BACK TO LIFE

Author: Kristin Billerbeck ISBN: 9780061378775 9/2008 INSPIRATIONAL Publisher: AVON INSPIRE

Lindsay took to marriage like a starlet to stilettos, but her husband had a deeper love for his business. Left alone after his death, Lindsay must find out who she is when there isn't a party to plan or another person's life to be organized. Can she find her way Back to Life? Lindsay realized when she married Ron, a man seventeen years her senior, that the odds were he'd see heaven before her, but she never expected to be a widow at thirty-five. She knows there's too much of life left for her to just sit around in mourning, but she can't seem to kick-start the rest of her life. Then unexpected help arrives ... when Ron's first wife, Jane, shows up at Lindsay's front door. The executor of their late husband's estate, Jane is everything Lindsay's not: strong, stubborn, independent . . . and a lot older. There are other surprises as well, including Ron Jr. (whom Jane insists is not "really" Ron's son). But against all odds, a most unlikely friendship begins to develop—as each woman discovers how to own up to her past mistakes and to reevaluate what is really important.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

BACK TO LIFE is the story of one woman's journey to find her footing and her purpose in life, after she becomes a widow at a very young age. The twist to her search for self among the remnants of her shattered world is the appearance of her departed husband's first wife. The two women couldn't be more different, yet they find common ground and that is, maybe, one of my favorite parts of the story. We get to see the world through both women's eyes, and their differing points of view seem on the surface to make them worlds apart. Underneath it all, they are both women who are adapting as best they can to what life's dealt them, and that is the basis for a friendship whose strength looks able to withstand anything.

While this is definitely inspirational, and wonderfully well told, the subject matter is difficult. Loss and pain are so clearly described, and the characters of both wives, Lindsay and Jane, feel so real it is almost impossible not to be affected by what's going on. And Lindsay's struggle to move on, and let even the possibility of another man into her life is one that comes to life.

BACK TO LIFE is one of those books that brings readers to tears but leaves them smiling. I am glad that I read it, and look forward to reading more from Kristen Billerbeck.

Kay James