Dear
Carolina by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Published:
May 5, 2015
Publisher:
Berkley
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Synopsis
A moving debut novel about two mothers—one
biological and one adoptive—from a compelling new voice in Southern women’s
fiction.
One baby girl.
Two strong Southern women.
And the most difficult decision they’ll ever
make.
Frances “Khaki” Mason has it all: a thriving
interior design career, a loving husband and son, homes in North Carolina and
Manhattan—everything except the second child she has always wanted. Jodi, her
husband’s nineteen-year-old cousin, is fresh out of rehab, pregnant, and alone.
Although the two women couldn’t seem more different, they forge a lifelong
connection as Khaki reaches out to Jodi, encouraging her to have her baby. But
as Jodi struggles to be the mother she knows her daughter deserves, she will
ask Khaki the ultimate favor…
Written to baby Carolina, by both her birth mother
and her adoptive one, this is a story that proves that life circumstances shape
us but don’t define us—and that families aren’t born, they’re made…
“Characters with rich, complicated
lives…beautifully shows how a family comes to be.”—New York Times bestselling
author Jodi Thomas
"Dear Carolina is Southern fiction at its
best. Lovely and lyrical, with the strong voices of the two female narrators
taking us deep into the heart of what being a mother is about. It shows us that
love is not without sacrifice, and there’s little in life that doesn’t go down
easier with a spoonful of jam. Beautifully written."—New York Times
bestselling author Eileen Goudge
"Dear Carolina is like the Southern women
within its pages and those who will love this book, sweet as sweet tea on the
outside and strong as steel on the inside. The dialect of the south is so
entwined in these pages the reader is transported to a place where women and
children are treasured and family rules all. Kristy Harvey is a
natural."—Ann Garvin, Author of On Maggie’s Watch and The Dog Year
About Kristy
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the author of Dear
Carolina. She blogs at Design Chic about how creating a beautiful home can be
the catalyst for creating a beautiful life and loves connecting with readers at
kristywoodsonharvey.com. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill's school of journalism and holds a Master's in English from East
Carolina University. She is a regular contributor for The Salisbury Post,
Domino magazine and Houzz. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and
three-year-old son.
Connect with Kristy
My Thoughts
Simply put this is Southern Lit at its best! This is the story of
Carolina and how she brought love and joy to two women. First there's Jodi who
gave birth to her but who yearned for more for both Carolina and herself. She didn’t
want her little girl to go through what she did and knew she deserved more than a broken down trailer and a teen mom who drank too much. The other woman, Khaki who
was family and who wanted so desperately to have another child with her husband but
no matter how hard she tried couldn’t. Two women polar opposites but whose
lives mirrored each other that it was almost meant to be. Each could help each
other in more ways than one.
Jodi was left pregnant by her boyfriend and knew
from the start that she didn’t want her child to be like she was with an
alcoholic mom and no future to speak of. Her father the only person besides her
late grandma that truly cared for her passed away and all she had left was her
cousin and his wife Khaki to lean on. They loved and cared for her like their
own but no matter how much help she had she knew her baby deserved more than
she could give.
Khaki and her husband where old sweethearts but
broke up when Khaki was in college. She later met and married another man and
had a son who later died before she had her child. Always loving Khaki her ex
and her married and he raised her child as his own. She always saw them having
a ton of kids so when she couldn’t get pregnant she was beyond words. Along came
Jodi who needed her help and then decided she wanted them to adopt Carolina. While
Jodi thought Khaki was helping her it was quite the opposite. Through Jodi
Khaki learned that while she had money and was a successful business woman,
family was in fact the most important thing in life.
This is the most heartfelt and amazing book I’ve
read in a while. It shows us that families don’t have to be genetic that home
and family lie with those who simply love you unconditionally. So if you want an
honest to god great read this summer look no further Dear Carolina it will touch
your soul like no other.
Rating: 5/5
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this one, Monica; my review goes up on Thursday, and I really enjoyed it, as well. Great review!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so, so, so much for this gorgeous review! I am so happy that you enjoyed DEAR CAROLINA!! Your support of this book has been amazing! xo Kristy
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