Book Review: The Hideaway by Laura K. Denton
I’m pretty picky about fiction and tend to read titles that have been recommended to me in some way: friend, podcast, or book club. I’m also a
little stingy when it comes to how many stars I give a book on Amazon or Goodreads.
Recently, The Hideaway popped up again. Maybe it was the book’s lovely cover that
persuaded me to read the book description this time. Or perhaps it was the
recommendation I noticed by Patty Callahan Henry*:
I like Patty’s writing, so with her recommendation and the fact that The Hideaway was published by Thomas Nelson, I was assured that it would be a good story (and without rough language or steamy scenes).
The Hideaway is a story with dual timelines, one in the present and
the other beginning in 1960. I enjoy dual timelines, but it’s not always well
done. In The Hideaway, it is masterfully well done.
One timeline tells the reader about Sara, the owner of “Bits & Pieces” in New
Orleans. She loves her life as it is: staying busy with her shop, refinishing
old furniture, and redecorating projects. She doesn’t realize that anything is
missing in her life until her grandmother dies unexpectantly. She is called
back to Sweet Bay, her hometown, and all its memories she left permanently. Or
so she thought.
Sara assumes her time in Sweet Bay, Alabama, will only be long enough to take care of
the funeral and other necessary duties. Instead, she winds up with an unexpected
inheritance with a charge from her grandmother, stated in the will. And with that, Sara begins her journey, with an old house and discoveries about her
grandmother’s past that she never knew.
Once from high society and married into an influential family, Mags became an eccentric character who was well-loved in her community. She is the owner of The Hideaway,
formerly a bed and breakfast, now a community-dwelling with two other couples who
never left from their stay. Mags reveals from her perspective what events transpired in her life that got her to The Hideaway in 1960 and why she decided to stay.
Both of these characters become strong women, but not necessarily by determination
alone. There are hard choices and heartbreaks along their paths in life, which become
intertwined in an unexpected way.
Once into the book, it only took me a couple days to finish. This book was hard for me to put down because I wanted to read about Sara's discoveries about her grandmother's life that she never anticipated. This book got a 5-star review from me on Goodreads.
The Hideaway would be an excellent book club read, with many details to discuss the two protagonists. (There are book club discussion questions at the back of the book.)
What draws you to a new book or author? Share with us in the comments!
I love a book with an interesting cover and this one sure looks interesting. I'll have to check this out, it seems quite interesting. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI am a book lover at heart and there are many things that will draw me into reading a book. Sometimes it's a review that I have read.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds interesting! I like stories where there's an unexpected inheritance, an unexpected discovery, or both. I'll have to check out the Friends and Friction page.
ReplyDeleteI love dual timeline stories... and this one sounds fascinating... I am adding this to my TBR.. and I read a few last year that I loved (Book of Lost Friends, Book of Lost Names, and Lions of Fifth Avenue)
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