Outside Wonderland: A Novel

by Lorna Jane Cook

Alice, Griffin, and Dinah Stenen's mother and father died tragically when they were quite young. The loss haunts them into adulthood. Alice is a stage actress in New York who can't commit to a relationship. When she meets Ian she's smitten, but suspects it's Ian's four-year-old son that really captivates her. Griffin and his longtime partner are settled into a contented domesticity, however Theo's insistence that they adopt a child throws Griffin into a panic. When he refuses to cooperate, the crack in their relationship widens. Dinah, the youngest, has a short, passionate love affair that leaves her pregnant and alone when she discovers the father is engaged to someone else. The three look to each other for support during this rough period but they falter. What they don't know is that their parents are watching them from a place outside time and space--worrying, reminiscing, and perhaps guiding their children as each makes their tentative way towards happiness. In luminous prose, Cook tells the story of these tender souls and a love that knows no boundaries.

Genres: Fiction, Supernatural, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Book Club, Adult, Adult Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Lorna Jane Cook is the author of DEPARTURES, a 2004 Booklist Editors’ Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults; HOME AWAY FROM HOME, 2005; and OUTSIDE WONDERLAND, a 2011 Target Emerging Authors selection. She has a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology, and spent several years as a social worker at a runaway shelter, a home for teenage girls, and an emergency services program. She also was a legislative assistant for a Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. Besides writing, she volunteers with a local housing program. She is married with two sons and currently resides in western Michigan.


To contact her, email info@lornajcook.com

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book from goodreads.

I didn't dislike this book. It was a quick read and I found the characters to be likable. I especially liked Dinah. I just wish they were developed more. I felt I was often told what they were made of and why they made the choices they made. I would have like to have drawn my own conclusions by making my discoveries from their choices and dialogue. I also thought a few of the outcomes were a bit too picture perfect and predictable. It was charming to have the musings of the deceased parents and comforting to see them watching from above but it seemed to be a bit random and the switch from one world to the other wasn't as smooth as I thought it could be.

I would have also enjoyed hearing the tale of the grandmother. Her perspective would have been interesting as her age and life experiences prior to bringing up her grandchildren would have added a nice contrast to the siblings who were all close in age.

[Debbie Eppler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but I would have liked more depth in the grandmother. Her story seemed like it could have been at least as interesting as those of the 3 central characters, the grandchildren she raised. The section at the end of each chapter, involving the parents’ observation from “Here”, felt a little awkward at first, but added a deeper insight to each of the characters. The title, Outside Wonderland, could easily refer to either “Here” or “There”. ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I received this from Goodreads giveaways. I thought this book was a fast, enjoyable read. I found all the characters likable, though I'm not in agreement with the majority of reviewers who felt closest to Dinah. I didn't dislike her, but I liked her least of the three siblings.

The book takes place about twenty years after Alice, Griffin and Dinah lose their parents. The parents look down on their children from heaven and watch as they all try to overcome their fears and struggles in their daily lives. Alice, the oldest, works as a Broadway actress in New York City. She grapples with her fear of commitment when she begins to date a single father who recently moved into her building. Griffin works as a chef in Chicago, where he lives with his long-time partner, Theo. Theo desperately wants to adopt, but Griffin has doubts about becoming a father. Dinah, the youngest of the three, finds herself pregnant from a short affair she had with a man she'd met on an Alaskan cruise and she needs her family's support to get her through it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. The only characters I didn't like were the parents, who came across as rather two-dimensional. I couldn't bring myself to feel much of anything about their story. Their moments in the book consisted of just a couple pages tacked onto the end of each chapter, where they reflected on what was happening with their children at that particular moment. I felt like they were too outside of the story for me to really care about them. I guess this was effective to show how disconnected Here (Heaven) and There (Earth) were from one another, but it just felt like a constant, unwelcome interruption that broke the flow of the story.

Side note: My reading was of an ARC so it was probably uncorrected, but the last 100 pages or so had many typos in it, almost as if the editor read through the first two-thirds of the book and then stopped.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a GoodReads win, and I was really excited to read it. I felt engaged with the characters from the beginning. However, I quickly found that my reading was interrupted by all sorts of missing words. I figured it wasn't a big deal, but throughout the book there were a lot and it really interrupted the flow. The characters were engaging, and yet, there wasn't nearly enough depth to them. I really wanted to get to know the characters better, and I kept waiting for more, but it never came. I found that as the book progressed, it seemed more disjointed and less satisfying. Glossing over huge issues of post-partum depression, a sword attack, etc. left me uttering huh more than once. The bits with the deceased parents would have worked better if there wasn't so much emphasis on "Here" - it really didn't add to the story that they were watching their children while cuddled with a polar bear; the polar bear became more central than the parents or their insights and feelings about their children. The grandmother, Joan, is all but forgotten until she dies; either these children that she raised are a lot more egocentric, insensitive than I imagine them to be, or this woman really didn't have an impact on their life and her inclusion in the book becomes questionable.

I really wanted to like this book, and I did at the beginning. But as it went along, it wasn't nearly as compelling. I would have loved this book if the characters had been better developed, if we'd really been allowed to see and feel more of their journey.

[Elizabeth]

In the book Outside Wonderland, by Lorna Jane Cook, the three main characters Alice,Griffin and Dinah are all at significant points in their lives. At very young ages, Dinah being only 18 months, their mother passes away suddenly and Alice is left to be the "mother figure" until her grandmother steps in to help. When Dinah is around 8 years old their father also passes away and they are sent to go live with their grandmother. Alice is now older and a beloved actress who cannot make a commitment to anyone, Griffin is in a long term relationship but that is being tested when he is not sure if he wants to adopt a baby. And Dinah goes to Argentina to see the man she is in love with and ends up getting pregnant. While all three children are going through these crazy times during their lives, their parents are watching from Heaven. As their parents watch from Heaven they try and guide their children to make the right decisions.

I thought this book was okay, it didn't really capture my attention like other books i have read. It didn't take me to that place where i never want to put the book down, but i did like it. I would recommend this book to someone who liked the book The Lovely Bones, because they are sort of the same story like where the deceased tries to guide and watch over their loved ones from Heaven. There are parts of the book that are kind of boring so if you are more into teenage love stories like i am you probably won't enjoy this book as much as a different one.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on a Goodreads Giveaway.

This book deals with three adults who are living their lives 20 years after their parents died. The eldest, Alice, is an actress who doesn't really care for commitment. The son, Griffin, is a gay man who is at-odds with his partner of 11 years. And the youngest, Dinah, is a woman who is constantly trying to find herself, but knows that she doesn't like to be alone.

I found myself really enjoying this book and the characters in it. They were likable and they were human. They made mistakes and they either hid from them or owned them. They had a true sibling relationship with one another and the ups and downs that go with it. I also enjoyed the non-family member characters such as Alice's neighbor Ian and Griffin's boyfriend Theo. I adored Theo so much, I would have loved to see more from his point of view.

At the end of each chapter the book changes it's point-of-view so that we are seeing it from the eyes of the mom, up in heaven. This book very very lightly touches on religion, but it is in no-way over the top. It was almost comforting to see that she was still checking in on her kids, even though there wasn't much she could do for them.

The only thing is I wish the epilogue were expanded a bit more. There were some plots and minor stories that I felt were left unresolved, but all in all it was a great book and I'm glad I read it.

[Derry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer reading mysteries, but once in awhile I like this type of a story. The characters are interesting and I could relate to one of them in particular. Sad in parts but well written.

[Diana Tokaji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down. Though the writing was gentle on the system, ie. not depressing or debilitating, the pace and zingers (and sex) kept it real and lively. As someone who lost her mother young, the accuracy of this book amazed me. Cook conveyed reality - the strength of spirit that might be passed on (even to a child who barely knew her mother), the sexual attraction an orphan might have to others who've known loss, and the forever "reflex" response that adult child will have, here-on fearing happiness will be tragically interrupted. Loved the characters and their city lives, the anchor of a grandparent, and most of all the skill with which Cook sculpts three unique siblings and their lovers, always in gorgeous prose.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Observe ordinary people trying to find their way in life, love,and family. Not my favorite genre, there's not enough material for a good novel. They went through changes but didn't evolve much, it's more like they were drifting with the tide. One interesting gimmick that went nowhere, the dead parents were observing their offspring from the other side.

