REVIEW:

Every Precious and Fragile Thing by Barbara Davis is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be my last. I also own a few others by her and now I need to make work of sliding them into my schedule. This was a book I didn’t expect and was a surprise to me. I am in awe of the beautiful book she wrote.

There are two main characters in this book. It starts out with Mallory who is a social worker who feels this is her calling until she finds herself at a crossroads in her life when a client is brutally murdered. She takes a leave of absence and returns to her mothers home. Her mom is Helen who also has a calling as a death doula. These two ladies make the book worth reading, but there is so much more to their story.

There is a part of this book that made me stop and go back to the beginning to see if I missed something. I always love a book that catches me by surprise. A surprise that adds a little something to the book that I totally didn’t see coming. For me, this makes a book and the story line stand out as something different. I like a book that makes me think and look at something in a different way than I had before.

There are so many themes in this book and one that comes up often is one of forgiveness of the transgressions of others and ourselves. Sometimes we are hardest on ourselves when we think we have made a serious mistake or overlooked something. We need to remember that forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and one another.

Barbara tells us at the end of the book that her own husband received his own diagnosis of cancer during the writing of this book and that she struggled with writing and research during this time. Anyone who follows her on social media knows this and it was heartwarming to hear how the bookworld came together for Barbara and her husband Tom. 

If you are like me and have not read a Barbara Davis book yet, then this is the time to jump right on in. I loved this book and the life lessons that I learned along the way. I think you need to put this on the top of your tbr list. Until next time…Happy Reading!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

A mother and daughter try desperately to reconcile just as a decades-old secret threatens to shatter their relationship forever in this powerful story from the bestselling author of The Echo of Old Books.

For social worker Mallory Ward, working with at-risk youth is a calling. But when one of her clients is tragically killed, she finds herself at a crossroads. Despite long-held resentments toward her distant mother, Mallory retreats to her childhood home on the Rhode Island coast to contemplate her future. Instead, she’s confronted by her past, not only in the renewed tensions with her mother but in the unexpected appearance of a familiar face—and the wrenching losses that drove her away a decade ago.

Helen Ward’s home is filled with precious keepsakes from her patients, a testament to decades spent caring for the terminally ill. Her work has always come first, though, leaving little time to connect with her daughter. Over the years, the rift between them has become a chasm, so when Mallory appears unannounced, Helen sees it as an opportunity to repair their broken relationship.

But hidden among Helen’s mementos are the keys to her past…and a terrible secret that threatens to destroy the fragile new trust between them forever.

About the Author:

Barbara Davis is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of nine novels, including The Echo of Old Books, The Keeper of Happy Endings, and The Last of the Moon Girls. She spent more than a decade as an executive in the jewelry business before leaving the corporate world to pursue her lifelong passion for writing. A Jersey girl raised in the south, Barbara now lives in Poinciana, Florida, with her husband, Tom. She’s currently working on her next book. Visit her at: http://www.barbaradavis-author.com.