Sorrowed Souls [Paperback]

Brenda Youngerman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2009

The eyes are said to be the window to the soul. Have you ever looked at someone whose eyes have no light? Follow the journey out of the darkness. In the space of a moment, Bryan Tines thought he had lost everything that was important to him. Waking up in a strange place with no recollection of where he came from, or who he was; lost, hungry and dirty, his life would have been over if not for the kindness of the invisible layer of society. Gus Hill was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and alcohol coursing through his veins. Living on the outside looking in, Gus goes down a path of self-destruction and finds that the harsh words of a true friend enable him to help himself and others who feel their lives have no meaning. Through this path, Gus finds what is really important. Amy Pickens was born into a working class family-a planned and difficult birth-her mother never let her forget how much of a burden Amy's life was to her. She became the unwanted child. Struggling with confidence issues, she accidentally finds happiness, which in one fleeting moment, appears to go awry. Brenda Youngerman writes a tale of stunning clarity and insight into the lives of average people. Beautifully written, her novel explores the human condition, the ways in which our past torture and free us, and the risks we're willing to take to realize the illusive dream of happiness. This is Brenda Youngerman's fourth novel and she is currently writing her fifth. She lives in Southern California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Eloquent Books (August 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160860733X
• ISBN-13: 978-1608607334
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,577,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda Youngerman (1960 - ) Was raised in Southern California and has been writing since she was a child. Her first novel, Private Scars, was published in 2006 and takes an insiders view of domestic abuse and allows the reader a vantage point on how a victim is isolated and alienated from everything they know and love. Private Scars won both the editors choice and publishers choice awards. Since the release of Private Scars Youngerman has released a novel a year bringing up what she calls, "Fiction With a Purpose," books that take on social issues and very real world problems. She hopes that a reader puts down one of her books and asks the question, "Was that real?"

If one person is helped by reading a Youngerman novel and realizes that they are not alone in their predicament, she has achieved success in her eyes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Sorrowed Souls, February 23, 2012

By 

SmartLit (Mobile, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sorrowed Souls (Paperback)

If you've ever felt unloved or unwanted, you're likely to relate to Brenda Youngerman's Sorrowed Souls. The story follows several different characters as they grow, change, experience life, and face numerous tragedies. Sorrowed Souls is well-written, but I found it difficult--in parts-- to read about the pain many of Youngerman's characters experience. For me, it was a novel best taken in small bites, a few chapters at a time. Youngerman does offer hope at the end, as the different personalities she's created connect for a satisfying finale.

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart Touching and Life Altering Fiction, December 6, 2011

By 

Cynthia Jones (McConnelsville, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sorrowed Souls (Paperback)

Sorrowed Souls has left a lasting impression on me. I spent quite a bit of the time crying, and sobbing at times too. It was horrific what the characters had to endure and how their lives were changed by cruel acts. Not once in the story did I ever feel that the characters were over reacting to their life happenings. I felt compassion that their life choices, and their pain was pretty much justified. However, sometimes I witnessed them missing their mark and they could have without a doubt avoided some or all of the pain they seemed to willingly absorb.

I cry for these people as if they are real to me, because they are real. Every day real people are suffering the way these characters suffered. The homeless are highlighted in this book with a real look at how one living on the street might have gotten there, and how they might survive. Often times in this life, it takes grand moments of fate to snap us back and to get us on track. Thankfully there are great books like 'Sorrowed Souls' and great authors like Brenda Youngerman, that we can be shown in words our mistakes before we are truly faced with the torture of ourselves.

_________________
"Gus, ever since I've known you, the world has been at your beck and call, and you have felt like you were alone. You put yourself on a fringe when you could've stepped right into the middle at any point. When the day comes that you are finally ready to jump in, then you'll be able to move forward and get out of the rut and the 'curse' you feel that you're under. It's time to stop blaming everyone around you and start taking a personal inventory to determine what it is you need to be a better Augustus Winston Hill."
__________________

Gus was one of my favorite characters throughout. You will soon come to realize he has a leading type of soul even as a young child. He is strong, and while his disadvantages may have actually given him that strength, he seemed to relish in them so much to the point he was unable to ever really find peace. I simply adored this character. He seemed to have been born into a self hell and lived his entire life battling that. For that reason, he simply did not learn, or know how, to 'feel' a secure happy life.

This book is filled with characters. It is a tapestry of lives, and each of them hold key factors as to the 'whys' that are asked. I will only use Gus as an example because I do not want to spoil the story. The less you know, the more powerful it will hit you. Pay attention when Gus's parents are introduced. The privileged lives lived. How often have you heard yourself say "If I were a millionaire"? For much of this book money was never the issue, and it was not exactly why people were unhappy or self destructive. What ever it is that makes us break inside seemed to flow like water in these pages and will open the reader's eyes to life and just how fragile it really is.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fiction with a purpose is well-served, June 16, 2011

By 

John Allen (Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sorrowed Souls (Paperback)

Sorrowed Souls
Review by John Allen

Those familiar with Grisham's The Street Lawyer will feel much at home with Brenda Youngerman's Sorrowed Souls. The plight of those less fortunate than the average citizen is well portrayed in this timely novel. It's gut-wrenchingly real.

Amy Pickens, the girl with the strawberry birthmark, endures not only a mother totally thoughtless concerning her needs, but also a vicious rape. When her father dies, she finds out that a large trust has been provided for her, and suddenly her life changes.

But not only Amy, and not always for the better - the author portrays many such human dramas, especially with mega-rich families whose heads have been turned by wealth. I found myself caught by the realism of their insensitivity, particularly with Gus. His rise from anonymity among brothers who'd spent their lives rejecting him is well portrayed, as is his decline.
It's a great relief that Youngerman doesn't moralize - she simply tells a story, recording opinions and actions without judgment. This is refreshing change from much current opinion concerning, for instance, the homeless.

If one single word can describe this moving drama, it is `hope': the main characters all seem, at times, hopeless and inadequate, run over by life's circumstances or their own inadequacy, but `hope springs eternal' in this moving account, and the way the final chapters wrap up so many conflicts and misunderstandings is well put across. Youngerman's mission of `Fiction with a Purpose' is well-served in Sorrowed Souls.