Her Mother's Shadow

Rating:
Summary: Diane Chamberlain Does it Again!
Review: Do you remember the last time you started a book at 9:00 PM and read all night until you finished? I thought I was too old to do that anymore, that surely no matter how good a book was that I would fall asleep before long. I was wrong. Last night at about 9:00 PM I went into the bedroom to watching Trading Spaces (hubby was watching TV out in the living room) and started HER MOTHER?S SHADOW by Diane Chamberlain. Eight hours, three cans of Diet Pepsi and a bag of microwave popcorn later, I finally turned the last page (#380) and turned off the light. I would have read faster but I did watch quite a bit of TS and SNL <g>.

I can?t for the life of me figure out why Diane Chamberlain's books aren?t regulars on the bestseller lists (she is the second author I think this about, the other being Emilie Richards). She is definitely on par with Kristin Hannah, Barbara Delinsky, et al.

HER MOTHER?S SHADOW concludes the ?Kiss River Trilogy? that began with KEEPER OF THE LIGHT in the early 90s (reissued last year) and continued with KISS RIVER last year. As much as I loved KOTL, I think I liked this one even more. For those of you unfamiliar with this series, KOTL has one of the most powerful opening chapters I have ever read where Olivia is called to the ER to try to save the life of a woman who has been shot. She is shocked to find that the woman is Annie O?Neill ? the woman her husband has been having an affair with; a woman who does so much good in the community she is referred to as ?Saint Anne.? So that is really Olivia?s story. When I heard Chamberlain was writing a sequel, I thought sure the second book would be Lacey?s story ? the daughter of Annie who witnessed her murder and began a downward spiral of self-destructive behavior told in KoTL. But KISS RIVER instead brought in a new character, Gina, who although new to Kiss River, had family ties there. I was thrilled to know though that the third book in the trilogy would indeed be Lacey?s book.

In HER MOTHER?S SHADOW, Lacey?s story is interwoven with the story of Faye Collier, a nurse in San Diego. Her connection with Lacey and Kiss River isn?t known right away but her story is very interesting as she helps a successful physician overcome the grief of losing his wife. Of course, Faye has a secret, one that is not revealed until much later in the book. There are two main story lines in HMS, one of Lacey?s mother?s killer coming up for parole, and the one of Lacey?s childhood best friend being killed in an auto accident and inexplicably putting in her will that Lacey is to be 11-year-old Mackenzie?s guardian.

I am trying so hard to avoid spoilers here! As in her other books, suffice to say there are rather shocking secrets, family relationships, and romance. We also have appearances by characters in the other two books of the trilogy. All of this combine for a book that is absolutely unputdownable!

Rating:
Summary: Diane Chamberlain Does it Again!
Review: Do you remember the last time you started a book at 9:00 PM and read all night until you finished? I thought I was too old to do that anymore, that surely no matter how good a book was that I would fall asleep before long. I was wrong. Last night at about 9:00 PM I went into the bedroom to watching Trading Spaces (hubby was watching TV out in the living room) and started HER MOTHER'S SHADOW by Diane Chamberlain. Eight hours, three cans of Diet Pepsi and a bag of microwave popcorn later, I finally turned the last page (#380) and turned off the light. I would have read faster but I did watch quite a bit of TS and SNL .

I can't for the life of me figure out why Diane Chamberlain's books aren't regulars on the bestseller lists (she is the second author I think this about, the other being Emilie Richards). She is definitely on par with Kristin Hannah, Barbara Delinsky, et al.

