Borrowed Book By: I’ve known about the Seven Sisters book series for quite awhile now, however, I haven’t had the proper chance to dig into the series – therefore, when I was approached by the publisher to considering being on the blog tour this February, I decided it was time to borrow the books via my local library! Although, as a member of the blog tour I was receiving the fourth release “The Pearl Sister” for my honest ruminations, I decided to back-read the entire series ahead of soaking into the newest installment – my personal preference is to read serial fiction in order of sequence; even if sometimes I find myself bungling the order, I love to see how the writer has set the stage for a series which becomes progressively engaging! To start at the beginning is the best way to see how they laid down the foundation for both the series, their writing style and how the characters first make their entrances into our lives.
I borrowed the second novel in the Seven Sisters series “The Storm Sister” in hardback edition from my local library. I was not obligated to post a review as I am doing so for my own edification as a reader who loves to share her readerly life. I was not compensated for my thoughts shared herein.
On how I felt after I read the first installment of the series:
I mirrored the sentiments of Maia – of feeling especially blessed for not having the gift of foresight to know the events of our lives ahead of their arrival. In this particular case, she’s referring to the news of her father’s passing – reflectively, as I’ve loved, lost and buried most of my living family – I can understand her sentiments. Each time I had to ‘let go’ of someone quite dear to me, if I had knowing about when their lives were to end this chapter of their lives, I am unsure if it would have helped the healing process or made each day leading up until ‘the day’ that much worse – knowing ahead of time how absent the hours would feel after they had moved into the next life. We’re dearly attached to those in our immediate orbit – we feel deeply and like to encourage memories out of the hours we share together – despite the epic loss, the memories remain, but the absence of their presence is never fully resolved as we still find reasons why we miss them even decades lateron.
So very acutely accurate – when crises arise in our lives, there is a vacuum effect on our persons; we feel as if we’ve become sequestered outside our ‘ordinary life’ but rather than having a marked change in our appearance or any outward suggestion of a radically altered moment threading into our hours – everything appears as normal as it had before we realised how altered we felt. Grief and trauma run concurrently similar in how you approach them – if your someone who likes to tackle life’s unpredictably curious curve balls head-on, you muddle through at first, a bit loss for how to process it all and then, eventually, you make sense of it – before you accept whatever it is which has happened and continue to find the strength to move forward.
My heart felt full upon finishing this story,.. so much so, I worried I wouldn’t be able to properly articulate exactly why I loved reading it! Smiles. It isn’t just the breadth of what Ms Riley wrote into the background of the seven sisters nor the lush landscapes of Rio, Paris and Geneva – it is the soulfulness of her intuitive murmurings of the human heart and the spirit of the soul – to first find resonance out of grief, freedom from fear and the mirth of joy after years of self-doubting uncertainty. This is a story which seeks to find the truth about the choices we all make and the ways in which our minds have trouble realising the greatest gift we have to give ourselves is forgiveness.
Notation on Cover Art: I have been wicked fascinated by the Northern Lights for most of my life; there is something about the colours within the phenom of the lights themselves and the ways in which they dance across the night’s sky which I think gives us the most joy to watch their displays of glory. There are some places on this world which feel wholly unique of their own making – where you can literally feel and sense the division of Heaven and Earth; of seeing the curvature of the Earth itself and observe a quiet awareness of how ancient the stars truly are by standing beneath a sky which reveals more of itself with each passing Season. I truly was captured by this artwork of how Ally seemed to be at peace with herself; perhaps for the first time?
Talented sailor Ally D' Apliese is in the midst of preparations for one of the world's most challenging yacht races when she receives news of her beloved father's death. Saying goodbye to the love of her life, a man her family knows nothing about, she rushes back to her childhood home, an enchanting chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva where she and her five sisters - each adopted as infants - were raised.
When new tragedy strikes on the high seas, pummeling Ally yet again with a terrible and unexpected loss, she turns her back on the water and instead follows her own North Star - an intriguing clue left by her father that leads her to Norway, with the promise of unmasking her origins. Surrounded by the majestic beauty of an unfamiliar homeland, Ally discovers the century-old story of a remarkable young woman named Anna Landvik, a talented singer with an astonishing link to compose Edvard Grieg and his celebrated musical accompaniment to Henrik Ibsen's iconic play Peer Gynt. But as All learns more about Anna, she also begins to question who her father, Pa Salt, really was - and why her seventh sister remains missing.
