March 30, 2010
An unexpected discovery takes eighty-four-year-old Lily Davis Woodward to 1945, and the five days that forever changed her life. Married for only a week before her husband was sent to fight in WWII, Lily is anxious for his return, and the chance to begin their life together. In honor of the soldiers' homecoming, the small Georgia town of Toccoa plans a big celebration. And Jake Russo, a handsome Italian immigrant, also back from war, is responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned.
But after a chance encounter in a star-lit field, he steals Lily's heart and soul--and fulfills her in ways her socially-minded, upper-class family cannot. Now, torn by duty to society and her husband--and the poor, passionate man who might be her only true love--Lily must choose between a commitment she's already made and a love she's never known before.(Chapters, CA)
This book truly moved me, and I am still in complete awe. I almost cannot express how much I loved this book. I might even say it is one of my top five favourites … Not sure if that’s going too far, but I’m so entranced right now, I can’t help but believe so.
I found the writing style really painted a vivid picture in my head, and I really appreciated having that canvas backing up the love story which was magically unfolding. The characters, Lily and Jake specifically, were so true and feasible/realistic, that I had no problem diving right into their story. I felt so strongly for Lily the whole time, as if I were experiencing the same happiness and struggles, and I really love it when a book can drag me in so profoundly. This is a tear-jerker for sure, and not a read to be passed up ever!
Oddly, there were small aspects which reminded me of two movies; Titanic and The Notebook (though, they too are amazing stories). The beginning was set up similarly to Titanic, in which a woman and granddaughter stumble across something significant from the former’s past, who then goes on to tell the epic story. Later on, I found Lily’s struggle between two men - obligation versus love – as well as her father’s intervention similar to events in the Notebook. But truthfully, this similarity didn’t detract from the story at all.
I felt bad for Lily before she met Jake. She just went about her life, dutifully going shopping or cleaning, but not really enjoying it. It was obvious to me that Lily cared for Paul out of duty, not love, and she was stuck in an inescapable rut. The first night they met, Lily had her reservations about Jake, but I was already gunning for them to be together. She kept worrying what would be thought of her; a married woman, having dinner in a secluded field with a sexy male stranger was not considered appropriate behavior. I wanted to reach in and let her know that times change, and in present day, she wouldn’t be made to feel guilty.
Something I will address is the cheating factor. My personal views vary quite a bit from case to case, but in this particular situation, that aspect of Lily and Jake’s relationship never once entered my mind. Thinking about it now, I still feel the same; when Lily met Jake, she knew immediately there was something very powerful and special about him, which was missing in Paul, and the rest of her life. How could you try to let go of those feelings from that night in the field. It seemed to me almost that her body was reacting instinctively, and only her socially-closed mind was in objection, and love is more important than etiquette.
I really didn’t agree with Lily’s decision in the end about Paul. I’m sure some of you are aghast at this statement, saying of course she did the right thing, in the end she upheld her commitment to her marriage and blah blah whatever. But I felt it was unfathomably necessary for Lily to end up with Jake. I don’t quite see how Paul’s death caused her to change her mind; she had ultimately decided to leave him, and I don’t see the ‘duty of being a widow’ as any greater than ‘the responsibility of being a wife’. I understand that she didn’t want to tarnish his memory, insult his service in the war, and everything else society would throw at her, but she had already taken that into consideration, and decided to be with Jake anyway. She ended up marrying another anyway, so why couldn’t it have been Jake? I just don’t like it. However, on that note, I loved how real the ending was. It wasn’t predictable, and it really got to me emotionally. (I was sobbing in the middle of the mall as I finished it).
I was so engrossed in this book, I found it very hard to put down and sleep at night. I was so swept up right there with Lily, that I was just as excited as she to go back to Jake when she eventually had to leave. When she had butterflies, I had butterflies; when she was teary because he created a firework specially for her, so was I; and when they made love, I felt that passion (emotionally of course, I don’t think any book could be that good). And when they didn’t end up together, I was heartbroken, because I had fallen in love with him too.
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