Mother's Day Gift Idea: The Season of Second Chances and Giveaway

The Season of Second Chances

by Diane Meier

Henry Holt & Co.

March 30, 2010

ISBN: 978-0805090819

My Review: I actually did not want to review this book. I told them that I did not have time to read nor was I a good writer. They did not listen. I told them that I only review decorating books (with lots of pictures) and that my blog readers don't want to hear about fiction novels. They did not listen and sent me this book anyway.  I am so glad that they did not listen to me and now you need to listen...

Have you ever read a book that at the end of each chapter you would count the pages of the next chapter just to see if you had time to keep reading?  I just finished The Season of Second Chances and my world stopped for two days. For two days I did nothing but sneak a chapter here and sneak a chapter there. I was hooked and hooked hard!

The Season of Second Chances is a story about Joy Harkness a 48 year old literary professor who is asked to take a new job in a new town.  Joy thinks nothing of moving and finds herself buying and restoring a rundown Victorian.  In comes Teddy Hennessy, the town's handyman, to help Joy restore her new home.  I was surprised at my feelings of trust toward Joy. When I realized that her vantage point could not always be trusted, I found myself mad at her and emotionally invested in her well-being. But more than these two characters, Diane Meier writes a story that is clever and funny.  It is a story of personal growth, taking chances, finding your way in life and when tragedy strikes Joy and her new friends, this becomes a story about family.

My favorite quote from the book comes from Joy "But my vantage point was perhaps, too close to the shore to see that I had, at last, begun to swim toward my own life" (page 162).

My mind was like a movie, playing out each eloquently written sentence, scene by scene. Even now my mind still drifts to Joy and her life.  I was left wanting more and will continue to follow Diane Meier.

I loved this book and so will you.

5 out of 5 Stars, This would also make a great Mother's day Gift!

From the Publisher: A world of possibilities opens up for Joy Harkness when she sets out on a journey that’s going to show her the importance of friendship, love, and what makes a house a home


Coming-of-age can happen at any age. Joy Harkness had built a university career and a safe life in New York, protected and insulated from the intrusions and involvements of other people. When offered a position at Amherst College, she impulsively leaves the city, and along with generations of material belongings, she packs her equally heavy emotional baggage. A tumbledown Victorian house proves an unlikely choice for a woman whose family heirlooms have been boxed away for years. Nevertheless, this white elephant becomes the home that changes Joy forever. As the restoration begins to take shape, so does her outlook on life, and the choices she makes over paint chips, wallpaper samples, and floorboards are reflected in her connection to the co-workers who become friends and friendships that deepen. A brilliant, quirky, town fixture of a handyman guides the renovation of the house and sparks Joy’s interest to encourage his personal and professional growth. Amid the half-wanted attention of the campus’s single, middle-aged men, known as “the Coyotes,”and the legitimate dramas of her close-knit community, Joy learns that the key to the affection of family and friends is being worthy of it, and most important, that second chances are waiting to be discovered within us all.


Resource Links:
Diane Meier
Henry Holt & Co.
Amazon

~Giveaway~

Now for the GIVEAWAY!! Evelyn Frison with Interpersonal Frequency has graciously offered ONE lucky commenters a copy of The Season of Second Chances. How to enter (any of these entries will work):

1. Leave me a comment with your email address.
2. Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway. Leave me a comment that you did (include @beachbrights @henryholt).
3. Open to US/Canada Only, No PO Boxes.
4. Contest ends Sun. April 4th.

~XOXO~

A special thank you to Evelyn Frison & Diane Meier for allowing me the opportunity to read this story from my mind and heart.