Lucinda Riley's captivating story brings together two resilient women, decades apart, weaving their stories into an unforgettable examination of family, love, and identity.
I *love!* finding videos by authors who love to engage with readers about the inspiration behind their stories – this truly is a wonderful way to find yourself immersed even further into the settings as by catching small glimpses of the characters your reading about – you start to re-align what you’ve read with what they are seeing with their own eyes whilst feeling thankful the author took a very immersive path into the heart of this book series!
The Seven Sisters Series: of whom are Maia, Ally (Alcyone), Star (Asterope), CeCe (Celeano), Tiggy (Taygete), Electra and Merope – the series is based on the mythology of the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades – interestingly enough, this is a constellation in close proximity to Orion*.
The Seven Sisters : Maia’s Story (Book One) | (see also Review)
The Storm Sister : Ally’s Story (Book Two)
The Shadow Sister : Star’s Story (Book Three) | Synopsis
The Pearl Sister : CeCe’s Story (Book Four) | Synopsis*forthcoming review 1st of February, 2018!
Available Formats: Hardcover, Audiobook, Paperback and Ebook
Converse via: #SevenSistersSeries
#whoispasalt ← I advise not visiting the second tag on Twitter as it tends to reveal a few things ahead of reading the stories themselves.
About Lucinda Riley
Lucinda Riley is the #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen novels, including Hothouse Flower and The Seven Sisters. Her books have sold more than ten million copies in over 30 languages. Lucinda divides her time between West Cork, Ireland, and Norfolk, England with her husband and four children.
Borrowed Book By: I’ve known about the Seven Sisters book series for quite awhile now, however, I haven’t had the proper chance to dig into the series – therefore, when I was approached by the publisher to considering being on the blog tour this February, I decided it was time to borrow the books via my local library! Although, as a member of the blog tour I was receiving the fourth release “The Pearl Sister” for my honest ruminations, I decided to back-read the entire series ahead of soaking into the newest installment – my personal preference is to read serial fiction in order of sequence; even if sometimes I find myself bungling the order, I love to see how the writer has set the stage for a series which becomes progressively engaging! To start at the beginning is the best way to see how they laid down the foundation for both the series, their writing style and how the characters first make their entrances into our lives.
I borrowed the first novel in the Seven Sisters series “The Seven Sisters” in hardback edition from my local library. I was not obligated to post a review as I am doing so for my own edification as a reader who loves to share her readerly life. I was not compensated for my thoughts shared herein.
On what appealed to me about reading the Seven Sisters series:
When I realised this was going to be a story about adoptive sisters, I was instantly captured by the premise as I’m a Prospective Adoptive Mum – who wants to adopt a sibling group out of foster care in the future. However, prior to realising this key thread of the series dramatic arc and connection, what moved me more is how it was layered through History and dual time-lines of different characters who were in essence inter-connected in a way they did not even realise it at the time. This felt like quite an epic Historical series – where it would move in and out of the Contemporary world and the recent past; where histories of each of the sisters’ origins might become revealled in each new installment of the series.
The layers the author was assembling into the series was quite alluring as well – such as the overlay between Mythological Histories and the reasons why the Seven Sisters are such a key point of reference in both spoken histories and the mythologies we know have become beloved favourite stories passed down through different generations whilst the stories themselves are sometimes altered by who is telling them. Combine this with the clever mind of a writer who was able to visit the locales in which she is writing about – absorbing what was there to be seen and felt as she was writing the stories and I had a feeling this is one series which would give me the sensation of living ‘elsewhere’ quite wondrously until the final chapter of the final novel was read – as it’s not yet composed into life, I have a bit of a wait ahead of me!
Blessedly I’m a patient reader – I don’t mind waiting for the next sequences of a beloved series. I might get wicked excited and wish to read them sooner – but in the end, I respect the time needed to create them and I’d rather have patience than to have an installment feel it was rushed into existence. Somehow, I have stumbled across another writer who writes like I do – not something I generally find, but within the pages of Ms Riley’s #SevenSistersSeries, I see my own writing style mirrored within her own. It’s interesting to observe as this is the first time I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading her stories and I can tell I shall be spending a lot time seeking out her stories and wickedly delighted to see where she continues to take me,… one thing I can attest as being an inspiring segue from reading this novel is by watching adoptive stories on YT.
