Christina MeldrumRecensioni

This was a really hard book to for me to read, just because of the abuse that the girl went through. A story about a sick family. Very disturbing to me. But, I must say it's a book you keep thinking about. The characters were interesting and the religious aspect was also. I thought the author's knowledge of plants was very interesting.

All around great book. Very thought-provoking. I devoured it in one sitting.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It was a little difficult to get into at first, but it's a fascinating read the further I got into it. It brought up some rather interesting questions about Christianity and its origins that I found intriguing.

Having a hard time figuring the value in the meaning of this book. Family members put their faith in the religious people around them in MI but when they get to Africa, we realize what had happened. This book had adultery with the parish priest, teen sex, bastard children, self-mutilation, fasting/starving, child slavery, and murder. After awhile it was hard to have sympathy for anyone in the family. The only one worth caring about was the neighbor lady.

This book was interesting, but I never really loved the protagonist or any of the characters. I did enjoy the botanical bits though!

This must have been on my list because it takes place in Maine. Little did I know it would be populated by over-educated evangelical totally batshit Danes. The discussions about poisonous herbs and gnostic gospels were kind of interesting but it was all a little too Lars Von Triers for me.

*plenty of spoilers ahead*

This book made me glad that we don't have to write book reports as adults. I just didn't understand the ending, I felt like there was going to be a moral, a take away from reading the book and I had missed it. Maybe there wasn't one, but if there was then I'm afraid it went over my head.

Seena and Dick have four daughters. One day, their youngest daughter realizes that Dick is not her biological father. Dick realizes it then too.
He's so angry with Seena that he decides the best thing to do is to go to Africa and help the less fortunate.

So, they all head to Africa. They're taking some major drama with them and they find more in Africa.
One daughter is pregnant, one is starving and cutting herself, and one is able to sense things that others cannot.

It's the 1970's and life in Africa is really rough. Everyone gets sick. Everything gets worse.

The book starts with a murder trial, so we know early on that Dick dies but we don't know how or why until the end.

This book was really really heavy. There was a lot of drama. It was very well written but sometimes it was hard to like the characters. Every one of them except Yllis was extremely selfish. Seena was really not a great mom. Seena and Dick seemed to care more about their issues than their kids' problems. And Seena was so deeply punished for her affair that I thought they just might have one of her daughters die so that she'd have that to feel guilty for too.

The last chapter was the confusing part for me. It was in the perspective of the man Seena had the affair with and it didn't provide closure. If anything, it was frustrating.

Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum is set in Michigan and West Africa during the summer and fall of 1976. It is a highly atmospheric novel that follows the highly dysfunctional Slepy family: parents Dick and Seena and their four daughters, the Marys - Mary Grace, Mary Catherine, and Mary Tessa - and Amaryllis, known as Yllis. After their summer in Michigan, Dick decides to take his family to Africa where he will serve as a medical missionary.

The first chapter reveals the end of the novel - when Seena is on trial for Dick's murder in West Africa. Then the narrative goes back to the summer and intertwines scenes from the past and present. The novel is told from the viewpoints of all the Slepys, their elderly neighbor Clara, and a single, final chapter from the viewpoint of the priest, Father Heimdall. Although each character has a unique voice, Meldrum makes an interesting stylistic choice and has everyone but Yllis tell their stories in the present tense, even when they look back on past events. Yllis tells her story in past tense.

In Amaryllis in Blueberry truth and reality are questioned. Obsessions, imagination, storytelling, and cross cultural myth-making (Greek mythology, African mythology, and Catholic doctrine) are explored. Additionally, we learn that Yllis has synesthesia; she is an emotional synesthete so she sees and feels all the emotions of everyone around her. The Slepy's bring a myriad of emotions and problems with them to Africa where Dick hopes they will find redemption but instead everything escalates out of anyone's control. All of the characters are flawed and it is these flaws that form a basis for their problems. There is also a feeling of distant reserve, a separateness, from all the characters in the novel.

Although it shares some similarities with Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, which apparently turned some readers off, I felt there were enough differences to separate the two novels. In Amaryllis in Blueberry creditability was a little stretched when the Slepy's were in Africa so quickly after Dick's decision and their family is so radically affected immediately upon arrival. Although I accepted it, I will also admit to liking the second half of the novel a bit less than the first. Additionally, since it is set in 1976, I could certainly pick up any cultural references to the time.

