Pretty Sassy Cool All Things Pretty, Sassy, and Cool.
The Light of Hidden Flowers by Jennifer Handford Published by Lake Union Publishing on November 10, 2015
Genres: Literary Fiction
Pages: 368
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Book-smart Melissa Fletcher lives a predictable life in her hometown, working behind the scenes for her charismatic father in a financial career that makes perfect sense. But when her dad is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Missy is forced to step up and take over as his primary caregiver and the principal of the firm.
After her father’s death, Missy finds a letter from him in which he praises her for being a dutiful daughter but admonishes her for not taking any risks in life.
Devastated, Missy packs her suitcase and heads for Italy. There she meets a new friend who proposes a radical idea. Soon, Missy finds herself in impoverished India, signing away her inheritance and betting on a risky plan while rekindling a lost love.
The Light of Hidden Flowers is a deeply felt story of accepting who we are while pushing our boundaries to see how much more we can become. It’s a reminder that it’s never too late to pursue our dreams.
Katie: I love a book that takes me on a journey; any kind of journey. I want to feel the excitement of the trek to uncharted territory. I want to feel like I am there with the characters. When I look at the words on the page, I don’t want to see only words. I want to see worlds that are so vibrant I forget that I’ve never actually been there. This is how I felt while reading The Light of Hidden Flowers.
It starts off on Missy Fletcher’s 35th birthday; thirty-five and living a career driven life still practically in her father’s nest. I instantly felt a connection to Missy because she is an anxious introvert and her fears mirrored many of my own.
She works and spends majority of her time with her father, Frank Fletcher. Frank is the exact opposite of Missy. He is bold and outgoing in a way that Missy thinks she will never be able to replicate. That is until the demon that is Alzheimer’s takes control of him.
After her father’s passing Missy realizes she might not be the person she thinks she is. She takes a step back and looks at her life, then realizes her father may have been right. So begins her journey of self discovery, adventure, friendship, and love.
The part of the book where Frank Fletcher was deteriorating was such a hard thing to read. I was a sobbing mess. Even though that broke my heart, I could still see myself reading this book again in the future because the amount of growth seen from start to finish was so rejuvenating.
Married to a swoony boy of my own 🙂
Mom to two amazing boys.
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| Overall: | 4.5 |