I took moments outside the text to watch videos of adoptive families being spotlighted on Ellen, Rachael Ray and other outlets celebrating the joys of being part of a blended family. I even learnt about an adoptive family of fourteen siblings – from various countries of origin – who surprised their Mum and Dad with a new living room as they wanted to give back part of the joy and happiness they had received throughout their lives to two selfless parents who never took time to focus on themselves because they had always put the children first (as it should be). I love stories which parlay into our own heart’s wishes and dreams whilst acknowledging the journey all children go through who are on a path of adoption. (see also the 14 adoptees who surprised their parents)
Notation on Cover Art: I had agreed with the author in one of her YT videos about how the constellation cover art truly suited this first novel of her series, however, having read the hardcover American edition – I personally liked how the evidence left behind by Pa Salt was imprinted (similar to a watermark) behind the author’s name (the armillary sphere) whilst below the title, we can see Rio and the sculpture of Christ the Redeemer whilst Maia is looking away from Rio – it’s a clever way of positioning you into the setting of where Maia starts to understand who she is and why she is one of Pa Salt’s daughters.
Maia D' Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, "Atlantis" - a fabulous, secluded castle on the shores of Lake Geneva - having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as infants, has died. Each of the sisters is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage - a clue that takes Maia, the eldest, across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to piece together the story of her own life's beginnings.
Eighty years earlier, in the Rio of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio's newly wealthy father has aspirations for his beautiful daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find a sculptor capable of completing his vision. Izabela - passionate and longing to see the world - convinces her father to allow her to accompany the da Silva Costa family to Europe before she is married off to a man whom she hardly knows. In Paris, at Paul Landowski's studio and in the heady, vibrant cafes of Montparnasse, she meets ambitious young sculptor Laurent Brouilly, and knows at once that her life will never be the same again.
In this beguilling entrancing novel, Lucinda Riley brings vividly to life two extraordinary women whose intertwining stories, set decades apart are a reminder of the courage it takes to accept love when it is offered.
I *love!* finding videos by authors who love to engage with readers about the inspiration behind their stories – the more I learn about Ms Riley the more I see a lot of myself in her intuitive instincts for drawing out a story which she is as passionate about writing as I am to be reading it. I loved this video & thought you’d enjoy it, too.
The Seven Sisters Series: of whom are Maia, Ally (Alcyone), Star (Asterope), CeCe (Celeano), Tiggy (Taygete), Electra and Merope – the series is based on the mythology of the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades – interestingly enough, this is a constellation in close proximity to Orion*.
The Seven Sisters : Maia’s Story (Book One)
The Storm Sister : Ally’s Story (Book Two) | Synopsis
The Shadow Sister : Star’s Story (Book Three) | Synopsis
The Pearl Sister : CeCe’s Story (Book Four) | Synopsis*forthcoming review 1st of February, 2018!
Available Formats: Hardcover, Audiobook, Paperback and Ebook
Converse via: #SevenSistersSeries
#whoispasalt ← I advise not visiting the second tag on Twitter as it tends to reveal a few things ahead of reading the stories themselves.
*NOTE: My favourite constellation since I was young girl who lived at her Science Center, whilst finding the awe and wonder of studying a wide diversity of the Sciences through interactive play, experiments and lively engaging Summer camps – I had a focus of interest on Cosmology and Astronomy which had a healthy appreciation for the constellations and the intriguing stories behind how they were named and the lives ‘they’ once lived. All of this is a segue of interest which also parlays into my fascination and appreciation of the Quantum Realms and AstroPhysics. I hadn’t realised the connection to Orion until I opened The Seven Sisters; after which I immediately smiled – this series was meant to be read by me. The girl who looks for Orion every Autumn and wickedly smiles musefully at him throughout Winter and Spring. Geographically speaking, he’s not even meant to be seen outside one season a year yet I find him more frequently than most – a constant presence overhead and a comforting sight at that!
About Lucinda Riley
Lucinda Riley is the #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen novels, including Hothouse Flower and The Seven Sisters. Her books have sold more than ten million copies in over 30 languages. Lucinda divides her time between West Cork, Ireland, and Norfolk, England with her husband and four children.
As you might have noticed, I am seeking out quite a lovely array of stories published by Harlequin as well as having read my first *Mills & Boon* Historical Romance recently which left me swooning for the first novel in the series!
