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  • 9781590952511 1590952510
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Chick Lit Café - Book Reviews, Promotions & Author Spotlights
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Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald

Adult; Mystery/Thriller; (Market)

Tara Richards is unhappy with her job as a rehabilitation nurse and disenchanted with her marriage, but lacks the courage to make a major life change. When her best friend Lisa disappears, Tara's life is thrown into turmoil. Has Lisa jeopardized her sobriety by going on a drinking binge or is she hiding the news that she may be pregnant from her partner Ryan, who has a history of battering, and it's not his baby? Lisa is her rock, her confidant, her reality check. Tara can't live without her. Despite the near paralysis of bad hair days and her dread of turning forty, Tara joins a massive search to look for her friend in conjunction with the police, her colorful women's collective, Lisa's old-world Italian parents, and a twenty-four-year-old man Tara finds particularly captivating. Review of Finding Lisa; Gripping, compelling and a darn good read. Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald comes highly recommended by Chick Lit Café. One evening Tara is having a conversation with her best friend Lisa, the next morning Lisa is missing and the search begins. In the two weeks that follow, Tara will go through a lifetime of emotions. What's happened to Lisa? The shocking truth is not revealed until the very end and it will have you sat on the end of your chair. Review of Finding Lisa By Diane C. Donovan of Midwest Book Review Tara is leading an unhappy but safe life, stuck in a career and marriage she doesn't like, until her best friend vanishes. Finding Lisa is about having everything, losing something important, and re-evaluating life, love, and purpose as a result. It stands out from other stories of disappearance and searching because of its focus on a variety of themes beyond the event itself. These include women's connections and friendships, the kinds of shared interactions that keep such connections alive, and underlying issues of spousal abuse, midlife changes, and new possibilities. The first step to making meaningful changes is to confront evidence that one's values, perceptions, and patterns are no longer serving their purpose. As long as Lisa is part of her life, Tara isn't compelled to take this step or make these realizations; but Lisa's disappearance prompts a cascade of grief, self-examination, and determination in ways than one, and this in turn fosters new experiences and choices. Set against the backdrop of Canadian culture, Finding Lisa follows Tara's journey as she learns to trust strangers, runs into danger and even possible romance, and navigates strange new worlds in which her usual responses need revision. Her shortcomings and failures are reassessed as her search leads to not only dead ends, but a passage of time that gives her the feeling that Lisa is being left behind as life moves forward without her. As she faces questions about whether Lisa lost her sobriety and whether her boyfriend Ryan was involved, Tara confronts her own life decisions. Ultimately, Finding Lisa is about Tara finding herself, her place in the world, and her own willingness to accept pat answers and appearances that defy easy explanations. The emotionally charged conclusion that takes an unexpected twist will delight readers who anticipated a very different ending from Tara's thought processes, making Finding Lisa a delightful study in surprises that holds the power to thoroughly engross right up to its stormy conclusion.
Reviews
Chick Lit Cafe Book Reviews & Promotion

Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald is a powerful, thought-provoking, mystery/suspense and a five star story that will keep you turning pages.

I really love books that have a strong, yet unique protagonist and therefore I was delighted to be introduced to Tara.  Tara tells us this story in her own words and lets us in to her deepest, and sometimes dark, thoughts.  She’s a great character with lots of quirks!  I laughed out loud when she tells us her feelings are hurt because Monday (the pet dog) enjoys licking the sofa just as much as he enjoys licking her hand.  There are lots of one-liners like this that help to keep this rather serious story buoyant and upbeat.

Packed with facts about missing people and domestic violence it is clear to see the author has great knowledge about these issues, and touches on them with careful consideration and a raw honesty that touched me.  I thought I was going to read a story about finding one’s self, with a look at how we reach middle age and deal with dissatisfaction.  And, at first that’s what I saw.  The woman next door, approaching forty and not happy with what she sees in the mirror.  Brilliant touch by Sigrid Macdonald to have the running saga of the eternal bad-hair-day reflecting externally what was going on in Tara’s mind and spirit.  However, there was such a lot more to this story.

Finding Lisa is a powerful and compelling book about relationships.  Four people fill most of Tara’s life.  Her best friend Lisa, with their honesty and secret sharing; her husband Mark, who seems to have faded into the background; her son Devon, (this was probably my favorite) which moves from a totally funny, teenage-to-mother stereo type relationship into something moving and real.  And lastly, there’s Alain… the young man in the store that has caught Tara’s attention and affections.  He is such a sweet character in this story.

One evening Tara is having a conversation with her best friend Lisa, the next morning Lisa is missing and the search begins.  In the two weeks that follow, Tara will go through a lifetime of emotions.  What’s happened to Lisa?  The shocking truth is not revealed until the very end and it will have you sitting on the end of your chair.  Gripping, compelling and a darn good read. Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald comes highly recommended by Chick Lit Café.

Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 9781590952511 1590952510
  • pages
  • $14.89
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