Vivian Rising

by Daniella Brodsky

Vivian Sklar has always depended on her wise and feisty grandmother—not just because Grams raised her after Viv’s mother took off twenty years ago, but because she seemed to have life all figured out. So when Grams dies, Viv feels completely alone. Everything she once knew seems unfamiliar and unwelcoming—until she finds hope in a most unlikely place: the cluttered second-story walk-up of an alarmingly perceptive astrologer. Viv thinks horoscopes are about as reliable as fortune cookies, but when Kavia’s first reading dissuades her from taking a train that later crashes, she’s hooked.

Under Kavia’s guidance, Viv begins to process her grief and rebalance her life. She faces her mother, gets her career back on track, and even shares some meaningful moments with Len, her handsome new neighbor. Every prediction seems to speak directly to Viv’s life, and so far, the stars haven’t steered her wrong. Then the stars tell Viv that the bond she has forged with the insightful yet guarded Len isn’t meant to last. Len has become her greatest source of security and comfort, but just as she settles into his arms—and into his heart—Kavia insists that a relationship with him is dangerous. Now Viv faces a choice: should she follow the path that’s been written in the stars, or trust herself to write her own story?

Witty and honest, Daniella Brodsky’s charming new novel is a powerful tale of moving on, letting go, and keeping the faith—in any form it happens to take.

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Fiction, Ebooks, Contemporary Romance

429 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Daniella Brodsky is the bestselling author of dozens of contemporary romance novels--one of which has been adapted by Disney as the film, Beauty & The Briefcase, starring Hilary Duff (I know, right?!).

She writes sexy, sweet, intelligent romance that often takes readers into far-off destinations. This is because she’s lived all over the world, from New York to London to Sydney and Honolulu. She lives in Australia, and lots of her alpha males are Australian because let’s face it: they’re hot. And the accent doesn’t hurt either. That’s why she married one.

Daniella is an adjunct Creative Writing Lecturer at James Cook University and edits and teaches fiction craft at her Captain Cook Studio. A native New Yorker, she lives in Canberra, Australia, where she is writing her next contemporary romance novel in the FLAME SERIES: INSANELY HOT, THEN NOT, which launches in April and features a particularly epic bad boy billionaire come good.

Do you sometimes like to have a break from your book boyfriends and keep yourself up all night with a heart-pounding twisty psychological thriller full of “oh no you didn’t!” moments? Check out her pen name: Dan Noble

Reviews

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book because, well, the name, obviously. Silly, I know. But we should all be silly sometimes. Plus, I was not disappointed. I wish to invoke the same feelings in my children and grandchildren that Grams did for Viv, the protagonist. She loved her Grams hard.

“It’s comforting to think that no matter where Grams is, no matter how far apart we are, eventually we will make it back to each other again...”

Viv loses her grandma. The woman who raised her, understood her and encouraged her; unlike her loser mother who split and never shared things with She’s on a quest to honor her memory. To keep her alive even. Instead she buries herself in grief the only way she knows how. Wearing her grams house dress and hearing her in her thoughts; guiding her to live.

[Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept but quite hard to read.
I’m not sure if was just my iBooks version there was quite a few mistakenly repeated paragraphs and grammatical errors. It kind of took away from the overall feel of the book. I also found that sentences and paragraphs ran into each other which made it confusing on occasion. I then wondered if this was meant to indicate the main characters way of thinking in prose form?
The front end of the book was much stronger than the back end but overall an interesting read

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I would give it 4 but my kindle version had bits missing or out of sequence during this first half of the book. It’s more of a self discovery book than a romance book. But there is romance and the way they get to know each other is very sweet.
The older persons are loveable and reminded me of Seinfeld’s, “del Boca vista”. The astrology is woven nicely and in don’t have to be a die-hard believer to enjoy it.
If you can hang in until the 55% mark, then keep reading.

[Lisa Cogswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved the writing and Vivians journey. Wish it had loaded comp!etely into my kindle. Missed more pages than I wanted to. Nice story of human growth and struggles with great quotes and funny anecdotes .

Great book full of poignant struggles. Lots of laughs and tears. Great quotes. Sometimes faith in yourself is the hardest to obtain

[L.e. Bascombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

How we cope with relationships

I found this book hard to stay engaged with. The characters in the story provided a view of what it is like to care for seniors be it grandparents or parents and the ways one might cope

[Angeetucker2icloud.Com · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. sorry

[Dee Flournoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy entertaining story. Good advice for
dealing with grief.

