Review of Beyond the Clouds, the Sky is Blue

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Faithy_Goody_Star
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Review of Beyond the Clouds, the Sky is Blue

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Beyond the Clouds, the Sky is Blue" by Dennis Santos.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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A family of seven—Gregory, Felicia, Patricio, Maria, Hena, Domingo, and Estefe Ortiz—are bound to move from the home they have ever known, Puerto Rico, to the United States for greener pastures. Despite Gregory's wife and children's resistance, Gregory insisted that the relocation was the best thing for their family. Indeed, it appeared to be the best approach until it was not.

Gregory, having received an offer for employment to work at a plantation, the Ortiz family set off to what would become their new home. Soon, the family got accustomed to the place, and life appeared to be good. However, tragedy struck, which led to the scattering of the Ortiz kids into various foster homes. Subsequently, the author focuses on Maria (later named Mary), which leads the reader to believe she is the protagonist. Her new home was the adverse of her first home, as it was laced with pain and abuse. Despite the pain of losing her family and the maltreatment she encountered, she came to have one goal. Her goal was to unify her family. How successful will she be? Read this book to see for yourself.

As was seen in the description of Beyond the Clouds, the Sky is Blue by Dennis Santos, it is a true-life story, and Mary Santos is his mother. A picture of them together was incorporated into the book.

The author spared little detail in digging deeply into Mary's life. While I could describe the life experiences of Mary as horrible and heart-wrenching, I could describe some events as heartfelt, lovely, and exciting. The life Mary led is a typical illustration of the struggles a vulnerable person can pass through in a world where such a person seems to be all alone.

The theme of forgiveness is what I appreciated most in this book. Dennis Santos explored it with such finesse. Despite the hard times and difficulties some characters, including Mary, underwent because of the actions and inactions of some characters, like Gregory and Jesse, the aggrieved parties forgave them. From this book, readers will understand that it is not necessarily at the point where you say "I forgive you" that you will actually forgive. It takes time, probably until you have healed.

What I dislike about this book is not necessarily a negative comment about it. It is merely a feeling I had towards an event in this book. As much as it may be believed that Gregory's hands were tied, I did not like the move Gregory had to make towards his children. This is because I believe that in life, there are many choices. In order not to reveal lots of details that could pass off as spoilers, I'd let you unravel the events in this great piece and form your own opinion.

I wish I could say that this book was exceptionally well-edited. However, since I found only an error, it is safe to conclude that it was professionally edited. This is a commendable feat. Since I completely enjoyed this book, I am rating it four out of four stars.

Anyone interested in reading about the life and growth of a young girl born in the 90s through her childhood, adulthood, and old age will find this book engaging. Therefore, I recommend it to them.

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Beyond the Clouds, the Sky is Blue
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Themmie10
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Post by Themmie10 »

It is always a pity the way most foster parents maltreat the foster children, which in turn will make the children traumatised.
Aisha Yakub
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Post by Aisha Yakub »

You can't forgive without healing; that's true. Seems like a heartwarming story, and I look forward to reading this piece.
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Umesh Bhatt
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Post by Umesh Bhatt »

The scattering of the family members and then there reunion seems to be a good theam for a story. Thanks for the nice review.
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Post by Essy Nma »

The recommendation falls to people like me. I like reading those kinds of books. Thanks for the review.
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Post by Cornelius Awah »

it is really interesting to see how this young girl lived and what she passes through. it can really inspire.
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Post by Ochieng Omuodo »

Your comment, ‘I did not like the move Gregory had to make towards his children’ is the reason I must read this book. That's because I was distressed to see that they were scattered into various foster homes, a fate that could only have been nasty.
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Post by Radhika Nair »

The trope of young children alone in the world trying to get back where they belong or escape wretchedness is one of my favourites. I'll be sure to read this book. Thank you for the warm review!
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

This is an inspiring coming-of-age story that spans three generations of the Ortiz family as they emigrate from Puerto Rico to Kauai. The book is temporarily free on Amazon Kindle and has a well-written OnlineBookClub review. Congrats on the BOTD selection.
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Post by Margi zuu202 »

Non_fiction book this story follow the journey of one family coming on age story that span 3 generation of Ortiz as a migrant of Puerto Rico..Mary was given by his dad when she was still a child propelling her to a journey of growth and acceptance navigating foreign island her journey is faced with hursh caretaker, Romance, desperation need to reunite with her family it's a powerful exploration of grief,love I like the character development in the book the author painting a real even happening I recommend it 💯
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Post by Eze Michael »

Unification of a broken things is never easym I like the determination of Maria, and I'd love to know if she achieved her goal in the end. Good plot and storyline. Thanks for your honest review.
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Victoria Ukamaka
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Post by Victoria Ukamaka »

The theme of forgiveness is a strong and important one. As stated in this review, it takes more than ' I forgive you' for forgiveness to take place. I look forward to reading this book for myself. I have a lot to learn from it.
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Tara D Morgan
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Post by Tara D Morgan »

Oh my goodness, what a fabulous review. This sounds like a heartbreaking story, how can anyone give their children away like that? I have to read the book now or it is going to play on my mind!
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Post by Astral Magi »

I would love to find out more about Mary and the Ortiz family. Thank you for a great review.
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Post by AntonelaMaria »

"Anyone interested in reading about the life and growth of a young girl born in the 90s through her childhood, adulthood, and old age will find this book engaging."
How can someone born in the 90s have a book about his or her old age? This seems like an interesting family saga.
“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”
The Minpins by Roald Dahl
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