Meldrum is a very talented writer and I imagine we can look forward to more well crafted novels with intricately developed characters from her in the future.
Very Highly Recommended; http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/

Narrated by Kirsten Potter. As the story unfolds and goes back and forth between Aslaug's past and her court trial of the present, you're never quite sure where the story will go. How does her sheltered and unconventional upbringing tie in to the aunt and cousins she reconnects with after her mother's death? Is Aslaug a cold-blooded murderer or unwittingly caught in a trap of cultural differences? Mysticism, religion, exotic plants, incest, and family dysfunction weave the strands of this unusual and intriguing story; Kirsten Potter's superb narration hypnotizes and draws you into the mystery.

??1/2 rounded up to ???

THE END West Africa: Dick is dead. Seena knows this, of course: her husband is dead.So begins Amaryllis in Blueberry. Dick, Seena, Mary Grace, Mary Catherine, Mary Tessa and Amaryllis (Yllis) Slepy, along with Clara, tell the story of the Slepy family in 1976. Yllis, a synesthete for emotions, is the youngest and looks nothing like her blonde sisters. When she and one of the Marys come across a dead snake, it’s head cut off and it’s body splayed open on display, they meet a native American man and it is at that moment that Yllis knows for certain that Dick is not her dad, but that someone else is. Her mention of this motivates Dick to make a change, and he takes his priest’s advice and moves his family to West Africa where he, a pathologist who has never practised clinical medicine, plans to practise as a medical missionary. The whole family goes, including a now pregnant Grace and now anorexic Catherine.

Where and when Clara comes into the tale along with other characters both in Michigan and in West Africa is something that is woven in between the after and the before parts of the tale. I thought I would like this book better than I did, and others may like it a great deal more, because it wasn’t quite what I’d expected nor is it necessarily my kind of book. But also because while each of the viewpoints gives a different angle and viewpoint, I really didn’t find that all the voices were particularly distinct from one another. Nevertheless, the tale unfolds in ways that are at once not totally expected but also not in a way that grossly misrepresents what has been written before.

Just couldn't get through the first few pages. Just weird and nothing caught my attention. Returning to the library½

Review: Embarking on tragedy, Amaryllis in Blueberry is a deep, probing novel surrounding the implications and consequences of neglect, unfaithfulness, and ignorance upon a middle-class suburban family whose fate is redirected as a result of thoughtless actions and their reckless outcomes. As a whole, I feel this book tries too hard to have as profound an effect as The Poisonwood Bible did, with a reference right inside the jacket flap. Now, I've read The Poisonwood Bible and it's one of my favorites; I know Amaryllis in Blueberry is not exactly the same—the themes, morals, and overall effect are all different—but the premise itself is one that cannot be created without being compared: a mother, father, and four daughters are plucked out of Betty Crocker America and plopped into the wilderness that is Africa, and their lives are changed forever.

Here's a line that sums up the Slepys:
"[They] are all islands unto themselves, and while each island may have clean water and electricity and toilets that flush, being isolated on an island is lonely indeed."
Each of the characters, while extensively explored and unrooted, are at their foundation, very shallow. I didn't particularly like or dislike any of them.

Dick Slepy, head of household, is extremely ordinary and particularly foolish for constantly urging the impossible:
"[He] thinks he can will himself a Dane and will his wife affectionate and will his children respectful, [and also] thinks demanding a perfect family, while snapping a photo of what looks like one, is the equivalent of having one."

Seena, on the other hand, is complex and ephemeral, like the angel of death herself, but she's equally out of touch with reality, and so even though Meldrum does fabulously at portraying her mother's perspective, I didn't know whether to have compassion or resentment for her. Seena's actions are the pivot point of the entire novel, and their repercussions will take away breaths, taint souls, smother goodness, stain lives, and stalk her forever; this in and of itself was fascinating to read, fascinating discover how small acts of selfishness and of passion could unravel and destroy what's left of everything.

Stylistically Amaryllis in Blueberry is profuse in description, but still frustratingly vague. While I liked the richness, I found Meldrum's prose too redundant and syrupy at times.

However, in terms of message and delivery, I was awed by the convoluted, conscious way in which the painful truths of the human heart are presented in the backdrop of Africa. The last few chapters will especially consume—and not to mention, confuse—you, so even thought it starts off sluggishly, I definitely recommend reading it until the very end.

