A Winter Dandelion

by Amy Steiner

After enduring a violent childhood, Cammie O'Malley has built a safe, happy life with her young family. But when her mother, Delos, develops dementia and Cammie moves her in, dark memories from her past come back to haunt her. Relying on her resilient spirit and wry humor, Cammie works to overcome her past while still caring for her mother. But then Bobby Joe McAllister, Delos' disgusting boyfriend, arrives from Florida and whisks Delos away to parts unknown. While the family searches desperately for Delos, Cammie must also cope with her overdeveloped sense of responsiblity for her mother, and the knowledge that nothing in her life will ever change until she does.

Genres: Fiction

239 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2011

About the author

Growing up in a large Catholic family with two artistic parents, I was blessed with a plethora of material to work with.

I used to journal, mostly for therapy and it was there that I discovered how much I loved to write. Later I wrote music and lyrics and had some success with that, appearing on television and cutting a demo tape.

Selling poetry and articles gave me a great deal of confidence for writing a novel, which I finally completed in November 2011. A Winter Dandelion is now on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/A-Winter-Dandel...

I love to read and find there is nothing like curling up with a good book. I have my favorite authors but enjoy discovering new writers as well.

Please visit me at http://www.versability.net/

Reviews

[Michelle LeKander · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started off really good. A story of a woman who takes her mom into her home when she starts showing signs of Alzheimer's and dementia. The characters were very believable and you could identify easily with all of them. There were parts of the book that made me laugh out loud and others that made me really sad.
Unfortunately, for me the ending just kind of fizzled out. It was like the author decided to change the course of the book at the very end and had no real plan for how she wanted it to end.
Barely 3 stars for me

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book, and I really enjoyed it ,and I was consumed by it. I could identify with the main character , as well as with the other family members. I felt this could my life ,my story, these events happened to me. The ending was in general, a happy ending , and was plausible.
Great story, by a great writer. Perhaps there will be a sequel- called the Summer Dandelion. Summer Lucky, Summer not.

Cheers!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a quarter of the way thru the book and really enjoying the characters and storyline. Probably going to be an all nighter with this one.

[Patty Mcintosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. It hit close to home since my mother is suffering from dementia. Loved the outcome of the book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story about a woman's life with her aging mom with dementia. She had me laughing and crying and the ending was awesome. Great read.

[Jakki · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read this year, once I started it I couldn't put it down, I really loved it

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard having your mother move in with you, your husband and 2 small boys but when the mom has dementia, it's a recipe for disaster. Out of Delos's 4 daughters, Cammie was the one who was always responsible, rose to the occasion and did what was necessary. While dealing with her mother's erratic behavior and her youngest child's dislike of his grandmother, Delos's boyfriend shows up. Obviously a deadbeat, homeless and smelly, his presence causes Cammie to find a facility where her mother would be safe from his intentions. In the meantime, Cammie has difficulty dealing with the present when past memories surface and consume her. The end is a surprise and a good one at that. I had to laugh several times during the story and could picture this tiny, white haired old lady trying everyone's patience while wandering around in her robe and slippers.

[Therese]

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