ISBN (Hardcover): 978-1-4269-2854-3
ISBN (Softcover): 978-1-4269-2855-0
Page Count: 249
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Copyright: 2010
About the Author:
(Taken from the back cover)
Greg Messel is the author of Sunbreaks. He has spent most of his adult life interested in writing, including a career in the newspaper business. He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist and has contributed articles to magazines. Messel lives in Edmonds, Washington with his wife, Carol.Summary:
(Taken from the back cover)
In 1968, Dan and Katie are one of the hottest couples at Ballard High School in Seattle. He is the hero football player, and she is the beautiful cheerleader. These high school sweethearts believe theirs is a love that will never die.
Life changes when Dan leaves Washington to start college at the University of California Berkeley and pursue his dream of working for a big time newspaper in the glamorous city of San Francisco. The quest for his dream occurs against the turbulent background of Berkeley and San Francisco in the 1970s as Dan and Katie go their separate ways.
Now, thirty years later, Dan is back in his hometown of Seattle attending his mother's funeral. He's never stopped thinking about Katie, his long-lost love. But the two former high school sweethearts reconnect in a most unexpected way as the rest of the world grows more fearful of Y2K and the dawn of the twenty-first century. They are hoping that their love, once lost, can now be reclaimed.
My Review:
First, I love the cover of this book. The San Francisco Bridge being covered with fog is somewhat spooky and mystical, but it can also be romantic and seclusive. The two people on the hill overlooking the bridge probably feel as if they're in their own little world. I think the cover is absolutely perfect for the story that's hidden behind it.
Speaking of the story ... As you know from the summary, the story spans a period of 30 years. It is not told from beginning to end. The book is set in 1999 and flashes back periodically from the years 1969 to 1989. There are numerous famous local and national stories that are covered in the telling of Dan and Katie's story, from the Zodiac killer to Watergate to the Anti War Movements during the 60s and 70s and so on. I was amazed at how many news stories were covered in this book ... some I had forgotten about or never heard of. How amazing it would have been to have lived during these events. Thanks to the detail Greg provided when he wrote this book, I felt as if I were there.
Dan and Katie are the main couple in this story. Their love for each other began in their junior year at high school and lasted throughout their entire lives (or what we know of their lives so far). I must say that it's hard for me to imagine a couple of high school juniors falling into that lasting kind of love. This opinion may be based purely on my own jaded experiences. I know that there are those exceptions ... those couples who really are high school sweethearts and their love does last a lifetime, which I find extremely romantic.
Dan and Katie seemed to "fit" together. When Wendy enters Dan's life and changes things, I did get a little upset. I think I even yelled at Dan and asked him what he was doing?!! That he shouldn't have given up so easily on the situation with Katie, he shouldn't have let his pride get in the way of the one person he still loved and wanted... but, alas, that's how things happen sometimes. It was nice to see that Dan and Katie finally found their way back to each other.
I want to mention the end, but I don't want to give the story away. Knowing that this book is written with a background of newsworthy events, the way it ended made me wonder if we would see a sequel to Dan and Katie's story ... ???
Overall, I did enjoy this book. The storyline is compelling and keeps you interested. There were a few times Dan got on my nerves, but the way he was portrayed worked well in the story. I would definitely recommend this book to those of you who like stories about long-lost loves. It really is an easy and wonderful read.
I'm sorry, this giveaway has ended.
Speaking of the story ... As you know from the summary, the story spans a period of 30 years. It is not told from beginning to end. The book is set in 1999 and flashes back periodically from the years 1969 to 1989. There are numerous famous local and national stories that are covered in the telling of Dan and Katie's story, from the Zodiac killer to Watergate to the Anti War Movements during the 60s and 70s and so on. I was amazed at how many news stories were covered in this book ... some I had forgotten about or never heard of. How amazing it would have been to have lived during these events. Thanks to the detail Greg provided when he wrote this book, I felt as if I were there.
Dan and Katie are the main couple in this story. Their love for each other began in their junior year at high school and lasted throughout their entire lives (or what we know of their lives so far). I must say that it's hard for me to imagine a couple of high school juniors falling into that lasting kind of love. This opinion may be based purely on my own jaded experiences. I know that there are those exceptions ... those couples who really are high school sweethearts and their love does last a lifetime, which I find extremely romantic.
Dan and Katie seemed to "fit" together. When Wendy enters Dan's life and changes things, I did get a little upset. I think I even yelled at Dan and asked him what he was doing?!! That he shouldn't have given up so easily on the situation with Katie, he shouldn't have let his pride get in the way of the one person he still loved and wanted... but, alas, that's how things happen sometimes. It was nice to see that Dan and Katie finally found their way back to each other.
I want to mention the end, but I don't want to give the story away. Knowing that this book is written with a background of newsworthy events, the way it ended made me wonder if we would see a sequel to Dan and Katie's story ... ???
Overall, I did enjoy this book. The storyline is compelling and keeps you interested. There were a few times Dan got on my nerves, but the way he was portrayed worked well in the story. I would definitely recommend this book to those of you who like stories about long-lost loves. It really is an easy and wonderful read.
Giveaway:
I'm sorry, this giveaway has ended.
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I love the cover too, and I'm definitely intrigued by the review.
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