Here and Again

by Nicole R. Dickson

Deep in the Shenandoah Valley, the present and the past are as restless as the river mists. And when they collide, the heart is the only compass pointing home.
 
For nurse Ginger Martin, her late husband’s farm is both a treasured legacy and the harbinger of an uncertain future. Since he was recently killed in Iraq, every day is fraught with grief that won’t abate. Keeping the farm going and nourishing her children’s hopes without him seems as impossible as having dreams for the future—or going back into the past....
 
By a curious coincidence, a stranger appears in Ginger’s life, always showing up to help in unexpected and much-needed ways. He says he’s a soldier, lost and trying to make his way home, but Ginger understands that Samuel is a kindred spirit, longing to repair a life interrupted. The challenges of their hopes and longings will test who they really are in the most heartbreaking of ways. And only by coming to terms with their losses and the necessity of change will Ginger and Samuel be able to each make a future of their own—and discover at last where their true home lies....
 

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Love

400 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2014

About the author

Nicole R. Dickson is a writer residing in North Carolina. Her first novel, Casting Off, was a top ten entry in the first Amazon Breakthough Novel Award. Her second novel, Here and Again, published in 2014 Penguin/NAL.

Nicole R. Dickson's is writing the orphan stories.

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't work for me. I found this title on a "time-slip" list, thinking this was going to be time travel and it wasn't. It was paranormal and that is not my kind of genre....at all. So, I felt jipped which didn't help.

This was a sweet story, no doubt. I had problems with the descriptions that added only to the word count. That is one of my major pet peeves. I also didn't feel connected to the characters. They were nice, acceptable people, but not particulary memorable...well maybe the young Amish alcoholics were.

[Karen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, emotionally satisfying, this book combines what I guess would be contemporary women's fiction (subjects of family, parenting, identity) with historical fiction (Civil War in Virginia) in a wonderfully creative way.
One of those books where I had to stop recording during the final chapters to blow my nose because I was crying so much! Didn't want to leave the world Dickson created....

[Gabby-Lily Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received Here and Again as a GoodReads First Read.

I started reading the book the day I received the book in the mail and couldn't put it down. It encompasses timeless themes for me: hopes, dreams, love, family, friendship, and....continuity with a sprinkling of tradition and roots.

It is also a story of how things may not turn out as expected, yet bring new perspectives to long standing problems.

Having a deep appreciation of Civil War history, I also enjoyed how Ms. Dickson wove some of it in a certain character's letters to his sweetheart back home.

Wonderful story and a wonderfully lyrical author.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "Here and Again," Ginger really wants to keep her husband's family farm in the Virginia countryside after he is killed in action in Iraq. She wants her three children to be able to grow up on the farm as was her husband's dream. The reality is that Ginger doesn't have enough money to keep the farm afloat nor does she know how to effectively run a farm. She's losing hope of being able to keep the farm when a ghost (of all things) appears to her. Samuel is a ghost from the Civil War (although he prefers she would call him a spirit instead of a ghost). He says that he will be able to help Ginger and her children run the farm. Ginger is pretty sure she's seeing things by as she has no other choice she decides to go along with the plan. This is a great story about family with the paranormal twist.

I really enjoyed this engaging story. It is definitely a different kind of story and I love reading something new and different. The part about Samuel being from the past was not expected at all from reading the synopsis of the book but it was a nice surprise for me. In a lot of ways, this book reminded me of Audrey Niffenegger's "The Time Traveler's Wife," which is one of my favorite stories.

The story is definitely a unique way and if you're looking for something off the beaten path, this might be a great pic for you. I really enjoyed the way that the author was able to make the spirit in the story feel authentic. I like that the author chose to include letters from Samuel to his lover during Civil War times. It allows you to get a little bit of a taste of of the time that Samuel actually lived in.I also liked how Ginger and the children dealt with the appearance of the Spirit. I thought that the author definitely did a good job of making everything feel very real, which is important to me in a book like this. Overall, I really enjoyed this story!

