Blackberry Winter
by Sarah Jio
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 286
Rating: 4/5
Read: Sept. 7-10, 2015
Challenge: No Challenge
Yearly count: 31
Format: Print
Source: Purchased New
Series: N/A
Blurb: Seattle, 1933. Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, good night and reluctantly leaves for work. She hates the night shift, but it’s the only way she can earn enough to keep destitution at bay. In the morning – even though it’s the second of May – a heavy snow is falling. Vera rushes to wake Daniel, but his bed is empty. His teddy bear lies outside in the snow.
Seattle, present day. One the second of May, Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge awakens to another late-season snow-storm. Assigned to cover this “blackberry winter” and its predecessor decades earlier, Claire learns of Daniel’s unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth – only to discover that she and Vera are linked in unexpected ways.
Review: I purchased this one new a few years ago and let it linger on my shelves for far too long. I picked it up to take on my vacation because it was a little shorter than most of the books I read. I am thoroughly glad that I did get to read this one, because I ended up loving it!
I was immediately taken with Vera and Claire. Their stories were so intriguing from the beginning that I wanted to know what happened with both of them. The pain that Vera went through losing Daniel just absolutely broke my heart. And then learning of Claire’s own loss was even more painful. As a mother to two healthy, vibrant children, I can’t even imagine the loss of one.
Overall, this is a book that I really enjoyed and am glad that I finally read. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Jio in the future. Highly recommended to anyone who loves a good story. This one has a bit of romance, mystery, and history. It is well written and I found it to be a joy to read. I couldn’t wait to get to the end just so I could find out what happened to little Daniel. And when it was finally revealed it was a shock as to how it all came full circle for Claire. Just a lovely book that I thoroughly enjoyed!
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