A good story, a little mysterious a little sad The life lesson analogy fairy tail stories were especially well written ( )

This was just a genuinely sweet book. The main character was lovable but also someone you could really respect. (I like how she knew she needed to change but she finished her commitments first. Maturity.) The supporting characters were all lovable, too. The Father was horrid---his scenes made me sick---but there was no raunchy anything and hardly any language.

I can't fully recommend it as it has some unBiblical elements promoted in a positive way, but I got a lot out of it and really appreciate the opportunity to enjoy the story. ( )

Wow. I so wanted to like this book. The thought of a librarian finding a mysterious book and tracing her family back and finding out secrets was an enticing one. What’s not to love about libraries?

Well. I hated it. I finished it because I thought the secret might be worth finding out about but it was a mess. The main character is a pathetic woman given to endless whining. Her older sister is a complete bitch who unconvincingly has a turn around at the end. The library patrons are all impossible and unlikeable, demanding favours from Martha (main character) like doing their laundry and mending clothes, etc etc. Ridiculous.

To add insult to injury, the book is filled with all these twee ‘stories’ - meant to be fables- that Martha and her grandmother tell each other. Martha’s child speech is completely wrong. Her grandmother is a cliche of a wild woman, saying shocking things and dressing always in turquoise. Of course she’s a lesbian. Of course she is dying of brain cancer.

For fun she reads the stories from the book she put together of both she and Martha’s tales (no credit to Martha, mind) out loud and then drops the book onto the ground with a “read me I’m yours” sticky note.

It’s not like the stories are anything special but we are supposed to believe people wander off and are changed.

Strange things happen in the book- a lot of ‘not speaking to’ moments which drag out the story far beyond any need. Martha almost gets drowned, spends days away from home and job and no one cares. By that point, I didn’t care.

And the earth-shattering secret, keeping everyone apart for 30 years is so banal I felt cheated.
We won’t talk about the editing errors and places where things are revealed more than once...

Gave a few stars because I hear the author is a well-published writer but this was a disappointment. ( )

I didn't like any of the characters (even the MC Martha) enough to keep reading. It feels like there's a sweet story about finding yourself here, but I don't have the patience to get to that point. ~ DNF @ 19%

Martha Storm helps everyone, sometimes even when they don't need it. It makes her feel needed but she really just feels invisible. A book of fairy tales with an unusual dedication sends her digging in the past only to discover a whole new life in the rubble. Another wonderful, poignant story from Phaedra Patrick. ( )