Title: Pretending To Dance
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Published: October 6, 2015 by St. Martin's Press
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads
Molly Arnette is very good at keeping secrets. She lives in San Diego with a husband she adores, and they are trying to adopt a baby because they can't have a child on their own. But the process of adoption brings to light many questions about Molly's past and her family—the family she left behind in North Carolina twenty years before. The mother she says is dead but who is very much alive. The father she adored and whose death sent her running from the small community of Morrison's Ridge. Her own birth mother whose mysterious presence in her family raised so many issues that came to a head. The summer of twenty years ago changed everything for Molly and as the past weaves together with the present story, Molly discovers that she learned to lie in the very family that taught her about pretending. If she learns the truth about her beloved father's death, can she find peace in the present to claim the life she really wants?
My review:
Best last four lines of a novel EVER! The type of book that you will just sit and quietly reflect when you finish. Having said that, this novel, while very good, was not without flaws for me. First and foremost, I didn't like the main character Molly. Didn't like her in the flashbacks to her teen years, didn't like her as an adult, didn't like her decisions throughout the years. What I did love was the death with dignity plot. Well explored, without being preachy on the subject. The fictionalized subject of "pretend therapy" was very intriguing. Molly had a lot of people who were saints to put up with her antics, her husband being one of them. I also loved the character of Nora, what a wonderful, selfless woman who was not given the credit she deserved (especially by her pain in the neck daughter). The story weaves back and forth from the present day to the past, and it does so seamlessly. Even though I had the family secrets figured out fairly early, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.
Once again, Chamberlain does not disappoint. This is a well written, well researched novel that is perfectly paced and an enjoyable read. I just wish I had liked the main protagonist better.
This book is part of the BookSparks fall reading challenge. You can read about the program by clicking on the link.