Today, I have the joy of featuring a short Q&A with a Harlequin author who has recently brought her lovely series to an end – the Templeton Cove series, which surprisingly had a lot of continuity and forethought stitched into it’s series arc as you will see revealled in our conversation! What inspired me most about this novel – the eighth and last of the series – is how it is a story about personal identity and the origins of a person’s birth – of finding out the truer histories which are not always readily known and for resolving the angst of not understanding who you are because you do not fully understand where you came from in the beginning.
The reason I have been wanting to seek out more stories of birth origins or identity issues as well as stories of foster care youth and Adoption are due to my own path towards being an Adoptive Mum. There are stories being published which focus on these life changing events – however, finding the stories has been quite difficult of late, as they are not as easy to seek out as you might believe they would be. Therefore, I am delighted to be finding new authors who are striving to tell heart-centred stories set around these themes.
Initially when I sought out to interview Ms Brimble, I had thought the Templeton Cove series might be on-going still – I learnt through our conversation Mac’s story is the capstone and the ending. It would appear I fell a bit short realising this but it has given me new purpose to seek out the stories leading up to Mac’s discovery about his own identity and the issues he had in resolving the questions he had about his birth mother. All children deserve to understand their origins – which is why I know it is healthy for them to seek out their birth families even if the outcome might not be what they are expecting, it is hard to resolve ‘who’ you are without understanding ‘where’ you came from originally.
I am thankful to Ms Debbie at Brook Cottage Books for helping me put this interview together – it was a bit last minute due to my illness this past month, as I had forgotten who was hosting this particular blog tour! Such is the stress of having a virus overtake your life! Therefore, I felt her instincts for choosing which questions to send to the author were well in-tune with what was most curious in my own heart about this series. The conversation is one I think you will enjoy because it digs into the heart of both the series and the character of Mac who is the central lead character in this eighth and final installment!
Be sure to brew a cuppa of your favourite tea whilst your reading this convo!
A Stranger in the Cove Subtitle: Templeton Cove series
Mac Orman is on a mission. When he discovers his recently deceased father had been searching for his birth mother, Mac aims to finish the job by finding the grandmother he never knew. His quest leads him to Templeton Cove—and a firecracker of a woman who instantly jump-starts his tortured heart.
For Mac, Kate Harrington is the most tempting kind of distraction. But their sizzling connection comes with a side of suspicion for Kate, who doesn’t trust this brooding stranger in her town. Mac arrived with no plans to stay, but as he falls for Kate, he wonders how he could ever possibly leave.
Converse via: #ContemporaryRomance & #TempletonCove or #HarlequinSuperRomance
When you first started writing the Templeton Cove series – did you see this as a trilogy, quartet or a long-running series wherein you could explore different characters who would start to populate the series as it continued?
Brimble responds: It’s always been an ambition and dream of mine to write a small-town series and when I’d finished writing Finding Justice (book 1), I wasn’t ready to leave Templeton Cove so I knew I’d found a setting I wanted to explore. Next, was filling the Cove with an assortment of characters that could easily take on starring or secondary roles.
Having said that, I never imagined the series would run to eight books, but my editor and amazing readers love the series as much as me and I was more than happy to keep giving them more and more books! Read More
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “The Language of Hoofbeats” virtual book tour through TLC Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher Lake Union Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
When I originally heard about this story from a list of blog tours which may or may not become a tour with TLC, I cast my hat into the ring to be amongst the book bloggers who might be able to review it! One of the more interesting bits of revelation as a book blogger whose in her 2nd Year, is how extraordinary the blog tour schedules are set and how each book starts to curate it’s own unique history of going on tour! This particular book was slated to be on a blog tour, yet it was uncertain if it would be at one point. Part of me grieved a bit as even though I knew I could still read this novel through my local library (libraries are a booklover’s best friend!), there was an internal part of me who had hoped I could read and blog it for my readers!
