The Violets of March: A Novel

So romantic!

I loved this book! I took a chance when I read a good review in a magazine and I was not disappointed. This book has suspense, romance, and a plot that moves along at a nice pace without being predictable. The author is talented and I look forward to her next novel!

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Must Read!!

This is a great book. You may think you'll know how it ends but you don't & you'll spend reading the entire book trying to figure out who is who but well worth the read. Couldn't put it down.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Hated to end the book! Loved it!

This book was recommended on Facebook by Jodi Picoult, & since I love Jodi's books I decided to try it. I'm so glad I did! I loved the book, kept me interested on every page, & I hated to see it end. I will definitely be looking for more books by Sarah Jio!!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great summer read

Love this book interesting characters easy to read couldnt wait to finish it i will definitely read other books from this author

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

You Will Enjoy This!

I cruised through this novel, because it's such a simple, sweet story. Not heavy, just a great read that leaves you feeling good.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Escapism

An enjoyable way to while away a wet Sunday...I probably preferred Blackberry Winter, but all in all it is a pleasant read and it somehow feels a little more thoughtful than most chicklit. Worth adding this author to your library if you want a light but not fluffy read.

Very interesting from the start

I am not even half way thru the book and I can't wait til I have the chance to sit down to read some more. Different tilt on romance and a diary that is revealed to you in pieces to keep you coming back for more.

Enjoyable read.

Title creatively woven into the story line. Wishing I could visit Bainbridge Island. Several intriguing surprises through out the story. An enjoyable story for a relaxing afternoon! I can see this as a book club read.

Great read- don't miss it!

This was such a great story, which is rare to find today I think... The characters are richly drawn out and you cannot help but get sucked into the plot. I found myself trying to unravel the mystery before the main character, and could not put this book down. Check out this book- you'll be glad you did!

Good read!

Fascinating interplay of a story within a story, taking place on beautiful Bainbridge Island. How the past story in diary form relates to the present protagonists maintains the reader's curiosity and interest to the very end.

LOVED IT!

I absolutely loved this book! What a quick romantic mysterious read! Icant say enough!

Very Enjoyable!

Ooo...scintillating, right? This book is a little different than the books that I've reviewed so far on the blog. It is an adult novel, with hints of romance, a little bit of mystery, and very real characters.

I will say that I picked up this book first because of the cover. It's very beautiful, and fits the story perfectly. Then I read the summary, and thought it would make a good read.

What I liked: The setting. I live in Texas, so any book that puts me on the coast where it's cooler than 108 degrees gets high marks in my book. Bainbridge Island is the kind of place I'd like to spend the summer. Or any time of year, really. Ms. Jio's descriptions are vivid and detailed and put me right there on the island. I think there were waves crashing outside my bedroom window. Again, in the middle of Texas. Bee and Evelyn. The friendship between these two ladies was comfortable and sweet, but what amazed me the most is that it's written in such a way that you can imagine their entire friendship, the decades of time they've spent together. Wow. Talent! What else...I really loved that there was two love stories playing out at the same time, and there are clear parallels between the two. Emily's desire to find the answers she's looking for regarding the diary. She has a little bit of sleuthing to do, and I enjoyed that journey.

What I didn't like: My chief complaint regarding this book is that I wanted more emotion. I felt connected to the characters yes, but I was hoping for the kind of emotion that just grabs you and leaves you breathless. Book love! More book love, please! I felt that the major players all had relatively tame emotions despite some tumultuous things happening around them. Then again, perhaps that just reflects the nature of island life, and that could be part of Sarah Jio's brilliance. I also didn't like Greg. Bleh...wet noodle.

Overall, I thought this book was a sweet and nicely written read. It may not leave you breathless, but it will keep you curious and leave you with a smile when you've finished.

Beautiful

No text was provided for this review.

Enjoyable

Not your typical summer chic lit book nice story line good characters kept you reading would recommend this book

Good Reading

This is a nice, although somewhat predictable, story. It is well written and the characters are developed in a way that allows the reader to relate. This would be a nice beach book

Tough Day? Run away with Sarah Jio's Violets of March

Bad day at work? Going through a nasty divorce? Sarah Jio makes us all wish we could run away to Bainbridge Island to Aunt Bee and hang out with all those people we haven't seen since we were teens. Add a mysterious diary that turns up at the beach house and you will be glued to every page. It is a quiet read with well developed characters and a good mixture of beach read and mystery.

