Review of Kalayla

[Chad Anthony]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Three women of different ages who have faced life struggles meet and come together to form an unbreakable bond. Seven-year-old widowed Lena Barzetti, eleven-year-old Kalayla Leeroyce, and twenty-nine-year-old Maureen are women whose life stories grace the pages of Jeannie Nicholas' book Kalayla.
 
Any reader who would venture on the quest to read this book should brace themselves for an exciting storyline.
 
The events in the plot made me glued to the book, especially the incidents of the Vietnam War and those that forced Kalayla's mother, Maureen, to relocate to Cambridge with Kalayla.
 
Lena's story about Joey, her husband, and other previous relationships she had before him was great to read. Also, about Lena's friend, Carlotta, whom Kalayla briefed on.
 
The birthday party organized by Kalayla for Maureen's birthday party was another setting that brought a lot of characters together, and there were stimulating and insightful messages to understand the story's plot as it moved forward.
 
The author's rich use of descriptive words made the reading free-flowing and interesting, as did how the narration was alternated between different characters using the first-person narrative technique.
 
One other thing I loved to emulate from the book was the friendship between Lena, Kalayla, and Maureen, which was admirable. The relationship gave room for each character to release pent-up worries and filled them with wisdom to learn from their shared stories—the beauty of motherhood, sacrifices made by women for their children, and pains undergone by them for their sake.
 
I enjoyed Kalayla's "smart mouth," even though some readers might not like it, as it made her seem insolent sometimes. But most of the things she said were blunt, and she had a way of painting the characters or whatever situation she was describing vividly. For example, she referred to Lena as a "crabby old lady" but did not insinuate that Lena did not have her good side.
 
Notwithstanding, I felt the plot of the book was a little bit slow-paced, and that made some aspects of the book boring to read through, and this might pose more issues than that to impatient readers. Apart from this, I found nothing to dislike in the book.
 
I would rate Kalayla five out of five stars because it proved to be well-edited; I found no errors in it. The book is appropriate for a mature audience who can relate to and understand the nitty-gritty of the life experiences discussed in it and the lessons to learn from them.

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Kalayla
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[Anthony Ambrose]

Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas sounds like a compelling tale of resilience and friendship, as three women from different generations come together to form an unbreakable bond.

[Christian Jordan]

**Kalayla** by Jeannie Nicholas tells the story of three women of different ages—seventy-year-old widow Lena Barzetti, eleven-year-old Kalayla Leeroyce, and twenty-nine-year-old Maureen—who overcome life struggles and form an unbreakable bond.

[Robert Cortes]

"Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas is a compelling novel that weaves together the lives of three women from different generations, each grappling with her own set of challenges. The main characters—seven-year-old widow Lena Barzetti, eleven-year-old Kalayla Leeroyce, and twenty-nine-year-old Maureen—find solace and strength in their unexpected friendship.

Readers should prepare for an engaging and emotionally charged storyline. The narrative covers a range of significant events, including the impact of the Vietnam War on Lena's life and the circumstances that led Maureen and her daughter Kalayla to relocate to Cambridge. These events, along with Lena's rich backstory and the friendships she formed, are deeply engrossing.

[Sean Patrick Tracy]

Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas seems to offer a compelling narrative of resilience, friendship, and the intertwining lives of three women facing life's struggles. Lena, Kalayla, and Maureen's journey towards forming an unbreakable bond appears to be the heart of the story, drawing readers into their shared experiences and challenges.