S. E. Clancy

What happens when a teenaged girl living with her mom volunteers at a retirement home and meets an elderly woman who has no one else visiting her? Add in a teenaged boy who just moved to the area, and things get interesting. Enough details are given to keep the story interesting while not so much that it bogs the story down.

As a homeschooling mother, I always love finding new young adult novels for my children to read. This book does an excellent job of conveying the difficulties a mom deserted by her husband, and her daughter actually encounter because finances are tight. Perhaps because I am estranged from my own father and my daughter has never met her maternal grandfather, this book really spoke to me.

I loved how Tori refers to her mother as “Mama Bear”. The relationship between her mom and herself helps bring Victoria’s story to life. I loved reading about the “rollercoaster” of emotions and thoughts as Victoria and her new friend Corbin set out to find Marigold’s family.

So check out this book for yourself.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.… (lisätietoja)

I have really enjoyed reading this story about a wonderful character named Victoria Grace. The name is quite beautiful and matched her personality. She goes by Tori and I loved her nickname for her mom. They have a great relationship and I liked that her mom checked on her throughout the day. MamaBear is doing the best she can since Tori’s dad abandoned them. Tori is a typical teenager with a goal of buying her own car.
It was nice spending time following Tori through school and her job at the theater. The best part of the story for me was when Tori met Marigold. It started as a challenge in a youth group, but visiting Marigold became so much more. Not having any grandparents I think helped Tori appreciate her time with Marigold. I could sit for hours listening to her stories about Hollywood in the day. Their friendship becomes very special and I liked how the author shows how important it is to visit elderly people.
Corbin is not such a typical teenage boy with his prosthetic leg. It never seemed to bother Tori and I liked how the author took their relationship slow. It is a nice touch to a story that I think teenagers would enjoy reading. There are a few funny moments in the story with a cat that will bring a smile to your face. Animals are so unpredictable and this cat is quite mischievous. I’m hoping the author will do a follow story because I must know who Marigold worked for.
I received a copy of this story from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.… (lisätietoja)

A multi-generational story that will appeal to both young adults and adults as it pulls on your heartstrings and leaves you a bit undone. My emotions are so raw as I finish this novel of an unlikely friendship between an awkward seventeen-year-old and a ninety-six-year-old lady. SE Clancy has a clear winner in Victoria Grace, the Jerkface.
“My delicate stick of dynamite.” This is how a friend of Victoria Grace (or Tori, as she’s known to everybody but Marigold), describes our socially awkward and misfit book nerd heroine. Tori has no father present in the home, a mom (“MamaBear”) who is a cop, and a bike for transportation. She wants out of Redding, where they have recently moved...NOW.
In reluctant response to a youth group challenge, Tori ends up at Willow Springs Retirement Home where she meets and slowly befriends prim and proper Marigold.
I love the paradox that is Tori. Unpopular, she is a friend to Madison, who seems like she should be on the inside track. She’s part of the self-joined group of Grammar Police. “Fingernails down a chalkboard. No matter how many times I teased or corrected her, Madison’s text messages looked like an illiterate goat typed them, one hoof at a time.” Oh, do I love Tori! And her sarcasm is cute and ever-present, as is her quick wit. Who else would call a bus a “rolling metal zoo”?
Marigold, of Willow Springs, is sweet, feisty, secretive, and regal, all at once. I love the way Tori and Marigold develop a symbiotic relationship and become stronger as two than they are as individuals.
Ah, Corbin. Not quite perfect, but close. In the right spot at the right time, he grows on you. He complements Tori well.
This book somehow conjures up the same feelings as A Walk to Remember. So be warned and ready. Open the book prepared for laughs, memories, love, and tears. Don’t forget the Kleenex.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher via Celebrate Lit. This in no way influenced my opinions, which are solely my own.… (lisätietoja)

An enemy army is set to attack True's city, but because she harbors two of the enemy's spies, there may be a way for True to save herself and her family when destruction comes in True: A Contemporary Retelling of Rahab by author S.E. Clancy.

Indeed, I think it's best to be familiar with the biblical story of the prostitute Rahab and the city of Jericho when you read this novella. I skipped the book blurb beforehand but was pulled right in by the cover, stunning in its clear and simple understatement of emotion. A calm, a peace, before a coming storm.

The heroine herself is an effectively understated one in this story of dreams, pain, family, and war. It's real and raw without being showy about it, and it has moments of atmospheric beauty and characters who are imperfect and natural.

Now, I would have liked to see more to the explanation about the enemy army. They've been going around doing a lot of killing, apparently with the sanction of their God, and now they're about to kill off the people in True's city. Is that just how it is, and it's okay? Why or why not? The "why" would be a crucial something to wrestle with in a contemporary war story.

No, this isn't a fairy tale with a carefree wrap-up. The ending leaves plenty to the imagination while still giving enough of a conclusion to satisfy. A novella that's worth the read.… (lisätietoja)