BLURB:
When John Martin is forced to sell his tech company, he
decides to take a six-month vacation to the south of France .
When he meets Madame Garcin, her daughter Sophie, and her
granddaughter Isabelle, his life is changed forever. What began as a long vacation becomes a
journey of self-discovery marked by love, loss, and tragedy.
He is molded by this family of three generations of women,
tempered by tragedy themselves, in ways that he could never have imagined.
EXCERPT:
It seemed to John that the next three weeks could not go by
fast enough. He was energized and quickly got back into the routine of jogging
along the Embarcadero. It was a Sunday morning and John had made it all the way
to the Marina Green, which was farther than the length of his usual run.
The green was filled with joggers, mothers pushing
strollers, and the sailors heading for the yacht harbor. The sky was bright
blue and cloudless, and a stiff breeze blew into the harbor from the other side
of the Golden Gate . John stopped in the middle
of the green to catch his breath and looked up to see a sky full of kites.
There were large ones, small ones, one that looked like a dragon, and another
which resembled a bird, all in a kaleidoscope of colors that were enhanced by
the sun from above. They all danced in the wind, some darting side to side, and
others diving toward each other as if to demonstrate who owned the skies. Some
would descend to the ground then dart back up into the sky again.
Off to one side was a small girl with a pony tail, who ran
across the grass as though she were about to lift off like a bird. Behind her
she towed a small red kite, which stubbornly refused to become airborne despite
her best attempts to launch it. Each time the kite plunged to the grass she
would tighten the string again and make another run at it, only to have the
kite rise about ten feet, then plummet to the grass. She tried over and over
again with such determination, John wondered how long she had been at it. After
each failed attempt she would look over at her mother who was keeping an eye on
her from a distance, then the girl would continue with more determination than
the previous attempt. John thought about Isabelle and how much he missed her.
He could not wait to see her. He could imagine Isabelle when she was young,
pulling on the kite string with the same determination as the little girl.
John walked over to her mother sitting on the grass and
asked with a smile, “Do you mind if I give her a hand?”
Her mother raised her eyebrows at first and studied John
from top to bottom, but then a smile slowly crept onto her face. “Sure, why
not?”
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
William Auch is a physician residing in Sacramento , California .
When not seeing patients, he writes, studies French, and travels the world.
LINKS:
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Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteLove this excerpt. I lived in Rancho Cordova until a few years ago. I still miss Sacramento.
ReplyDeleteI love a family saga story!
ReplyDeletegalaschick78(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Loved the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Oh, this one sounds very nice indeed!
ReplyDeletefehureads[at]gmail[dot]com
Is there a book that influence you in your choices in life?
ReplyDeleteemmasreadings(at)gmail(dot)com
Looking forward to read more about it!
ReplyDeleteelaynelost at yahoo dot de
Sounds great!
ReplyDeleteemiliana25(at)web(dot)de
Hmm. I love books where the character has a total transformation in their life. I think letting his company, will make John a better person. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletechrysrawr@yahoo.com
I'm glad he has a second chance but it doesn't sound as if everything would work out.
ReplyDeletelyra.lucky7ATgmailDOTcom
Well thank God for women. Because without this family John was heading down the wrong path. It's a story of love, loss, family, what's in important in life. Poor John needs to learn the hard way.
ReplyDeleteI liked "tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. Again a book that makes you think about life and what is important. I see it every day as a physician. You always think if I was in his shoes, would I do something different. Tell someone you love them more... Take that trip you always wanted to take. Finally write a novel. Whatever it is. It can be different for everyone.
He's molded by 3 generations of women? How appropriate on International Women's Day!
ReplyDeletecatherinelee100 at gmail dot com