My Reading Room: Apr 29, 2013

Monday, April 29, 2013

Book Review: And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

And Then I Found You: A Novel by Patti Callahan Henry
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: April 9, 2013
Hardcover, 261 pages
ISBN: 9780312610760

My Review
I really enjoyed And The I Found You. I loved that it had a back story that was real, yet the story was fiction. That's the first thing that stood out for me and intrigued me and made me say I wanted to review this book and I am so glad I did.

I have to say normally a character like Kate would irritate me. Waffling back and forth, so emotional, yet not emotional. She is definitely not a character I normally can connect with. Yet in And Then I Found You I did connect with her completely. I think Patti Callahan Henry did a magnificent job fleshing out the character of Kate slowly so the reader understands her and empathizes with her and her situation of being stuck and unable to move forward until she closes the chapter of her life that she has left open. And at that point I was so engrossed in the novel I could not put it down. I also enjoyed Kate's family and their love and total support yet they acted like a normal family. And Rowan and Jack are very interesting men to add to Kate's life. At times I wasn't sure who to pull for, but then the pull became obvious at least for me (and I'm not telling).

The plot moves quickly, first moving back and forth from present and past to tell Kate's story so we understand what happened and why she did what she did and how she has gotten to where she is. Flashbacks continue to share more insight and I really like that. But the real story is in the present and the decisions that Kate, Rowan and Jack have to make now. It's a fascinating character study rolled into a fast-paced novel.

I honestly never thought I could read this emotional of a novel that quickly (pretty much in one afternoon) but I did. The pacing of the author was such that I could not put the book down and while it was extremely emotional, I never felt overwrought by the emotions which was good for me, I don't really like to get bogged down with emotions with every book, though I had prepared myself with this one. And Then I Found You is a wonderful book and will make a wonderful beach read or a great spring/summer read. It's fast-paced, character-centered and wonderfully emotional. I am now anxious to read more of Patti's books.

My rating: 5.0/5.0

About the Book
Kate Vaughan is no stranger to tough choices.

She’s made them before. Now it’s time to do it again.

Kate has a secret, something tucked away in her past. And she’s getting on with her life. Her business is thriving. She has a strong relationship with her family, and a devoted boyfriend whom she wants to love with all her heart. If Kate had ever made a list, Rowan would fill the imagined boxes of a perfect mate. But she wants more than the perfect on paper relationship; she wants a real and imperfect love. That's why, when Kate discovers the small velvet box hidden in Rowan's drawer, she panics.

It always happens this way. Just when Kate thinks she can love, just when she believes she can conquer the fear, she’s filled with dread. And she wants more than anything to make this feeling go away. But how?

When the mistakes have been made and the running is over, it’s time to face the truth. Kate knows this. She understands that a woman can never undo what can never be undone. Yet, for the first time in her life she also knows that she won’t fully love until she confronts those from her past. It’s time to act.

Can she do it? Can she travel to the place where it all began, to the one who shares her secret? Can the lost ever become found?

And Then I Found You gives new life to the phrase “inspired by a true story.” By travelling back to a painful time in her own family’s history, the author explores the limits of courage, and the price of a selfless act.

About the Author (from Goodreads)
Patti Callahan Henry is the National Bestselling author of six novels with Penguin/NAL (Losing the Moon, Where the River Runs, When Light Breaks, Betweeen the Tides, The Art of Keeping Secrets, and Driftwood Summer).

Patti is hailed as a fresh new voice in southern fiction. She has been short-listed for the Townsend Prize for Fiction and has been nominated for the Southeastern Independent Booksellers Fiction Novel of the Year. She is a frequent speaker at luncheons, book clubs and women’s groups where she discusses the importance of storytelling and anything else they want to talk about.

Patti grew up as a Minister’s daughter, learning early how storytelling effects our lives. She grew up spending her summers on Cape Cod where she began her love affair with the beach, ocean, tides and nature of the coast. Moving south at the tender age of twelve, she found solace in books and stories. While attending Auburn University, she met a southern boy who later proposed on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, next to a historic lighthouse overlooking the Sound. After earning her Master’s degree in Child Health, Patti worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist until her first child was born.

Patti is a full time writer, wife and mother living with her husband and three children outside Atlanta on the Chattahoochee River where she is working on her next novel.

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