"Sand in My Eyes"
by Christine Lemmon
Source: sent for review by BlogSparksPR and the author
My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Book Summary from Goodreads.com:
An older woman growing flowers, a younger woman caught up in the weeds, and the seasons of life.
Twenty years ago, Anna Hott thought she could control everything – her crumbling marriage, her demanding children, her hectic life – by quitting her high-paced job in New York City and moving her family to tranquil Sanibel Island, Florida. But she brought her untamed emotions, her rage toward her cheating husband, and her yearning to write a novel with her. When her husband and children left the house for a week, Anna thought at last she would get her household, her novel, and her mind in order. Instead, her elderly neighbor Fedelina Aurelio knocked on her door bearing flowers and homespun wisdom, and when Fedelina’s recently divorced son arrived, Anna had a test of passions and a test of truth. Now, at 56 with an empty nest, Anna Holt pulls out the incomplete manuscript she started that memorable week and – to find closure for her life and a conclusion for her novel – travels to Indiana to visit Fedelina who lives in a nursing home.
A novel framed within a novel, Sand in My Eyes is both a story about the tension between motherhood and personal dreams as well as a story about women across generations inspiring one another to let beauty persist despite ugly circumstances.
This book wasn't really for me because I think I'm not the target audience. I'm not a mother and I'm not in the stages of life that these women were in. I think if I were, maybe I would have gotten more out of this book. The tone of the book was too melancholy for me. I understand that being a mom and a wife are something you work at, but this book paints too depressing a picture.
The end was shocking and I liked the new twist, one that you wouldn't normally see. I definitely didn't see it coming. I also enjoyed the small amount of romance with Liam. I also liked the friendship between the two women and the mentorship of Fedelina to Anna. This part of the novel was more inspiring than Anna's family life.
The writing was good and I think the book could be appreciated more by a different audience.
Main Characters: 2/5
Supporting Characters: 3/5
Bottom Line: I went into it expecting a beach read, but the sad and melancholy tone wasn't for me.