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Book Tour // Montpelier Tomorrow by Marylee MacDonald

September 18, 2015May 26, 2019 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 4 comments
Book Tour // Montpelier Tomorrow by Marylee MacDonald

MontpelierTomorrow Cov


Note – I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. No affiliate links were used in this post.

About Montpelier Tomorrow

Paperback: 318 pages
Publisher: All Things That Matter Press; First edition (August 21, 2014)

Mid-life mom, Colleen Gallagher, would do anything to protect her children from harm. When her daughter’s husband falls ill with ALS, Colleen rolls up her sleeves and moves in, juggling the multiple roles of grandma, cook, and caregiver, only to discover that even her superhuman efforts can’t fix what’s wrong.

Praise

“Each time I have reread this novel, I have felt rewarded by the connection it offers to the central character, Colleen. I can think of no single page in which her voice is not an irreplaceable gift to the reader.” – Kevin McIlvoy, author of The Fifth Station

“An affecting, deeply honest novel; at the same time, a lacerating indictment of our modern healthcare system” – Kirkus Reviews

“Öif you like well written books, wonderfully developed characters, and a story with a greater purpose you should read Montpelier Tomorrow by Marylee MacDonald. I cannot stress enough†how good this book is.” – Ben Green for Reader Views

“A heartrending story of love, loss and the endurance of the human spirit” – Literary Fiction Book†Review

“Montpelier Tomorrow portrays real issues of life; it exposes the multi-layers of human conflict and the heroism of motherhood.” – Cheryl E. Rodriguez for ReadersFavorite

“An amazing story of a family going through difficult times and each one trying to keep things going under those difficult circumstances.” – Mamta Madhavan for ReadersFavorite

My Thoughts

I was a little nervous to pick read this because of the subject matter; I knew it wouldn’t be the happiest of books! I have mixed feelings about this novel, so I’ll start with what didn’t work for me and then move onto what I liked about the novel.

This was a slow starter for me. I had trouble with the beginning and the reaction of family when they found out that Tony had ALS. I found their reactions to be a bit unbelievable and abrupt. Their reactions really didn’t say much about the character of each member of the family and I  didn’t really like any of the characters or connect to them from the start. I expected this to change as the novel went on, but for the most part it didn’t. Sandy, the daughter, in particular became more rude and unlikable as the novel went on.

Even though I had trouble connecting with the characters, I did grow to care for some of them–in particular I really grew to care about Colleen. This book provides a difficult glimpse at a such a terrible illness and how it affects everyone in the family, particularly the one(s) who take care of the patient. Some of the descriptions really hit hard and, in a book like this, they should. I thought about this novel a lot when I wasn’t reading it and I’m sure it’ll stay with me for awhile.

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Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Maryleeblueblouse_optAbout Marylee MacDonald

A former carpenter and mother of five, Marylee MacDonald began writing when her last child left for college. Her fiction has won the Jeanne Leiby Chapbook Award, the Barry Hannah Prize, the Ron Rash Award, the Matt Clark Prize, and the ALR Fiction Award. Her novel, Montpelier Tomorrow, was a Finalist in the 2014 IPPY Awards and the Faulkner-Wisdom Prize. She is widely published in literary magazines such as American Literary Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Folio, Blue Moon Literary & Art Review, Broad River Review, Four Quarters, New Delta Review, North Atlantic Review, Raven Chronicles, Reunion: The Dallas Review, River Oak Review, Ruminate, StoryQuarterly, The Briar Cliff Review, and Yalobusha Review.

Find out more about Marylee at her website, see what she’s pinning on Pinterest, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. You can also follow her blog and add her to your circles on Google+.

 

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HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS?

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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4 comments

  1. Karin Rambo says:
    September 18, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    looks like a good one. Thanks for reviewing it!

    Reply
  2. Heather J @ TLC Book Tours says:
    September 18, 2015 at 11:36 pm

    An illness like this really does affect entire families, often in unpredictable ways.

    Thanks for being a part of the tour!

    Reply
  3. Nakeya says:
    September 19, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    Thanks for this post. I just joined good reads and looking for interesting books to read. I will add this one to my list.

    Reply
  4. Yvonne Jasinski says:
    September 19, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    It is great to read an honest reviews. I agree, books like that can be hard to read. I remember when I was young I could not understand that my parents only wanted to watch comedies on TV. Now, I at the same stage. Life is not easy. This is why prefer happy stories.

    Reply

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

May 2023. Savannah, Georgia. Lots of Mina. Lots of May 2023. Savannah, Georgia. Lots of Mina. Lots of new growth on plants.
The other day I realized that there is no Savannah The other day I realized that there is no Savannah on my feed and…well, Savannah is beautiful and needs to be there. These were taken in Lafayette Square on my second day in Georgia.
Picture it. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I d Picture it. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I didn’t go on my weekly dam walk earlier in the week when I was excited about it. On this day I was tired after a long week and my least favorite holiday. My bed was oh so comfortable. I forced myself to roll out of bed and journey to the dam. It was filled with people and I was pokey…taking my time to get there and even journeying down one of the other paths to avoid walking across the dam. (Which isn’t long.) I finally joined the crowd and walked across. And then came back, happy to have made my weekly journey. This is when the top layer of the water started to freeze.
From March: an old mini vlog from a bagpipe rock c From March: an old mini vlog from a bagpipe rock concert, which is mostly me trying the say bagpipe rock. Some word combinations are hard! 😂 There was a sign asking us not to film, which is why there’s no concert footage.
Some of my weekly dam walks have been therapeutic Some of my weekly dam walks have been therapeutic and while the walks haven’t fixed the problems, they’ve help me breathe and connect with the world and relieve stress. 💕
April 2023. We got more snow, but it also melted. April 2023. We got more snow, but it also melted. The dam was almost overflowing. The animals are beginning to emerge. Spring is here!
Happy Independent Bookstore Day! After a coffee st Happy Independent Bookstore Day! After a coffee stop (of course) a friend and I checks out two indie bookstores that we have never been to before. I definitely want to go back to Uncle Hugo’s and Uncle Edgar’s! Did you do anything for #independentbookstoreday

#indiebookstore #indiebookshop
After watching some shopping ASMR videos I had to After watching some shopping ASMR videos I had to try it.

#asmr #groceryshopping #groceryshop  #asmrvideos
I’m a little behind in weekly dam walk reels. Le I’m a little behind in weekly dam walk reels. Let’s go back to the third week in November when there was just a little snow on the ground and the footprints in the snow seemed notable.
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