Customer Reviews

Bottled Butterfly

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First time author, Penny Lauer, has really hit this one out of the ball park. The vivid imagery and eloquent writing draws you into the story as you find yourself living through the eyes of Nellie, the novel's heroine. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment from this talented new author.

This book was a wonderful read. I loved the character development and thought the author was very sensitive to the issues of a young girl growing up in poverty. There was so much love in the family that shown through in their reactions to each other. It made me want to know more about each of the characters and how they will be later in their lives. I will look forward with pleasure to more books by this author.

This is a delightful first novel by a wonderfully descriptive author.
The reader becomes totally enamored with Nellie. There is great wisdom in the telling of her story. Penny Lauer has done a magnificent job of introducing us to a small Ohio town whose people struggle with the challenges of the depression. Her characters are colorful and memorable. I look forward to reading future books by this new author.

Penny Lauer was an English teacher, and as a new author, she's still teaching. Her first novel "Bottled Butterfly", contains many valuable life lessons for her readers. The calm and comforting wisdom of Grammy, the strength and guidance of the Mother, and the strong dedication--the fortitude--of the heroine, Nellie, all contribute to our understanding of Penny's splendid character developments. In addition, she paints a vivid picture of traditional family life in small-town America, and specifically of 1930's Ohio, with all its vagaries, both pleasant and unpleasant.

Elliott Trumbull

Through the telling of Nellie's story, Penny Lauer offers a unqiue slice of the American experience while challenging the reader to reflect upon the universal themes of prejudice, sexism, strength and the pursuit of self-actualization. A powerfully and beautifully written "simple story."

This is a story about a life worth living. Nellie is an unforgettable character, who, in many ways reminds me of Charlotte Bronte's or Elizabeth Gaskell's young, impoverished, but strong women. Nellie tells her life story in her own words. She lives in rural Ohio, in Appalachian towns where poverty is universal. She speaks in the dialect of the area, but through her simple language, the growth of her wisdom and resilience, or, as she calls it, her "fortitude" is revealed. The author understands the psychological importance of identity formation in women and has walked in the shoes of her character to show how it happens in a difficult environment. Nellie seeks fulfillment, makes and lives with her choices, dreams of opportunities, gets caught in life's hardships, almost loses herself, but ultimately finds her voice. This first time author deserves to be discovered.

A member of our book club and friend of Penny Lauer's invited her to come to our discussion of "Bottled Butterfly" last March. To our delight, she spent the afternoon with us and I doubt that any of us will ever read fiction in exactly the same way again. Her explanation and insights into the development of the characters, the story line, and even the title of the book kept us mesmerized for hours. Since this is her first novel, Lauer also shared her experiences in getting this book published - not an easy road, but a fascinating process that eventually led to a successful outcome. During our meeting she also encouraged all of us to share our own insights, observations and questions, which we did, with enthusiasm. This very interesting discussion took place several months ago, but it still brings a smile when I think of Nellie, a main character Lauer developed with love, careful study, and poignant insight into complex family interactions in a small town during the depression years.

We are all awaiting the birth of Lauer's next main character (could be Josh) and are eager to hear the story that will be his. Our group agreed that we expect to see Penny Lauer's name on a best seller list in the near future

This first novel is a page-turner. However, you'll want to slow down and savor the story and the realistic prose of the main character, Nellie, who is growing up in a large hardship-prone family during the 1930s. When her spirit is tested by an event she is too young to understand, and her own motives come into question, Nellie learns from an older woman about the special strength, "fortitude", within and how to tap into it when challenged by adversity. Nellie is a captivating character in a rare book of richly described characters, settings and dialogue.

This was a wonderfully warm story about Nellie and her family...all the significant events in her life that followed her into adulthood. Poverty, religion, and a dysfuntional family in her early years certainly formed her outlook on life in later years. Some of her problems growing up are as true today as when the book took place in the 1930's and 40's. I felt as though I was right there with her..the story was so alive and I could "picture" her world. I loved this book and will read it again.
Penny, you have such a way with words...I'll look forward to your next book. Way to go...a great book!!

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I have lived in Newark most of my life and it was so nice to find familiar names of places as I read the story. The story held my attention and I found myself anxious to read more and had a hard time putting the book down at times. The story is very heartwarming and insightful. The main character has depth and you leave the book feeling as if you know her. Good job, Penny!