Pros: Fantastic biblical allusions and references to Greek mythology // Gorgeous prose // Vivid, memorable, and well-expressed characters // Poignant, tender message about humanity and society

Cons: Flowery language that isn't as penetrating as it would like to be; I had to reread some sentences several times to get their meanings // Far-fetched attempt at imitating The Poisonwood Bible

Love: "... Envy is not green. And rage isn't red hot, and the blues have nothing to do with blue. Envy is more dust-colored, a transparent sort of gray. It quivers, like heat rising. Rage itself is not any shade of red—it's not any color at all. It's a smell, a fried-up fish. Melancholy? The blues? Melancholy's more of a shimmer than any color. And it creeps: blues on the move."

Verdict:Christina Meldrum skillfully examines the exquisite human psyche by bringing to light the importance—and devastation—of deception, hidden meaning, falsified untruths, and verified dismissals; this is what makes Amaryllis in Blueberry thought-provoking, strangely beautiful, and absolutely stirring. While some of the prose was a bit too lavish, and the idea of an ordinary American family meeting its ruin upon being caught up in Africa, unoriginal (Barbara Kingsolver ripoff, hello), in its essence, this book is a rare and startling glimpse at a tragedy turned extraordinary, brimming with perceptive truth and soul.

Rating: 8 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): An engaging read; highly recommended.

Source: Complimentary copy provided by LibraryThing Member Reviews in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!).

Hallucinatory prose peels back layer by layer to reveal things hidden in plain sight. Very well done, if a little dense. A lot of botanical information and some fascinating comparative religion are threaded through the story, which is more like a mystery than not. I can't think of a way to describe it other than hallucinatory, which I've already said. Strong themes that will be sure to get this banned from school libraries. Worthwhile and certifiably strange.

Aslaug has lived an isolated life with her mother in the woods of Maine. A disturbing story is revealed in alternating chapters. One set of chapters reveals the course of Aslaug's life in the summer of 2003. The other reveals Aslaug on trial in 2007, for a crime that isn't even revealed until very late in the book.

These are some crazy *itches. I'm sorry, but that's the logical place to start this.

Aslaug appears to be an innocent victim, living in a house with her mother where they don't have electricity and all the windows are boarded over. Is it to keep the world out or Aslaug in?

When she finally starts to meet other people, she's woefully unprepared for what she finds. She doesn't understand a lot of modern technology, she's brilliant with languages but doesn't understand everyday slang, and she doesn't realize the evil that people can hold in their hearts. Well, evil probably isn't the right word. I'll try again. The evil that fanaticism can lead people to. Save us all from fanatics of any flavor. Is there anything scarier than someone who is doing crazy, hurtful things because they believe that God, Allah, the Easter Bunny, or anyone else has told them it's their sacred duty to do so?

I can't say that I enjoyed this--I was too upset throughout most of it for that. But I'm still mulling over some of the religious history that I read here. This is a book to get under your skin and unsettle you for a while. If you're in the mood for that, go for it.

Apart from a few annoyingly unanswered questions, this book was simply fantastic. I had been misinformed about [b:Madapple|2834214|Madapple|Christina Meldrum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320522699s/2834214.jpg|3151862] and believed it to be a book mostly about teen pregnancy, but though the book does contain this, it is actually about much more exciting stuff. It's realistic fiction and yet there's this beauty to the writing that makes it read like a fantasy - a modern day United States setting that still manages to seem completely out of this world.

I'm disappointed that more people don't love this, but I suppose I can see why the lengthy herbology lessons make it an unlikely crowd-pleaser. I actually felt it really added something to [b:Madapple|2834214|Madapple|Christina Meldrum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320522699s/2834214.jpg|3151862] and wasn't dull at all, it seemed to increase the sense that I was reading a book about magic. The story alternates between the past and a present day trial in a courtroom where Aslaug is being accused of murder and arson. I really enjoyed this unique format and found it made the mystery all the more interesting.

However, the best things about [b:Madapple|2834214|Madapple|Christina Meldrum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320522699s/2834214.jpg|3151862] - in my opinion - are the discussions about mythology and religion that I found fascinating. Both those subjects interest me and I liked how the characters explored ways in which science and religion can live alongside one another without being mutually exclusive. Did any of you read [b:The Da Vinci Code|968|The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)|Dan Brown|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1303252999s/968.jpg|2982101] or [b:Angels and Demons|960|Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon, #1)|Dan Brown|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1303390735s/960.jpg|3338963] and find yourselves secretly (or not so secretly) enjoying the tales about religion and how it has developed over the centuries with the aid of popular myths... and then remember that you're not supposed to like this because [a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1206553442p2/630.jpg] is a pretty terrible writer?

