New Beginnings

by Jill Barnett

Rare book

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Amazon

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2008

About the author

New York Times Bestselling Author Jill Barnett is master storyteller known for her beautifully-written love stories rich with humor, emotion, and poignancy. She is the winner of Lifetime Achievement Awards for Love and Laughter and Historical Romance and is a six-time Romance Writers of America RITA nominee and winner of both a Persie Award for Literature and a Waldenbooks Award. Her books have been named Best of the Year by Dallas Morning News, Detroit Free Press, and Kirkus Review and she was the first historical romance author to ever receive a starred review from Publishers Weekly. She stands alongside Judith McNaught as one of only two authors to ever receive a six-star review from Affaire de Coeur Magazine and her work has been published in 23 languages and appeared on numerous bestseller lists. She lives in the PNW with her family.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I got on a website that tells me what Kindle books are free. This was one and it was worth about what I paid for it. I dont like reading on Kindle. I like the feel of the book and turning pages and knowing how long a book is. That said, I didn't expect much from this except mind candy, and it was amost that. I know many people like this author, and she sells lots of books. For me, she overwrites. She describes every piece of furniture in such minute detail that I forget why she went to the desk or sat on the chair.

So, when very young March meets Mike, they fall in love. He invents a snwboard and they have four children, make lots of money and love each other a lot. There was something more "sweet" in their relationship than in most I have known.

I related some to her when Mike is killed. However, I didn't have much in common with her as she grieved by buying dozens of designer handbags. And within the year she was in love and married again. Some gals get all the breaks.

[E.B. Loan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was copied from my book review blog at:
Elsie Loves Fiction

1. Bridge to Happiness, Jill Barnett

Ms. Barnett is a well seasoned author. With 13 novels & seven short stories in print, I was surprised to find her book, Bridge to Happiness, as a kindle freebie. But, on my search for something new, there it was. I downloaded and dove in.
Before I post my opinion of the story, I want to take a minute and talk about the quality of the piece. As a writer I am acutely aware that mistakes slip out. It is a fate worse than death (as a newbie) to get a copy of your baby & find glaring misprints: commas in the wrong place, quotations that are missing, misspellings, etc. As a nobody, you know that 99.9% of the people that read your material know you personally & are going to (with the attitude that they are doing you a favor) point each & every one out in triplicate. What they might not realize, is that you have already lost a week's sleep--per mistake.
Do you think the same holds true for a seasoned Walden Book Award winner? I only ask because this book had a whopping handful of them. The biggest issue was quotes that didn't quite get around the person speaking in the correct format. It was enough that I assumed that Ms. Barnett was just like the rest of us lower level mopes running around looking for our big break. I checked out her bio & publisher at the end and thought, Hmmmm, now that is interesting. Perhaps the book was free that week while Bell Bridge Books made corrections? Or maybe they are a lower level publishing house & the book I chose to read represents her earlier work? I really don't know. But it sure did make me feel better about me! On to the review...

It was a nice well written story. I really enjoyed it. Mostly romance, it is the story of March Cantrell, a wild lioness of a woman. It chronicles her life from her twenties through her sixties.
Part one of the book is written in third person. Very beautifully done. The language flowed and descriptions were so vivid--I loved it immediately. But hold on a sec, in part two the book switches to the first person view of March. Her children are grown, her husband just passed away in an untimely manner, and she is unraveling. Can you do that? I guess Jill Barnett can.
It threw me for a bit. I didn't like the switch. I felt that the conversations between her & her children were a tad forced. Just when I was ready to throw it down & give up...March really loses it & the book becomes very engaging once again. I guess I'm just the kind of gal that can relate to a woman on the edge, drinking margaritas with her cackling hens until she passes out. LOL
Overall this was a nice little read. I give it four stars. I did find chunks of the work to be quite predictable, but it's a love story, that tends to happen. There were other parts that were a complete surprise. They made up for any cliches. (Why doesn't the little accent show up here?)

The book is up to full price now. A whopping $8.99 (less than three fancy coffees at Caribou & easier on the hips). If anybody pays for it, would you please send me a note & let me know if the quotes were fixed? It's been driving me crazy...

[Joemmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jill Barnett has written a wonderful, heartwarming story of love, marriage, loss, and renewal, in "Bridge to Happiness". March an Mike were the perfect couple, living, loving and working together for decades, raising children and looking forward to their future. The couple, instrumental in developing snow boarding, gained success, money, friends, and everything that is the dream. Their sons are competing to be the best, and their daughter is adrift. As she struggles to help her children, March is lucky to have a loving husband at her side, even if they don't always agree. When tragedy strikes, March is left to go on, alone. The story of how she copes is one we can all relate to.

