Rae Lynne Jonston was only five years old when her beloved father walked out of her life, leaving her mother to raise his love child. As she got older, the only place Rae Lynne could find peace was in the sweet lavender patch near her house. Could the one thing that offers her salvation be the very thing that tears her world apart?
REVIEW BY W. H. McDonald Jr. "The American Author Association / Author of: A Spiritual Warrior's Journey"
There are some books that start right off and grab you heart and squeeze it for all its worth, until tears roll down your cheeks. Hopefully, if you are a manly man you will not do this in public. Author Terry A. O'Neal truly sets up an emotional meltdown in her coming of age tale of a young black girl in her short novel "Sweet Lavender". O'Neal has a way of building up the level of hurting by establishing the relationship through the narrative and the eyes of the young daughter Rae, who at the beginning of this story is only five years old. We learn quickly how much she loves her father. That is the set-up and the fall is an emotional one for anyone who has suffered a break-up of a marriage or their family--it is always hurtful and painful for the children involved. The author captures that feeling without laboring the issue.
O'Neal takes us through the break-up over the infidelities of the father with another woman. That other woman has had his baby but dies and this is where it gets rather complicated and dysfunctional. Rae's father brings the child home to raise and to confess his affair. That is too much for Rae's mother and eventually her dad cannot handle the scorn emotionally anymore and packs up and leaves. It takes a while for her mother to realize that he is not coming back. Meanwhile, she is stuck with his baby.
That is the foundation and the pretext from which the author constructs an inspirational and emotional tale. There are lots of gripping narrative and just enough use of good dialog that the story is an easy journey for the reader but certainly one beset with emotional issues. It is hard not to feel something while reading O'Neal's book. She has a talent for turning the phrasing into emotional prose and captures the spirit of her main character. This is a family friendly book and I would think that mature juveniles though elderly adults would find this story enthralling and good entertainment. It can be easily read in one sitting and that is what may more than likely happen to most readers because you will get emotional sucked into the plot of this story and will not want to put it down until you read that last page.
First Published in the Elk Grove Citizen Newspaper
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Terry a O’Neal’s exceptionally charming story will take your heart for an unforgettable ride of shocking pain, uplifting joy, bitter loss, and ultimately peace. This is the first and long-awaited novel by Terry A O’Neal. She is the author of two volumes of poetry, Motion Sickness and The Poet Speaks In Black. She is also the author of the children’s book, Ev’ry Little Soul.
O’Neal was born and raised in Stockton, California, and currently resides in Sacramento, California, with her husband and three children.