[Joanne Beal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great read

This met me wanting more. Just a really good, well written story that most can probably relate to. Enjoy this book.

[Allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yuck. Poorly written, long and windy and dumb. I read 170 pages and couldn't make myself finish. But that is a decent length for me to count as having read it, so I am going to!

[Marilyn Renaudin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious

This was a very enjoyable book to read. I loved the people about whom I read. The story warmed my heart. Sweet and wonderful!

[Inga · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

""

[Tiffany Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The question "What am I going to do?" is simply too intense for Viv to answer with Grams dead on the other side of the door.

Vivian Skylar, food journalist and aspiring author, spent the majority of her life leaning on her grandmother's confidence and strength. After Viv's dad died and her mom decided abandonment was the answer, Grams became Viv's mother figure and best friend. That dependability, that love, puts Viv in a bad spot when Grams dies...the bad spot being the bathroom in Gram's hospital room. There, her attempts at coping with her grandmother's death isn't any easier.

It's not surprising that a neon, pigeon shaped that reads 'Pigeon Astrology' grabbed Viv's attention. What is surprising, definitely for a character who doubts the reliability of horoscopes, is that Viv would ring the apartment's second floor bell. The moment Astrologer Kavia explains Viv's horoscope, Vivian is hooked. Never has every corner of her soul been so bluntly spelled out.

In the beginning, her new dependency on Kavia's forecasts and guidance seem all good. Viv avoids getting on a train Kavia predicts will crash and meets a wonderful guy named Len. Soon, Len and her grow such a bond that when the stars tell Viv that Len and her are not meant to be, Viv is back asking the same question from page one.

What is she going to do? Should she finally take control of her life or should she keep depending on Kavia and her horoscopes?

Daniella Brodsky did a beautiful job with Vivian Rising. The writing style is clear and full of funny, yet insightful comparisons and thoughts. The narrative fits well with the qoutes/passages in the beginning of each chapter; in fact, some of them still make me smile when they come to mind. All the characters, even the ones that only made a few appearances, had a startling realisticness to them. When I first started reading, I expected astrology to take the story over. Not that I would have minded. I'm not a big astrology junkie, nor do I believe all of it is the absolute truth, but I do enjoy reading about virgos. I also have a bad habit of searching the compatibility between me and any new guy I grow a serious crush on. Daniella didn't let that happen, though. She made sure astrology was a back drop important to Vivian's development.

I enjoyed Len and Vivian's romance. Since I'm mostly a paranormal/fantasy reader, and much of the romance I've read in those genres often come across as over the top (I'm not big on romance), I found Len and Viv's growing love refreshingly complex and simple. I loved the odd gifts they left each other, the disagreements, the time they spent both apart and together. Not once did I roll my eyes.
Vivian Rising is a story about what it means to take charge, cope with grief, and live life -- all messages that none of us should miss out on.
_____________________________-
My name is Tiffany Cole, and I'm a book reviewer for Suspense Magazine. I am also an aspiring young writer. Savior of the Damned, the supernatural/dark urban fantasy novel I've been writing and editing for five years, is one step away from the agent/publisher hunt. You can find me in many places:

writergirllw@yahoo.com
tiffanyrambles.blogspot.com
http://suspensemagazine.com/
writershaven.tk
rhemalda.com/
http://tinyurl.com/27x9sdz {My Facebook}

[Bookaholics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky
Contemporary Romance - Aug. 3, 2010
4 stars

Vivian Rising is a book that I feel most people will appreciate. It is a coming of age story that has an off beat charm that doesn’t take itself completely seriously.

Viv has just lost her beloved grandmother. She is devastated and feeling lost. Without the direction and humor of her grandmother she feels her live taking a dive. Now she must become responsible but she doesn’t know how or even if she wants to. First thing is contacting her impetuous and crazy mother. Whose abandonment has led to many of Viv’s insecurities. A mother who doesn’t want her and only seems to wants what Viv can do for her. But a surprising turn occurs when Viv finds an astrologer/fortune teller who gives her advice and much needed direction. Slowly Viv discovers more confidence and meaning in her life with the astrologer’s guidance. And the most startling is the new and fragile relationship she begins with Len. Len is handsome and seems to really understand her. His support and thoughtfulness touch Viv. But Len doesn’t believe in that astrology mumbo jumbo. And when the astrologer tells her Len isn’t good for her Vuv will have to make a real decision. What is really important and real.

