The Brevity of Roses [Kindle Edition]

Linda Cassidy Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Jalal Vaziri has looks, money, women--and a habit of running from reality. Convinced he's only running from a father who hates him, a career mistake, and endless partying, he abandons Wall Street and reinvents himself as a poet in a California beach house. A fresh start is all he needs. When an intriguing woman enters his life, he believes all his dreams are coming true. But too soon those dreams dissolve into nightmare. Jalal flees again. He's nearing the point of no return when another woman blocks his retreat and challenges him to finally face the truth about what he's trying to outrun.

In this contemporary tale of love, loss, and redemption, a desperate man discovers his salvation lies in an unlikely source.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Linda Cassidy Lewis is a virtuoso with the English language and this book is a joy to read." ~ Dan Marvin, LLBookReviews

 

"Ms. Lewis has provided a tender and thought-provoking look at life, chance, and love." ~ Vivian Taylor, The Book Diva's Reads

 

"The novel's different viewpoints allow for characters to be almost deconstructed by each other but such is the strength of them that it only adds to the vivid portrayals." Bookstackreviews

 

From the Back Cover

"Told in gorgeous, poetic tones, The Brevity of Roses will take you on a journey delving into three unique characters as delicate and beautiful as a rose itself. Lewis' rich understanding of relationships is phenomenal." ~ Michelle Davidson Argyle, author of Monarch


"Grief, discovery, anguish, pleasure, rejection, acceptance, atonement, forgiveness--the rhythmic odes of marriage, friendship, family. A fine debut novel that reaches deep into a poet's beating heart, lays it open, vulnerable to the bitter betrayals, and the joyful loyalties, of this thing we call Love." ~ Kathryn Magendie, author of "the Graces Sagas," Sweetie and Petey, publishing editor of Rose & Thorn

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 808 KB
• Print Length: 363 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0983336504
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Two-Four-Six Publishing; 1 edition (March 30, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004UMGFUS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #407,032 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Six Stars for a moving, beautifully written work April 21, 2011

By Christa Polkinhorn

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Every once in a while, I come across a work of literature, which is not only fascinating, entertaining, and moving, but which touches me on a deeper level. The Brevity of Roses by Linda Cassidy Lewis is one of those books.

The Brevity of Roses is a story about love, the power and beauty of love as well as the fear it can trigger and the pain it can cause. Love is what the three main characters--Jalal, Meredith, and Renee--struggle with.

Jalal, a handsome American-Iranian poet from a well-to-do family escapes a life of drugs, alcohol, a career he hates, and a lot of superficial relationships by moving across the country from New York to California. He finds love and embraces it but when tragedy strikes, he withdraws from life. Underneath the shiny veneer he presents to the world, he is slowly dying. Meredith, an anthropologist, struggles with feelings of guilt toward her former husband which hold her back from giving her heart fully, and Renee, a waitress and survivor of childhood abuse and neglect, falls in love but when it gets serious, her first reaction is to run. But it is the tenacious Renee who ultimately manages to break down the walls Jalal has built around himself and forces him to face his demons, a grief so deep it threatens to undo him.

While reading this book, I was often reminded of a quotation by May Sarton in her book Mrs. Stephens Hears the Mermaids Singing: "Love opens the door into everything, as far as I can see, including, and perhaps most of all, the door into one's secret, and often terrible and frightening, real self."

The Brevity of Roses is a carefully crafted, beautifully told story. The characters are complex and believable, flawed but loveable. With vivid descriptions, the author manages to engage our senses, our thoughts, and our emotions. And, without any explicit love-making scenes, she creates a highly charged and sensuous atmosphere.

Masterful debut novel by a talented author. I look forward to more of her work. Amazon only allows for 5 stars. I give it 6!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A man's search April 5, 2011

By Cathryn Grant

Format:Kindle Edition

The Brevity of Roses is a quiet but probing look at the life of Jalal Vaziri as he searches for love and a sense of peace with who he is. Through the eyes of the women who love him -- his sisters and his lovers -- I felt as if I was looking into the soul of a man who feels out of place in the world, and found myself longing for him to gain a new perspective on life.

As delicately as a vine climbing over a trellis, the author weaves together a variety of lives, time periods, and personal journeys. The gradual revelation of oneself in a new relationship and the struggle to overcome past hurts are illuminated in each of the main characters, making for a satisfying read.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars SORRY FOUND IT BORING March 5, 2012

By Annie Athens

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really cannot understand why some of these books are so highly rated. This is a romance but I didn't find any of the characters stimulating. There was no message in the story and I honestly felt that I was wading through it. Again, I found the male character portrayed one minute as a fast 'man about town', with glamerous women, drugs and alcohol. A short time later he is a weak young man, developing a relationship with a much older woman. In my experience men that enjoy this manner of relationship are usually , even from a young age, immature and not likely to indulge in very risky behaviour. I simply couldn't relate to this man, who was a seasoned traveller, enjoyed the best food and wines, and who is an experienced lover, turning to every women that enters his life for support. His character came over as far too feminine.

More About the Author

Linda Cassidy Lewis was born and raised in Indiana and now lives with her husband in the San Joaquin Valley of California where she writes versions of the stories she only held in her head during the years their four sons were growing up. She is the author of two novels: The Brevity of Roses and An Illusion of Trust.