[Lindsey Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I loved all the characters but not one more than the other. I loved them as a unit; a family. The author weaves their very individual stories together in a way that is hard to imagine any one of the characters without the other.

[Ana Marinho · Rating 2 out of 5]

Desde o início, nunca fiquei cativada pela história... e custou-me imenso terminar este livro. Arrastei-o durante dias, por isso admito que me sinto aliviada por finalmente ter concluído.

[Susan Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful view of life

Great story and insightful thoughts from the beyond. Enjoyed reading this and the unexpected view and great characters and varied lives of those characters.

[Sandra White · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked the sibling drama but thought the perspective of the parents in heaven was a little strange

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this on about 10/10/10 and received it on 12/07/10. It's an Advanced Reader's Edition, which is a first for me. It sounds interesting!

1/7/11 -- This book took me a long time to read. The premise sounded interesting and I thought I'd get into it better. I didn't. It took me until over halfway through the book to really get into it. I actually didn't read it at all for a week or more (which was partly due to the holidays, but also because I just had no desire to pick it up). The first part of the book is rife with the F word and there is some sex, although not graphically described (but beware that there are both heterosexual couples and homosexual couples described in these situations, although more the heterosexual).

Once I finally got to the last part of the book, my interest picked up. I enjoyed the small parts of the parents watching their children from Heaven (or Here, as they call it) and actually wished there was more time spent on those descriptions as they were the most well written and interesting to me. The premise and some of the descriptions of Here reminded me a bit of The Lovely Bones, although that book was much more tragic and dark and off-the-wall than this one.

However, this book is not without its share of tragedy and trials. How the author gets the readers through the situations or, more accurately, their thoughts while they're going through these things, are what were the most interesting to me -- gave me pause to think several times.

Several things I liked were their parents' musings. One was their description of Dinah's restlessness as being purple. She wasn't blue, she was restless and they began to wonder what color that would be. They also talked about the different shades of blue a person can be. Nice imagery to me.

Another part that really stood out was Dinah's thoughts about her daughter growing up, but probably only because I have one at that stage too, so I could really relate.

There were some religious undertones, besides the obvious references to Heaven with the parents.

There really was a lot of just the characters' thoughts in this book, where the dialog seemed to be secondary and the focus more on feelings and thoughts and a person's mind dealing with life and all it entails. That was very interesting and thought-provoking for me.

Also, there were several missing words and typos in this book, probably because it is an ARE, but I hope they can find and fix those for the final edition. Those probably don't bother some people, but for someone who studied English in college, it grates on me. ;)

One thing that bothered me was what happened to Dinah at the end was just left hanging -- no explanation of why it happened, just that it did and then things moved on. I needed more than that to understand that. Otherwise, it felt just thrown in for something more tragic to happen, whereas what happened with Holly Golightly, while sad, lead somewhere in the storyline.

Besides that, the book ended well for me. I loved how she wrapped up the Wonderland theme at the very ending, and not in the Alice in Wonderland way, although that is part of the story in small places, including the characters' names. The book begins and ends with the musings of their mother and, as I said, I really thought her takes on things were some of the best parts of the book.

While I felt honored to read a copy of a book before it's officially released to the public, I was still a bit disappointed in it, for reasons stated throughout this review. I would still recommend it (for those who can handle the language and other situations in the book) and really would probably give it 3.5 stars. I was just so bothered by things until the middle of the book.

Content: Language, sexual situations (homosexual and heterosexual, although not very graphic).

[Lahni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A GoodReads first reads ARC...

Overall I like this book. Alice, Griffin and Dinah are siblings who lose their mother, then a few years later their father and are raised by their grandmother. Fast forward to adulthood. Each sibling continues to struggle with being orphaned in different ways. Meanwhile the parents watch their children from Heaven. I got into the characters and their lives. I found their struggles to be honest and believable rather than over the top as somtimes happens in books.

I didn't like, as much, the parents observations at the end of each section. The parents seemed to be watching their children more like they are interesting strangers than their own children. I would think parents, especially ones that have passed on and couldn't be a support on Earth, would be more concerned about their kids struggles and be pained to see them take difficult roads. I didn't mind the glimpses into Heaven but the parents' reactions weren't beliveable to me and were therefore disappointing.

