Synopses & Reviews
New from the author of Beach Plum Island... A natural-born storyteller presents a gripping story about grief, anger, and the healing power of love.
Sydney Bishop hasnt returned to Haven Lake, her idyllic childhood home, since a pair of shocking, tragic deaths shattered her family when she was only sixteen. Now a child psychologist engaged to marry a successful surgeon, Sydney has worked hard to build a relationship with Dylan, her fiancés teenage son, so she feels nothing but empathy when he runs awayuntil she discovers that his hitchhiking journey has led him to Haven Lake and her mother Hannahs sheep farm.
Sydney returns to Haven Lake for the first time in twenty years to coax the boy home. Against her daughters wishes, Hannah offers to take Dylan in until hes ready to reveal his own troubling secrets. Now, for Dylans sake as well as their own, Sydney and Hannah must confront the devastating events that tore them apart and answer the questions that still haunt their familyand the suspicious surrounding communityabout what really caused two people to die on their farm those many years ago.
CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED
Review
“A luminous novel of buried secrets.”—
New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt
"A story about love, loss, secrets, and finding out where we're really supposed to be."—Maddie Dawson, author of The Stuff that Never Happened
"A novel that sings: of love for a child, regret for life, and the quiet triumphs of survival and finding each other again."—Susan Straight, National Book Award nominee for Highwire Moon and author of Between Heaven and Here
"Vivid [and] compassionate."—Margot Livesey
Review
**Chosen by Ladies Home Journal as a Great Summer Read** “A luminous novel of buried secrets.”—New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt
"A story about love, loss, secrets, and finding out where we're really supposed to be."—Maddie Dawson, author of The Stuff that Never Happened
"A novel that sings: of love for a child, regret for life, and the quiet triumphs of survival and finding each other again."—Susan Straight, National Book Award nominee for Highwire Moon and author of Between Heaven and Here
"Vivid [and] compassionate." —Margot Livesey
"Robinson's first novel sparkles with warmth and wit while tackling the prickly sides of a mother-daughter relationship. . .With deeply emotional passages tempered by humor and some surprising romance, Robinson's portrayal of family members striving to forge deeper connections after self-imposed absences is compelling. Fans of Martha Southgate and Heidi W. Durrow will enjoy this tender, full-hearted tale of quiet triumphs, mended fences and new connections."—Booklist
"There are relationship twists aplenty, relationships rearranged and reassessed, relationships that grow and others that die, and brand new relationships to explore. . .Robinson's fiction debut is a good beach read for those who like to reflect on the complexity and messiness of family relationships."—Kirkus Reviews
“So appealing and addictive.”—Novel Escapes (4 ½ stars)
"An easy and engaging read, The Wishing Hill is an excellent choice for book lovers who can relate to the sometimes thorny aspects of family life.”—Merrimack Valley Magazine
Review
Praise for The Wishing Hill
“A luminous novel of buried secrets.”—New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt
"A story about love, loss, secrets, and finding out where we're really supposed to be."—Maddie Dawson, author of The Stuff that Never Happened
"A novel that sings: of love for a child, regret for a life, and the quiet triumphs of survival and finding each other again."—Susan Straight, National Book Award nominee for Highwire Moon and author of Between Heaven and Here
"Vivid [and] compassionate."—Margot Livesey
Review
Praise for Beach Plum Island
“In this absorbing, big-hearted novel, Holly Robinson explores sibling bonds, love in middle age, and the intricate dance of a blended family. The painful past is everywhere in Beach Plum Island, but the present moment shines through.”—Elizabeth Graver, author of The End of the Point
“In Beach Plum Island, Holly Robinson's rich details transport you to picturesque New England and right into the core of the conflicted Barrett family. Robinson tugs at your emotions from the viewpoint of the three complex and very different Barrett sisters, through whom the author deftly explores grief, secrets, and shunned family ties. This story reveals the way people become stronger when they are together rather than apart, and proves that it is never too late to become a family. Beach Plum Island is a triumphant family saga filled with heart and hope. I couldn't put it down!”—Amy Sue Nathan, author of The Glass Wives
“Holly Robinson is a natural-born storyteller and her tale of three mismatched sisters and the lost brother they search for will keep you turning those pages as she quietly but deftly breaks your heart. I loved every single one of her characters and you will too; here is a novel to savor and share.”—Yona Zeldis McDonough, author of Two of A Kind
Praise for The Wishing Hill
“A luminous novel of buried secrets.”—New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt
"A story about love, loss, secrets, and finding out where we're really supposed to be."—Maddie Dawson, author of The Stuff that Never Happened
"A novel that sings: of love for a child, regret for a life, and the quiet triumphs of survival and finding each other again."—Susan Straight, National Book Award nominee for Highwire Moon and author of Between Heaven and Here
"Vivid [and] compassionate."—Margot Livesey
Review
Praise for Pack Up the Moon
“Herron is an inexhaustible champion of the healing power of love.”—Sophie Littlefield, National Bestselling Author
“Filled with fiercely honest emotion, a celebration of the power of love to heal even the most broken of hearts.”—Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
“Herron writes beautifully about the love between a parent and child...A wonderful...read about love, loss, forgiveness and family.”—The Gazette
“A heartbreaking story of loss and family that achieves an optimistic feel in the end....The language [is] poetic and moving at many points.”—RT Book Reviews
Review
Praise for Holly Robinsons Novels
“Who and what make us who we really are? In Robinsons luminous novel of buried secrets, she explores how the past can jump-start the future, how motherhood can be more than genetics, and why finding yourself sometimes depends on discovering the truth in others.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow
“Holly Robinson is a natural-born storyteller and her tale of three mismatched sisters and the lost brother they search for will keep you turning those pages as she quietly but deftly breaks your heart. I loved every single one of her characters and you will too; here is a novel to savor and share.”—Yona Zeldis McDonough, author of You Were Meant for Me
“A story about love, loss, secrets, and finding out where were really supposed to be in our lives.”—Maddie Dawson, Author of The Stuff That Never Happened
“[An] absorbing, big-hearted novel.”—Elizabeth Graver, author of The End of the Point
“Robinson masterfully paints the portrait of a damaged family in the quake of a tragedy...This novel is a thoughtful exploration of the fragility, and the tenacity, of the ties that bind.”—T. Greenwood, author of Bodies of Water
Synopsis
The latest in the inspirational and heartwarming Blue Sky Hill series from Lisa Wingate. All her life, Epiphany Salerno has been tossed like a dandelion seed on the wind. Now, at sixteen, she must move to the low-rent side of Blue Sky Hill and work where she's not wanted: in an upscale home on The Hill.