This was an insightful book and one people who love transformative and empowering novels will enjoy. The main character is very human and I think anyone will find something about her that they can relate to. Len is absolutely mouth watering. He is a guy all women will love. Sexy, smart, and caring he reminded me of the guy next door with a little edge.

The only thing that turned me off was that Viv was really difficult to like for a large section of the beginning of the book. Sure, she is quirky and interesting but she is also very self-centered and immature. In contrast, the hero was endearing and at first I wasn’t sure what he saw in Viv. But Viv has lost faith in herself. It took me a while before I actually enjoyed reading her character. I understand why the author gave her so many hang-ups but for me they seemed very exaggerated and even off putting. I wish she had had a few less quirks which would have also made her transformation more believable. However, I really did enjoy the 2nd half of the book as Viv asserts her independence and I found her take charge attitude energizing.

Upbeat and filled with a lively cast this book will charm many readers who like eccentric and eclectic characters. I feel this story will be one readers looking for a light book with real emotion and depth will take pleasure in.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

[Julie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog: http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/0...
My take: The story opens in Grams' hospital room, where Vivian has gone into the bathroom in an effort to avoid seeing the life-saving efforts of the hospital staff. As she's thinking that this is a movie and that the doctors and nurses were just putting on an act, she walks out to see her Grams with her eyes closed and the machines that had been monitoring her being rolled away.

Now Viv is all alone in the world, her absent, promiscuous and irresponsible mother having left her to the care of Grams after her father died. She has a job that she dislikes and a boss that hates her (and vice versa). She is lucky enough to work with her very best friend from childhood, who almost always manages to make her smile, even through the bad.

As Viv tries to cope with the loss of her grandmother, she finds herself in the office of an astrologer, Kavia, who seems to have much insight. As Viv becomes "hooked" on Katia's readings, she finds herself relying on her readings more and more, almost unable to make a move without consulting her first.

She meets the 'man' Kavia told her about, the son of her next-door neighbor, who is home helping his father cope with what may be his final illness They have an instant connection, but later find themselves barely on speaking terms.

In spite of what could be heavy subject matter, this book is a charmer, wittily written and pretty darn fun. Within the first few pages, the reading voice in my head changed to a Brooklynite's dialect, with a touch of Jewish hutzpah thrown in. The characters are people that we all know and like (well, except for Viv's boss Stan, who we would all like to chuck our shoe at). You will find yourself rooting for Viv, pushing her to stand up to her mother, and pushing her to do the right thing.

QUOTE:

I look at the calendar and know just what to do for Grams: I should go into Manhattan and order a falafel sandwich with extra tahini and tomatoes at Rainbow Falafe. And the second I bite into it, just as she always did, I should complain there isn't enough tahini and tomatoes. And then twenty minutes later I should say, That was the best falafel in the world--just the perfect amount of tahini and tomatoes. This she would find the perfect tribute.

Book Rating. 3.75 out of 5 stars

[Charline Ratcliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had just finished reading and reviewing a different book when I received the following email: “Is there anything new on the pending list that looks interesting?” my editor/friend’s message asked. I chuckled because I really was planning to send him my “what I want to read list” the following day. Traveling back and forth between three states sometimes causes me to be slower than normal and unfortunately coffee can only do so much! Anyway, I promptly went to visit that “pending list” and as I perused it I came across the title “Vivian Rising” by Daniella Brodsky. After looking it over via Amazon, and as you’ve no doubt guessed by now, I asked that it be sent to me.

The premise of “Vivian Rising” is this: Vivian Sklar has lived with her grandmother ever since her mother abandoned her. “Grams” makes Vivian feel safe because she is wise, feisty and gives Vivian the impression that she has life all figured out. When Grams passes away Vivian feels completely alone and bereft. Suddenly her comfortable world is no longer familiar. As she desperately searches for solace she happens upon an extremely perceptive astrologer who is intent on passing along some cosmic help. For a fee of course… “Vivian Rising” is the story of a young woman who, because of her grandmother’s death, is just now realizing that she knows nothing about herself. It’s the story of her life as she frees herself from a mundane and unfulfilling existence in order to allow peace, love, and happiness into her life.