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here and Again by Nicole R. Dickson
Have read the author's other works and loved the book and am looking forward to this book. It's a tale about the woods and trails which I strive to get to on the weekends.
We have traveled to the area of Shenandoah and have enjoyed it but didn't explore much about the battles. This book is about a family, a mother and her three children and they live on the mother in laws farm in Virginia.
She is a nurse and travels to work some shifts quite a distance from home. She was raised in Seattle, WA and has found a home on the farm. Others have been caring for it as her husband is fighting a war in Afghanistan.
Decisions must be made when he is killed. Others in the family want the old woman to sell the farm but the farm was to go to the man's children.
The story is also about a solider back in the Civil War days. He'd write to his true love as she and her family escaped to head further south to avoid the turmoil. Love the violet hour and the saga of the buttons. Quite a unique tale as this author knows how to bring them both together in one story.
I received this book from Edelweiss by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.in exchange for my honest review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

received this book through a giveaway and I'm not gunna lie, I was nervous as hell to start it. Normally I don't like the "Housewife books" , you know what I mean, the love and sap just don't appeal to me.
So after I got this book it took me a while to actually get up the nerve to read it. So after about a week of it sitting on my shelf I thought... with you don't read if you don't take chances... I cracked open the front cover and paged through the title pages, signed page and the acknowledgments and  see a letter dated May 10, 1861 I immediately start reading. This one letter along was written with more description than most of my recent books.
Let me just say Nicole Dickson has a way with words. Once I got started I couldn't stop! She seamlessly brought together past and present in a wonderful story of love, Loss, and making it through life. Miss Dickson, I applaud you and your talent for writing and keeping the reader wanting more! If you need a good cry book... GET IT NOW!

[DL · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing in this book hooked me in from the very start - Ms. Dickson has a beautifully lyrical way of writing and I felt there was so much symbolism within the pages, that now having finished I realize this is one of those books that would be well worth rereading to catch all the things I missed the first time around. I think this book would make a perfect book club read - so much rich food for discussion. I loved her characters - so many but all serving a great purpose within the story. Dealing with the topic of 2 different wars and the death of loved ones, this book can be very sad, however the ultimate message the story leaves the reader with is an uplifting one. I am thankful I had the opportunity to win this book through a firstreads giveaway and would encourage others to read this book slowly so as to savor all it has to offer.

[Rrshively · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3 and 1/2 stars as this is a little better than 3 but not quite 4. If the blurb leads you to believe this is a romance, you will be misled. A woman who has recently lost her husband in Iraq wants to hold on to his legacy of a farm in Virginia for her children. One day she sees a soldier in a Civil War uniform. Is he an enactor? He turns out to be a friendly and helpful spirit trying to find his way home. This is a book of loss, courage, and helpfulness. The novel is most enjoyed if you believe in spirits while reading this novel whether you do in your real life or not. Be prepared to read beautiful descriptive passages throughout this book.

[Jill Choate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nicole R Dickson's first book Casting off is one of my all time favorites so I was so excited to read this book. Oh boy, what a disappointment. I love the bits of supernatural she puts in her stories but Samuel's (the ghosts) abilities are really quite unbelievable. A book needs to make sense and the main character's (Ginger) in-laws that are "entitled" to the grandmother's farm is pure horse hockey. Since her husband helped farm the land and lived their with his family why would it be his parents entitled land? Osbey (Grandma) is alive and can leave it to who ever she wants. So, sorry can't recommend this. Love a good story but if it doesn't make sense all it does is irritate me.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an alright book, dull at times which led me to keep setting it down. I did return to it and stubbornly finished it but I wasn't left impressed.

The story was nice enough and it had some passages that gave deep thought but overall it just left some irritations with how it was handled.

I can't even be bothered to do a proper summary so honestly just ignore me and read someone else's lol

[Kathleen Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started out not thinking that I was going to like this book. But the more I got into it, the more involved I became with the characters. I definitely enjoyed this book! Would recommend this fictional novel!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction...a lot like Somewhere in Time.

[Vickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The whole "spirit" theme just didn't work for me.

Go Cards! L1C4!!

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://openbooksociety.com/article/he...

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kim

his is one book you have to really pay close attention to because it goes back and forth to the here and now to back when but it totally makes the book. This is a heartbreaking story that eventually mends the hearts of the characters and readers alike. To lose a love and to try to carry on when they are gone is hard enough but when you try to do it raising kids and working and trying to keep your love’s dream alive it’s nearly impossible. Only a few are lucky enough to have help from someone who is here but not here.

Ginger Martin lost her husband in Iraq and she is really having a hard time coming to terms with her loss and the changes his death has forced her into. Worried about her home and being away from her parents are also making her homesick and on top of all that her husband Jesse’s mother is trying to take away the farm. Then for some reason Samuel comes to help when Ginger seems to need it.