I categorize this as mature womens lit, not chick lit. Being a mature woman, I feel I have that right!

I liked this book.(as a mature woman)

This book addresses my own fears, of losing the one I love most, of being on my own, and of starting over with grace. It is not a realistic look, but it is a heartfelt look at starting over just when you are preparing to enjoy your "golden" years,(which get later all the time) I say unrealistic, only because we are not all rich and beautiful, but then I guess that is why we read novels!

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow

This book was a chore to get through. I'm not a quitter, so I stuck it out !😬 the storyline was so slow at first & continued that way through most of the book. Character development of the main characters was fine , however the rest of the characters were really underdeveloped & when one of the main character dies, the others are weakly brought in more in the storyline but I didn't really feel much attachment to them. Also I didn't like the flashy wealth that the author attributed to the characters. I can't identify with giving my son a $100,000.00 car and then to be fair give the other son the same in cash. I guess if the story was going somewhere because of the wealth I would understand but instead it just seemed to be frivolous & didn't add to the storyline. The ending of the book was probably the best, the story got more interesting & I actually wanted to see how it ended. Thank God it had a happy ending or I would've given it "0" stars. I wasted my time in this book, so unless you like slow-moving plots , I wouldn't recommend it.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little torn about this book. I absolutely LOVED the story and the author's voice...most of the time. The book was broken up into 3 parts. However, the first two parts were more like an amazingly drawn out set up, with choppy paragraphs that seemed misplaced and sometimes just plain unneeded. Thankfully, they led up to a beautifuly poetic third part, which made all the typos (and my gosh there were A LOT!) and such completely worth it.

I've never heard of Barnett before - this was a free book on Kindle that was actually recommended by Kristen Hannah (and we all know how much I love her!), so I decided to give it a try. All in all, very glad I did and I'm looking forward to trying out more of her future work.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent "chick lit" book. Basically, the author's husband is killed and the book explores the effects on the various relationships in the family. However, it never made me cry, so it lacked an emotional punch. Also, I got annoyed by the vast wealth of the main character (not having to work for months and months after the accident, taking ski trips to Tahoe, endless descriptions of their vast houses (yes, that's plural), writing a check out for $100K "just to be fair", etc.) - not that I think tragedy discriminates by social class, but rather because I thought it made the main character harder to sympathize with. I'd rather read a story about a "real" woman who struggles to pay the bills after the loss of her husband.

[Anya Nielsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

New Beginnings
by Jill Barnett
Published in 2008 by Avon a Division of Harper Collins Publishers London
ISBN 978 1 84756 025 4
Jill Barnett excels at historical fiction and romance. She and has written 28 books since 1990 the latest My Lucky Penny is to be published in 2018. Her books have been translated into 23 languages.
Saying goodbye is the hardest thing to do. Sometimes you need to deal with the past before a new future can be found. New Beginnings, is a story about life—its many twists and turns. It’s about love and loss, family interference and destiny.
New Beginnings is set in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. Although fiction this love story seems to be based very much on reality. It is about a family and their business venture inventing and developing new device to use on the ski slopes. The board—a cross between a surf board, skateboard and skis used in extreme sports is now known as a ski board. The actual competitive event of ski-boarding is now recognised as a fully qualified Winter Olympics sport.
The story, spanning 384 pages is written in three parts. The plot develops chronologically making it easy to follow the maze of life-events, and watch the characters blossom through their struggles and high points.
I really got to know the family as they grew and made their way through three generations. ‘Today was a celebration of three generations of families brought together by tragedy, kept together by a simple but elusive thing called love.’ p. 370 Epilogue.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fills the Heart

I loved this book. It’s a “comfortable” book and I really felt that March Cantrell was talking to me as she related the story of her life. I loved that at one point I found myself laughing out loud. I really felt I was with a good friend. Jill Barnett tells a beautiful story about a family, about all those things we are certain about when we start out creating our own, and how the unexpected shapes us.

[Liz V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike and March have an idyllic marriage, with four children, and a thriving business, which they created and love. Then Mike dies in a car accident, and all begins to unravel.

This is a story of grief or, from the dedication, an amalgamation of several experiences. It undoubtedly will speak to some of healing and hope.

[Michele H Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Rules

Finding THE person to walk through life with is a crap shoot. But finding two loves is a miracle.

This book is about love. Man and woman love, family love, love of life and making sweet memories out of hard experiences.

[Arnetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book about what a marriage should look like, tho that is only the first third of book. The 2nd part is about how one deals with a grief filled/ drastic change in their life. 3rd part is how to come out of that and make a new life for oneself. Great book!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read romance novels, however, I loved this book!!
Happiness is not only found in romance. Love has a lot to do with it though.
Barnett allows us to better understand the ins and outs of it all through a looking-glass.

[Carrie Billig · Rating 5 out of 5]

5

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Jill Barnett is a master of the oddly disconcerting image—a bay whose crystalline water is “mythical, like a panoramic image from a Peter Jackson film,” twinkling stars above the Sierras that “flickered like distant, approaching headlights,” a fifty-year-old man who’s “the human equivalent of a tomcat,” and an awful lot of handbags. (Okay, I’m not into handbag therapy, but that’s just me.)

Mike and March build a perfect life, based on shared humor and love, in the first part of this novel. They take risks, create a business, and help their children grow. But March’s ”razor sharp internal clock” takes a beating in part two. Her feelings as the world falls apart are hauntingly evocative. Surrounded by love, sometimes she just wants to be alone to plan the “uncharted journey I faced.”

The Cantrell family may seem to have it all, but their lives are filled with the same problems every family faces, sibling rivalries, the longing for a child, rebellious teenagers, misunderstandings, and the loneliness of an empty bed. Characters come to vivid life through the natural cadence and humor of excellent dialog, but deep back-stories filled with telling details do slow the story down. Sometimes I just wanted to skip ahead and see the future instead of another character’s past.

The people in Bridge to Happiness are fun the spend time with on a long evening. They’re realistic, wounded and wise as they bridge that time between past joys and future uncertainties. And they offer hopeful suggestions and wise direction to all who share that journey with them. The past is a part of ourselves and our self image, but it doesn't define us, no matter how well-loved. And stepping into the future is a risk worth taking.

Disclosure: I got this book from Bellebooks and Belle Bridge Books in exchange for an honest review

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill Barnett's "Dreaming" was the first "romance novel" I read, so I have a soft spot for her writing. I greatly enjoyed her "Bridge to Happiness," particularly these quotations that spoke to me:

"For his sanity, part of me wanted to run away as fast as I could, because I didn't know if what was left of me was enough for someone to love. But I didn't move. I couldn't run when I looked at him and he was looking at me like he was. There was a glimmer of joy in me. I hadn't felt anything close to joy and happiness for so long.
All I wanted was to run into his arms, not away from them."

and

"This is all happening so fast," I said.
"Because life's that way. Things that are meant to be just sort of click into place. Don't overthink this thing between us. Don't question it, darlin'. Just go with it and let me love you."

and finally

"But the truth about my feeling had . . . a lot to do with the things he said to me, what I was learning about him, and just the sheer joy I felt when I was with him, the passion between us that seemed to grow stronger and better, and when he held me in his arms, the wonderful way I felt loved and safe, healed, and as if nothing could ever hurt me again. I was afraid that it wasn't true, but more frightened not to stay within that soft aura--real or imagined."

[Diana Leneker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been on a snowboard, nor have I ever learned to ski, but Jill Barnett, author of Bridge to Happiness, had me believing that I could get on the snow and understand what it was all about. But this book isn't about the snow, but rather the dynamics of family life. Mike loves March, and March loves Mike. They marry and start a family. But March knows Mike will never truly be happy working for his dad and encourages him to quit his day job, and start his own business. Mike does, and it becomes a very lucrative endeavor.

They love, they laugh, and they raise a family of wonderful children. March is lucky to be surrounded by such a loving family and friends when the worst thing imaginable happens. The journey that they all take during this time is gut wrenching at times, but ultimately, they all see that their love for one another is the nucleus that holds them together.

[J. Ewbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel by Jill Barnett was a powerful one. When I started was not sure wht the novel would be like but kept on reading. The family is like any other family and then a tragedy struck and the father, husband etc.. was gone. The novel goes through the live of the wife, the children and even some of the grandchildren, the interplay between them before and after the tragedy and how they began to put things back together.

There are many of us who have lost our spouses and have found happiness again so this thesis resonates with us. Mx. Barnett did an excellent job in pulling together a great story and one that many are very familiar with.

