I don’t know how much influence (beyond the awesome Susan Erickson) you have about your narrators, but bulls-eye on this one, too. Love the picture you painted of the island and it’s people. You found an awful “bad guy” and a wonderful fairy godmother, and added all these great people together for an awesome story. We’re remarkably the same, that way, and thank God for it. These commentators that brought up earlier books and themes, while I guess it’s a sort of compliment that those stories made such an impact they remember such detail, I think for me I’m just grateful you remind us that we’re all human, all with a need for love, hope, and all the ups and downs of being human. Some of your characters found their way quickly, some took years and you showed that they all needed the time they took. The story tells how so many people found so many different ways of coping and dealing with life, even while not forgetting, for how can you? But we humans find a way. Of course you still carry the pain, the memories, especially if you’re one of the ones directly affected. No matter how hard, how awful, you have to keep moving. I was prepared to read it and move on, but that’s what the book is all about, isn’t it? Moving on. I didn’t know if I’d “like” this book as much as some of the others, because it addresses a very real ugliness in our current lives. Thank you for continuing to write novels that I literally fall into the story - and have a hard time coming up for air until the final page. (After all, who wouldn’t be empathetic to Barney for his traumatic experiences and the apropos selection of his name? Coming from someone who nicknamed her daughter’s dog Stumpy because he’s dumb as a…) Sure, there are some ties to previous storylines – but it’s meaningful, well researched, and critical to the current book.

I think Nora’s writing just gets better as she continues to entertain us with her craft. The subject matter is relevant and handled from multiple viewpoints and through the grieving process – you can’t ask for better. You fall in love with Reed during his maturing, admire Simone’s journey, want CiCi for your grandmother, and hate Patricia a little more each time she appears on page, despite being horrified and fascinated by the way her mind works. The characters, the feelings, the situations- not to mention the pops of humor and pop culture references that crack me up – have depth, complexity, and real life behind them. Sometimes, Nora’s gift as a wordsmith becomes all too vivid.īut, that’s why I read her books, so I kept going. Santa Fe HS shooting happened a short drive away in May, and I was sitting next to the president of the school board and by the chief of my department in a high school senior college signing ceremony when the news hit. It was quite a challenge for me to read the first couple of chapters. Just finished reading the book- couldn’t stay awake to finish it last night, no matter how hard I tried.

Shelter in place by nora roberts