Claudia Piepenburg

Big 5/5 Stars!
Take an emotional ride with Charlie as she seeks to understand and cope with the ups and downs of adult life, working to find the balance in caring for others while caring for herself, all the while questioning everything. Charlie's life changes direction when her father becomes ill, and as she cares for him, she learns something from her past that changes the course of her life forever. The book spans many eras and the author did a fantastic job of intertwining historical events with the lives of her of characters in a credible and believable way. I was particularly struck by how the author tied in the tragic events of 9-11, causing me to feel the pain of that horrible day as experienced through her characters.
The writing by the author is SUPERB and I found myself highlighting many astute and powerful lines:
"As I turn toward him, slowly, like a music box ballerina whose song is winding down, tears drop into the corners of my lips, upturned into a fake half-smile..."; "You can't grow old without having been young. You'll never be mature and wise without first having been impetuous and foolish."
The characters in the book are well developed and I felt emotionally invested in each one.
I HIGHLY recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.… (més)