Sunday, May 27, 2012

Book Review: The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Publisher: MIRA

ISBN: 978-0-7783-1346-5

Publish Date: April 24, 2012

Pages: 347 Trade Paperback

Type: Fiction

Purchase: $10.19 at Amazon.com

Life is a Series of Hard Choices…

Travis Brown is a young single father of a timid, sweet and loving 4-year old Bella.  While working at a nearby construction site, he is informed that his home is burning down.  Upon his arrival, he tragically discovers that he has lost his mother to the fire, however fortunately Bella has survived.  With no place to live and nobody to help to care for Bella while he works, Travis is faced with a mountain of challenges.  To make matters worse, he lost his construction job as he was replaced when he left due to the tragedy.  With very little money left, no job, and no home, Travis rents a small trailer nearby the beach.   This is where he meets Savannah, a woman who gives him a job lead, however one which led him in the wrong direction…  one that could end up resulting in him losing Bella forever.

Erin is in mourning over the loss of her 4-year old daughter, Carolyn due to an accident.  Unable to cope with the loss and incapable of working through it with her husband, she avoids work and moves out of their home into an apartment.  She has joined an on-line group of people who are dealing with the loss of their children.  They are the only ones who Erin believes can truly understand how she feels.  Each morning, she goes to the local coffee shop with her iPad and avoids the responsibilities of her “real life” including returning to her job as a pharmacist.  One morning at the coffee shop, her world collides with those of Travis and Bella.

Robin runs a Bread & Breakfast and is engaged to the soon-to-be-mayor of the town.  A heart-transplant recipient, she is haunted by her past and the decision she and her father made to put her child up for adoption.  Her soon-to-be teenage sister-in-law, Alissa, has a baby out-of-wedlock.  In spending time with Alissa and her baby daughter Hannah, Robin is painfully reminded of the teenage love that was lost, the baby she never knew, and the painful past she experienced with her now deceased father.   She begins to think about her daughter and wonders what her life is like now.

When their 3 lives intersect, all of the hard choices which they all had been faced with are brought to the surface.  After encountering a life or death situation, Travis, Erin and Robin are all able to find a way to discover healing.

Engrossed In The Tale…

Thank God for caffeine in the morning!  This book kept me up at night as I couldn’t put it down.   Never having read and of Diane Chamberlain’s novels prior to this one, I didn’t know what to expect.  However, what I discovered is that she is an author who creatively develops vivid  characters whom you can’t help but to care about.   Learning the lives of each of the main characters of the story took me on an emotional travel.   I found myself wanting to see each of them find a way back to a happier, more fulfilled life. 

For more information on this talented writer, including her library of works, visit her website at http://dianechamberlain.com/.    I also encourage you to follow the blog tour at http://bit.ly/I56ozq.  At the end of the blog tour, Diane Chamberlain is hosting a live chat at BookTrib.com on May 31, 2012 at 3pm EST (RSVP livechat@booktrib.com).

Rating

I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to read this engaging novel.  Well written, filled with twists and turns, it kept me turning the pages and tuning out the real world.  I would absolutely recommend this novel to my sister, my mother, my friends and to you!

FTC Disclosure:  This book was provided to me from the publisher.  Clicking on the either the photo of the book cover or the link next to the purchase price stated above will bring you to my Amazon Affiliate page.  No purchases are necessary.

4 Comments