Skip to main content

Book Review of Shadows of a Tuscan Moon


I know a lot of literary folk, novelists and readers visit this site, so today I want to share a book review. This review is of "Shadows of a Tuscan Moon" by Sandra Carrington-Smith and Giovanni Logli. I have been following Sandra's work since her first wonderful nonfiction book "Housekeeping for the Soul."



Book Review
I just finished Shadows of a Tuscan Moon, sadly. I say sadly because the author Sandra Carrington-Smith, creates such a real world, filled with mysterious twists and turns, spoken through believable characters, and I did not want the novel to end. To be sure, this is not easy reading. Its story focuses around domestic violence of every kind and its brutal, sometimes fatal consequences.

Carrington-Smith is a masterful storyteller. She is gifted with the ability to imbue her novels with supernatural and magical elements grounded in everyday realities. This story is in turns poignant, sad, horrific and romantic. It flows effortlessly together under the Tuscan Moon, woven into a textile that tells the complex tale of domestic violence. Not only does Carrington-Smith raise awareness about a topic we all need to be aware of, she takes it a step further, making you truly care.

I am a big fan of Sandra’s work, from her first book “Housekeeping of the Soul, to the "Book of Obeah," "The Rosaries," through to this stunning tour de force, “Shadows of a Tuscan Moon.” I can’t recommend it highly enough! Buy it for yourself, loved one, and a friend. You won’t be disappointed.








Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Follow Fest Interview and Sharing

When I first became a blogger it was difficult to know if I had readers and visitors coming to my blog. I’d post and be met by the sounds of crickets. Then, I branched out into the world of the blogosphere, a world I  didn't  know really existed. From my ventures, I met a lot of interesting bloggers.  I've  started following and commenting on numerous blogs, for you see, prior to my outings, I too was out among the crickets. Lurking about but seldom saying anything. A fellow blogger  I've  met through my journeys around the blogosphere is Melissa Maygrove . She had the brilliant idea to have a Follow Fest , where we share about who we are, what we do and most importantly, how you can connect with us further. It is my intention through joining Follow Fest, that I’ll connect with many more readers and people interested enough in what I do to want to learn more by following. So, here goes my entry for the fest. Name:   Stephanie Rose Bird Fiction or

Gran Bwa

Gran Bwa is a lwa that helps you connect to ancestral roots or the spiritual home of Vodou. A friend of mine, who is an expert on Haitian Vodou, who has spent a lot of time in Haiti with the artists there, told me I had painted Gran Bwa when I made this spontaneous work out of walnut ink and sumi-ink on handmade paper. I had considered this painting a self-portrait. She now holds this piece in her private collection: Quite a few people are afraid of Vodou but it is an awe-inspiring tradition of bringing together plant energy with divinity, spiritual and personal energy. My friend who is very involved with Vodou, especially the art that surrounds it, is from European ancestry. She is light in spirit and bubbly, with a close relationship to nature and her garden.  Vodou affirms the relationships between cycles of life, trees of knowledge and spirit.  The Vodou vision of lwa , understands them as the intelligence of energy present in humans, nature and thoughts.  Mysteries ca

2016 A through Z Blogger's Challenge Theme Reveal

2016 A through Z Blogger’s Challenge Daily Creativity Hacks "Orchid 6B" sumi-ink on printmaking paper. c. Stephanie Rose Bird, 2015 One of the toughest issues facing creative people of all strips, is creative blocks. The theme of my 2016 A through Z Blogger’s Challenge is Daily Creativity Hacks, inspirational ideas to play with, to get you through those dull spots that stand in the way between you and creative flow. These days the words hack and hacks are used in many different ways. I'm using hacks to mean a clever solution to a tricky problem. Think of hacks as quick fixes, remedies, rituals or exercises.  Are you struggling with creative blocks? During April you’ll find an A to Z blog post offering mind-expanding ideas and new ways of thinking of old ones, all designed to enhance your creative outlook.  Tune in, all during April. I will be blogging 6 days a week, taking Sunday’s off as a breather. I’ll be visiting as many blogs, by fellow bl