Distant Shores

Rating:
Summary: Heart warming little story
Review: Distant Shores is a nice feel-good story about Elizabeth 'Birdie' Shore, who find herself lost in a bad circle of emptiness at the age of 45. Her daughters have left home, her husband is chasing a dream and their love has grown lukewarm. Birdie realizes that she has put the need of other people in front of her own needs for too long. She tries to talk it over with her husband, Jack, but he is too busy chasing his dream of becoming a famous anchor-person with a tv-show. The only good thing in Birdie's life is her house at the beach in Oregon. Jack hates the house and the endless rain, and he is ecstatic when he one day returns home, to announce that he has landed the job, and that they are moving to New York. Birdie reluctantly follows him, as she has done always, very sad to have to leave her beloved house. Before she has had time to settle down, a death in the family occurs, and Birdie decides that it is time for change. She goes home to Oregon, instead of going to New York, and in the next months, she is slowly 'waking up' to find a long lost talent, new friends, new hobbies and a changed step-mother, with whom she has always had a bad relationship. Jack, in New York, is in danger of just being a distant memory. But will their love for each other survive this separation? Will their family once again be a whole family, living together? Will Birdie learn to think of herself an take care of herself and her needs as much as she has done with others? Will she find a new and better life without a husband? The story moves nicely along, the characters are described in a sympathetic way, and Distant Shores is the perfect beach-book for the summer.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful new beginning!
Review: How many of us spend out lives taking care of everyone else and letting our own needs fall by the wayside? Kristin Hannah takes us into the life of Elizabeth (Birdie) Shore who is doing this very thing. A death in the family at a time in her life when she has so many questions helps her to break away to try and find the answers. Along the way she learns to no longer take herself for granted and to accept that she is a person with her own needs and wants. She resurrects her dreams and takes those first frightening steps to make those dreams come true. In the end she finds that she can be her own person as well as a loving wife and mother. A wonderful book for all of us needing inspiration to take that very first scary step to make our dreams come true and to learn to appeciate ourselves in whatever relationships we have in our lives.

Rating:
Summary: Hopeful
Review: This is the first book that I've read by this author. Normally, I read Danielle Steel; however, this book caught (and held) my attention. I couldn't put it down--I think I read it in about 4 days. Kristin Hannah explores the life of a middle-age woman who has over the years lost herself and her talent. After a tragic accident, Birdie must learn to put her wants and needs above those of her husband and chilren. After years of dedicating her life to others, this wife and mother must find her wings and learn to fly again. Great book! A must read! I can't wait to read another of her books! :)