Lists. Lots of lists. Lists for appointments, grocery lists, to do lists. A necessary part of her life. At least it is for now for Ruby Donaldson. Ruby has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. She likes to refer to it as "Big Al" and has found out that hers is the rapid one. The one that will claim her normal life and will eventually claim who she is and once was. But not if Ruby can help it.
She believes that she will never make it that far. At least if she has any say so in it and she plans to have quite a bit to say. Her goal is to make sure that she lives out the end, the way she sees fit or she will end it, her way. She's been researching different options and is deciding on whether it will be poison or perhaps hiring someone to do it for her. She doesn't want to spend her life in a convalescent home alone not remembering who she is or why she is there.
Ruby has a bit of a legacy to leave behind and wants to make amends with her immediate family including her estranged daughter Liz. The only problem is that Liz wants nothing to do with her. The only link is her other daughter Grace, and Grace is often times put in the middle between them in an attempt to restore their relationship, but it hasn't worked so far.
When Liz finds out about her mother's illness, she still holds firm that she will not take pity on her mother and resolve their issues, and during a recent lunch with Grace, she accidentally informs her that Ruby is ill, thinking that she is already aware of it. Seeing the look on her face, confirms her horror that she just let the cat out of the bag and tries to cover it up with it being a cancer scare for a mole she had removed that was nothing. Now Grace is constantly making her mom use sunscreen obsessively without knowing what's really going on. But at some point, Ruby's lists are only going to go so far.
Will they be able to heal their family before Ruby no longer remembers who her daughters are, or will she slip into Big Al's arms for an eternity?
I received the latest novel Island Girl by Lynda Simmons compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review, and LOVED it. I could completely picture how difficult this would be for an estranged family trying to keep it together but having this big secret hidden that may unite them for all the wrong reasons. Ruby wants the love of her daughters without the self pity from Big Al's diagnosis and when her ex suddenly rents a house on the island, perhaps he too has ulterior motives as well. A must read summer smash that rates 5 out of 5 stars. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to try and maintain a normal life making lists all the time and hoping to read them in time. This one is guaranteed to pull on your heart strings!
For even more great information about the book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, click on the link below:
More great news: Thanks to the generosity of Lynda Simmons, she is offering two giveaway copies of her book to two lucky followers of my blog. Here are your guidelines:
1. You must be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.
2. You must be a resident of the US and please No P.O. Boxes.
3. I must have a way to contact you if you are one of the lucky winners, so please make sure to include your email address with your comment. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols.
4. Like Lynda's page on Facebook, by clicking here!
5. Leave me a comment and let me know why you'd like to win a copy of this book. The giveaway will end on June 5th and I will contact the winners via email at that time.
