RAINY DAY EXCERPTS: “MAP OF THE HEART”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a book I downloaded from the library via Overdrive:  Map of the Heart, by Susan Wiggs, a deeply emotional and atmospheric story that spans oceans and decades, from the present-day Delaware shore to the battlefields of WWII France.

 

 

 

Intro:  Of the five steps in developing film, four must take place in complete darkness.  And in the darkroom, timing was everything.  The difference between overexposure and underexposure sometimes came down to a matter of milliseconds.

Camille Adams liked the precision of it.  She liked the idea that with the proper balance of chemicals and timing, a good result was entirely within her control.

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Teaser:  Camille tried not to cringe visibly.  She knew that voice, with its boarding-school accent and phony friendliness.  “Hey, Courtney,” she said. (p. 57).

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Synopsis:  Widowed by an unspeakable tragedy, Camille Palmer has made her peace with the past and settled into the quiet safety of life with her teenage daughter Julie in a sleepy coastal town. Then the arrival of a mysterious package breaks open the door to her family’s secret past. In uncovering a hidden history, Camille has no idea that she’s embarking on an adventure that will utterly transform her.

Camille, Julie, and Camille’s father return to the French town of his youth, sparking unexpected memories — recollections that will lead them back to the dark days of the Second World War. And it is in the stunning Provençal countryside that they will uncover their family’s surprising history.

While Provence offers answers about the past, it also holds the key to Camille’s future. Along the way, she meets a former naval officer who stirs a passion deep within her — a feeling that she thought she’d never experience again.

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Do the excerpts grab you?  Would you keep reading?

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