This novel is like that only without the poor writing. Things like this really had me intrigued:

"Dionysus was a god-man, he was worshipped in Greece six centuries before Christ. His mother was a mortal - and a virgin. His father was the god Zeus. He was born around the time of the winter solstice. Late December. Many of the stories about him describe him sleeping in a manger after his birth. As an adult, he was a teacher who performed miracles. He encouraged his followers to liberate themselves from society's rules and promised them new life. Dionysus also rose from the dead and was called the 'Only Bergotten Son', 'King of Kings', 'Alpha and Omega' and 'Savior'. Sound familiar?"

I adore this kind of stuff. I also like how [a:Christina Meldrum|1183644|Christina Meldrum|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1283188345p2/1183644.jpg] does not force any one belief on the reader with her novel, she explores, studies, opens the mind and straddles the line between scepticism and belief. [b:Madapple|2834214|Madapple|Christina Meldrum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320522699s/2834214.jpg|3151862] is a beautiful, interesting, moving, sad and captivating novel that deserves far more love than it's been getting, IMO anyway.

This review is for the audio version of Madapple read by Kirsten Potter. The narration of the book was excellent. I have listened to several other titles read by her and she always does a great job. The book itself while well written was bizarre and hard to follow. Madapple is targeted to ages 14 to 17 but I don't feel that it would hold the interest of that age group because of the slow pacing and the overly complicated subject matter.

I am a complete sucker for the color blue and for flowers so the cover of this book grabbed me from the get go. I was less enchanted by the idea of a missionary story centered around a family with four daughters since unlike the rest of the world, I didn't love Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. (I loathed it, actually.) And while there were quite a few echoes of the aforementioned book, Meldrum's novel was gripping enough to keep the pages turning so that I could uncover the whole story here.

Opening with the imminent trial of mother Seena for the death of her husband Dick, this tale of family, relationships, religion, and race set in both Michigan and a small village in West Africa, takes turns both expected and unexpected. Dick and Seena's marriage is increasingly broken and showing cracks when Dick, a very devout Catholic, decides with the help of the local parish priest that the family, including all four daughters, Mary Grace, Mary Tessa, Mary Catherine, and Amaryllis, should go to Africa as missionaries. This ill-fated decision will change so much in all of their lives.

Dick Slepy is a pathologist whose obsession with his wife has manifested itself by him becoming more and more controlling and possessive. Seena gave up her schooling to marry Dick and she becomes more and more distant to both her husband and her daughters as her regrets mount. The Marys are all very different from one another. Mary Grace is a beautiful boy magnet while Mary Catherine is extremely pious. Mary Tessa questions everything around her in life and Amaryllis, the different one, is a synesthete who views everything, observes everything, and notices everything almost from an outsider's perspective. These six people are on a collision course with everything they know and believe as Africa distills their truest beings.

The novel is chock full of betrayal, dysfunction, and forbidden love. Each of the characters keeps secrets from the others and they all stay mostly aloof from one another. Even Seena's decided preference for Amaryllis over her other daughters comes off as a convenience in her mostly detached life. The novel's narration changes from chapter to chapter so that each of the Slepys has a chance as the major focus. And yet none of the characters come off as particularly appealing. They are all, with the possible exception of Amaryllis, so self-involved as to be blind to anything outside of themselves. Meldrum's writing is well done but somehow never quite drew me in. There was so much going on, so much of different significance in each character, the loaded history of the Slepy family, as well as the cultural differences and incorrect assumptions once they are in Africa that it was hard to settle where to place my attention. And the back and forth in time allowed the narrative tension to wax and wane a bit too much for my liking. Well written and complex, it is proving difficult to explain why this just didn't strike a cord with me but it didn't.

This was a sort of bizarre story. Madapple takes place in a Maine I don’t really recognize. Aslaug and her mother live in almost complete isolation in what I presume to be in-land Maine (which, believe it or not, is far different than coastal Maine), living off the land and eschewing all modern conveniences. Aslaug is barely allowed to read, let alone go to school, go shopping, or watch TV. Before her mother’s death, she doesn’t even know she has family living very nearby, and she discovers them rather accidentally. Whether or not this is a good thing is best left up to the reader.

We learn rather quickly that Aslaug is on trial for not only the death of her mother, but for burning down the church where she lived and some people inside. I enjoyed the structure of the novel as it bounced back and forth between the past and the present, revealing tiny pieces of the puzzle along the way. Things the reader assumes early in the story turn out to be far from the truth.