For the most part I would say that “Vivian Rising” was a cute story. Brodsky is a talented writer and her words paint vivid pictures which allow the book’s characters to come to life. Sadly, I noticed some errors which pulled me out of the book because I had to re-read them just to be sure I had read those sections correctly. Example: Viv takes a drink of water but is too shocked to swallow and holds it in her mouth. Next, she makes a joke and I, of course, wonder where the water went. Finally, she “…speaks, forgetting the water, splashing it out down her chin and over her chest.” Lastly, I felt that the ending was unbelievable. One of my criteria for any fictional book I read is that it at least be believable to its own story. Based upon the character of Vivian’s love interest, which had been spelled out over and over again throughout the book, I was totally unable to “buy” the ending that was provided.

(Reviewed in association with Rebecca's Reads).

[Stargazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and the astrology was good other than a glaring mistake.
The love interest has birth data of october 31st 1973 at 10.27 pm, making him a scorpio, but the astrologer says he is a double scorpio, that is, he has a scorpio sun with a scorpio ascendant (or rising sign). This is impossible, as someone born with sun on the ascendant has to be born near dawn. An evening birthtime around 10 or 11 would give a sun in the 4th or 5th house, with a likely ascendant of cancer or leo.
The astrologer didn't ask for birthplace either which is necessary to draw up the birthchart.
Vivian's chart has a lot of astrological detail, well researched, perhaps it belongs to the author or someone close to her?
I liked the author's note at the end of the book regarding astrology and her interest in it and appreciate that she's tried to research the subject but can't imagine how she just overlooked the fact that the data and chart didn't match other than she did not cast the birthchart for Len. A big oops...

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

From My Blog...[return][return]Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky is an absolute delight to read. Filled with wit, wisdom, enjoyable characters and the never-ending quest to find out what one is meant to be when one grows up. Her Grams raised Vivian and when she passed away, Vivian was at quite a loss as to how to continue on, until Kavia enters her life and while at first, Vivian is skeptical about all the astrological predictions Kavia makes, until she begins to see them coming true. Kavia takes Vivian under her wing and helps Vivian to soar. With the exception of the astrology bits, I found this book to be a jolly good and enlightening novel. Vivian Rising covers just about all the emotional bases and does so smoothly without separating the story. The characters are so vividly described and charming that I wholeheartedly fell for Richter and Len all the while rooting for Vivian as she encountered each new step, willing her the strength needed to take the leaps of faith necessary to get from one point to another. I would recommend Vivian Rising to anyone looking for a delightful, feel-good novel to get lost in. It is my opinion that Vivian Rising would make for an excellent discussion group book.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful book; badly written and not worth reading. l picked it off a random shelf in the library on a whim, intrigued by the emotional parallels the book's plot to my own life: a twenty-something woman searching for her direction in life after a death of a loved one. She comes to rely on horoscope readings as footholds towards the great unknown. The premise was interesting but the prose was immature and the organization bad. I dropped it about halfway through and wasted more time than I would have liked. Don't read it unless you want an example of bad writing.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very endearing story of a girl who was raised by her grandmother. The book opens with Viv in her grandmother's hospital room as she passes away and tells the story of how she deals with the loss of the most important person in her life.

Viv was a little tough to relate to in the beginning of the book. She was very interesting but at times could be very immature. I did admire how much she grew and transformed throughout the book as she gained her independence.

[Sharon Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great holiday read, just a little deeper then your regular chick-lit. I suspect anyone who has grieved over a lost loved one could easily identify with this. Or alternatively hate it for its shallowness. I did appreciate the honesty, and loved the character of the Grandma... too bad she died just as the book started because she was much more interesting then our "protagonist". Although I guess that is probably the point. Oh, and one spelling error jolted me right out the story.

[Melanie Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just to out there/all over the place for me to enjoy the book. I did finish the book, but it was a chore. I will try another book from the author, but if it has the same feel as this, I will close it and walk away.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst book I've ever read, but certainly not the best either.

[Sharlane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character, Vivian, has too much angst for me. I just wanted to yell at her to grow up through most of the book. I only finished it because it was the monthly book for my book club.

[Natarsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story. Sad at first, but the main character gets through .... the strength she reveals to herself is beautiful. The ending unexpected! But very welcoming... Loved reading this.

[Jennifer Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some truly touching parts to the book but there were also some predictable parts.