A couple of notes:

While a couple of the characters are quite religious and the parents observe life on Earth (There) from Heaven (Here), the book didn't feel religious or preachy to me. So those that don't really care for religious fiction may still enjoy the book. Also, more conservative readers should know that there are gay relationships (kissing and hinted at sex) in the book.

[Glenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book on Goodreads Firstreads.

This is the story of three orphaned siblings who suffer the death of both their parents at young ages and were raised by their paternal grandmother. The book takes place about twenty years after Alice, Griffin and Dinah lose their parents. Alice, the oldest, works as a Broadway actress in New York City. She struggles with her fear of commitment when she begins to date a single father who recently moved into her building. Griffin works as a chef in Chicago, where he lives with his long-time partner, Theo. Theo desperately wants to adopt, but Griffin has doubts about becoming a father. Dinah, the youngest of the three, finds herself pregnant from a short affair she had with a man she'd met on an Alaskan cruise and she needs her family's support to get her through it. The three look to each other for support during this rough period but they falter. What they don't know is that their parents are watching them from heaven (or Here as it is called in the book)—worrying, reminiscing, and perhaps guiding their children as each makes their way towards happiness.
This book was easy to read and relate to the characters and their problems. Being raised without parents truly affects the way you look at life. A few things in the book weren't explained very well--the stabbing-- and the ending seemed rushed compared to the rest of the book. But overall I enjoyed this quick, easy read.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those books that I really wasn't sure about whether I wanted to finish it throughout the whole thing. It wasn't that the book was terrible by any means, but lately I have just been interested in other genres. I did finish it and am glad I did. It really was a good little story. I love reading about family and loved reading about these three siblings coming together when they really need each other.

The characters were all different, which I like. I also found it quite interesting to read about a gay man and his relationships. I know of a couple of gay people, but am not close to anyone who is gay. So it was really interesting to see that for the most part, they are just like those of us who are not gay. I loved reading about all the confusion with the character's relationships. It felt very real!

I loved that this book included the viewpoints of their parents, who are in heaven watching down on them. It was really cute to read about them and read their comments on what is going on with their children! They were watching the mistakes being made and accepted that things happen and that making mistakes is a part of life. They were very calm and accepting.

This wasn't a book that made my jaw drop, but it was decent. It is a good book for when you have some quiet time and aren't really in any rush to get through it. It is quite slow and isn't one to keep me up all night...which is good sometimes because I do need to sleep!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I really did not know what to expect, but I really enjoyed this book. When I finished reading it, I was left feeling content and at peace with the world.

The parents of Alice, Griffin, and Dinah both die when the children are all quite young. They reside in an afterlife similar to Heaven, but one which is simply referred to as "Here" (as opposed to "There"--the land of the living). Twenty years after their deaths, the parents watch their children as they try to make sense of their lives and strugle with relationships.

The characters are fully developed, and generally likeable. Although there are times when you do not particularly like one protagonist or another, you still feel for them, and can sympathize with their delimnas. I really enjoyed the way in which each chapter ended with the parents and their take on what was going on with their children. They speak not only of the choices of their own children, but of the choices every person faces in life.

I had a much longer review typed up, but Goodreads was "temporarily unavailable" and this is all that I really remember, but I really, really enjoyed the book.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as an ARC from Goodreads.

In general, I enjoyed this book. I don't agree with the majority of the reviews up so far about loving Dinah more than the other siblings--I was actually more interested in Alice and Griffin and found Dinah quite trite. Nonetheless, the book as a whole is fairly well-written and moves along quickly.
The story is about 3 siblings--Alice, Griffin, and DInah--who, for the past 20ish years, have been living life without their parents, both of whom have died. Interwoven with the trials and tribulations of these siblings trying to get by in the world are their parents--who look down on them from "Here" (Heaven). To be honest, I could have done without the parents even being in the book. All I needed to know was that they had died. I found the portions involving them and their discussions about the kids had nothing to do with the moving plot and actually found those sections to be interruptive of my thoughts as I was reading.
The plot is a little predictable in many ways; and yes, it all ends a little more 'happily' then I'd like. But in general it's a nice, easy read.