I have been a bit open and honest about how I am going to be adopting out of (domestic) foster care in the future, as I have found different ways to broach the topic whilst either reading a book who has the same topic of interest knit inside it or if I find a window of where I could talk about being a future Mum in a way that worked with what I was blogging about at that point in time. This novel sparked an interest because it is about blended families, about having adopted children and fosters; whilst attempting to sort out how to bring a family together as a whole. To me that undercurrent of a theme for the novel spoke to me, as any Prospective Adoptive Mum never knows what is going to happen once you open your heart and home to fosters and adopted children. There is always a period of adjustment and then a moment of where all parties start to connect in ways no one could have seen but always had hoped. The journey of being a blended family through adoption or fostering of children is a path not everyone chooses to walk, but is one that is knitted into my own heart.
Therefore I am always mindful and aware of which books I want to read in the future to help encourage an open dialogue on my blog — for riveting and realistic fiction for adults as much as for stories inside Children’s Lit which can help children and teens in and out of the system find stories they believe are representative of their own life story. This particular focus on my blog began with a Middle Grade novel Red Thread Sisters and has evolved forward. In 2015, I want to take a moment out of each month to bring a spotlight on the books I’m finding through my library as there is a wonderful assortment of novels and non-fiction for foster and adoptive families right now. I even spoke about how these stories fit under my participation for seeking out more diverse literature as part of the national campaign for #WeNeedDiverseBooks.
What I hadn’t realised is the author penned the story Pay It Forward which became a bonefide motion picture! My whole focus on this book prior to the blog tour was the prospect of what I would find inside the pages and how the author would choose to focus on the harder hitting moments within. Her previous works are unfamiliar to me, and although I am aware of the film, I have not seen it. How lovely then, I came to know her through an Indie release focused on a non-traditional family!?
From the bestselling author of Pay It Forward comes a story of the heartbreak and healing power of family. New to a small town, Jackie and Paula envision a quiet life for their kids: a young adopted son and two teenage foster children, including the troubled Star.
However, they quickly butt heads with their neighbor, Clementine, who disapproves of their lifestyle and is incensed when Star befriends her spirited horse, Comet. Haunted by past tragedy and unable to properly care for Comet, Clem nevertheless resents the bond Star soon shares with the horse. When Star disappears with Comet, the neighbors are thrown together—far too close together. But as the search for the pair wears on, both families must learn to put aside their animosity and confront the choices they’ve made and the scars they carry.
Plumbing the depths of regret and forgiveness, The Language of Hoofbeats explores the strange alchemy that transforms a group of people into a family.
Acquired Book By: Winning a contest adverted through “Shelf Awareness for Readers” bi-weekly newsletter, October 2012. I received the book direct from the author {Ms. Peacock} without obligation to post a review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts herein.
Carol Antoinette Peacock {Photo courtesy of Paula Swift Photography}
Dr. Carol Antoinette Peacock grew up in Maryland, in a suburb outside of Washington D.C. She is the oldest of three children in a family who loved books. When she was young, her parents, Andrew and Gloria Peacock, read devotedly to her, her younger brother, Richard, and her younger sister, Nancy. Carol Peacock has wanted to be a writer since she was eleven. She is now a practicing psychologist and author of six books.
Carol Peacock currently practices at Mt. Auburn Counseling Associates, where she specializes in treating children and families, along with her black Lab, Pepper, as her co-therapist. Her latest book, Red Thread Sisters, a middle grade novel, is the story of two friends, one who is adopted from a Chinese orphanage and promises to find her friend a family too, is forthcoming from Viking Penguin in fall 2012.
The author lives outside of Boston with her husband, a history teacher with the Boston Public Schools. Her family includes her stepson, her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, 19, and her youngest daughter, Katherine, 18. Her family also includes Pepper, four cats and two turtles.
What originally drew me into the premise of the story? I have attended meetings for international adoption programs, where I first learnt of the connection to children who meet in orphanages or group homes. Where their friendship is closer to that of a sibling and how they really do try to either get adopted together or at least get adopted within a similar timeframe. The title reminds me of another story: I have heard about how there is an invisible thread that interconnects all of us, either to each other as a whole society or as individuals. There is a line of compassion and interconnectivity that unites us as humans, but its more than that. There is something to be said for finding someone who both understands you and wants to help you succeed in your own life.
