Book Review: Sea Escape by Lynne Griffin & Giveaway

Summary:   Laura Martinez is wedged in the middle place, grappling with her busy life as a nurse, wife, and devoted mom to Henry and Claire, when her estranged mother, Helen, suffers a devastating stroke. In a desperate attempt to lure her mother into choosing life, Laura goes to Sea Escape, the pristine beach home that Helen took refuge in when her carefully crafted life unraveled years ago, after the death of her beloved husband, Joseph. There, Laura hunts for legendary love letters her father wrote to her mother when he served as a reporter for the Associated Press during wartime Vietnam. Believing the beauty and sway of her father’s words have the power to heal, Laura reads the letters bedside to her mother–a woman who once spoke the language of fabric; of Peony Sky in Jade and Paradise Garden Sage–but who can’t or won’t speak to her now. As Laura delves deeper into her tangled family history, each letter revealing patchwork details of her parents’ marriage, she finds a common thread. A secret, mother and daughter unknowingly share.

My Thoughts:

Set in New England, on the coast of Massachusetts, Sea Escape shares the story of a mother and daughter and the challenges that they face. Laura, is in her mid-forties and is happily married with a loving husband and two young children and a career as a nurse working with newborn babies. She still yearns for the approval and closeness of her distant mother Helen. Laura feels that she "lost" her mother when her father died when she was a young girl. Helen then seemed to slip into a world focused on the past and reading love letters from her deceased husband.

When Helen has a stroke, Laura does all that she can to help her and in the process takes a peek into her mother's past to help understand her distant mother. She so desperately wants to connect to her mother and Laura decides to read some of the love letters her father wrote to her mother during their courtship and marriage. These letters prove to be insightful although they also provide a painful look into the past. Laura uncovers secrets that her mother has hidden and the pieces of the past start falling into place.

The story is revealed as it goes back and forth between the present with Laura's point of view and the past from Helen's perspective. I loved how the use of the love letters between Helen and her husband were used to share the past through Helen's point of view. I found this very effective, but I am also a fan of letters in novels as for me, it gives a personal richness to a story. I also enjoyed the parts where Helen shares her life as a young girl and as she grows into a woman during the 1950's through the 1970's and highlights of the time during the Vietnam War.

Sea Escape beautifully unravels the struggles between mother-daughter relationships as well as the bonds that run so deeply. It's a novel that I could connect to as I enjoy reading about mother-daughter relationships and their complexities. Ms. Griffin has created a richly layered story filled with strong characters and the beauty of the New England area.  Sea Escape is the perfect summertime read for those who enjoy reading about mother-daughter relationships and women's fiction with the beautiful backdrop of New England.

I found it very interesting that Ms. Griffin found inspiration for this novel through her own mother's illness and letters her own father wrote to her mother.

SEA ESCAPE is an Indie Next List Notable and Entertainment Weekly Top Ten Book of Summer.  For more information, check out Lynne Griffin's website, here.

You can follow Lynne Griffin on:
Twitter @Lynne_Griffin 
and on Facebook Lynne Griffin


I read Sea Escape by Lynne Griffin as part of her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can check out other tour stops and reviews, here.


Disclosure: Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publiser Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy of this book. I am an Amazon and Indiebond associate.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I have a terrific giveaway, the publisher, Simon & Schuster has generously allowed tour hosts to give away One Copy of Sea Escape by Lynne Griffin AND  One copy of Lynne Griffin's first novel Life Without Summer to one lucky winner!

All you have to do is leave a comment, make sure to include your email address so that I can contact you if you are a winner. Otherwise, I won't be able to include your name in the drawing. Open to US & Canada only. Books will ship directly to the winners from the publisher. Enter by July 30, 2010.