[Lisa Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won a free copy from the Bookbrowse First Impressions program. Can't wait for it to get here!
************************************************************************************************

Siblings Alice, Griffin, and Dinah, named for characters out of "Alice in Wonderland" lose first their mother in a freak accident, then their father. We get a small glimpse of them in their younger days before the story fast forwards to the adult siblings. All appear successful on the surface, but are struggling with relationships, and perhaps the unresolved issues of growing up without their parents. For the most part, the characters were likable; however I found them a little too cliche, and one dimensional. I wish they had been developed more fully. I would have liked to have had a few more glimpses of their childhood.

I looked forward to the parents perspective of their children's lives as they caught sight of them from heaven. I liked to think of these scenes as their view of earth "through the looking glass." The dialogue in these interludes was idyllic and the best parts of the novel.

This was a pleasant novel, easy to read. I give it 3.5 stars.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads."

I'll let you read the synopsis to get a feel for the premise OR you can avoid the chance of spoilers and and dive right in. Mostly I really liked this book and suggest you read it, too.

PROS:
The characters are flawed, but all struggle through their trials and grow, coming out better in the end. I think the growth in the characters is the strong point of this novel. I've read so many YA series lately in which the main characters fail to grow, instead I(the reader) feel like the author/publisher is stringing me out, just trying to sell more books. The idea of family is central. The presentation of life after death makes me smile a bit (even if it is different from my beliefs).

CONS:
At times I did feel things moving slow, but that was probably motivated by my desire to see the characters work things out, sooner rather then later. Even though I felt connected to the main characters in some ways, I did find it somewhat hard to relate to some of the siblings' situations (out-of-wedlock pregnancy & child rearing, infidelity & homosexuality).

[Melanie Coombes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. It was a wonderful story of three siblings, Alice, Griffin and Dinah, figuring out their place in life without the guidance of their parents. Their mother died in a freak accident when they were young children. Years later, tragedy strikes again and their dad dies of a heartache. Lovingly raised by grandma, the we meet these characters again as adults. Unbeknownst to the three siblings, they are tenderly watched by their parents from Heaven or Here as it is referred to.

Each of the siblings has a situation or story that we are introduced to. The passages and chapters flip from one sibling to another. They were all likable and yet at the same time, flawed. It made the story seem so real. I loved it.

I never expected to pick up this book and feel like I could not put it down, but that is what happened to me. I devoured it in just days, and am off now to see what else this amazing author has written. I highly recommend this book! I looked at other reviews and don't understand why there were so many low ratings.

I won this book through the Goodreads giveaway program. Lucky me winning such a stellar story!!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won this advance readers edition through Goodreads.

This is the story of three orphaned siblings who endure the death of both their parents at relatively young ages and were raised by their paternal grandmother. The story follows their adult lives and the challenges they face in their relationships and ultimate growth. At the end of each chapter the parents offer their commentary on their children's lives as they watch from Heaven (or some other grand place not specifically labeled).

I think this story captures the challenges that so many face in the decisions not to marry, how to have a successful relationship, the "seven year itch" and overcoming our childhood fears. I loved the development of the characters in all.

I found how the parents comments were presented in each chapter to be distracting to the novel. I felt it really gave the story more of a stage performance (play) feel - like I was reading a script or, at times, I could actually visualize the performance on a stage. It deterred from the novel feel of the book for me.

Overall I liked the book but found it to be right in the middle for my taste, not bad but not really great either.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this heartwarming story. It was slow in a few places, but Cook does a good job of showing how heartbreak and loss can change a person. The story starts out with three young children that have lost their mother, and then a few years later their father passes away as well. They grow up not knowing where or how to fit into life.

The concept is good, and I can see why she switches back and forth between the three children's POVs, and the parents' that have passed on. However, it had a tendency to feel too cookie cutter. She chose to use the parent's POV to show where/how peace and love develop. Or how we learn to let go of what hurts us, and become okay with happiness. But she never truly shows the grown children understanding this. It just made for an incomplete story to me - for what appeared to be a story about finding yourself. I wanted to see all three children have a moment that truly opened their eyes. It felt lackluster, like they were only half way there.

But maybe that was what Cook intended, showing that they were unable to completely heal. I just had the feeling she was trying to have them feel at peace, and it never got there.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished the book. It took me awhile to get into the story line.

