Literature -- 3 1/2 stars
Ellis Abbey takes her three children to play in the forest near her East Coast home. In a horrible mistake, she leaves one behind. Convinced that her remaining family is better off without her, Ellis travels cross country in an attempt to outrun her guilt. Meanwhile, a young girl called Raven is growing up in the state of Washington with a mother who is convinced she was brought to her by the spirits of the forest. Ellis and Raven have a lot of living to do before their paths cross, but that's when the healing starts. ----- Of the two disparate stories, I found Raven's to be the most interesting, even if her relationships seemed a bit too idyllic to be completely believable. (How many groups of seven-year-old boys accept a girl into their group without question?) Still, I loved their protectiveness and the innocence they all exhibited. I admired Ellis' independence, if not her choices. That they would eventually meet was expected from the beginning, but Ms. Vanderah got a bit carried away in her attempt to create a heart warming ending. Really, by the last pages all that was missing was a herd of rainbow colored unicorns sprinkling glitter on one and all. Happy endings are fine, but be careful not to overkill.
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