Picked up in the middle

took me a little bit to get into it in the beginning but it is a very good story

I found this a very captivating story. Life in the deep backwoods of the south can be a bit mind boggling for city folks, like me. Perhaps that is why I like to read stories that paint a picture of a lifestyle and time in which I will never know.

This story spans the life of Miss Olivia Harker. She was born to a mother whose mind became tangled in madness and left her incapable of knowing how to be both a mother and wife. With her Mom sent to an asylum, she forges through life learning from her father who runs a small grocery store, which doubles as their home. Her father’s greatest talent in life is the gift of healing and nurturing – mainly animals. He shows Olivia the way of a good heart that is kind, friendly to everyone and compassionate to all.

Without going into too much detail and revealing the story, Olivia’s life takes many changes over the course of the next 30 years. A daughter and a grandson enter her life, a father exits and a mother re-enters. All components have a ripple effect on her life and her outlook for the future. It seems that every time Olivia catches a break, something in her or around her breaks and shatters as well and she is left to sweep up the pieces to keep the road ahead of her free of stumbling blocks.

I struggled with some of her choices in life and the choices of some around her, but the story kept me engaged and anxious to capture that moment when all the pieces of broken glass would reconnect to produce the finished mosaic picture.