Author: Amy Mason Doan
Series: None
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Publisher: Graydon House
Pages: 305
Obtained: Publisher
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Multi-layered novel about the things women deal with throughout life
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: For Jackie Pierce, everything changed the summer of 1979, when she spent three months of infinite freedom at her bohemian uncle’s sprawling estate on the California coast. As musicians, artists, and free spirits gathered at The Sandcastle for the season in pursuit of inspiration and communal living, Jackie and her cousin Willa fell into a fast friendship, testing their limits along the rocky beach and in the wild woods... until the summer abruptly ended in tragedy, and Willa silently slipped away into the night. Twenty years later, Jackie unexpectedly inherits The Sandcastle and returns to the iconic estate for a short visit to ready it for sale. But she reluctantly extends her stay when she learns that, before her death, her estranged aunt had promised an up-and-coming producer he could record a tribute album to her late uncle at the property’s studio. As her musical guests bring the place to life again with their sun-drenched beach days and late-night bonfires, Jackie begins to notice startling parallels to that summer long ago. And when a piece of the past resurfaces and sparks new questions about Willa’s disappearance, Jackie must discover if the dark secret she’s kept ever since is even the truth at all. ~amazon.com
Review: I wasn't really sure what to expect going into Lady Sunshine but the premise definitely intrigued me. I can't say enough about this novel. It was beautifully written, soulful and engaging. Sandcastle is a bit of Oregon that Jackie's Uncle owns and uses as a retreat for musicians. It's a place that Jackie gets to experience during the summer before her Senior year of high school; that she's sent to because her dad and step-mom are going on their honeymoon. What happens during that summer will change Jackie in ways she didn't even think of.
20 years later she inherits Sandcastle after her Aunt passes away. As Jackie arrives and intend to clean out the house and studio to sell, that life changing summer comes flooding back to her. It is the relationships with all the characters in the past and present that hooked me. Both Jackie and her cousin, Willa are only children so their bond becomes tight and sisterly. There are things that Jackie can't quite understand about her cousin and the way she's been living. Jackie is used to private schools and snobs but Willa, there is something very genuine and yet fragile about her. Perhaps because they are so different they understand each other until a fateful night that will change the trajectory of their lives.
What I loved about this one is the way the past and present intersect and again changes the trajectory of lives. The characters are vivid, lively and authentic to the time periods and the culture of both of those times.
Lady Sunshine is a story about finding family, finding yourself and growing up. This will go on my favorites of 2021 list for sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment