โ Scribed by Diane Chamberlain
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Healing, be it psychological, physiological or spiritual, informs this humane but too-familiar novel from veteran writer Chamberlain (The Courage Tree, etc.). The daughter of '60s free spirits, Joelle D'Angelo is a recently divorced, naturally empathetic social worker at a coastal California hospital. Unfortunately, she's madly in love with co-worker Liam Sommers, who just happens to be married to her best friend, Mara. Things are particularly tricky because Mara, once a brilliant psychiatrist, suffered brain damage caused by an aneurysm while giving birth to her son, Sam. Liam has remained a dutiful husband to his near-comatose wife, visiting her every opportunity he gets, but that doesn't stop him from sleeping with (and impregnating) Joelle in a moment of weakness. Into this tangled thicket of guilt, misery and self-abnegation comes Carlynn Shire, an elderly doctor with "mystical" healing powers, whose aid Joelle enlists to resuscitate Mara, for Liam's sake. Carlynn's past is revealed through a series of flashbacks: her initial discovery of her preternatural abilities, her romance with husband-to-be Alan Shire and her troubled but loving relationship with her insecure twin sister, Lisbeth. The novel's two narrative threads, Carlynn's past and Joelle's present, flow inexorably toward a "twist" ending that feels contrived and predictable. It's difficult to dislike Chamberlain's well-paced tale, especially since its protagonists are such an inherently sympathetic, good-hearted lot. Still, there are few surprises and fewer original insights into love, loss and self-sacrifice to be found here. Agent, Ginger Barber. National advertising; teaser chapter in January paperback edition of The Courage Tree.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Life and death seem to go hand in hand in Joelle's life. When she was born while her parents were living at a commune in Big Sur, California, the cord was wrapped around her neck, and Carolynn, a famous healer, saved her. Thirty-four years later, she's contemplating asking Carolynn for help again. While giving birth more than a year ago, Joelle's best friend, Mara, suffered a brain aneurysm and has been left in a semi-vegetative state. As Mara's husband, Liam, and Joelle visit her in a nursing home, they end up romantically involved until guilt destroys their friendship, leaving Joelle to face the consequences when she discovers that she's pregnant. Driven by her desire to see Liam and Mara happy, Joelle decides to contact Carolynn and find out if she truly is a healer and will be willing to help. As Chamberlain examines myriad forms of love, her complicated novel will bring tears to her readers, but they won't regret the experience. Patty Engelmann
Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved
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