J. Norman Alvord's daughter has hired a teenager to stay with him in the afternoons. Widowed and suffering from heart trouble, Norman wants to be left alone. But in Epie's presence, Norman discovers a mystery- memories of another life and a woman who saved him. As he and Epie take an unexpected road trip through sleepy Southern towns, they form a life-changing friendship-and uncover long-held family secrets.
Winner of the 2012 Carol Award for Women's Fiction from the American Christian Fiction Writers
Synopsis
What if everything you knew about your life was wrong?
Years ago, Juliet Clark gave up her life in California to follow the man she loved to Mexico and pursue her dream of being an artist. Now her marriage is over, and shes alone, selling watercolors to tourists on the Puerto Vallarta boardwalk.
When her brother asks her to come home to wintery New England and care for their ailing mother, a flamboyant actress with a storied past, Juliet goes reluctantly. She and her self-absorbed mother have always clashed. Plus, nobody back home knows about her divorceor the fact that shes pregnant and her ex-husband is not the father.
Juliet intends to get her mother back on her feet and return to Mexico fast, but nothing goes as planned. Instead she meets a man who makes her question every choice and reawakens her spirit, even as she is being drawn into a long-running feud between her mother and a reclusive neighbor. Little does she know that these relationships hold the key to shocking secrets about her family and herself that have been hiding in plain sight.
CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED
Synopsis
Your brother should know the truth.”
These are the last cryptic words that Ava Barretts father says before he dies. But Ava doesnt have a brother, as far as she knows, so how can she tell him the truth? She dismisses the conversation and dedicates herself to bringing her family together for her fathers funeral. This is no easy task, since her sister, Elaine, has been estranged from the family and still harbors resentment against their stepmother and half-sister, Gigi. Ava, on the other hand, is a single mother who sees Gigi as a troubled teen in need of love and connection.
Ava, too, could use more love in her life and finds it where she least expects it. But the biggest surprise of all is that Gigi holds the key to the mystery surrounding her fathers dying words, and joins Ava in uncovering a secret that rapidly unravels the very fabric of their entire family
CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED
Synopsis
From the acclaimed author of Pack Up the Moon comes a poignant and beautiful novel about love, loss, and the unbreakable bonds of familyparticularly those between mothers, daughters, and sisters.
Ten years ago, Nora Glass started writing essays about being a single mother of a six-year-old daughter. Her weekly column made her a household name, and over the years, her fans have watched Ellie grow from a toddler to a teenager.
But now Nora is facing a problem that cant be overcome. Diagnosed with a devastating disease that will eventually take away who she is, she is scared for herself, but even more frightened about what this will mean for her sixteen-year-old daughter.
Now Nora has no choice but to let go of her hard-won image as a competent, self-assured woman, and turn to the one person who has always relied on her: her twin sister, Mariana. Nora and Mariana couldnt be more different from one another, and theyve always had a complicated relationship. But now the two sisters will have to summon the strength to help them all get through a future none of them could have ever imagined, while uncovering the joy and beauty that was always underneath.
Synopsis
From the acclaimed author of Beach Plum Island and The Wishing Hill... "No one does it better than Holly Robinson.”Susan Straight, National Book Award Finalist and Author of Between Heaven and Here
Catherine and Zoe are sisters, but even their mother, Eve, admits her daughters are nothing alike. Catherine is calm and responsible. Zoe is passionate and rebellious. Nobody is surprised when Zoe gets pregnant, drops out of college, and spirals into drug addiction.
One night Catherine gets a call from Zoes terrified daughter, Willow, saying her mother has abandoned her in a bus station and disappeared. Eve blames herself, while Catherine, unable to have children, is delighted to raise Willow as her own.
Now, five years later, Eve is grieving her husbands death and making reluctant plans to sell the familys beloved summer home on Prince Edward Island. But a series of unexpected revelations will upend the family and rock three generations of women.
CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED
About the Author
Holly Robinson is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Huffington Post, Ladies' Home Journal, More, Open Salon, and Parents. She is the author of one previous novel, The Wishing Hill and a memoir, The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter. Robinson holds a B.A. in biology from Clark University and an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She and her husband have five children, two cats, a grumpy hamster, and two very stubborn small dogs.