Why is adoption a special part of my own life’s story? I have always known that I wanted to adopt children, since I was quite a young girl. Mostly as I grew up on the film Annie, and my parents oft spoke of their attempt to bring home a younger brother for me from a children’s home. Sadly, this harkens back to the early 80s, and adoptions were not quite as successful as they are today. Originally, I was considering international adoption, but I have since amended that to choosing school-aged children in foster care here in the United States. My journey has not yet begun in this regard, but my appreciation, compassion, and empathy for all prospective adoptive parents throughout the process towards bringing their children home knows no bounds. I am forever an advocate for children in need of families and for those of us who can provide a home, to consider a child who needs a Mum, and a forever family to call their own. Inasmuch, as those who choose to adopt as a two-parent family. We all come to adoption on different lifepaths, and it’s the children who benefit from our loving kindness to give them a renewed sense of Hope for their future.
Inspired to Share: I knew this was going to be a powerful book to read from the moment I first learnt of its existence, and this book trailer only touches lightly on what is enclosed within its pages! I am growing fond of book trailers of late, as they cast a happy glow of what a book could yield to a reader, and starts to embark you on the emotional arc of the characters your more than eager to get to know on a very personal level. Drink this trailer, and prepare your heart for an emotional journey whilst Wen and Shu Ling find their paths are interlocked towards their futures.
Upon returning to visit her daughters’ orphanage in China, Ms. Peacock was inspired to write Red Thread Sisters. Peacock Family Album
A short Q & A with the author:
Carol Antoinette Peacock, thank you for being gracious in answering the following questions! I emailed her personally in early May 2013.
What was your impression of returning to China, and seeing where your daughters were from originally?
When we returned to China, we toured with a group and saw a lot of Chinese sites, like Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors. We went to a panda preserve in Chengdu and the girls got to hold pandas! But the most powerful part of the trip was the return to our girls’ orphanage in Wuhan. I was moved to be able to have a banquet with Director Li, the former director, who actually “matched” both daughters to us! Seeing the very room where we had had Elizabeth placed in our arms brought tears to my eyes. Also moving was the time we spent with the older girls, still waiting for families. This experience inspired Red Thread Sisters.
I can only imagine what it was like to re-trace your daughters roots whilst returning to China to breathe in the richness of the country’s history and to walk amongst the living remnants of the past! I had to smile when I read that your daughters were able to hold pandas, as I have fond memories of holding lion cubs as a child, as well as a spider monkey! There is something to be said for interacting with wild animals when your younger, to grow up with a deep appreciation for the natural world whilst an adult. I was touched by your recollection and pictures that you shared with me of your trip to China, as I couldn’t upload a few of the ones I wanted to spotlight, such as the Great Wall snapshot and the group photo of your family with Director Li! For some reason the file configurations are not agreeing with my blog! I was humbled by the fact you allowed me into this part of your life with such openness and willingness to share. I shall never forget your generosity. And, i too, know well of the plight of older children who are awaiting forever families. Many a time, whilst looking through heart galleries of waiting children {esp sibling groups}, I say silent hope filled prayers that there will be families willing to adopt older children, such as I am, who struggle to retain the hope and faith that they will one day be adopted. My heart always aches knowing the swell of children available verse the ready availability of adoptive families. You gave a voice to children like Wen and Shu Ling in such a strong and positive way, that anyone who reads this story cannot but help be touched by the powerful testament of a mother’s love for a children she brought home who needed her most.
Your dog Pepper, and you share a special bond as evident in your photograph, was he a rescue? And, if so, could you share one snippet that endeared you to him as the companion he’s become?
Carol Antoinette Peacock and her dog, Pepper. {Photo courtesy of Paula Swift Photography}
Pepper and I do share an incredible bond. He wasn’t a rescue dog, although all my other dogs have been. Pepper is a therapy dog and he senses when people are sad. He goes up and licks their faces. I also take Pepper whenever I go to the beach to write. We go to a pet-friendly motel right on the beach and he becomes my writing companion. We share so much. He is my companion, friend, colleague, retreat pal. Pepper means the world to me.
I know that my Mum has always wanted another dog since ours passed on in 1992. He was very much the epitome of what you express about Pepper, for Mum! She always wanted to get him trained to be a therapy dog, to enable them to travel to nursing homes, assisted living centers, and hospitals. I know in the back of her mind, she still yearns to find a dog to adopt that would be a great companion but secondly, could help give back to those need a bit of extra encouragement and a smile! I am hoping that perhaps a window will open that we are not yet aware of. Pepper sounds like the most ideal pal to have and I am thankful he’s one of the sweet souls that we all seek to find to have in our lives!
