On Hummingbird Wings By Lauraine Snelling ~ review

 Synopsis:

"But Mother is always dying," is Gillian Ormsby's sarcastic response when her younger, favored sister tells her that she has to go take care of their hypochondriac mother. Much against her will, since she and her mother never have gotten along, Gillian arrives in California to find the garden and yard dead, the blinds all drawn, and her mother indeed in bed—waiting to die. But when Gillian talks with the doctor, he assures her there's no medical reason behind her mother's state.

Now on a mission to restore her mother to health, Gillian insists Mother get out of bed, eat, exercise and hopefully, choose to live. She also sets about reviving the garden to its former glory, enlisting the help of Adam, a handsome man who owns a family gardening business with his father. Gillian is delighted when a pair of hummingbirds appear, and her friendship with Adam grows.

Soon, Mother's health improves, and one day she announces she and her friend Enzio are going on a cruise. Before Gillian has time to turn around, her mother is gone and she is left high and dry again, and wondering, what is she going to do with the rest of her own life?

My take on this book:
It has been quite a while since I have read anything by Jauraine Snelling, but the cover of her newest book captured my attention, watching hummingbirds is one of my favorite summertime passtimes. So I chose this book based on its cover, and wasn't dissapointed.
Allie and Gillian are sisters who are totally different or so it seems. While Allison always seemed to be the favored sister, she married had a family and stayed in California, close to home and has been helping her mother. Gillian on the other hand left home, moving to New York were she became a corperate executive. Its been five years since Gillian has been home, a fact that Allie quickly reminds her of, when she makes a call pleading for help with their mother, who has taken to her bed and refuses to eat. Gillian is annoyed at first with the intrusion into her day, but starts toying with the idea of going home, and in a move that even surprises herself, she tells her boss she is going out of town on a family emergency.What was supposed to be a weekend stay turns into something else, when she is told that her company has been bought out and she is out of a job. Will she return to New York, or will she realize that what she really wants is in California.

I  enjoyed this one. It really looks at the relationship between the two sisters, while Allie seems to have the perfect life, perfect husband, home and children, she isn't really content. The relationship between the two sisters seems very realistic, with each one believing that the other one was the mothers favorite. When Gillian comes home and finds everything a mess, it was easy to see that Allie had been overwhelmed with the responsibility of being her mothers caregiver while trying to do everything for her family.
The sweet relationship that develops between Gillian and the next door neighbor Adam was nice, and Thor and Winnie the two canines in the story were a great addition.
This was a smooth easy read, but not something that kept me turning the pages, for me it was a relaxing read, something I could put down and pick up again. While I didn't love the story I really liked it.Fans of contemporary christian fiction that deal with family issues should definatly give this one a look.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book (thanks Sarah) in exchange for an honest review.

About the author:
Award-winning and best selling author Lauraine Snelling began living her dream to be a writer with her first published book for young adult readers, Tragedy on the Toutle, in 1982. She has since continued writing more horse books for young girls, adding historical and contemporary fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers to her repertoire. All told, she has up to sixty books published.
Shown in her contemporary romances and women’s fiction, a hallmark of Lauraine’s style is writing about real issues of forgiveness, loss, domestic violence, and cancer within a compelling story. Her work has been translated into Norwegian, Danish, and German, and she has won the Silver Angel Award for An Untamed Land and a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart for Song of Laughter.
As a most sought after speaker, Lauraine encourages others to find their gifts and live their lives with humor and joy. Her readers clamor for more books more often, and Lauraine would like to comply ... if only her paintbrushes and easel didn’t call quite so loudly.
Lauraine and her husband, Wayne, have two grown sons, and live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a cockatiel named Bidley, and a watchdog Basset named Chewy. They love to travel, most especially in their forty-foot motor coach, which they affectionately deem “a work in progress”.

If you would like to learn more about Lauraine Snelling click here.
To purchase a copy of the book click here.

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