Review by Abhha -- Midwinter Turns to Spring
-
Abhha
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 10 Nov 2019, 13:28
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-abhha.html
- Latest Review: Midwinter Turns to Spring by Maria Veloso
Review by Abhha -- Midwinter Turns to Spring
[Following is a volunteer review of "Midwinter Turns to Spring" by Maria Veloso.]
In the summer of 1976, a young Flamenco Guitarist from Spain, Alfonso Madrigal, moves to San Francisco with his wife and daughter. Full of hopes and dreams, he is eager to erase a disgraceful and scandalous past and make a fresh start. A year later, he meets Savannah Curtis, a fine art consultant and artist, to get an inherited painting appraised and validated as an authentic work of Picasso. He is instantly enamoured by her subtle and understated beauty. Both Savannah and Alfonso feel drawn to each other in unexpected and inexplicable ways. Soon they fall deeply in love despite conflicting circumstances, with Savannah engaged to be married to another man and Alfonso already having a family of his own.
However, their affair ends abruptly when Savannah decides to leave San Francisco leaving no trace behind. For twenty-six years, their story lay buried, until, in 2003, a young paralegal, Cassidy Hamilton leases the same apartment where Savannah used to live and finds Savannah’s personal journal. The poetic expressions and vivid accounts in Savannah journal about her love affair with Alfonso ignite Cassidy’s curiosity. She finds herself drawn into the lives of Savannah and Alfonso in trying to rekindle her own belief in true love. The story entails how Cassidy embarks on a journey to find the lost lovers, hoping desperately to reunite them, but unaware of their current circumstance, she cannot be sure what destiny has planned for them.
It took me a couple of chapters of Midwinter turns to Spring by Maria Veloso to get used to Maria’s style of writing, strewn with vivid and unique figurative language and her use of formal language in her descriptions. On the whole, however, this book has been an exceptional read. It took me on an emotional roller coaster ride. As I read the story I was not just an observer but a participant, experiencing the emotions of different characters at different times. The spiritual overtones embedded within the context of the story were truly liberating.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4 because it’s an amazingly riveting love story, written with great fervour and command over the language. Maria’s description of settings, people and places is remarkable and transposed me to the places that the characters were visiting, whether it was Alfonso’s home town of Malaga, Spain or the beauty of the sunset at Heaven’s Bluff in Mendocino. I was really impressed by her in-depth knowledge about painting and music, especially flamenco music. There are nuggets wisdom woven beautifully throughout the text - about life and spirituality, learning, perfection, children’s emotions, power of music and power of true love, which seemed to deepen my connection with the author and her story.
This emotionally cleansing and heart-wrenching love story will remain etched in my mind for quite some time. Among many other beautiful words of wisdom in the book, Alfonso’s belief that ‘there is no human dilemma that enough love could not solve’ will serve to be my guiding light in my future endeavours. I am convinced that reading this book with surely reinforce, and for some, restore your faith in true love, as it has done for me! Happy reading!
******
Midwinter Turns to Spring
View: on Bookshelves
In the summer of 1976, a young Flamenco Guitarist from Spain, Alfonso Madrigal, moves to San Francisco with his wife and daughter. Full of hopes and dreams, he is eager to erase a disgraceful and scandalous past and make a fresh start. A year later, he meets Savannah Curtis, a fine art consultant and artist, to get an inherited painting appraised and validated as an authentic work of Picasso. He is instantly enamoured by her subtle and understated beauty. Both Savannah and Alfonso feel drawn to each other in unexpected and inexplicable ways. Soon they fall deeply in love despite conflicting circumstances, with Savannah engaged to be married to another man and Alfonso already having a family of his own.
However, their affair ends abruptly when Savannah decides to leave San Francisco leaving no trace behind. For twenty-six years, their story lay buried, until, in 2003, a young paralegal, Cassidy Hamilton leases the same apartment where Savannah used to live and finds Savannah’s personal journal. The poetic expressions and vivid accounts in Savannah journal about her love affair with Alfonso ignite Cassidy’s curiosity. She finds herself drawn into the lives of Savannah and Alfonso in trying to rekindle her own belief in true love. The story entails how Cassidy embarks on a journey to find the lost lovers, hoping desperately to reunite them, but unaware of their current circumstance, she cannot be sure what destiny has planned for them.
It took me a couple of chapters of Midwinter turns to Spring by Maria Veloso to get used to Maria’s style of writing, strewn with vivid and unique figurative language and her use of formal language in her descriptions. On the whole, however, this book has been an exceptional read. It took me on an emotional roller coaster ride. As I read the story I was not just an observer but a participant, experiencing the emotions of different characters at different times. The spiritual overtones embedded within the context of the story were truly liberating.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4 because it’s an amazingly riveting love story, written with great fervour and command over the language. Maria’s description of settings, people and places is remarkable and transposed me to the places that the characters were visiting, whether it was Alfonso’s home town of Malaga, Spain or the beauty of the sunset at Heaven’s Bluff in Mendocino. I was really impressed by her in-depth knowledge about painting and music, especially flamenco music. There are nuggets wisdom woven beautifully throughout the text - about life and spirituality, learning, perfection, children’s emotions, power of music and power of true love, which seemed to deepen my connection with the author and her story.
This emotionally cleansing and heart-wrenching love story will remain etched in my mind for quite some time. Among many other beautiful words of wisdom in the book, Alfonso’s belief that ‘there is no human dilemma that enough love could not solve’ will serve to be my guiding light in my future endeavours. I am convinced that reading this book with surely reinforce, and for some, restore your faith in true love, as it has done for me! Happy reading!
******
Midwinter Turns to Spring
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Midwinter Turns to Spring by Maria Veloso
