Nicole Seitz

Dear Readers,

I love Nicole Seitz’s books.  They are these lovely tales that have a bit of a twist to them.  Not always a huge twist where you say “oh my goodness I didn’t see that coming,” but always something that just makes her stories unique.  They are also set in one of my favorite parts of the country, the South Carolina coastline.

Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole was released in January of last year, but my bookclub wanted to read it and so I waited till now to do so.  I took it on my vacation to Florida with me and it was the perfect spot to read it, warm sea breezes and sunshine. 

Ally Green has been running her entire life.  She couldn’t wait to get out of town and eventually became a stewardess for AirAmerica and enjoyed the jet set life.  She flew all over the world, lived in many different countries and didn’t have to think about what she left behind. 

Vesey Washington is who she was running from.  Growing up across Molasses Creek in the 60’s their relationship was forbidden.  With her being the daughter of a prominent doctor and him the son of a black coal miner, they had nothing in common.  But they were drawn together by the creek they both grew up on. 

I really don’t want to say more as it really gets into the story line that is just so much fun to discover.  The story flows along like the creek that is the center of the story.  I don’t know if you have ever been to South Carolina in the summer, but nothing moves quickly at that time including the water.  It just goes about its business of getting things moved along and at the end of the day all is completed and content.  This story is like that; it won’t be hurried, but savored and enjoyed so when you get to the end you feel rested in finding out Ally and Vesey’s story.

Happy Reading

Nicole Seitz

Dear Readers,

There are many different layers in the book The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz.  I am sure I have even missed a few of them that someone else will catch.  It is the story of memories, good or bad.  It is the story of love, for family and friends.  It is the story of confession and how that is good for the soul.

You meet Maggie who because she has suffered several strokes is unable to talk, but you learn about her in her thoughts.  She remembers her childhood and the one thing that happen that changed her and her family forever. 

 

You meet George who has loved Maggie since they were children.  He knew he wanted to marry her long before they are of age.

You also meet Ash, Maggie's brother.  He loves his sister more than life itself and is willing to do anything to make sure she will have a good and perfect life.

They all grew up together.  They were never well off, George's family did have their store, but Maggie and Ash's family would sometimes even go hungry.  But overall life was good.  They went fishing and swimming in the local watering hole.  They played hide-n-seek, they did chores and generally made good memories together. 

That all changed one afternoon when a stranger stepped off the train that went through town.  While the kids watched him climb off the train they were intrigued by him, but, as Maggie says, if they had known who he was and what he represented they would have run far far away.

This is a book of secrets that were kept and secrets that weren't. It isn't a gentle read by any means.  There are things that happen in this book that haunt these friends forever.  They blame each other and themselves for the events that rip them apart.  But it is also a story of forgiving each other and it is never too late to do that. 

I know not everyone will enjoy this story and it is not written for everyone, but if you want a story that is a different perspective on things, this is the book for you.

Happy Reading

Nicole Seitz

Dear Readers,

I understand that Nicole Sietz's books are not everyone's cup of tea. I for one love them. They are a little off center and I think that is why I like them. They make you think about different subjects. In Saving Cicadas she takes on the subject of Abortion. Not an easy topic for anyone.

How do you explain Abortion to an 8 1/2 year old? It is a concept most adults don't understand. So when Janie Dae Macy's mother finds out she is pregnant again, Janie doesn't understand that there is a third way to take care of things. She only counts two. Keeping the baby or give it up for adoption. She even makes a list to help her mother see the pros and cons of both.

Janie's older sister is convinced that Mama is carrying baby Jesus in her tummy. Rainey has Down's Syndrome and she is just excited that there will be another baby in their house soon.

Mama decides she needs some space and she goes looking for the girl's father and winds up in her hometown, where her family still owns a house. They move in and things seem to be looking up. They all settle into a routine and Janie and Rainey await the arrival of their new sibling. That is until Janie finds out Mama is considering Abortion.

I don't dare go any farther as I am afraid of giving it all away. This is not a murder mystery, but it does have a couple good twists. I did like it a great deal, even though there were a couple times I wondered where Nicole was going with it all. She tells an interesting and thought-provoking story. It will not be for everyone and I can see where there will be church libraries that will have some problems with it.

I do want to add, Nicole is not in favor of Abortion. That is not what would be the objections, but I can't say what they are for those who want to read it. If you are really want to know for the library, let me know and I can give you a better idea of what is going on in the book.

Happy Reading
Chris

Nicole Seitz

Dear Readers,

I love reading books set in the south on cold snowy "spring" days. This past week was perfect for that. Nicole Seitz's newest, A Hundred Years of Happiness. Nicole lives in the low country of South Carolina and loves living there and you can tell by her writing that she does. Her descriptions of the people, places and atmosphere capture that area so very well.

This book is a bit different, or maybe normal for Nicole, but a very good read. It is written in the style that each of the main characters is given their own turns to "speak." Which makes for very different views of the same story. I will admit that I do sometimes forget who I am reading about and it does confuse me once in a while, but that is easily remedied by quickly turning back a couple pages. I love when authors do this as it is so neat to see the different people's perspective on the story.

Katherine - Ann is a daughter who is worried about her father. He is a Vietnam vet and is not acting like himself. For the first time in her life he has actually shared about the war. Which gets her to thinking that maybe she needs to learn more about that time in his life. She invites him to the Medal of Honor dinner they are having in Charleston, where he meets the first MOH winner from the Vietnam war. He is able to sit with him at dinner and gets his picture in the newspaper, which opens a can of worms no one expected.

Lisa has always longed for a father. Her mother, her uncle and herself fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. It has been a terrible life, they own their own restaurant, but Lisa has always felt that something was missing. When she sees John Porter's picture in the newspaper, she realizes that he looks like the picture of the American soldier in her mothers room. She just knows that is her father and sets about to find him.

This is a story of recovery, forgiveness and love. Family love, brotherly love and sacrifice. It is a good look at some of the struggles these guys that give so much to their country go through. We didn't help these vets at all because of what we did to them when they came back. I am still shocked when I hear those stories. Who were we that we felt so compelled to actually attack these guys when they came home. There is not one person who should have been doing that if they were not willing to go over there and fight themselves.

Sorry back to the story. It is a good one with a fabulous ending. In fact Nicole is so good at the endings I almost want to skip to the end first, but of course the rest of the story would be lost then. She is a very good story teller and one worth the read.

Happy Reading