Samuel is from the past and is trying to get home to his love Juliette but every time he tries to pass over it seems like Ginger calls him to help; something she’s not aware of. Neither him or Ginger seem to know the why of it all until later.

Samuel helps Ginger and her three kids and Jesse’s Grandmother on the road to running a good and profitable farm and this in itself places more on Ginger’s shoulders. Finally Ginger gives in and gives notice to her place of work and pulls her kids out of school to home school them. Now they seem to be coming together as a family and it looks like the healing may be starting.

This is great read and it shows what people can do if they stand back and look at life in the eyes of others and it sures helps when you have people that are glad to help you get a start on it. Thankfully Ginger’s parents decide to move in with them and it’s now an operating family farm. Finally it looks like there may be peace for Ginger. Now the problem is how to get Samuel home.

I just absolutely loved this story, there is action, mystery, danger, love and death. A smorgasbord of everything any genre of reader could hope for and appreciate. A work of art by Nicole and I look forward to reading more of her work.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review - full review on twoclasschics.com

I am not so sure I even have the words to describe the depth the author has created with this story but I am going to try. Here and Again is a book about love and overcoming heartbreak. A book about family; the love and giving of others, for others. It is an amazing book of parallel lives that will bring you to tears in many areas.

I started this book with a bit of confusion. At first, it was hard to really figure out why you were reading letters from the 1860′s and then jumping into today. It took several chapters to comfortably fall into the dual storylines but once I did, the direction of the book became clearer.

I am not one to give details in my review because I want you to find out the things I did about the story and be as excited to turn each page as I am. But I will say that this book is an amazingly crafted piece of art. The work and detail that went into this is evident with the rich history of the area and extreme details of the home within that era. I Love how belief in something greater that us takes hold and changes everyone and everything in the story.

This is a comforting book in many ways. With an in depth look at a military widow and the changes she must make in life yet continue to honor her husband, this book is so much more than what the back cover reveals. Awesome read I highly recommend to get your mind wondering where the story will lead and what it all really means!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here and Again combines love, loss, joy, family, community, duty and loyalty with an element of historical mixed in, as only a story about the South where the Civil War is part of the heritage. Ginger Moon is living on her late husband's family farm with Grandma Osbee, when deep i n despair she sees Samuel, a Civil War Soldier lost without his ending. Blending his story with her story they come together to save the farm for her three children, she learns to live and share in new ways more in keeping with the past and finds a way to create a family farm where the family lives farming and enjoys the work and love of the land together.

Here and Again is full of emotions, ups and downs and has an element of fantasy with one character being a spirit. It may not be everyone's idea of a romance when it doesn't give a classic happy ever after ending but it does share the reality of the brave families left behind by men and women that have lost their lives in the service of our country. It honors the duty and love they show for the service to our country.

I send my thanks to Nichole R. Dickson, the author and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for my copy of Here and Again that I won in the Giveaway.

[Cyndy Aleo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you could seamlessly blend the movie Field of Dreams with Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife and season liberally with John Jakes’ North and South, you might find yourself with this unputdownable book. Dickson deftly draws the humanity out of two wars in which the U.S. has seen many horrors and places Ginger’s story against a backdrop that blends scars from the two. With small, intimate details, Dickson brings even secondary characters to life. Never maudlin, Ginger’s pain will resonate and stick with readers who will want to move to a farm — with horse-drawn plows — and hug each and every one in Ginger’s circle.

Ginger Martin lost her husband to the Iraq War. Alone with her three children and her husband’s grandmother, she’s facing a move back to her hometown of Seattle. A stranger who seems to appear randomly has other thoughts, however, and helps her find her way in the present while coming to terms with her past.

Reviewed for RT Book Reviews June 2014 issue: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/here-and-again

Top Pick!

[Judy Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nichole R. Dickson’s HERE AND AGAIN, is a beautiful novel of loss, love, redemption, and finding your way home.

Dickson dives into the lives and histories of families, and back to the Civil War, with well-developed characters, drawing readers into a magical world as the novel shifts back and forth between Ginger and Samuel’s POV.

Ginger lost her husband in Iraq and she is raising three children. She is living on a farm where her husband grew up, owned by her husband’s grandmother.

Set deep in the Shenandoah Valley, Ginger dreams of the past. When a stranger appears in her life, he says he’s a soldier, and trying to make his way home, but Ginger understands Samuel is a kindred spirit.