The Peacocks’ return trip to China, when Elizabeth was 11, and Katherine was 10. Peacock Family Album.
The reason why this story has endeared my heart and captured the very spirit of why I cannot wait to embark on my own adoption journey,… As soon as you begin “Red Thread Sisters”, you are being taken on a journey through Wen’s eyes as she leaves her orphanage to relocate to Boston, Massachusetts in the far-off place known as “America – Land of Dreams”. She’s trepidatiously unsure if this is a good thing or an omen of uncertainty, as everything about her life and her world will be turned upside down. In ways, that she is not even expecting, such as not needing to pick up a pail and start washing the floors {a particular scene drawing back memories of watching “Annie” as a young girl by which I tired out the videotape as much as the soundtrack on cassette!} to recognising that she didn’t need to get in line for a week’s worth of clean clothes because her clothes were now stored in a closet and set of drawers of her own. Her yearnings of being with her best friend Shu Ling haunt her as she starts to make in-roads and progress towards adapting to her new life in America. School was one thing she was hoping would be familiar and normal, yet it proved to be just as challenging as sorting out how to interact with her ‘new’ family: a mother, a father, and an eager seven-year old sister named Emily, who although adopted from China like her, was free of the anxiety that Wen felt as she came home as an infant not a young girl who was fully aware of the consequences of a placement that could reverse your course back to the orphanage.
What I appreciated the most, was the inner world of Wen, seeing her thoughts, her emotions, and the ways in which she interpreted everything happening to her. Her inability to draw close to her Mom, always pulling away, and fearing that she shouldn’t get too close to her. The regret and guilt she had over making new friends at school, as a stab of pain knowing her first true friend was Shu Ling, who was still awaiting adoption and had a harder chance at it being listed as a special needs child with a club foot. There is a pure honesty in the story, as it unfolds through the pacing of an average American household shifting through childhood growing years and the instability of economic hardships that plague working class Americans.
I enjoyed watching her parents show patience and acceptance rather than bitterness and resentment towards Wen. They embraced her unconditionally from the moment they picked her up in China, to a very emotional scene on a blistery cold Winter night in Boston. That particular scene is a changing of place and reassurance of who she is and where she is now. I won’t spoilt it for you, but know, when you come upon it, it’s the critical arc where Wen finally understands her life and where it’s heading next.
I have always been drawn to stories of adoption, ever since I was a young girl. Annie became a mainstay in my life, as I think a part of me was hoping things could turn around and my family would expand. As I grew, I noticed that I was always excited about seeing a film or reading a book that revolved around adoption and non-traditional families. I knew in my early twenties that I would adopt children myself when the time was right for me to start my own family. It’s as natural as knowing I would one day be a Mum, as I have always known I was maternal. Even now, I celebrate films like “The Three Gifts” a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie from 2009 and “The Fosters” a new ABC Family tv series that showcases a blended family of foster adopted siblings, a natural bourne son, and two foster placed children in need of a permanent home.
“Red Thread Sisters” for me curls up inside my heart, warms my soul, and allows me to see adoption from a new angle of insight. Wen and Shu Ling will tug at you, and endear you to understand how difficult it is for them to acknowledge they deserve a second chance at having a family. As well as how transformative their lives can become if they learn to trust the family that has brought them home.
The organisations mentioned in the Afterward & Ending Bits of the novel:
Wide Horizons for Children – is the organisation by which Ms. Peacock and her husband adopted their daughters from China, a little over 20 years ago in 2013. Founded in the 1970s to help children in need in over 60 countries to date. They have current programs for sponsorship or adoption in the following countries: Burundi, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Korea, Moldova, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Taiwan, and the USA.
Love without Boundaries – is the organisation that Ms. Peacock is donating a portion of the profits from “Red Thread Sisters”. Their continuing mission is to inspire all of us to wrap the lives of children in China with special {medical} needs around our hearts and give as we’re able too, to ensure that these children can thrive under the care they deserve. As my copy of the book was won through the contest, I am going to purchase a copy of “Red Thread Sisters” and give to one of my nieces for Christmas this year. She’s around the age of Wen & Shu Ling, and I know she would benefit from their story. I always like to support authors who give proceeds of their books to charities that have touched their hearts, and I look forward to adding to the silent contributions that have already come to pass.
