A SIMPLE GIFT

Author: Karyn Witmer ISBN: 0739460498 (PB release) 8/2006 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: DELL

Avery and Mike thought they had the perfect American family until their daughter ran away. Now Fiona's back in town...and nothing will ever be the same again. Avery Montgomery's life changed forever in the checkout line at the Food-4-Less when she discovered her long-lost daughter, Fiona, working at the next register. Though Avery yearns to reestablish contact, Fiona has secrets and failures she can't bring herself to share with her mother-and especially with her father. Finally forced to choose between her marriage to Mike and a future that includes their beloved only child, Avery struggles to heal the rift that is tearing her family apart. To do that, she must risk everything she cares about, confront the sorrows of the past, and rediscover the love that once bound her family together. Avery must reach out to her husband and her daughter to forge a bright new future-and she must do it through a simple gift conceived in love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

There are some books you just read and some books that you savor. A SIMPLE GIFT is one book to cherish. It begins with the simple gift of a blooming Christmas cactus, passed down through four generations of the women in one family. While the story is reflective of each generation's trials and tribulations in the lives they've lived and choices they've made, it is Avery, her husband, Mike, and daughter, Fiona, who are showcased here; a story where sometimes the simple gift of unconditional love turns out not to be all that simple.

A SIMPLE GIFT is not just a simple gift to readers, either, especially those who relish emotional, often times heartrending stories. It's an extraordinary gift from a phenomenal author that you won't soon forget. With A SIMPLE GIFT, Karyn Witmer has penned a deeply moving, emotionally charged story that reflects each character's viewpoint and showcases every facet of a once close knit family now in turmoil.

The synopsis above says as much as you need to know as to the theme of A SIMPLE GIFT. What it doesn't tell you is how poignant and eloquent is the prose in which it is written. I could go on all day listing adjectives to describe Karyn Witmer's writing, but sometimes perfection can be indescribable. And that's what this book truly is. Indescribably perfect. Inspirational. Unforgettable. So much of a satisfying read, that I read it complete in one sitting, a box of kleenex by my side, and thought about the story and characters for several days afterward.

Karyn Witmer isn't a new author, just in case you don't recognize her name. She also has written some lovely historicals under the pen name Elizabeth Grayson, many of which feature the same character depth and emotional range as this contemporary story has. I'm so happy to see that this author's venture into the contemporary world seems not to have affected her writing one bit.

Either way, whether you enjoy her as Elizabeth Grayson or Karyn Witmer, A SIMPLE GIFT is not to be missed. It's beautifully told, not easily forgotten, and let's face it, there's just not enough books with this type of magic being written today. Don't miss it!

Nancy Davis