J. Robert Ewbank, author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting read. I was thinking as I read that this would be a good "Book Group read"--that was until I got 2/3 of the way through the book. It went downhill rather rapidly at that point. So, I will not be suggesting it for group. The story is about how a woman's (March's) life changes when her husband is suddenly killed in a car accident on a one-way street in San Francisco (which was the draw for me--all of the places mentioned brought back many memories and I could picture them as I read). I was reading this book in parallel with "Let's Roll" and was comparing the two stories--one of utter devastation and the other of a "faith" built life. Too bad the story and the language went downhill.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What better way to kill some time by getting to indulge in some chick lit. Easy to put down, easy to pick up.

This story had the typical heart wrenching and joyous moments. It took a bit for me to get started but once past the first couple of chapters I easily settled into the story.

The typical over the top love story between two people. In Bridge to Happiness it was Mike and March. Young couple falls in love, marriage,children, success, tragedy, and healing. This story had it all.

There were parts of the book around the end where the tears were flowing as March dealt with certain situations.

Enjoyable read and a free read from amazon.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had me at the plot line. Interestingly enough, about a wife/mother/grandmother who loses her husband and what her year is like after wards. After starting the book, I must say I plowed through it, just to see if it would get any better. For me, it lagged in the emotional heart-strings that I was looking for. (I'm a sucker for crying in books and this one just didn't have it.) I am also not sure why romance turns me off so, but it does. I have to skip over parts that make my eyes bleed. (Sorry!)

[Mum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am struggling with what I thought of the book. It felt like a lecture on widowhood. For a book of this nature I expected more depth or insight. I have always enjoyed Jill Barnett's romances, as they have humor. This novel was essentially humorless, and written through the POV of a dazed widow. By the end, I felt a huge piece of the real story had been omitted by some editor, because there was no flow. I can not recommend it to people who like her romances. Maybe, if this novel is only thing of hers you read, it might be okay.

[Alison Beach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely family/romance read. Family, meaning that the book focuses on the struggles of a family. Romance meaning that there's some in there. The matriarch of a family deals with life, love and loss. I found it to be well-written and engaging, and many of the "surprise" moments, I did not see coming. An enjoyable vacation read, a good read for the commute to work, something heavier than fluff, but lighter than a novel, and more well-written than Danielle Steel.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read 72% (according to Kindle) & have decided to give it the heave-ho. It started out interesting enough, but once Mike died, it was all downhill (get it?? downhill? if you read the book, you should). I'm predicting that Mrs. Mike winds up with the country singer (or perhaps, there's a twist and she ends up with the daughter's current squeeze, Spyder?) Either way, I didn't care enough for the character to stick around and find out.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book from Amazon on sale (dirt cheap) and it was an incredible buy. This is such a well written book with a clear, descriptive voice that conveys heart-wrenching grief, uncertainty and finally hope.

The world as seen through March Cantrell's eyes goes from being normal - real-life normal with a family that anyone could recognize - to shattered in an instant. How March copes with the pieces of her life and the journey back to balance is a strong and interesting story.

[Lizz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one, but I wanted to like it more. Since we were recently in San Fransisco, it was fun to "see" the places through the author's eyes. I really enjoyed the first part of the book, but after the Life Changing Event (trying not to put in a spoiler here) I had trouble staying engaged..... although I couldn't tell you why.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really struggled reading this book. As a homeschooler, I always tell my kids to show me instead of telling me when they write creatively. Unfortunately Ms. Barnett never drew me into the characters. I never felt anything. She told me and did not show me. When Mike died I really didn't care. That is when I knew I needed to quit this book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Not my usual read - so a review is hard. But. I liked the story. It was believable and relatable in so many ways. But. The first half lacked lots of details. Lots. Descriptions of the characters. The ages of the children when certain poignant remarks were made... Things I felt were important to the story. Other than that, good read. Second half much better than the first.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been told by several women who would know that this book describes the first year of widowhood better and far more realistically than any other novel to date.those descriptions and her relationships with her grown children were beautiful to read.The emotions just grabbing your heart strings ,but I did have some issues with other parts of the story thus the 3 or 3.5

[Cathy Ingles · Rating 5 out of 5]

New author for me. Very honest, heartfelt story of a family, from the viewpoint of its matriarch, March. I was surprised to find myself laughing and crying in this book, sometimes when you would least expect it. some of the humor is black, some sweet, but all of it felt real. Lovely story, beautifully worded in some places. Want to read more.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you on a sentimental journey through life, with all its ups and downs...love, marriage, parenting, family dynamics, loss and new beginnings. The tragedy and subsequent grief experienced by the main character, March, are particularly poignant. Barnett uses humor perfectly throughout the book to offset the heaviness of the theme and it really is enjoyable.