A Friendly Warning! (LEAVING, by Karen Kingsbury)

I had the privilege of being chosen as one of 40 readers to review Karen Kingsbury's newest book, Leaving (book one in the Bailey Flanigan series,) before it is available to the general public.  Karen asked that the review not be a summary of the plot.  Rather, she wanted the emphasis on how the book touched you, why others would want to read it, etc.

So, here is the review I just submitted.  If you are a KK fan, or even if you've never read any of her books, be ready to get this one as soon as it is released on March 22.

A Friendly Warning!

WARNING:  No mother should even think about reading Leaving without a box of tissues nearby!  (Of course, that probably goes for everyone else too!) 

Maybe it’s because of my own place in life, but I saw more of a mother’s heart in Karen’s writing in this story than in most of her other great books.  But mothers dealing with “lasts” in their families make up only part of the story.  Watching the characters we have come to know and love through these many years -- and some we are just getting to know – work through the twists and turns in their lives keeps the story fresh and moving as always.  And Karen is careful to remind us that the "lasts" often provide opportunities for "firsts" and "mores." 

The constant reminders of God’s faithfulness that Karen so beautifully weaves into her story-telling give you something very tangible to take away from the fictional account and into the realities of your own life.  It is such a blessing to feel refreshed and uplifted when you turn the last page of a novel, something you can always count on from KK. 

It was such a special treat to be one of the first to read Leaving, and now I can't wait to follow more of Bailey's story (and those of our other "friends" as well) in Learning, Longing and Loving!  (Am I the only one who has to keep reminding myself that these stories are fictional, that these are not real people?)