Half the Sky – an organisation that gives Chinese orphans a chance at a childhood, inspired by a Chinese saying ‘Women Hold Up Half the Sky”. Founded in 1998 to provide the same loving attention to all orphans in China, irregardless if they were adopted or not able to be adopted, due to noting the power of love can affect a child who was raised without human affection. Simply reading these words about their mission and their founding gives you goosebumps knowing the heart of their mission is to simply change the stars of the young people who may not realise they are having an impact on others. Being a Mum-in-Waiting as I have called myself over the years, as my own journey towards adoption has not yet begun, but the heart of a mother has always been inside me, I can attest to knowing that the most important factor in a child’s development is the interactions they have with their caregivers. Mother. Father. Sister. Brother. Aunt. Uncle. Cousin. Grandmother. Grandfather. Adoptive Parent. Foster Parent. Whomever steps into the role in the life of a child, will write the future for them, because children thrive on stimulated interactions and a curiosity about their living environment and world. I ought to know, because my own Mum was my first teacher and she garnished a life-long pursuit of knowledge inside me that I have not yet been able to quench a zest of! How beautiful that this organisation exists and is thriving! I applaud their efforts!
Holt International– is an organisation that gives back to children in need as well as enables those who are able to adopt children through the process of international placements. They work in the following countries: Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam. I have been aware of Holt for a long time, especially since when I first embarked on researching adoption as a single parent, I turned to international adoption first ahead of domestic adoption choices. Holt is a name that is passed through adoption circles most readily due to their reputation of helping children in need. Through research you will find adoption to be a close-knit circle of supporters and organisations. Holt was founded in 1955.
Children’s Hope International – is an organisation since 1992 who has placed nearly 8,000 children through adoption into forever families! Most of the adoptions took place in China, with the rest in the following countries: Columbia, Ethiopia, India, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Nepal, and Russia. They also believe that every child deserves the resources they need to thrive irregardless if their able to be adopted. They send resources directly to where they are needed most. They offer a Partners in Hope program to help fund their support and outreach.
Our Chinese Daughters Foundation – I was unable to pull this organisation up online.
Families with Children from China – New England– is an organisation founded in 1996 to unite families who have adopted children from China to each other for support and friendship. They provide a guiding light towards adoption as well as resources families might need once they are settled back home post-adoption. A membership supported volunteer run organisation that thrives on providing the interactions between children and parents that might otherwise not be made possible or as easily. I always felt that resources like these are proved to be invaluable as the road towards adjustment and adaptation to a new home is a long transition that could use a bufferment of support and care.
Pepper examines the newly arrived box full of Red Thread Sisters first editions! Peacock Family Album.
There are two sayings throughout “Red Thread Sisters”, as well as in the personal letter attached in the afterword by the author herself,… one is a meditative pause of ‘light reflected as brightly lit as lunar lanterns’, and the second is the poignancy behind the entitlement of the book itself, ‘of the delicate red thread that unites all of us in a shared common bond, where those who cross our path are meant to be in our lives, and despite the appearance of the thread’s nature, will hold steadfast and strong perpetually’. The book gives pause to any woman considering motherhood through adoption and any father choosing his path of fatherhood through adoption, because it touches on the raw emotions that are silently withheld from the adoptive parents, by children who live in constant fear that something they do or say or not do even will be grounds for them to return back from whence they came. To become un-adoptable simply because they didn’t live up to the adoptive parents expectations. It’s also a book that examines adoption from the reflections of the children themselves, as they struggle to yield and bend with a new rhythm completely different from the one they were used too whilst at an orphanage, group home, or foster home. They have to learn its okay to make mistakes, to learn and grow through their experiences, and that a forever family isn’t co-dependent on perfection but rather with honesty, heart, emotion, and love. May we always keep ourselves lit from within with a light of hope as powerful and strong as lunar lanterns, to advocate for adoption and the expansion of our hearts and worlds when a child in need of a family, finds one in those of us willing to open our hearts and homes to them.
{SOURCES: All photographs, quotations of the author, and content from the authors’ website featured in this post were used with permission by the author herself: Carol Antoinette Peacock. The book trailer by COS (Circle of Seven) Productions had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portals to this post, and I thank them for this opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. #KidsLitBlogHop badge created by Jorie in Canva. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}
The Storm Sister
The Seven Sisters
A Stranger in the Cove
The Language of Hoofbeats
Red Thread Sisters by 
