The world of books evens the playing field-- delivering truth, connectedness, and beauty across miles and generations. These are a few of my favorite reads that have inspired, shaped, and motivated me.

Monday, May 14, 2012

"Lost Saints of Tennessee" by Amy Franklin Willis


"Lost Saints of Tennessee" is a story about a man-- who's
fallen from grace-- attempting to pick up the pieces of his life.
In  the wake of his divorce, a high school reunion, an
inability to overcome his brother's death, and all the
regular hard bits of life, he is running from life and his
own feelings.

That journey takes him to an old safe house where he attempts
to reconcile what he wants and how--or whether--he can continue.

Through flashbacks and letters, and later through another
character's recounting, we discover how a life can become
so fractured and lost.

In the present, he attempts to grow and overcome the
burden of his past...with his mother, his ex-wife, his daughters,
and his own failures and inescapable grief.
It's the ultimate mid-life crisis survival guide!



This is a great character piece, delving into true Southern
living as family drama, small town worries, and earlier
days are the inspiration for a captivating tale.

(Willis is an eighth-generation Southerner, and
many of the stories are based on her father's stories
of his life.)

Taking place in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia,
there is plenty of adventure and drama throughout,
and in one of my favorite writing 'tricks,' we
get to see events from the different perspectives
that make up the whole.
We get to see how our subjective views so often distort
reality.

A beautiful story of redemption, soul-searching,
fear, forgiveness, and love.




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2 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for this lovely and thoughtful review of Lost Saints!


    All the best,
    Amy Franklin-Willis
    www.amyfranklin-willis.com

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    Replies
    1. Cool beans! My pleasure, Amy...and Thank You for having written it!

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