Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall

I picked this one up because of the rave reviews, and I definitely think it should be a next year's book club pick as well. Sweeping up Glass guides us through the present and past of Olivia Harker, a child left behind with her father by her crazy mother. She doesn't remember the abandonment, however, and enjoys her life with her grocery owning, hooch running, veterinarian dad who teaches her conservation, tolerance, and love. But when Ida, her mother, returns from the asylum, and then she and her father get in a car accident, the world changes for Olivia and she becomes a broken girl, inside and out.

The reader not only gets a look at how Olivia lives her life and ages, but we find out just how far prejudice in a small town can go and how blind we can be to it, if we don't subscribe to it. Olivia learns that some love doesn't die, and even those we love can lie to us sometimes.

This is a poignant book full of rich story, setting, history, and rebirth. A lot to talk about. Let me know what you think!

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