Friday, September 12, 2014

"The Sheep Walker's Daughter" by Sydney Avey

Book Description

A Korean War widow's difficult mother dies before revealing the identity of her daughter's father and his cultural heritage. As Dee sorts through what little her mother left, she unearths puzzling clues that raise more questions: Why did Leora send money every month to the Basque Relief Agency? Why is her own daughter so secretive about her soon-to-be published book? And what does an Anglican priest know that he isn't telling? All this head-spinning breaks a long, dry period in Dee's life. She might just as well lose her job and see where the counsel of her new spiritual adviser and the attentions of an enigmatic ex-coworker lead her.
The Sheep Walker's Daughter pairs a colorful immigrant history of loss, survival, and tough choices with one woman's search for spiritual identity and personal fulfillment. Dee's journey takes her through the Northern and Central California valleys of the 1950s and reaches across the world to the obscure Basque region of Spain. She will begin to discover who she is and why family history matters.

Author Bio:

Sydney Avey is a California girl who grew up in Silicon Valley and now lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Yosemite and the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a lifetime of experience writing news for non profits and corporations. Her work is featured or forthcoming in Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, Forge Journal and Epiphany Magazine. She blogs at sydneyavey.com on topics related to relationships, legacy, faith, and the writing life. 




My Review:

"The Sheep Walker's Daughter" by Sydney Avey makes the reader want to answer the questions for themselves that Father Mike asks Dee as she is trying to make since of her life. After the death of her mother, Dee finds out that she may not be an only child as she was led to believe. There are other secrets that she finds out as well. 

I think readers will be able to relate to Dee and her daughter Valerie as they both search for the answers. No, this book is not one to keep you up late at night reading but it will make you rethink why you do some things and why you  feel the way you do about some things. 

Although the "The Sheep Walker's Daughter" by Sydney Avey was a good story, one that focused on family relationships and how secrets can really hinder us, I am giving it three stars because there are words that I considered inappropriate in a Christian novel. These words aren't using God's name in vain or the F word,  but still words that I as a Christian found offensive. I know some will wonder why I included this in this review but I felt people should know if they want to read this book







2 comments:

Judy said...

Great review Debbie and thanks for your honesty!

Blessings!
Judy B

Debbie Curto said...

Thanks Judy!