Thirteen years ago, Natalie lost
a part of herself when her twin sister died. Will traveling back to the family
winery finally put the memory to rest, or will it completely destroy her?
When Natalie Mitchell
learns her beloved grandfather has had a heart attack, she’s forced to return
to their family-owned winery in Sonoma, something she never intended to do.
She’s avoided her grandparent’s sprawling home and all its memories since the
summer her sister died—the awful summer Natalie’s nightmares began. But the
winery is failing, and Natalie’s father wants her to shut it down. As the
majority shareholder, she has the power to do so.
And Natalie never says
no to her father.
Tanner Collins, the
vintner on Maoilios, is trying to salvage a bad season and put the Mitchell
family’s winery back in business. When Natalie shows up, Tanner sees his future
about to be crushed. He knows Natalie intends to close the gates, and he’s
determined to convince her otherwise. But the Natalie he remembers from
childhood is long gone, and he’s not so sure he likes the woman she’s become.
Still, the haunted look she wears hints at secrets he wants to unearth. He soon
discovers that on the night her sister died, the real Natalie died too. And
Tanner must do whatever it takes to resurrect her.
But finding freedom
from the past means facing it. For both of them.
The Memory of You is
a stand-alone novel, and is the second book I have read by Catherine West. I
read The Things We Knew awhile back,
and I really, really enjoyed it. Catherine is able to capture emotion in such a
wonderful, real way that makes you truly feel what her characters are feeling. I
noticed that in The Things We Knew,
and that was one of the reasons I added her other books to my to-read list. And
I also found that to be true in this novel as well. From the very beginning of
this story, I could feel the pain and hurt and struggle that Natalie was going
through, and I couldn’t wait to read more and watch her find her redemption,
her healing. There was such a war going on within her, and I longed to learn
the secrets behind it, to really get down into the meat and heart of this
story. So I devoured it (I read the majority of it in one sitting). And here’s
what I have since come away with.
Catherine is a real storyteller. And I don’t just say that
because she’s an author. She really knows how to weave together so any aspects
of a story into one, bringing out the pain each individual character is
feeling, even if they play one of the smallest parts. I felt Natalie’s pain,
and Tanner’s, but I also felt her parents’, and her uncle’s, her grandfather’s,
Tanner’s mom’s, the children’s, just everyone’s pain and heartache and what
drove them to their actions throughout this novel. In my opinion, that is one
of the things that can give the most depth to a novel. There were no “flat”
characters. They all had a personality, a part to play, and a real-life
situation they were dealing with. Because in life, no matter how “blessed” some
of us may be, everyone is struggling with something. And I really felt that in
this novel.
Similarly, Catherine is wonderful at giving you enough
unexpected plot twists to make it interesting, without making you feel like you’re
rushing to catch up. And some of the twists were even somewhat expected, but
that didn’t take away from them. Like it didn’t bother me that I might have
guessed what would happen in a certain instance before it happened, because the
scene or event was still full and well thought out and still just as
interesting as if it had been unexpected.
Because of these things, and even some that I can’t mention
for fear of ruining the book, Catherine has quickly made her way up my list of
favorite authors. She just writes such touching, captivating stories, and I really
have grown to love the way she addresses faith in them. Unlike in some Christian
novels, where the “Christian” parts seem somewhat forced and the conversations
about God seem awkward and not like anything someone would say in real life,
she doesn’t push the Christianity aspect onto her readers, or her characters. It
seems real, natural, and sometimes even subtle. And I love how different that is
from what you normally find in a Christian novel.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Though you could
probably tell by everything that I’ve said in this review. I can happily give
it all five bookshelves, and a place on my all-time favorites list. I am also definitely
bumping the rest of her books up higher on my to-read list, and I’m really glad
that she just released another one—Where Hope
Begins—last month. I’m definitely going to have to read it. I highly recommend
this book, and anything of Catherine’s, to anyone who likes contemporary
fiction. And, if anything I’ve just described in this review appeals to you,
then go pick up this book! Because you’re sure to enjoy it. Plus, I love being
able to recommend books to people, especially when they end up loving them. So,
what are you waiting for?
Happy reading!
To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party
page.
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