HER MOTHER'S SHADOW concludes the "Kiss River Trilogy" that began with KEEPER OF THE LIGHT in the early 90s (reissued last year) and continued with KISS RIVER last year. As much as I loved KOTL, I think I liked this one even more. For those of you unfamiliar with this series, KOTL has one of the most powerful opening chapters I have ever read where Olivia is called to the ER to try to save the life of a woman who has been shot. She is shocked to find that the woman is Annie O'Neill - the woman her husband has been having an affair with; a woman who does so much good in the community she is referred to as 'Saint Anne.' So that is really Olivia's story. When I heard Chamberlain was writing a sequel, I thought sure the second book would be Lacey's story - the daughter of Annie who witnessed her murder and began a downward spiral of self-destructive behavior told in KoTL. But KISS RIVER instead brought in a new character, Gina, who although new to Kiss River, had family ties there. I was thrilled to know though that the third book in the trilogy would indeed be Lacey's book.

In HER MOTHER'S SHADOW, Lacey's story is interwoven with the story of Faye Collier, a nurse in San Diego. Her connection with Lacey and Kiss River isn't known right away but her story is very interesting as she helps a successful physician overcome the grief of losing his wife. Of course, Faye has a secret, one that is not revealed until much later in the book. There are two main story lines in HMS, one of Lacey's mother's killer coming up for parole, and the one of Lacey's childhood best friend being killed in an auto accident and inexplicably putting in her will that Lacey is to be 11-year-old Mackenzie's guardian.

I am trying so hard to avoid spoilers here! As in her other books, suffice to say there are rather shocking secrets, family relationships, and romance. We also have appearances by characters in the other two books of the trilogy. All of this combine for a book that is absolutely unputdownable!

Rating:
Summary: Another brilliant book by Diane Chamberlain
Review: I have a complete library of all novels written by Diane Chamberlain. Each one she writes is her "best" until the next one comes along to take the place of that "best" to become "even better". And this one does it in spades. She's a fantastic writer keeping you interested from the first page. Her writing is easy to follow,the story line is always interesting and the social aspects she interjects into the story are truly the work of a former social worker. It has it all----love,mystery,murder,forgiveness---probably a key ingredient in the story----as well as abandonment,anger,promiscuity,regret,sexual addition,bi-polar disease---so many issues all tied up with a big bow by the end.And I didn't want it to end.
It's the story of a young girl who witnesses her mother's death at the hand of an angry man holding a gun. Her mother was a beautiful but promiscuous woman who ran in front of another woman and her son--saving their lives. Fast forward to when Lacey matures into a look-alike of her mother,Annie, and the story continues from there----with the weaving of the other family into the story as well as people from her past. Diane manages to have part of the story take place in San Diego and obviously draws upon her time spent there in her earlier life.But the majority of the book is about life in North Carolina's Outer Banks. A couple of her previous books also took place there and some of the characters return in this story. Kiss River and the lighthouse become so real to the reader----you feel like you're there and can picture the setting as she describes it in her books.And the people in the story become so life-like that you feel you begin to "know" them.
I hope Diane writes another story about the Outer Banks and continues with Lacey and Bobby with Mackenzie growing up in the part of the country where her mother once lived.I want this saga to continue for many books in the future------as only Diane can do in her masterful way.
My only complaint is that when I buy another book by Diane Chamberlain, I get nothing else done including sleep. Her stories captivate me from page one and I just can't put the book down until I've absorbed every page. Way to go, Diane. And thank you for yet another beautiful story.

Rating:
Summary: Very Readable but terribly predictable
Review: I read the other reviews on this book and I'm a little confused. I never read another book by Dianne Chamberlain until this one. I will admit that she totally grabs you from the beginning and you just want to keep reading it. However, I found the story line to be completely predictable. I didn't know anything about the characters but I knew exactly where she was going with the story as it progressed. I figured out the relationships before she wrote them down, so I was a little disappointed in how predictable everything was. Of course, I wanted to keep reading to see if I was right (which I was) but I would have appreciated a little more creativity on her part. In any event, I did like the characters and the story line and would recommend reading it just for something light and fun to read. It is fast reading and definitely holds your interest but I wouldn't look to his book for thought provoking insights.

