Steffanie has experience with looking after someone with dementia absolutely shines through along with the fact that she has researched Kweyol. The dialect that it was written in really helped me feel like I was being spoken to in the characters accents which brings authenticity to the storyline and really does put you in St Lucia. The plot itself was devastatingly realistic and something thay thousands of people go through on a regular basis, this also helped me picture the scenes. It is a beautiful, eloquant novel which covers an extremely difficult and heartbreaking subject but Steffanie has woven it into the storyline perfectly. It is filled with love, heartbreak, compassion, frustration, grace, family and every emotion you can think of! Tissues are a must have before you pick this book up as you are about to embark on a rollercoaster of emotions.
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
The characters were strong and realistic and each had their own personalities. I became completely invested in and really felt for Erica on many occasions throughout the book. Steffanie really portrays her emotions and my heart absolutely broke for her. It also went out to her mum Ione for what she went through before and during her health decline. I also enjoyed meeting Headley, Millie, Claire, Hannah and Barbara and was pleased that Erica had so many supportive family and friends around her. I hope that she found the happiness that she thoroughly deserved. I could not stand Frank who was a complete chauvinistic pig. However, it would be boring if you got along with every character!! Each of the characters had their own unique personalities which all worked perfectly with the storyline.
Overall an emotionally charged novel that will keep you hooked throughout.
Genres covered in this book include Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction and Coming-of-age amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Andrea Levy, Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse.
298 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited via Amazon (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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@SteffanieEdward @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
Steffanie Edward was born in St Lucia, brought up in London and now straddles between the two. Anancy, Crick-crick and other Caribbean folk stories have been a part of her life since childhood. In her late teens she enjoyed reading Susan Howatch and books on slavery. Her absolute favourite reads have been Wild Seed by Octavia E Butler, and Woman At Point Zero by Naawal El Saadawi. Her writing career started with short stories, five of which have been published. Her first attempt at writing a novel was over twenty years ago, whilst living and working in Abu Dhabi. That novel, Yvette, didn’t make it into print, but the main protagonist, Yvette, has muscled her way into Steffanie’s debut novel, This Other Island. https://www.saedward.com/ https://twitter.com/EdwardsaEdward
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09QL7J4RSsocial
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