REVIEW: A Place to Call Home by Carole Matthews

Book Review:  A Place to Call Home by Carole Matthews

Buy on Amazon: $3.99 Kindle

I have had the good fortune to read quite a few of Ms. Matthews books.  Her writing, unlike some authors, tends to have a wide variety of subject matters.  They all feel a little different.  Yet, they all have one thing in common:  They all manage to work.  She definitely know how to make her characters come to life for her readers.  You find yourself drawn to the lives of the characters she creates, wanting to live in the backdrop of her books.  She has become on of my favorite all-time authors.

This book, was a tad bit more complex than or serious, than most chick-lit books.  It had an all too common and too real subject matter.  However, Carole Matthews was able to write with such finesse that it wasn't too overly dramatic, not downplayed in anyway.

The story begins and we meet Ayesha and Sabina.  Ayesha, originally from Sri Lanka, had an arranged marriage.  A man her parents deemed to be worthy of her daughter, and someone who would provide her with a life she wouldn't be able to find in Sri Lanka.  They wanted a lot more for their daughter.  The life Ayesha got, was far from the wander filled life her family had hoped and intended to give to her.  She has been married now to Suresh for ten years.  

The highlight of the loveless, abusive marriage is her daughter Sabina.  Trauma from the abuse she has witnessed, has caused her to become mute.  She has lost her voice.  It is because of Sabina that Ayesha knows she cannot stay.  She must find her daughter a refuge.  So, in the wee hours of the morning, while everyone in the home is fast asleep, Ayesha takes her chance.

She flees Milton Keynes for the big lights in London.  It is in London that Ayesha and Sabina find refuge. The refuge is in the form of a house filled with broken people.  We meet Crystal, an almost thirty year old woman who has a secret in her past that keeps her from the best person she can be.  Crystal is one of the lighter sides of the story, but even Crystal has some pain.  

We meet Joy, a grandmother, whom hasn't seen her children or her grandchildren in quite sometime. When we first meet Joy, she's what seems to be a bitter and somewhat gruff woman.  Yet, she has some hidden depths and fears that have kept her from finding her happy ending.

Then we meet Hayden.  Hayden is a retired pop star with a tragic past.  Hayden has holed himself up in his sanctuary of a home for years, wounded by his past and paralyzed to move forward.

These five people who all have their own pain, find comfort in each other.  They form a magical bond and the time they spend in the "house of wounded souls" will be a truly magical time, that could never be duplicated.

They will learn from one another, and encourage each other to be their best selves.  

This was a beautiful and gripping story.  It had me mesmerized by the characters and what was going to happen next.  We should all have friends like people inside this story.  While this story shows pain, it also shows how hope can move mountains.  It's a story of overcoming yourself to be the best person you can possibly be.  It's a story about friendship, true friendship, that stands the test of time.

The bonds formed by the people in this story, are bonds every human should be able to have in their own lives.  I loved the way that Ms. Matthews was able to take such heartbreaking real life traumas and turn them into stories of hope and restoration.  Kudos to Ms. Matthews for such a beautiful story.  Thank you for sharing your gift with us all.  (And don't ever stop writing :)

This was definitely a five star book.  I definitely recommend if you haven't yet, to read this fabulous story.  You won't be sorry.  I love my happy endings.  Always.

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