Dual Timeline Fiction Book Review: Heirlooms
About the Book
Title: Heirlooms
Author: Sandra Byrd
Genre: Dual Timeline Fiction
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Release Date: July 5, 2022
Click here to purchase a copy of this book.
Publisher's Book Description
“Answering a woman’s desperate call for help, young Navy widow Helen Devries opens her Whidbey Island home as a refuge to Choi Eunhee. As they bond over common losses and a delicate, potentially devastating secret, their friendship spans the remainder of their lives.
After losing her mother, Cassidy Quinn spent her childhood summers with her gran, Helen, at her farmhouse. Nourished by her grandmother’s love and encouragement, Cassidy discovers a passion that she hopes will bloom into a career. But after Helen passes, Cassidy learns that her home and garden have fallen into serious disrepair. Worse, a looming tax debt threatens her inheritance. Facing the loss of her legacy and in need of allies and ideas, Cassidy reaches out to Nick, her former love, despite the complicated emotions brought by having him back in her life.
Cassidy inherits not only the family home but a task, spoken with her grandmother’s final breaths: ask Grace Kim―Eunhee’s granddaughter―to help sort through the contents of the locked hope chest in the attic. As she and Grace dig into the past, they unearth their grandmothers’ long-held secret and more. Each startling revelation reshapes their understanding of their grandmothers and ultimately inspires the courage to take risks and make changes to own their lives.
Set in both modern-day and midcentury Whidbey Island, Washington, this dual-narrative story of four women―grandmothers and granddaughters―intertwines across generations to explore the secrets we keep, the love we pass down, and the heirlooms we inherit from a well-lived life.”
My Review
Heirlooms, by Sandra Byrd, is a profoundly touching novel. Set on Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington, this beautifully written dual-timeline story is absolutely captivating as it tells the story of four women and the connections that unite them even across generations. The riveting plot alternates easily between two points in time, one in the past and one in the present. These storylines find connections in scenes of family, adversity, longing, friendship, hope, and redemption.
With undeniable talent, Ms. Byrd has crafted a moving story that highlights human heartbreak, perseverance, resiliency, and compassion. Scenes of loss, despair, and uncertainty find an emotional balance in the honest moments of hope and redemption that are supported by gentle reminders that healing and restoration can be nurtured in the presence of love, kindness, and grace.
The beauty of this novel lies within the well-developed characters who are truly authentic and vulnerable. They often show themselves to be thoughtful, resilient, and determined. Their will to fight for significance and survival is utterly compelling. Their questions, their insecurities, their fears, and their needs are certainly believable. When confronted with misfortune, malice, and doubt, their struggle is genuine and raw. Though they are challenged by events that test their beliefs and threaten their goals, their faith endures. Again and again, their tenacity and fortitude is inspiring. Despite unexpected circumstances and surprising discoveries, they display courage and determination to help one another to restore a sense of purpose, hope, and belonging.
Ms. Byrd is a genuinely talented writer and storyteller. In Heirlooms, she offers the reader a surprising, enriching, and memorable novel. Page after page, it is a tender and heartfelt story of loss, love, faith, and family. As it explores relevant themes like inclusion, racism, and community, it also reveals the power of love, friendship, and perseverance. Every minute spent reading this book is a thoughtful, immersive, and meaningful experience. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
*I was given a copy of this book by the author/publisher and NetGalley. A review was not required. The review I have written is voluntary and contains opinions that are entirely my own.
About the Author: Sandra Byrd
“Dream→Jump In→Plot→Create→Work Hard→Enjoy→Get Feedback→Step Up→Revise→Win!
Life. Books, too.
Sandra Byrd's first series of historically sound Gothic romances launched with the best-selling Mist of Midnight, which earned a coveted Editor’s Choice Award from the Historical Novel Society. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, has been selected by Romantic Times as a Top Pick. The third in the series, A Lady in Disguise, was named by the American Library Association’s Booklist as one of the Top Ten Inspirational Fiction Books of the year.
Her contemporary adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named a Library Journal Best Books of the Year Pick, as was The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr.
Victorian Ladies, a new series, offered its first title, Lady of a Thousand Treasures, in 2018. Sandra has also authored many books for teens, tweens, and devotionals for both adults and children.” Biography from Sandra Byrd’s author page on Amazon.com.
Comments
Post a Comment