FOR TODAY, November 22, 2022
The Life She Was Given, by Ellen Marie Wiseman
On a summer evening in 1931, Lilly Blackwood glimpses circus lights from the grimy window of her attic bedroom. Lilly isn’t allowed to explore the meadows around Blackwood Manor. She’s never even ventured beyond her narrow room. Momma insists it’s for Lilly’s own protection, that people would be afraid if they saw her. But on this unforgettable night, Lilly is taken outside for the first time—and sold to the circus sideshow.
More than two decades later, nineteen-year-old Julia Blackwood has inherited her parents’ estate and horse farm. For Julia, home was an unhappy place full of strict rules and forbidden rooms, and she hopes that returning might erase those painful memories. Instead, she becomes immersed in a mystery involving a hidden attic room and photos of circus scenes featuring a striking young girl.
At first, The Barlow Brothers’ Circus is just another prison for Lilly. But in this rag-tag, sometimes brutal world, Lilly discovers strength, friendship, and a rare affinity for animals. Soon, thanks to elephants Pepper and JoJo and their handler, Cole, Lilly is no longer a sideshow spectacle but the circus’s biggest attraction...until tragedy and cruelty collide. It will fall to Julia to learn the truth about Lilly’s fate and her family’s shocking betrayal, and find a way to make Blackwood Manor into a place of healing at last.
Moving between Julia and Lilly’s stories, Ellen Marie Wiseman portrays two extraordinary, very different women in a novel that, while tender and heartbreaking, offers moments of joy and indomitable hope.
Yes, it takes me a long time to read a book.
•。★★ 。* 。
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˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★
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⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆
⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆
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And I do too!
Lovely to think you get to spend more time with your sister!! Hope you have a great day!!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth xoxo
Thanks Elizabeth. We have always got along like peas and carrots! xoxo
DeleteGood morning, it is a dull day here, the snow we got a few days ago is frozen solid so guess it is here to stay. I'm working on some felt snowflakes plus still doing a few rows daily on my afghan. Can't do more than that as my arthritis bothers me too much. Have a good day.
ReplyDeleteI can really empathize about the arthritis Linda. I am in the same boat! I hobble around here like I am 100 years old most days lately! xoxo
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