Rating:
Summary: Slow start, but picks up...
Review: Lacey's mother was known as Saint Anne. Known for her good works, it was not unusual for Anne to have spent her Christmas working at a women's shelter, and for Lacey to be with her. It was that goodness that placed Anne in the line of fire when a crazed husband broke in and killed her as he aimed for his wife. But, it was not Anne's goodness and tragic death that scarred Lacey's heart. It was learning about the bad side of her promiscuous mother that hurt the most.

Almost karmically, Lacey finds herself having to take in her best friend's daughter after Jessica's death. Mackinzie has no father that she knows, and resents Lacey. However, when they make it home ot Kiss River, Lacey thinks she knows who Mackinzie's father is. Letting Bobbie into the girl's life brings him into hers, and the attraction she feels for this bad boy conflicts with her romance with another man, an apparently good guy who hasn't forced her to violate the strict rules she lives by.

Under all of the growingly complex web of relationships lie a deep well of secrets and pain. Chance and danger will force the truth to surface, but you have to feel the pain to be able to heal it, the star players will learn.

**** Sometimes, like real life, the plot seems to move slow, but when the pace picks up, the reader will find herself on a roller coaster of unveiled secrets. The importance of forgiveness and dealing with grief properly for the one offended more than the offender is made clear in this moving story. ****
Amanda Killgore

Rating:
Summary: intriguing character study
Review: On Christmas Eve 1990, Annie O'Neill and her thirteen year old daughter Lacey work at woman's shelter on the Carolina Outer Banks. Suddenly, an angry man, Zachary Pointer breaks into the shelter with a gun. He fires apparently at his wife, but instead kills Annie. Lacey is traumatized and over the years heads down a destructive path of men and drugs.

Years later Lacey learns that her mother was not the perfect paragon as the woman had affairs. Feeling betrayed, Lacey vows no more men and no more volunteer work as she will do nothing that emulates her mother's good and bad behavior. However, Lacey has a new problem to deal with and it is a very important one. Her deceased best friend named her as guardian to her troubled preadolescent Mackenzie. To help the traumatized child, Lacey will have to finally confront the ghost of Annie that haunts her every moment of her life.

HER MOTHER'S SHADOW is an intriguing character study that provides the audience with a deep look at how a tragedy can impact the survivor. The fine story line works quite well as Lacey copes poorly with her mother's death and then with her mother crashing from the pedestal that she built for her. Mackenzie serves as an impetus to force Lacey to deal with her image of her mother and how that has stopped her from being all she can be. Sub-genre fans will find Diane Chamberlain's latest Outer Banks tale quite fascinating even if at times it is a bit sentimental.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: intriguing character study
Review: On Christmas Eve 1990, Annie O?Neill and her thirteen year old daughter Lacey work at woman?s shelter on the Carolina Outer Banks. Suddenly, an angry man, Zachary Pointer breaks into the shelter with a gun. He fires apparently at his wife, but instead kills Annie. Lacey is traumatized and over the years heads down a destructive path of men and drugs.

Years later Lacey learns that her mother was not the perfect paragon as the woman had affairs. Feeling betrayed, Lacey vows no more men and no more volunteer work as she will do nothing that emulates her mother?s good and bad behavior. However, Lacey has a new problem to deal with and it is a very important one. Her deceased best friend named her as guardian to her troubled preadolescent Mackenzie. To help the traumatized child, Lacey will have to finally confront the ghost of Annie that haunts her every moment of her life.

HER MOTHER?S SHADOW is an intriguing character study that provides the audience with a deep look at how a tragedy can impact the survivor. The fine story line works quite well as Lacey copes poorly with her mother?s death and then with her mother crashing from the pedestal that she built for her. Mackenzie serves as an impetus to force Lacey to deal with her image of her mother and how that has stopped her from being all she can be. Sub-genre fans will find Diane Chamberlain?s latest Outer Banks tale quite fascinating even if at times it is a bit sentimental.

Harriet Klausner