The author connects each chapter from the past with a particular piece of botanical knowledge. I learned about a lot of plants that I never knew existed, but sometimes there was a little too much detail when really, I just wanted to get on with the story.

Overall, I thought this was a really interesting book. It’s not light, and it’s not happy, and it touches upon not only the relationship between religion and science, but on the relationships between mothers and daughters, rape, incest, and abuse. If your book club can get past the fact that it’s technically a young adult book, I think Madapple is a great novel to stimulate discussion.

"Dick is dead." Thus, begins Meldrum's latest novel, "Amaryllis in Blueberry." Set mostly in the 1970s, we follow the Slepy family as they escape their secrets and head off to Africa. The Slepys aren't your average family. There's Seena, who is self-absorbed and doesn't pay much attention to her family. Dick, the father, is obsessed with Seena to the point where he must have total control over her. Then there are the three daughters all named Mary, each with their own secrets and rebellions. The youngest, Amaryllis, is different from all the rest. Not only is she dark complected with blueberry eyes, but as a synesthete she sees things the others don't.

As the family grows accustomed to their new life in Africa, each member begins to unravel. Follow the twists and turns of this story to discover how Dick ends up dead as the story begins with the end. This is a book with a little bit of everything: murder, infidelity, secrets, lies, an unplanned pregnancy, and inter-racial relationships. In fact, it's the secrets that propel this story forward.

The Bottom Line: This book moves back and forth between two worlds, Michigan and Africa, and seems to shift time and space with ample flashbacks. It is told from multiple points of view; as the narrators change, the story builds. Each person adds a little piece of the puzzle. At times I found this dysfunctional family to be both fascinating and repelling. While the imagery is vivid and beautiful, I found it difficult to like the Slepy family. This is a challenging read, but worth the effort for those who enjoy contemporary, literary fiction and coming of age tales. There is a strong use of symbolism with references to both religion and mythology. This book was different from anything else I've read, which made it interesting. It would be a great pick for a book club; a reading guide is included with discussion questions and a conversation with the author.

Note: I received a free copy from the publisher for review purposes.½

I am beginning to worry that my friends are going to think me crazy. I won this book for my entire book club, a copy for everyone. This book clearly is a bit out of the ordinary. For me, I found the book to be extremely interesting but I fear that my book club members are not going to enjoy it.

Set in Michigan and Africa the story is about a family comprised of many different personalities and beliefs. Mom, who lives in her head in the field of study that she never completed; Dad, an over zealous religious pathologist and four daughters, three named Mary (after the Virgin Mary) and one name Amaryllis. While the name Amaryllis has Mary within it, she is obviously different than her other Mary sisters. This difference becomes the driving force of the story.

I enjoyed the various angles the story took. I was always a bit confused but in a way that made me eager to finish the story. I can't say that I am happy with the outcome or even if I totally understand all that occurred but I very much enjoyed the challenges the novel presented to me.

This book is not for everyone. I would recommend Amaryllis in Blueberry to the reader who likes to read outside of their comfort zone. If you are ready for a bit of an adventure and some mental stimulation than this is the book for you.½

This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/2011/03/egalley-wednesday-book-reviews-on.htm...

First sentence: Dick is dead.

This book opens with Christina Slepy (Seena) on trial in West Africa for the murder of her husband. The court is a customary court made up of the village elders, a witch doctor and queen among them.

A mother who wanted to be a classics scholar, whose dream was taken when she became pregnant by a man she meets in college ... a daughter who has ynesthesia (she tastes and smells feelings and sees their colors) ... other daughters who are, in turn: overly pious, vain, and rebellious ... all go to live in West Africa in the medical missionary field when a possessive husband finds out that his wife has been unfaithful to him.

Within the confusing confines of Africa, this novel is colored with betrayal, treachery, and mysteries that slowly peel away, page by page, and an ending that will surprise you.

QUOTE: Dick was a racist, she knew Not a malicious racist. A thank-God-I'm-white kind of racist: there but for the grace of God go I.

Book Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars½

This book was a bit of a slow start for me - multiple narrators made it hard for me to get engaged in the story, but as the pace built, plot thickened, and the setting got more exotic (the family leaves the US for Africa to work as missionaries), I became more and more caught up in the story and was thoroughly engrossed. I think it would be a good summer/travel read - although probably not if you're going to Africa...

While the synopsis may be reminiscent of The Poisonwood Bible, in actuality Amaryllis in Blueberry is decidedly different. Secrets are at the heart of this novel, as each character, major and minor, pretends to be something he or she is not. These secrets end up driving all major characters to actions that surprise the others and help progress the plot.