Love Endures

"Great love endures time, heartache and distance. And even when all seems lost, true love lives on.". Sarah Jio's first novel, The Violets of March, is a story of lost love and the healing powers that a new love brings. The story takes place on Bainbridge Island in the Pacific Northwest. I found myself wanting to visit this island on my next vacation, placing my toes in the sand, smelling the ocean water and watching the tides roll to shore. I was reminded just how much the ocean is like our lives with tides, beauty, death and new life. Loved the story within the story. Great summer read.

Great first novel!

What an intriguing novel in a truly beautiful setting. Emily Wilson heads from NYC to Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound to regroup after her divorce. Her Aunt Bee opens her home to Emily, just as she did when Emily spent summers there as a girl. Almost immediately, Emily discovers a diary that leads to a story that blends past and present in very interesting ways. This was an easy story to get lost in and I liked how Jios managed to keep the thread of the past/present going until the very end.

Thoroughly charming.

After her husband leaves her for another woman, Emily decides to spend a month on Bainbridge Island, visiting her Aunt Bee whom she hasn't seen in quite some time. Being on the island is like a restorative tonic. She settles in immediately and thinks back to happier times. When things were less complicated and well.simple. One night, unable to sleep, she opens her nightstand and finds a red velvet diary. The love story inside reads like a novel so she's not sure if what she is reading is a true story, and if it is.who are these people? Emily, a successful writer by trade, is completely taken with the writing and finds herself eagerly turning the pages whenever she can sneak a moment away from her Aunt. What she doesn't know, is that the diary holds a family secret that could change her life forever. The Violets of March is a good mix of setting, story and characters. The setting, gorgeous Bainbridge Island, is hard to ignore. While reading this book, I could smell the ocean, feel the breeze, etc. The story was a little meatier than I expected which I thoroughly enjoyed. There's nothing like a good family secret to really keep you guessing. I also found the characters to be quite charming. Emily is very likable and I immediately wanted the best for her. Her Aunt Bee was interesting and complex and the friendships on the island are wrought with tension, but realistically so. To sum it up, I had a hard time putting it down and I've already mentioned the book to a few of my friends. Pull up a beach chair, grab a refreshing drink and read it this summer.

An author to watch

It was the cover of The Violets of March that first drew me to the book. But it was Sarah Jio's writing that kept me turning pages until the very last one.

Emily Wilson wrote a bestselling book in her twenties, married the man of her dreams and thought she had found her happy ever after....until her husband left her for another woman.

"I was making scrambled eggs smothered in Tabasco, his favorite, when he told me about Stephanie. The way she made him laugh. The way she understood him. The way they connected. I pictured the image of two Lego pieces fusing together, and I shuddered."
Emotionally and mentally exhausted, she decides to return to a childhood haunt - Bainbridge Island and her Aunt Bee.

"Bee was unconventional, indeed. But there was also something a little off about her. The way she talked too much. Or talked too little. The way she was simultaneously welcoming and petulant, giving and selfish. And then there were her secrets. I loved her for having them."
Aunt Bee settles Emily into a little used bedroom. It is in the drawer of the nightstand that she finds a diary from the 1940's written by someone named Esther. As she reads, Emily finds that she may have a personal connection to the writer. But Bee is not forthcoming with answers. Emily is further confused by the feelings she develops for two men on the island - Greg, from her own past and Jack, who seems to have a connection to her Aunt Bee's past.

As Aunt Bee says..."...fate has a way of bringing you back when it's time to come back."
Jio's description of the island had me longing to roll up my pants and walk in the surf. And I would love to stroll the island and meet the people. Jio does a wonderful job drawing her characters. I could picture Aunt Bee and her friends perfectly. The scenes from the diary sprang to life. Indeed, I was willing Emily to read faster. I desperately wanted to know what happened next. But at the same time, I was enjoying Emily's reawakening. A seamless blending of two stories - and a wee bit magical.

The Violets of March is absolutely the perfect read to tuck in your bag this summer. Love, mystery, comfort and finding yourself all rolled into one perfectly delicious read. An impressive debut! Fans of Jodi Picoult would love this book - she provides a cover blurb for The Violets of March.