Great read! I enjoyed this story so much & can't wait to read another book by Sarah Jio! The way she made you think, remember, and hope that love prevails is amazing! Highly recommend & if you love Kristin Hannah you'll love Sarah Jio! I will admit to confusion here & there and would have preferred a different ending for Esther and even getting more time with Emily & Jack (I guess I would have preferred it to have been longer!) I read Blackberry Winter last winter holiday season and was thoroughly impressed with this page turner packed full of mystery and human relationships. I decided to read more of her work and chose The Violets of March for my summer vacation at the beach. How could I miss with another Sarah Jio novel set in the incredible locale of Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound on the Pacific Ocean.It turns out that The Violets of March was also Sarah Jio’s debut novel and what a terrific start for the author. The book had it all – mystery, romance, wonderful characters and a fabulous setting which was a character on its own.The story revolves around the relationship of a young woman Emily, whose husband recently announced he was involved with someone else, and her favourite Aunt Bee who lives on Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound where Emily has enjoyed many summers visiting the island and her aunt. Both women have always loved the locale, its lush and wild geography and the island’s laid back and neighbourly culture. The locale plays a large a role in the story. I loved the descriptions and was longing to visit and experience the island for myself – the descriptions were that real.There was also a mystery throughout. Emily discovered a diary by an unknown woman written years ago in her bed side table. As a well known published writer, currently suffering from writer’s block, Emily is always interested in a good story and is anxious to find out more and get to the bottom of the story. I found the book to be a page turner and was thoroughly engaged in finding out what really did happen. Part of the mystery was a romance gone awry. The results were poignant and tugged at my heart. Jio does a wonderful job of developing characters and their relationships with each other. There was the aunt-niece relationship, several female friendships, a mother-daughter dynamic at play, and additional sibling and male-female relationships. The people and relationships are all different but Jio seems to have a real knack for understanding people and what makes them tick and writing about it in a way that makes the characters so real and alive.The Violets of March has it all – characters, plot, page turning, great scenery, human relationships, romance, surprises and love. I enjoyed it at the beach but I think many readers would enjoy it at any time. A terrific 4 star debut.
What do You think about Mart Menekşeleri (2011)?
4.5 stars... A little confusing at times, but a really sweet story!
—Leece
3.5 stars. Good story, kept me reading, but also a bit confusing.
—Rajlakshmi
I love all of her books. Highly recommend them all .
—ORANG
