After losing her mother to cancer and suffering a miscarriage soon after, Claire Ferguson numbs the pain with alcohol and pills, and wonders if her own life is worth living.
Adopted at birth, Claire is convinced she has some unknown genetic flaw that may have been the cause of her miscarriage. She must find a way to deal with the guilt she harbors. But exoneration will come with a price.
With her marriage in trouble and her father refusing to answer any questions about her adoption, Claire begins the search for her birth mother. For the first time in her life, she really wants to know where she came from.
But what if the woman who gave her life doesn't want to be found?
For all those who have loved, experienced loss,
and lived life's roller-coaster
Heartrending and immensely satisfying. I couldn't put it down.
--ANE MULLIGAN, Sr. editor, Novel Rocket, http://www.novelrocket.com.
Explores the many facets of adoption...with gut-wrenching honesty and yet tenderness.
-BETH K. VOGT, author of Wish You Were Here and Catch a Falling Star.
A luminous story of forgiveness that will take hold of your heart and lift its hidden burdens.
-ROSSLYN ELLIOTT, award-winning author of Fairer Than Morning and Sweeter than Birdsong.
An emotionally mesmerizing drama of the relationships that define and mold a family.
-SUE HARRISON, international bestselling author of Mother Earth, Father Sky.
Don't miss Catherine West's Yesterday's Tomorrow: 2011 INSPY Award Winner (Romance), Finalist, 2012 Reader's Favorite Awards, ACFW Book Club Selection, August 2011.
JerseyGirlBookReviews
Posted April 3, 2013
Hidden In The Heart is a poignant tale of loss, hope, forgiveness, and redemption. Author Catherine West weaves a powerful story about adoption, family, and a young woman's emotional journey in search of her birth mother. The author weaves an intricate fictional story based loosely on her own adoption experience.
Written in the third person narrative, the reader follows Claire Ferguson's emotional journey of self-discovery and healing. Claire is a grown adoptee whose life is in a mess after the death of her adoptive mother and suffering a miscarriage. Unable to come to terms with her grief and move forward in her life, Claire turns to alcohol and pills. She blames herself for her miscarriage and wonders if she has a genetic flaw that has contributed to the miscarriage. To get the answer, she has to find her birth mother, but when her adopted father won't provide the information or identity of her birth mother, Claire sets out on a journey with only one clue to find her.
Hidden In The Heart is a compelling story that grabs the reader by the heartstrings from the beginning and doesn't let go until the final word has been read. Author Catherine West delves into the powerfully emotional subjects of adoption, alcoholism and depression in a realistic and thoughtful way, she engages the reader to follow along with Claire as she goes in search of her identity and the closure she needs to heal her heart. The story takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride with enough drama, issues, and twists and turns that keeps them riveted and turning the page. This is not an easy story to read, you can't help but feel for Claire, her story draws upon the reader's empathy and compassion that has them feeling the full gamut of emotions.
With a realistic cast of characters who have flaws and are easy to relate to; engaging and witty dialogue and interactions; and a storyline that masterfully describes the variety of relationship dynamics of family, self-identity, and the ability to get through difficult and often traumatic life experiences with love, faith, hope and forgiveness; Hidden In The Heart is a beautifully written story that will simply stir your soul.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The_IE_Mommy
Posted April 21, 2013
Hidden in the Heart is such a beautiful story of one woman’s journey through despair, hope, love and forgiveness. Catherine West will draw you into her story with her heartfelt words and emotion wrought from her own adoption experience.
Catherine West grew up knowing she was adopted but she never felt the emptiness or abandonment until she lost her adopted mother and suffers her own tragic loss. Finding solace in alcohol causes friction between she and her husband and her father. When she separates from her husband, the longing to know where she comes from becomes unbearable.
Taking a lead she finds, she travels from her home in Connecticut to a small town in Maine where she stays in a cabin, fighting for her past, her future and ultimately her very life. Will the answers come before she lets the hopelessness take over and drowns herself in alcohol?
I loved reading this story that took place in Connecticut and Maine as my family has roots in both states. It always makes me have a soft place in my heart and a deep connection to a place I know and love. West’s writing made me feel like I was home again and so this book had a nostalgic feeling for me all the way through.
Once I read at the end that West had loosely based the story on her own experience, I understood how she could write with such emotion and rawness.
Hidden in the Heart is wonderfully written, emotionally charged and renewed my faith in hope and forgiveness.
THESELF-TAUGHTCOOK
Posted April 4, 2013
After losing her mother to cancer and then suffering a miscarriage, Claire turns to alcohol to get through this bleak period of life. She believes a genetic flaw is to blame for the loss of her baby, but as an adoptee, she has no way of knowing the medical history of her family. As her marriage begins to fall apart, Claire begins her search for her birth mother. But she fails to think of what will happen if this mystery woman does not appreciate being found.
This is thought-provoking modern fiction. The beginning of the book is a bit confusing, moving between different characters without explanation, and it drags occasionally, but it picks up quickly, with the characters sorting themselves out in the first third of the book. The ending is a little too tidy, but fiction writers can do that; that's the reason for choosing fiction over reality.
As for the characters, it is easy to sympathize with Claire. Whether or not one is an adoptee, her pain and confusion is imaginable. As her marriage to James falters, she withdraws from those who love and want to help her. This is a very realistic reaction. James is, for the most part, long-suffering to the point of sainthood. He does get a bit preachy at times, but that is to be expected in this genre.
The honest exploration of substance abuse and even promiscuity is a welcome addition to Christian fiction. The characters have real problems and face the very real consequences of their actions, but this is not shown in a judgmental manner. Rather, grace and forgiveness are major components of the storyline.
This is a well-written novel with a strong Christian theme. I look forward to reading more from Ms. West.
4 stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Litfuse Publicity Group book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Realistic and memorable characters, a charming setting, and beautiful writing all support this incredibly moving story. Catherine West doesn't hold anything back - the grittiness of addiction, the pain of infertility, and the multi-layered emotions wrapped up in adoption - they're all here. I highly recommend this book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is about the pain of having to give a child up for adoption.
It is also about the feelings of the adoptee.
Catherine West has woven a compelling, page turning read. She delves first into the adoptee, Claire...who in the span of a short time lost her Mom, and then suffered a miscarriage. She is unable to cope, and it opens up everything. She becomes dependent on pills and alcohol.
So begins Claire's journey...will she end up in a bottomless pit, or find the answers to her questions? You will wonder if she is ever going to be well enough to accept what has happened and return to her loving husband?
There are other loving character's that are presented in the book...and like most humans, have made bad judgement errors. Some have made such poor life choices, they need to find their way back to their foundation, and their God.
I'll be sharing my book, don't miss this one!
I received this book through First Wild Card Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.
Anonymous
Posted November 1, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted December 26, 2012
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Overview
After losing her mother to cancer and suffering a miscarriage soon after, Claire Ferguson numbs the pain with alcohol and pills, and wonders if her own life is worth living.
Adopted at birth, Claire is convinced she has some unknown genetic flaw that may have been the cause of her miscarriage. She must find a way to deal with the guilt she harbors. But ...