Monday, December 20, 2010

Stay With Me

Hey lambies- it's time for another book review. And this is a book that I think a lot of you will like so you should read this. :)

Stay With Me- Sandra Rodriguez Barron
Stay with Me: A Novel

Thirty years ago, five toddlers were found alone in a luxury boat tied up to a dock in Puerto Rico after a devastating hurricane. No one knew who they were or where they came from. Now adults, raised by different families but connected by a special bond, David, Taina, Holly, Adrian and Raymond have always considered themselves siblings, even if their blood relations were unknown. When David is diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, the five brothers and sisters meet at Griswold Island off the coast of Connecticut at the family home of David's ex-girlfriend, Julia, a woman whose own deeply rooted family tree is a direct opposite to the siblings' hidden beginnings. However, while David's siblings think the trip is just a chance to spend quality time with Davide and help him get his mind off the disease, David has an ulterior motive for planning a vacation: The brain tumor has triggered flashbacks to the time before the hurricane and prompted a strong desire in David to find out the truth of their origins. He's determined to find out if they are siblings in blood as well as heart and the circumstances behind what happened to them those many years ago. The gathering is the first time they are all able to share and document the wisps of fading memory, all of it conflicting, all of it charged with emotional attachments to whatever truth they have each come to embrace.

OK. So if THAT doesn't make you want to read this book.. I don't know what will. Frequent readers of my blog will know that my big thing is that I'm absolutely convinced I will die of a brain tumor and recently I blogged about that. And the news I got about my dad came *literally* the day after I finished this book. I find it kind of bizarre that a lot of the books I'm reading all of a sudden take a turn for the personal afterwards. So because of that, I connected with this book.

The story of five seemingly abandoned children is sad and as a mother it pulls at you. I enjoyed learning about each sibling and how the experience of early childhood traumas such as abandonment really pave your future as an adult. It proves that every person handles stress and trauma differently and these characters were no different. I felt sad for David, suffering from brain cancer, because you see how horrible that is. Especially towards the end it scared the crap out of me.

The only part of the book that I thought was awkward was the really detailed descriptions of Griswold Island, the story could have been just as great without it. I kind of feel that overly detailed parts should be left out- if it doesn't really add to the story.

I do like how this book covered the emotions a person would feel if they didn't know about their birth parents and facing the option of finding out. I can imagine that is a hard reality for some to face, especially if you were abandoned. I really loved how Sandra was able to tie the book together at the end. Sure, David is dying and you know what is going to happen but I think she made his story close appropriately. Do you know how you read some books and feel like it wasn't really meant to end yet? I didn't feel that way with this one. I felt like it ended right when it should have. And I really enjoyed it.

But don't take just my opinion. You can go HERE to read the thoughts from other reviewers and you can visit Sandra's website HERE.

If you would like to have MY copy.... leave a comment on this post saying you want it, with your email address, and I will randomly draw a winner on Tuesday, December 21, 6pm.

8 comments:

AmberLaShell said...

i would love to read it, it sounds like a good book!

amberlashell@gmail.com

Actuary Mom said...

I would love to read it!
kassie1001@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I'll go see, rent or buy the movie. I never have time to read or the patience to do so outside fo something educationial.

Miranda said...

Sounds interesting. Would love to read it :) mir4126@yahoo.com

SarahMarie said...

That book sounds really interesting! Would love to read it. sarah.embracingchaos@gmail.com

Lynsey said...

I would love to read it. lynseyw_310 at hotmail dot com

cynthia said...

This sounds intriguing and I believe i would enjoy reading this book.
Hope you draw my name....: )
cyn3ah@gmail.com

trish said...

You make the book sound fabulous! (And I know what you mean about being convinced you'll die from a brain tumor.)

Thanks for being on this tour!