The View from Here [Kindle Edition]

Rachel Howzell (Author)

Book Description

The View from Here focuses on the beauties and hardships of marriage; the betrayals and promises made between husbands and wives; and the grief of one woman haunted by secrets.

Nicole Baxter has always tried to control every element of her life, but that control is slipping away. She has issues. Abandonment issues. Marital issues. Conception issues. And she thinks her house in the hills is haunted. It doesn't help that her husband Truman spleunks and climbs, making her worry more with each adventure he takes. As the two grow apart, Nicole makes decisions that may ultimately shatter her fragile marriage.

Her life changes on the afternoon she receives a phone call from the harbor. During a scuba dive, Truman disappears. No one -- not his diving instructor, not the Coast Guard -- can find him. Is he still alive? Or is grief making her believe the impossible?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nicole is a character over whom I both despaired and rejoiced, finding her alternately frustrating and inspiring, but ultimately thoroughly engaging, real, and unforgettable."

- Nina Sankovitch, Read All Day --Nina Sankovitch, Read All Day

Product Details

• File Size: 429 KB
• Print Length: 277 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004BA52W6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,529 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #77 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > United States > African American > Mystery

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprise from the beginning! Full of heart and suspense. December 13, 2010

By B. Phoenix

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

One of the best things about 'e-books' is that it opens a marketplace for unknown Authors who may not have the big budget publishers promoting their talents. Rachel Howzell was unknown to me anyway and I'm glad to have made her acquaintance with this book. She breathes life into her characters in such a way that you feel you are having a conversation, she deals with the complexities of love and marriage and grief with grace, insight and humor. I try not to read reviews or even descriptions of a book too carefully before I dive in - and that's how I began this book, no expectations. I was swept in and thoroughly engaged throughout and reveled in the discovery of the story as well as the Author. I would like to say that I'm a bit confused as to why this book would be labeled as "African-American Fiction" because that label could be seen as limiting (as most labels are). I didn't find the story or characters to be uniquely black, the themes are universal! Read it - you won't be disappointed and if you are like me you will try to seek out more "Indie Authors" as we do "Indie Rock bands"!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent January 5, 2011

By L. Chinnery

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

It was a captivating story and you could relate (even if only imagining the loss of your husband). The story sucks you in and you really get inside the heads of the main character and how she is feeling. I loved the twist at the end. I didn't expect it. I had other ideas of how it might turn out.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars My final straw? April 6, 2012

By Reader With Standards

Format:Kindle Edition

After finishing this book, I was tempted to give up on self-published e-books and sell my Kindle on eBay. Yes, it's that bad. (Fortunately, the book I'm reading now makes up for it and has redeemed the Indy Book industry in my eyes.)

The holes in this story are big enough to drive a truck through. The husband is completely non-sympathetic. His widow, the main character, is supposedly an intelligent woman but she acts like a blithering idiot. I have no sympathy for weak women, even less for stupid ones. She installs a camera, way too late, but never thinks to check it? And **SPOILER ALERT** we're supposed to believe the coked up, useless sister of the deceased is smart enough to pull all this off?

My boyfriend has a saying, "buy into the premise and you'll buy into the book." I couldn't buy into the premise and I had no interest in the book. I finished it only because I'm stubborn and was hoping the book would get better. It didn't.

More About the Author

Rachel Howzell Hall was born and raised in Los Angeles. An avid reader and lover of books, she received her B.A. in English and American Literature from University of California at Santa Cruz. While at Santa Cruz, she helped charter the Pi Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc.

Her professional writing career started with a position at Black Radio Exclusive, an urban weekly music trade magazine. As the executive assistant and copy editor, she wrote columns, reviewed concerts, listening parties and albums; and of course, edited copy. As a freelance columnist for the now-defunct entertainment website, sneeker.com, she reviewed CDs and wrote columns for the "Relationships" segment of the site until the e-bubble busted. Since then, she has worked for several non-profit organizations, including PEN Center USA West (a member since 2002) and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Currently, Rachel is a writer and assistant development director at City of Hope, a national leader in cancer research and treatment.

She is the author of A Quiet Storm, The View from Here and No One Knows You're Here. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband David, and their daughter Maya.