Pieces of the Heart [Mass Market Paperback]

Karen White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2006

To escape the stress from her all-consuming job as an accountant, Caroline Collier joins her overbearing mother at the family's vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina. But the serene beauty of Lake Ophelia cannot heal Caroline's heart, which is still broken by the loss of her younger brother, who died when she was seventeen. And the tension between her and her mother still simmers. Only their neighbors, the husband and daughter of one of Caroline's childhood friends, seem able to penetrate her cool reserve, giving Caroline the courage to face her biggest fears-and dive headfirst into life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Heartwarming and intense...a tale that resonates with the meaning of unconditional love." -- RT Bookclub Magazine

From the Author

Pieces of the Heart is a story for every woman who’s ever had a mother. As a daughter and a mother, I hope to capture the nuances of this unique relationship in a story about old hurts and reconciliation.

As a frequent visitor to the North Carolina mountains, I chose this stunning area of brilliant foliage and gentle lakes as the perfect setting for a mother and daughter coming to terms with the past—and each other.

The story centers around quilting, a skill I have yet to attain but one in which I admire which is why I chose to showcase it in this book. As the characters stitch their way through patches made of old blankets and treasured memories, they take the scattered pieces of a life and weave them into a tale of hope

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451217675
• ISBN-13: 978-0451217677
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up being a voracious reader and it was a natural step to turn my interest to writing. I have published 14 award-winning and bestselling novels including my May 2011 release, THE BEACH TREES, which debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at number 14.

I write what others have termed "grit-lit"--southern women's fiction, as well as a contemporary paranormal mystery series set in Charleston. All of my books are set in the US South, and feature a female protagonist at a crossroads in her life.

I live near Atlanta, Georgia with my husband, two children, and the cutest 5-year-old Havanese dog, Quincy, whom readers may recognize as General Lee in the Tradd Street series.

My next release, THE STRANGERS ON MONTAGU STREET, is the third book in the Tradd Street series and will be released November 1, 2011. Two more books (not in the series) will be released in 2012.

For more about me and my books, please visit my website at www.karen-white.com or follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/karenwhiteauthor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific insightful character study, April 4, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pieces of the Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

Thirty-one years old Atlanta accountant Caroline Collier has not lived only existed in thirteen years since the death of her beloved younger brother Jude. She has the scar on her chest to remind her of what he donated to her when he died at the accident that almost killed her too. Now she is staying with her overbearing mother Margaret at the family vacation cottage at Lake Ophelia in the North Carolina mountains while she recovers from recent panic attacks caused by stress on the job and failures to gain closure from Jude's death and her father's desertion.

Next door is former attorney turned master furniture maker Drew Reed and his teenage daughter Jewel. His late wife Shelby Ann was actually Jude's significant other before the teen died. Jewel and her Granny Rainy begin to get Caroline to quilt and swim while Drew finds himself attracted to the girl next door who when she is not scowling is pretty. Though the trio and Margaret reach out to her, Caroline needs to let go of the past if she wants to live life to the fullest with people who love her.

This is a terrific insightful character study that focuses on several individuals struggling differently with the deaths of loved ones. Caroline who has not completed the five phases of grief is time-locked in the grieving stage mostly because she was there and in his death he saved her life. Her mother cannot stop fussing while her father fled to the West Coast and like Drew and an injured loon reinvented his life. Granny turned to her granddaughter and Jewel cherishes her late mother's diary as her survival mechanism. Fans of a deep poignant family drama will appreciate this powerful look at how people deal with the death of a loved one.

Harriet Klausner

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving story of an adult seeking peace with her past, May 27, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pieces of the Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

Stress from Caroline's job as an accountant is forcing her to take a leave from work, and seeking solace and recovery, she joins her family in North Carolina. Time off brings her anything but peace, however: memories of her dead younger brother haunt her even as she faces a stormy relationship with her mother. Family secrets and family healing permeate a moving story of an adult seeking peace with her past.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding a new author, November 28, 2007

By 

Jean DeVilbiss "jeandev" (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pieces of the Heart (Paperback)

I have just started reading Karen White books and am thrilled to say she is just wonderful. Each book has been filled with great characterizations and fabulous stories. As I read each book I find myself saying "WOW where have you been all my life??" The stories AND the people are so real...I am crying and laughing and thinking and wanting! I wouldn't hesitate to buy any book of hers and I sure will not hesitate to read them again and again.
Thanks Karen White!