From the Heart (Rosemary Hines) Book Review

2016 Reading Challenge

30. From the Heart by Rosemary Hines
      Theme/Topic: book you can read in a day

Synopsis:

After the loss of her beloved husband Phil, Joan Walker struggles to stay afloat in a sea of grief. Then she happens upon a discovery that will impact her entire family and challenge her future.
Will Phil’s legacy be able to restore joy to her broken heart?

My Review:

This is the most heartbreaking, emotional, and moving book in the series. Joan is at the forefront of this novella as she tries to come to terms with Phil's passing, adjusting to life without him. As the family start going through his things, they discover his secret project that he put so much time into during Around the Bend. It's a bunch of Christmas gifts he left for each family member. But the meaning behind them is what makes them special. The gifts include two video tapes: one for all of them and one just for Joan. While I won't go into what they contained, as I feel that doing so would take away the purpose of reading it, have your tissues ready. What I also liked was that you find out how they met and fell in love.

When we lose someone we love, some days are better than others. Grief can strike at any time. Even the simplest thing can evoke that feeling. I don't think we ever truly get over losing someone, but we simply get used to a new normal without them in our life. I'm going to end this with a quote from Joan herself, which perfectly sums up grief:

"Grief is a funny thing. It hits like huge waves in the sea, one after the other, at first. Then the waves are a little less frequent until eventually a whole day may pass without one hitting. But when it does, each wave is nearly as intense as the first. And they can come at the most unexpected times." - Joan Walker

This is book five in a series. Click below for the other book reviews I did for this series:
Out of a Dream
Through the Tears
Into Magnolia
Around the Bend

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