The story is about 3 children who lose their mother and then they lose their father and are raised by their grandmother. Now the story is following each of them during their lives, while their parents are watching from the great beyond.

As the story progressed I found some of the characters growing on me. The 2 children are Alice, Griffin and Dinah. Their mother died when the youngest Dinah was about a year old. Then the father takes them to Greece a few years later and then he dies. Now the children are left to be raised by their grandmother.

As you read the story you are seeing the children grown up while their parents watch at different times. I really found myself getting into the story by about Chapter 12. By that chapter I felt like I had finally gotten to accept the characters.

I have to say the ending of the book was better then I thought it would be. I did eventually like the book I just can't say I loved the book.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this from a goodreads giveaway.

Though admittedly probably not in this book's target demographic, I gave it a shot since, well, it was free.

I thought the characters were flat. The author must have thought so as well, because at the end of each chapter we get a summary of the significance of the characters' struggles in the form of musings by the deceased parents (mostly the mother). These summaries flat out tell you what to think about what has just transpired in the chapter. At best this is annoying; at worst, insulting.

All right, maybe this is not so bad. But are the characters experiencing emotions arising from a complex mix of their own history and present circumstances? (That is, is this story very interesting?) No, not really. Their parents died when they were young, and now they all have issues with raising their own children. Oh, and in the end they are all good parents after all. That's the whole book. Most other threads of the narrative play second fiddle to this central issue.

[Tiffanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book I have read by this author. Pretty good book actually. 3 siblings are orphaned at a young age their mother falling off a stool and hitting her head causing her early death the father a heart attack 10 yrs later. Their sent to live with their grandma each embarking on their own journey as they get older. Alice the oldest staring in plays lives in new York by her self. Griffin the middle child is homosexual living with his long term partner of 11 yrs theo in Chicago and the youngest Dinah. Alice meets a single father who has sole custody of his child adam and falls in love with them both but is unsure if she stays because its safe. Dinah gets pregnant on a cruise by a worker on the ship and when she goes to surprise him in his country to tell him she finds out he has a fiancée an a child on the way with her so she keeps her secret. Griffin's partner theo wants a child but griffin don't feel that he's cut out for being a father.
A good story about them finding their place in life and overcoming obstacles to get what they want.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a First Reads winner!

The story and narrative goes back and forth between 3 siblings and their parents who watch them from a sort of afterlife. I thought the story on earth involving the siblings and their relationships was good and it kept me wanting to see what would happen next. The afterlife part was a bit annoying, and I wanted to skip it after a bit, but it filled in some of the narrative, so I couldn't skip it completely. I settled for skimming.
The afterlife parts at first were distracting because it seemed to want to tell it's own story, which was less interesting. It also got a little "preachy" toward the end. Preachy not in the religious sense, as religion was only commented on and not a central part of the story, but more like telling how things are rather than letting the story speak for itself.
It was a fast read.

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outside Wonderland has given me a warm glow. I would give this book more stars if it were possible. Life happens and days pass. Everyone struggles with something/someone, but life is what we make of it and how we move forward. This book highlights this with the wonderfully warm characters of Eve, Griffin and Dinah. The brother and sisters lost their mother in an accident when they were very young and then their father when they were a little older. They seem to struggle with finding themselves and their paths in life. I enjoyed the scenes with the parents watching the children through the clouds of heaven. This book gives you hope without preaching, reality without despair.

"As always, humans beings are endlessly heartbreaking and inspiring, their lives threaded with strands of despair and brighter ones of hope. They are as predictable and changeable as the weather."

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was like an old sweater, soft and warm. I loved the idea of Here, and the parents still checking in on their kids long after they have been able to really do anything for them. I loved how the mother and father agreed that the kids were making mistakes and that it was OK, and how they stopped worrying about the mistakes their kids were and would make because in the end, they didn't really matter that much. As someone who is constant worrier it is heavenly (pun intended) to think of someday letting it all go. It was funny because while the parents may have been ok with the bad choices the kids were making I was not! I kept thinking, 'you idiots!' don't do that! Don't make that choice! I wish the epilogue had been a tad longer, but just because I didn't want the book to end. Highly recomend!