The Boots My Mother Gave Me [Kindle Edition]

Brooklyn James (Author)

Book Description

AMAZON BREAKTHROUGH NOVEL AWARD QUARTER-FINALIST

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk through life in someone else's shoes?

Strong-willed tomboy Harley LeBeau puts you in the boots her mother gave her, as she takes you along her journey of escape from an abusive childhood and the desire to find herself as she comes of age. Made to feel a burden to her father simply by her gender, Harley is determined to prove her worth and independence, leaving the small town she grew up in and the one boy who gave her a soft place to fall, Jeremiah Johnson. Torn between saving herself and abandoning her mother and younger sister, Harley chooses her own life in hopes they will choose theirs, too.

A mature, candid read for everyone. A must for women. The Boots My Mother Gave Me explores the dynamics of abuse and dysfunction, the courage to overcome, the strength in sisterhood, and the ongoing conflict and unconditional love between mothers and daughters. Climb into Charlene the Chevelle for a fast-paced story about a girl who is tough enough to survive and tender enough to learn to trust in love.

Original Music Soundtrack to The Boots My Mother Gave Me can be streamed at brooklyn-james.com
or facebook.com/BrooklynJamesAuthor

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The writing in this excerpt is strong and effective if wordy. Harley is an appealing character and the author has succeeded in making the reader want to know what happens to her. The device of the almond is an especially deft touch and the reader knows immediately what is meant whenever it occurs in the text. The chronology is a bit awkward. Harley says she got thrown out of the house and when. Once forewarned, the reader keeps waiting for it to happen. The backstory bogs down the action and it doesn't happen when the reader expects it, or judging from the last page, at all. The character of Harley's father as uber-abuser with absolutely no redeeming qualities gives this story a credibility issue. Actual abusers usually have some quality that binds their victims to them. Some ruthless editing to eliminate the more redundant details and clean up the sequence of events, along with giving Harley's father one or two lovable characteristics would make this story leap off the page. It deserves it.

Amazon.com Review

This is a novel I would love to read! The excerpt is original and beautifully crafted. The writer deftly uses his/her own voice rather than relying on imitation in the narrative. When writing about the this type of disturbing subject matter, it is easy to overuse tired, meaningless and cliched expression. But the narrator's voice through the first person point-of-view is original, sensitive and genuine, bringing the reader closer to her and the situation we find her in. I definitely feel this novel can be successful.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 709 KB
• Print Length: 280 pages
• Publisher: Arena Books (August 9, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00457XGNM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,574 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Woman Can Relate March 28, 2011

By TMP

Format:Kindle Edition

"The Boots My Mother Gave Me" is a great coming of age fiction novel that any women can relate to. Harley's determination to survive hard times and constant need for adventure is something most anyone can relate to. The romance in the story adds to the plot while not taking away from the overall message. This book is one that you will read in one sitting. It was impossible to put down and once you are done you will wish James had a second novel published. I was dying to read about the next adventures of 'Miah and Harley when I finished the book. I can't wait for James' next novel. Finally, the soundtrack that accompanies the book is BRILLIANT!! Why has this not been done before? Check out this book and soundtrack. You WONT be disappointed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars James' strength lies in her creation of a powerful protagonist August 25, 2012

By The Kindle Book Review

Format:Kindle Edition

Brooklyn James' novel tells the chronological story of Harley LeBeau as she attempts to escape her difficult childhood, perpetuated by her father's drinking. The novel is extremely enjoyable as one girl's story as she heads from place to place trying to find her way in life, but still, despite being determined to leave, irreversibly linked to her home town and her boy-next-door Jeremiah Johnson.
Harley's story is powerful and throughout the reader can totally see her strong willed nature guiding her through all the hardships she comes up against. She's also flighty and there's a sense of displacement wherever she goes, except in that one special place that it takes even her, the whole length of the story to realise.
James' strength really lies in the power of her characters, Harley particularly is captivating and you want to continue finding out what happens next in her tale. Some of the other characters could do with a little more body, her mother in particular who gives her name to the precious boots that feature in the title of the novel could be fleshed out as she seemed quite forgettable.
This novel really worked for me but I unfortunately found the ending predictable, in fact, I think it was as if it was bound to happen from the first few chapters of the novel. It was definitely the right ending for Harley and her story but it still fell flat from this reader's perspective.
That being said following Harley on her journey was enjoyable and I found myself rooting for her at every turn, showing the talent James has in creating believable, powerful characters.
Beth Townsend - The Kindle Book Review

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read July 24, 2012

By Karen M

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Harley runs. An emotionally and physically abusive father has Harley running for most of her life. She grew up watching the abuse heaped upon herself, her mother and her sister and when she graduated high school she ran yet again. She follows her own path but it meanders and always seems to bring her back home whether by choice or by a cry for help.

The one comfort that has been in her life was her childhood friend, Jeremiah. Her path takes her in and out of different careers, different cities, and even in and out of the lives of different men but never does she desire to settle down, never feels really safe.

The moments growing up when her father would surprise her with kindness and love and then turn on her with hatred have her never trusting anyone including herself. This story culminates with an event that you would think would put end to Harley's fears but it causes her to finally face them.

Very good book

More About the Author

Brooklyn James is an author/singer/songwriter inspired by life in the Live Music Capital of Austin, Texas. Her first novel, The Boots My Mother Gave Me, has an original music soundtrack and was chosen as a Quarter Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. This book has ranked in Kindle's Top 100 Coming of Age and Women's Fiction.

Her supernatural thriller trilogy, Vigilare, is an adaptation from a short narrative film, inspired by vigilante movies, such as The Punisher and Boondock Saints. Currently available are Vigilare and Vigilare: Hell Hound. She is avidly working on the last novel in the series, Vigilare: The Torch. Brooklyn's latest release, Get This Body In A Barn: The Milkmaid's Guide To Fitness, is available exclusively as an ebook. Inspired by her childhood growing up on a dairy farm, she offers basic and practical fitness and nutrition regimens in getting in shape.

Coming March 2013 (Let It Go - a contemporary romance), May 2013 (Just Not Ready Yet - a contemporary romance) and July 2013 (Jolie Blonde - Prequel to Vigilare trilogy & stand-alone edgy coming of age/contemporary romance). Jolie Blonde will have an accompanying original music soundtrack as well, produced and recorded at Wonderland Studios, Austin. All songs from the soundtracks are written/co-written and performed by the author. Listen free at www.brooklyn-james.com or www.facebook.com/BrooklynJamesAuthor.

Brooklyn's music can be found on Amazon, iTunes, CDBaby, Pandora and Jango online Radio. Her song Can't Get It Right was chosen for MEOW's (Musicians for Equal Opportunity for Women) 2012 Discoveries Jukebox, naming Brooklyn among the top 15 female singer/songwriters on the rise. Can't Get It Right was also featured in the top 3 of 10,000+ entries in VO5's Red Hot Rising Stars Campaign. Jango Radio named her song Moving On to their Top 10 Songs of Summer.

Brooklyn holds an M.A. in Communication, and a B.S. in both Nursing and Animal Science. Her nursing career has seen specialties in the areas of Intensive Care and Labor & Delivery/Postpartum. She performs as part of an acoustic duo in the local live music scene in Austin. Brooklyn also serves as Guest Speaker from time to time with a focus on awareness and prevention of Domestic Violence and Suicide.