Hi Library Friends!
Welcome to Velanne’s first attempt at writing a blog with reflections on books I’ve read. I hope to explore at least one or two books each month and hopefully try to consider several different genres. I tend to fall back on historical or literary fiction for most of my “enjoyable” reading – and I know there are some great books out there that don’t fall into those categories! I have always loved to read – and now that many of us are “stuck at home” more, I have even more time to sit on my porch and escape with a good book =)
I chose “When We Believed in Mermaids” by Barbara O’Neal for my first book – the cover just kept calling my name with its beautiful ocean scene and colors. (I admit that I am often attracted to books by their covers…) This book is 348 pages long (but seemed to read much more quickly than that) and was published in 2019. The story is part mystery/part story of family relationships with a little bit of romance thrown in as well. It leads us through the relationship between two sisters, Kit and Josie, who grew up on a beach in California. The chapters alternate between sisters – each telling their experience in the evolving story – which was a wonderful way to see their different perspectives and to understand why they chose the paths they did.
Here is a very short intro, without giving away any major plot details…for the past 15 years, Kit has been grieving the death of her sister, Josie, who was killed in a terrorist attack in Europe. Out of the blue, Kit sees a news clip with a woman in the background who looks EXACTLY like her sister. Kit gets on a plane to New Zealand to investigate the possibility that Josie is alive. The story of the girl’s childhood is fed to us bit by bit, and I really got drawn into the lives of this family. The character development was superb – and I grew to really like both Kit and Josie. I have two sisters, so the complex relationship between the girls and their parents was so interesting. O’Neal added enough detail to bring the story alive without having it bog down and become boring. The topics of good/bad parenting, addiction, alcoholism, forgiveness and love all play an important role in the story. The scenery of California and New Zealand are also so vividly described – this is a perfect summer read or beach read!!
I absolutely loved, “When we Believed in Mermaids”!! I was never that big of a fan of mermaids when I was little, but did like the idea of the “magic” of a mermaid. This book had its own magic – it “carried me away” into the lives of Kit, Josie, their family and friends. Even better, it kept alive the magic feelings of “hope” and love”! I was sad when the book finished – I wanted to read more! I will be looking into some of the other books that Barbara O’Neal has written – really loved her style of writing!
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