HERE AND AGAIN takes you on a remarkable journey as readers learn about all the pieces of their life, while seamlessly intertwining the past and present, from grief to joy.

I listened to the audiobook, read by Karen White which was warmhearted and easy flowing.

Readers enjoying contemporary or historical fiction will appreciate Dickson’s lyrical style. I look forward to reading more by this author!

[Pammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply satisfying novel that touches on many subjects of personal interest: American history, battlefields, families in crisis, heroine as a registered nurse, a mystery,the challenges of life 'down on the farm', etc.
The recently widowed mother of three,her mother-in-law, and curious stranger who appears in their lives are just a few of the characters that Ms Dickson effectively creates and with whom you will instantly bond.
Be sure you finish this often bittersweet story by reading the author's notes. She invites...no, it's stronger than that.... she implores us to find our own history, to walk the paths of our own history. She stresses talking with grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and siblings. Listen to their stories. "When you walk through history, you become a part of it. Find your place in it and it becomes your history...your story. Find your own story."

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the classic story of girl looses boy in Iraq War. Girl meets boy from Civil War. But this isn’t so much a romance as it is finding your own way. It is ultimately a story of perspectives.

This is a good summer read. It is light, but has substance. It is full of sadness, but it is removed from that sadness by time so you won’t be boo-hooing at the beach. It also play with the idea that time might exist all at once, but not in a way that is hard to follow. It will just make you think a bit and keep the story interesting.

[Reading Fool · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This was a beautifully written book. It has two storylines, one set in the present and the other set during the Civil War. Ginger Martin is a nurse and a widow, mourning her husband's death while serving as a soldier in Iraq. Samuel Annanais is a Confederate soldier whose story is told through his letters to his wife Juliette. Ginger's and Samuel's lives are intertwined in a surprising way, and the language used by Nicole Dickson is lyrical, especially in Samuel's correspondence. I loved this book.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

At a certain point in a book you have to make a decision whether to finish it or bail. In this case I had enough time invested I decided to stick with it and it would get better. I wish I'd bailed. It just did nothing for me. Single mom and widow of a soldier, struggling to overcome her grief and raise her 3 children encounters Sam, a Civil War ghost. And back and forth it goes throughout the story from Sam's letters to Juliet, to his conversations with the widow and his inability to cross over until he found Juliet.

[Karen Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If one’s mind is broad enough to accept that a ghost can be a main character, this book can be enjoyed for its historical references to the Civil War as well as seeing Ginger morph from a grieving widow to a farmer, a bold step indeed. I did not enjoy Samuel’s letters to Juliette, written in a rather poetic style, however appropriate for the style of that time. This is a fairly good read that will be enjoyed by many who seek stories involving the spirit world.

[Brandi Larsen]

This is the book that has stayed in my thoughts since I read it.

The way Dickson weaves the stories of the past and present and how she's able to push her character through grief is incredible. I loved reading how the family comes together when it's being torn apart -- and it gave me ideas and inspiration on how I want to lead my own life. Highly recommend.

I work at Penguin, but did not affect this review.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read. A nurse with three children is recovering from her husband's death in the mid east. She is visited by a helpful spirit from the Civil War. The story switches from the present with Samuel's spirit helping Ginger save her husband's farm to the past with Samuel writing letters to his sweetheart as he fights in the Shenandoah campaign. Really wonderful merging of history or courage.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Author pens "Here and Again" in a plot filled with historic details, heartache, love and healing. A great read although it was a bit hard to follow until I figured out that there was a lot of bouncing from then and now, but once you understood that it went much easier. The Author brings her characters to life realistically. Recommended for all readers.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I graciously received a free copy through first reads.

This book is about two people lost in life and find each other. Decent story, but I don't like the whole ghost/time travel concept. No "happy" ending, just life moving forward.

Was a quick read.

[Ashlee Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I don't usually write reviews on books but this one makes me feel the need too. The beginning started out slow for me then turned into a book I couldn't put down. The end was a little confusing to me on why it ended where it did, I would recommend reading this book to anyone.

[Rhoda Lipphard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, the story makes you want to believe good things happen to good people. There are moments that make you cry, but it's necessary for the story. I think you have to be open to the concept that there might be spirits and strange connections can exist.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the premise of the story, that two people separated in time, but not in place, could each perform actions impacting the present of the other person. Well written and interesting, it proved to be a very fast read.