Love
Gently Falling by Melody Clarkson
Rita is out on the West Coast realizing her
dream of becoming a great hairstylist, a vision which was set in her early
years working in her mother’s salon.
Suspense sets in as her mother falls ill and is on the road for a long
recovery. Rather than drop in and help her
mother back to health, Rita also begins the long process of updating her mother’s
salon. Along the way, Rita meets up with
her old nemesis Zinnia, runs into Johnny, Zinnia’s close friend, and this
begins the tense relationship between the three, including a promising
relationship between Johnny and Rita.
The narrative weaves through the story of Rita’s
family, coming together under the weight of Donna’s illness and bringing Rita
into a new phase in life. With the
budding relationship between Rita and Johnny, the story unfolds in a unexpected
but exciting way. This kind of story is
not one I’m accustomed to reading but one with a good ending. I did think one thematic element of the book
was hinted at; namely, the desire to branch out and make a name for oneself
(fulfilling one’s call) while knowing that family issues need to be acted upon
with compassion. The connective tissue
that this story provides is fulfilled by Rita putting her skill and passion to
work in revamping Donna’s salon, but also being a part of the family’s care for
Donna.
Secondly, the story kept us aware of how past
hurts often don’t fade away with age but rise to the surface as we see those people. Thankfully, the past doesn’t come to bite
Rita in such a way as to force her to not move forward. Zinnia’s and Rita’s relationship was built on
past hurts but there was healing in finally dealing with the wrongs that had
happened.
Overall, I think the book kept my attention and
was a good but predictable story about a young lady being torn between her
passion and her family. Ultimately, the story
turns out to benefit both her and her family.
Thanks to Center Street and Katie Connors for
the copy of this book in exchange for review.
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