Souvenir: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The melodrama is thick and heavy in Fowler's debut. Meg Powell turned her back on the love of her life, Carson McKay, to marry Brian Hamilton, the scion of a banking family who saved her parents' farm from foreclosure in exchange for her hand. Now, 16 years later, Meg and Brian are so busy with their careers that they overlook their 16-year-old daughter, Savannah, who has typical adolescent concerns about being pretty and popular. Carson, meanwhile, has become a rock star and is now on the verge of marrying a much younger surfing champion, but he's never gotten over Meg. Trouble comes as Meg is diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and Savannah meets an unsavory 23-year-old man online who woos her with the kind of positive reinforcement she wants to hear. Unfortunately, Fowler does little to create narrative tension or well-rounded characters: Meg and Carson reunite before Meg's health declines, Brian is a predicable schmuck, and Savannah gets a rough comeuppance at the hands of her bad news beau and his pals. The bungled handling of saccharine material limits this would-be tearjerker. (Mar.)
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Product Description

Fowler's debut is the heartbreaking story of a woman who made what she thought was a responsible decision, only to have to live with the consequences...When Meg discovers she has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), she knows she has only one chance to make peace with the past and give her daughter hope for the future. The choices made by Meg and Savannah may be controversial with some readers, but, nevertheless, this outstanding debut is recommended for all public libraries. —Library Journal (starred review)

“Souvenir is tender, touching, and completely compelling. I cared so much about these characters, couldn’t put the novel down, read through the night. Therese Fowler writes with such wisdom about young love, intense and impossible choices, and the way one decision can affect an entire life.”
–Luanne Rice

In this powerful fiction debut, Therese Fowler combines the emotional resonance of Nicholas Sparks with the intense, true-to-life richness of Jodi Picoult to create a stunning and dramatic novel all her own.

Meg Powell and Carson McKay grew were raised side by side on their families’ farms, bonded by a love that only deepened. Everyone in their small rural community in northern Florida thought that Meg and Carson would always be together. But at twenty-one, Meg was presented with a marriage proposal she could not refuse, forever changing the course of her life.

Seventeen years later, Meg’s marriage has become routine, and she spends her time juggling the demands of her medical practice, the needs of her widowed father, and the whims of her rebellious teenage daughter, Savannah, who is confronting her burgeoning sexuality in a dangerous manner, and pushing her mother away just when she needs her most. Then, after a long absence, Carson returns home to prepare for his wedding to a younger woman. As Carson struggles to determine where his heart and future lie, Meg makes a shocking discovery that will upset the balance of everyone around her.

Unfolding with warmth and passion, Therese Fowler’s vibrant and moving debut illuminates the possibility of second chances, the naïve choices of youth, the tensions within families, and the wondrous designs of fate. A searing yet redemptive novel, Souvenir is an unforgettable tale about the transforming power of love.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (February 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345499689
• ISBN-13: 978-0345499684
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #736,598 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Be Thinking About The Characters Long After You're Done, February 16, 2008

By	Lisa Kenney (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A painful choice at a very young age sets into motion the futures of Meg Powell and all of those closest to her. Meg's decision poses a question we must then ask ourselves. What are we willing to do for love, out of a sense of obligation and responsibility? Can we really follow our heads instead of our hearts and still be happy?

Therese Fowler brings to us into the world of the Florida citrus growers and of the haves and the have-nots through her beautifully rendered imagery, and we understand the impact that a single choice can make. Life doesn't ever go as planned and when Meg is confronted with a situation where there is no good choice to be made, she's forced to re-examine all of her decisions.

While Meg struggles to come to terms with the hardest reality any human being can face, Savannah, her only child is courting danger. Savannah is a personable, intelligent teenager who believes she's capable of handling far more than her limited experience will really allow. Meg must come to terms with her own problems, and we watch helplessly as Savannah naively slips into a situation she's unequipped to handle.

The book is masterfully plotted, the characters are genuine and the story moves quickly. The author has managed to subtly weave literary imagery and the larger questions about parents and children, marriage, love, responsibility, regret, life and death into this fast moving story, without slowing down a thing.

Souvenir is heartbreaking and as we follow the characters, each with his or her story, we're never sure what will happen next. As each question is answered, each challenge resolved we recognize that the stories end in the only way they ever could.

This is a wonderful book, the writing is superb and the story will have you thinking, long after you read the final page.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart Wrenching Story, March 16, 2008

By	Patricia Kay "author and avid reader" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sometimes I wonder about Publisher's Weekly reviews. Why not let a woman who loves women's fiction and/or love stories review women's fiction and love stories? When I read the PW review of SOUVENIR I wondered if we'd read the same book. I also wondered if the reviewer was simply a frustrated writer who hasn't been able to sell his/her stuff. I'm a successful writer myself. I've sold 47 novels of romance and women's fiction. I also teach writing -- online now and at the University of Houston in the past. I know good writing. And SOUVENIR is a beautifully written book with terrific character development. And Meg, Carson, and Savannah are all terrific characters. I even liked Brian. Yes, he's a scmuck a lot of the time, but underneath there's a decent man. Thing is, real people are not all good or all bad, and real people make stupid choices. What we hope, though, is that we learn by making those mistakes. I loved this book and will recommend it to all my friends. I predict that Therese Fowler will be a huge star one day and my only advice to her is, WRITE FASTER. :) VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story but a little slow, April 27, 2008

By	Gale Lewis "Love to Read" (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This book was sad, modern, but at times was slightly unbelievable and moved slowly. I found myself scanning the pages to get through the chapter because I didn't really care what the characters were doing. The character development was not strong but I cared about the characters and wanted to know what happened to them. I would recommend others to read it but the comparison to Picoult that was on the book jacket is a bit of a stretch for this first novel.