- The description caught me – letters after death and Russian adoption – two things I haven’t really experienced in my reading.
I also recommend:
- The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
- The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Summary from GoodReads:
Two months after the death of her best friend Harlan, Lucy remains haunted by the things she never told him including her deep love for him. Then she begins receiving emails he’d arranged to be sent after his death, emails that will change the course of her life. One email in particular haunts her — he tells her he is certain she is destined for motherhood. Thus begins her watershed year.
It is said that out of despair comes hope and in her grief, Lucy finds that the possibility of adopting a child offers her a new chance for a fulfilled life. When she travels to Russia to meet four-year-old Mat she sees in him a soul that is as lonely and lost as hers. Slowly they learn to trust one another and each begins healing. It is when Mat’s father comes to America to reclaim his child that a truth about Mat’s past is revealed, a truth that might shatter Lucy’s fragile little family forever.
My Review:
People, this is not a little book. It’s 320 pages long. I started reading it at 9:30pm thinking I’d get a few chapters in. Next thing I knew I was closing the book and looking at my clock where the time of 4:30am was looking at me with accusation. I haven’t stayed up like that to read a book in one setting, or I should say, to read an adult book in one setting, in… never.
I was simply blown away by this story. Susan Schoenberger flawlessly moves between the past and present, connecting the story of Harlan’s death to Lucy’s life and the decisions being made. Add into the equation the realistic portrayal of the difficulties of adopting, especially from another country, the struggles of dating and the coping of grief from unfulfilled love and you have a knockout of a story. And in spite of all these elements, not once did I feel overwhelmed, or that there was too much stuff going on for the story to be effective.
I wept and rejoiced with Lucy, I fell in love with Mat, I grieved for Harlan and felt the sting experienced by Louis as Lucy struggled to adapt to her new life.
If you are looking for a book that will knock your socks off and grab you by the shoulders and shake you until you cry, this is it. By far, one of the best books I’ve read this year.
About the Author
For more reviews on A Watershed Year by Susan Schoenberger, please follow the book tour.
Sounds beautiful. I’ll keep an eye out for it. Great review!
Wow, sounds like this one REALLY captured your attention right from the start! I can’t believe you stayed up until 4:30am!
Thanks so much for being on the tour. Hopefully you’re caught back up on your sleep after that marathon read.
I almost feel guilty about causing you to lose sleep, but I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you so much for the lovely review, which I will share on Facebook and Twitter.
Don’t! It was well worth it- beautiful writing, and story. It was an honor to read your book!