The Geranium Window

by Beatrice MacNeil

In the fictional village of Rocky Point, Cape Breton, just after WWII, the Briar family keeps a secret. Locked in his room, Joseph Briar, a child with visible and non-visible disabilities, is hidden from the community. And what Alfie Johns discovers through Joseph’s window will lead him to love and a future framing beauty in photographs. Harkening back to Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, Beatrice MacNeil reveals the destructive power of shame and the redemptive power of art.

Genres: Fiction

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2016

Reviews

[Jim Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Geranium Window was an enjoyable and fascinating book to read; I just knew within the first few pages that it was going to be special, it is the calm, introspective type of fiction that immediately appeals to me. However, about two-thirds of the way through the book, I felt like I had had enough of a good thing and that Alfie's search for Anntell (somewhat reminding me of Larry Darrell and Sophie from M. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge) dragged on a bit too long. It would have been more interesting to have read the dialogue they would have after finally meeting after so many years. Nevertheless, if you favour a gratifying and engrossing story with a balance of tragedy and happiness, then you will enjoy The Geranium Window.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5