Finding Freedom

by Sharon L. Dean

Leaving Freedom took Connie Lewis from her home in Freedom, Massachusetts, to Florida with her aging mother and then to Ashland, Oregon, where she found success as a writer and a place to call home. Now, forty years later, Connie is eighty years old and has exchanged the Volkswagen she called The Yellow Sub for a Honda Fit she’s nicknamed Last Chance. She’s ready for a last adventure. Finding Freedom follows her on road trip back to the Freedom she left. When she arrives, she faces a decision about where to spend her last years of living. Will it be the Massachusetts where she was born, the Oregon she has learned to call home, or somewhere she hasn’t expected?

Paperback

Published June 14, 2023

About the author

Sharon L. Dean grew up in Massachusetts where she was immersed in the literature of New England. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of New Hampshire, a state she lived and taught in before moving to Oregon. Although she has given up writing scholarly books that require footnotes, she incorporates much of her academic research as background in her mysteries. She is the author of three Susan Warner mysteries and three Deborah Strong mysteries. Her collection Six Old Women and Other Stories explores settings in New Hampshire. Leaving Freedom has been re-released in June 2023 along with a sequel, Finding Freedom. Dean continues to write about New England while she is discovering the beauty of the West.

Reviews

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes you feel like you're right there visiting all these beautiful places with Connie. A perfect follow-up to Leaving Freedom!

[Judith Stanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Finding Freedom," Sharon Dean’s latest literary gift to us all, offers elegiac notes that somehow spark joy on every page. The title should be borne clearly in mind as the reader follows Connie through her various journeys, physical, emotional and spiritual. Connie is a marvelous protagonist who lives fully in the present, yet does not ignore the importance of the past and, especially, the roots that nurture us along our own travels. She is a bold hero, especially so for having been born in mid-20th century: a woman who deeply values family, relates to people from all backgrounds and of all ages, treasures memories of her two long-time lovers, and yet has decided (and does not regret) not to marry or to give birth to children. She fully embraces the literary career she has built and enjoys the worlds it has opened for her – as well as the worlds she has opened for others. A thoughtful and meaningful read for all.