The plot itself is intriguing, as the novel opens with Seena as the narrator as the reader quickly discovers that she is on trial for Dick's death. From those first pages, the reader knows that there is a key point that is missing from Seena's story. Ms. Meldrum then takes the reader on a ride through all of the characters' points-of-view to uncover the truth and the complex reasoning behind everyone's actions. Each change in narrator adds a bit more complexity to the story while uncovering various motives and rational explanations for each's behavior. It is a fascinating study into the mind of a character, what keeps a character going, and what he or she is willing to hide from others and from him or herself.

Secrets are often the driving force in novels because everyone has them, and everyone will often go to great lengths to protect them. While Ms. Meldrum's use of each character's secrets are essential to the family's eventual move to Africa and Dick's fate, it is the character interactions that bring heart to the novel. Each character is flawed but not outlandishly so. Each wants to be loved and to find acceptance within his or her own circle of influence - something to which most readers can relate. Added to this dynamic is the idea of religion and its overpowering ability to influence certain behaviors without specifically engaging the mind.

Amaryllis in Blueberry is one of those novels that is steeped in symbolism and allegory, to the point where one reading of the novel is not sufficient to uncover all of the hidden feelings, foreshadowing, and other subtle points. Thankfully, Ms. Meldrum wrote the novel in such a way that each re-read allows the reader to peel back more of the layers of this rather complex novel but an initial read is just as satisfying and surprising in its own right.

Amaryllis in Blueberry is not an easy read, and as you can tell, it is an even more difficult novel to review. There is so much that occurs in the novel that one can spend hours dissecting only the more important aspects of the novel. The language. adjusted for each narrator, is outstanding. Ms. Meldrum excels in differentiating between the older Grace, Catie, Tessa and younger Yllis, highlighting their pain and struggles through a scarcity of words that enhance the overall novel. Unlike The Poisonwood Bible, Amaryllis in Blueberry is a novel that demands the closest attention and rewards readers with an experience that is not just mental but emotional. All of the characters find a way to wriggle under one's skin and cross that boundary of impartiality in a reader. The end result is a novel that challenges a reader but compensates one's efforts through breathtaking visuals, subtle emotions and story that forces one to rethink what it means to love.

First things first. Place this on the top of your summer reading list! This was this the first book I received via LibraryThing's give away, it was great. I do not care for novels that are full of dysfunctional characters living dysfunctional lives going nowhere.

Amaryllis in Blueberry reaches deep into the soul of everyone it touches. Telling the story of not only the here and now of the Slepys family, but of how they all came to be. From generations before, the story is woven with undeniable facets of us all. The story of coming of age, whatever that age might be, the knowings of love and lives lost. The longing for love, understanding and guidance rings throughout each and everyone of Ms Meldrum's souls. Thank you for a story worth 48 pages, and more.

I must confess that the title and the cover of this book intrigued me. I knew it was a book I would have to read. This book is about the Slepy family. They are as dysfunctional as a family can get in my opinion. Dick and Seena are married to each other but they don't seem to be much of a couple. Dick is involved in his religion and Seena seems to live in mythical dream world. When Dick decides to move Seena and his 4 girls- Mary Grace, Mary Tessa, Mary Catherine and Amaryllis to Africa to practice medicine in the bush, I got the distinct feeling some in the family were running from something. Boy was that an understatement! As you can see Amaryllis has a very different name from her sisters. She was born in a blueberry patch and has blueberry eyes to match her birthplace. Amaryllis seems to be her mother's favorite, even though her mother is not exactly the mothering type. The story begins at the end with Seena on trial in Africa for Dick's murder. The story then goes back and forth between their life in Michigan and how the family ended up in Africa and what happened after they arrived in Africa. When the family lived in Michigan, they had problems. Dick and Seena didn't seem to notice what was going on in any of their daughter's lives right under their noses. When they arrived in Africa, all hell really breaks loose and the two find out that they really should have been paying more attention to their children as well as each other. The book is well written and riveting. If I hadn't been so busy, this is a book I would have read in one sitting. Starting the book with the ending was brilliant! The ending was a big surprise for me with many twists and turns. All I could say when I finished it was, "Wow!" I hate to say too much about the story as it is one you should really experience. There are many surprises in this book! I highly recommend this book. It is also a great book for discussion which would make it an excellent choice for book clubs and groups. This is a book that I be thinking about for a long time.