Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Review: How do you pick up the Scattered Pieces?

Title: Scattered Pieces
Author: Alice Lynn

Book Summary:

“When Katie's little brother is snatched in 1946 it tears her family apart.  It's only through Katie's friendship with the irrepressible Marilyn, and Marilyn's handsome brother Tom, that she navigates a lonely childhood.  In college, studying psychology helps Katie understand her mother's deteriorating mental state and her own fears.  It also leads to a client who may hold clues to the mystery of her brother's disappearance.”

Sure, my brother and I don’t always get along, but that doesn’t mean I want him kidnapped!  Katie is forced to grow up FAST when her younger brother is snatched, right from her grasp, at a crowded train station.  Her family starts to deteriorate as each member deals with his or her grief in their own way.  Katie learns to open up to those closest to her and slowly voices her fears about that day: that it was all her fault.  With her friends beside her, Katie comes to terms with the events of that terrible day and starts to move on…

            This book is technically considered Women’s Adult Fiction but, since a HUGE part of the book deals with Katie growing up and her challenges in high school, I decided to give it a whirl.  Honestly, it is one of my better decisions.  Scattered Pieces is wonderful!  The writing is descriptive, alluring, and haunting.  When little Jimmy goes missing, I can FEEL the panic and the terror that overwhelms Katie.  The despair that envelops her family is like a cloud, thick and tangible.  Throughout Scattered Pieces, I see Katie and her best friend Marilyn grow and change.  Katie chooses a career in psychology, while Marilyn chases dreams of acting and modeling.  Lynn has a way of letting me see the world and events from Katie’s perspective.
           
            I think Alice Lynn’s background really adds to Scattered Pieces -- she has a degree in psychology.  What does this mean?  It means that she actually knows what she’s talking about.  I feel this adds greatly to Scattered Pieces because Lynn doesn’t just say Katie’s mom is sinking into depression, she shows the mental and physical symptoms as well. 

            The only thing I don’t like about this book is its sad subject matter.  A little boy being kidnapped is sad.  No way around it.  That said, the rest of the book is about how Katie and her family deal with the tragedy and how they let it change them.  This heart-wrenching book is very realistic and definitely connects me emotionally to the characters!

The cover:

            Puzzle pieces.  Those little things are known for getting lost under couches and mysteriously disappearing, leaving the puzzle incomplete.  How fitting, then, that the puzzle pieces with Katie’s family members on them don’t fit together.  They are separated.  This cover is a wonderful choice for Scattered Pieces!

*This book does have a couple mildly inappropriate sexual scenes but they are easy to avoid. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 hearts: I LOVED IT!!

12 comments:

  1. Lauren, I am so pleased and honored by your review. Your analysis of the characters and their story is wonderful, and the fact you mentioned the cover is astounding. I love that, because, as you so accurately state, the cover reflects a family torn apart by tragedy. Thank you. Alice

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    1. I was amazed how well the cover fit the story! I am glad you liked my review, I am posting it to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads :)

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    2. Here's a bit of trivia for you, Lauren. I'm Alice's publisher, as well as her beta reader, and while Robin Ludwig Design made the cover look pretty, I provided most of the photos. That's my husband as little Jimmy, and his parents as Katie's mom and dad. Katie, however, is a stock photo. :) The soldier picture was taken in the yard of one of my landscaping customers. Alice will have to tell you where she got the soldier. I like to use my own photos on covers so I don't have the shock of seeing them on someone else's book.

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    3. That is SO cool. How cool would it be to say, "yeah I'm on the cover of a book. No Big Deal." Also I think it is astounding that you took all the pictures yourself! I would find it difficult to see the picture on the cover of my book on the cover of another author's book. Thanks for the info, it was really intriguing and fun to know about! :)

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  2. I was the beta reader for Alice's book, so I saw it grow from an idea into a full-grown novel. It's a pleasure to critique Alice's work because she paints such wonderful pictures and chooses her words so carefully.

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    1. I agree, this book was a pleasure to read! :D

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  3. GREAT review. I'll have to add this book to my TBR list.

    Oh, and I see you're at only ONE FOLLOWER away from 100. WOOT!!! Congrats, girl. Today will surely push you over the top.

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    1. Thank you! I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did :) YES, one away! Hopefully that changes soon!!!

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  4. Oh, I'm not sure I can read this one...sometimes books like this are just too much for me. I couldn't get through half of The Lovely Bones for the same reason:( But your review is excellent, and the book sounds intriguing, even though the subject is a hard one to read. Great job. And I totally agree, the cover is an awesome reflection of the story:)

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    1. I completely understand, I will say the majority of this was overcoming the tragedy though. Thanks for stopping by and the compliments!! =D

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  5. Summary and your review sound very intriguing. I presume the book deals not only with psyhological issues but with mystery of finding out what happened with Katie's little brother. I will add it to my TBR list. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!:)

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    1. I'm glad you took an interest in Scattered Pieces! It was a great read :)

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