Terri Giuliano Long

In Leah’s Wake is a story about family, relationships, finding your true self, forgiveness, and taking action. It’s also a cautionary tale of how the small choices we make today can have immense costs tomorrow.

Pros – The biggest pro of reading this book is getting to know the characters. They are so nicely developed and full of depth. Even through their faults (and boy do they have them!) they are likeable, sympathetic and easy to relate to.

Leah – She’s not unlike many teens. She follows a path of destruction that is (unfortunately) common in today’s world.

Justine - Leah’s younger sister adds softness to the story. Her personality fits the little sister role very nicely.

Zoe & Will – These parents have completely different strategies of how to keep their marriage and family afloat.

Todd – No comment. (I don’t want to spoil anything for you.)

The plot is believable and kept me interested throughout. There were no lagging chapters or far-fetched scenes. Terri Giuliano Long did a fabulous job of allowing the severity of Leah’s mishaps and changes to develop as the story moved forward. (A major pro!) The progressing troubles and consequences give it a realistic, dynamic feel.

Cons – The use of character’s names was distracting at times. The flow would be smoother if the author used she and he (in place of names) throughout—especially the beginning. Perhaps because I was so wrapped up in the characters as I advanced through the story, I didn’t notice it as much later on. This is the only con that comes to mind though, and certainly not a reason to set the book aside.

Overall – I loved it! I recommend reading In Leah’s Wake. It is powerful, raw, and matter-of-fact. A story where relationships are strained, perceptions are distorted, and each character deals with their own unique internal struggles. Filled with angst, anger, resentment, fear, betrayal, love and underlying hope, In Leah’s Wake is an emotional read sure to leave you changed.… (más)

Title: [b:In Leah's Wake|17187181|In Leah's Wake|Terri Giuliano Long|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356726771s/17187181.jpg|14423213]
Author: [a:Terri Giuliano Long|4415109|Terri Giuliano Long|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1302648792p2/4415109.jpg]
Length: 359 pages
Publisher: North Charleston, NC: Createspace
Published: March 23, 2012
Genres: Fiction; Domestic Fiction

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My Rating: ✮✮✮

Synopsis:
A Story of Love, Loss, Connection, and Grace

At the heart of the seemingly perfect Tyler family stands sixteen-year-old Leah. Her proud parents are happily married, successful professionals. Her adoring younger sister is wise and responsible beyond her years. And Leah herself is a talented athlete with a bright collegiate future. But living out her father’s lost dreams, and living up to her sister’s worshipful expectations, is no easy task for a teenager. And when temptation enters her life in the form of drugs, desire, and a dangerously exciting boy, Leah’s world turns on a dime from idyllic to chaotic to nearly tragic.

As Leah’s conflicted emotions take their toll on those she loves—turning them against each other and pushing them to destructive extremes—In Leah’s Wake powerfully explores one of fiction’s most enduring themes: the struggle of teenagers coming of age, and coming to terms with the overwhelming feelings that rule them and the demanding world that challenges them. Terri Giuliano Long’s skillfully styled and insightfully informed debut novel captures the intensely personal tragedies, victories, and revelations each new generation faces during those tumultuous transitional years.

Recipient of multiple awards and honors, In Leah’s Wake is a compelling and satisfying reading experience with important truths to share—by a new author with the voice of a natural storyteller and an unfailingly keen understanding of the human condition…at every age.


Nominated Global eBook Award (New Edition, 2012)
Book Bundlz 2011 Book Pick
Book Bundlz Book Club 2011 Favorites - First Place

My Review:
Terri Giuliano Long writes about intense family relationships and what life with a teenager can be like! Life with teenagers is probably never easy, and Long writes about extreme difficulties faced by the Tyler family in just trying to get Leah to survive her teenage years!

Although I feel that Long accurately depicted real-life troubles with teenagers, I feel that sometimes it was a little too drawn out throughout the story. After awhile, I was getting annoyed with Leah and her antics, and found myself just not wanting to read any more.

One review that I read described how the Tyler family depicts this perfect picture of Leah Tyler, how she is this phenomenal athlete, extremely intelligent child, however, not many of her actions throughout this book, live up to that description. After the intense descriptions of the trials and tribulations of Leah, I would have liked to learn more about her survival afterward.

The book is great at proving that even the perfect families, aren't so perfect behind closed doors. Even though one may be a doctor, and drive a nice car, have a nice house, with the perfect job and kids, things might not be quite as they seem!

In the beginning, I was slightly confused by Long's writing style, how it would go back and forth between characters, especially in the first few chapters, but I didn't seem to notice it as much throughout the remainder of the book.

Overall, this book won't suede me from reading another book written by Long. I wanted to love it, but could only bring myself to like it. But I enjoyed the subject matter and writing abilities of the author.

Disclaimer:
I received this book as a member of Sisterhood of the Traveling Book from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.… (más)