Quarter Finalist
Assessment:
Plot: The author does an excellent job keeping the reader engaged throughout this work. She alternates between the present and the past, telling Violet's story as a young girl and Ronni's story in the present. Both stories flow smoothly and evenly.
Prose/Style: Duke is a gifted writer whose command of action, grammar, dialogue and storyline is commendable. The reader is always interested and engaged.
Originality: This tale is part general fiction, part mystery, and part love story. The author has done an exemplary job weaving together storylines to create a cohesive and unique plot that will delight readers.
Character Development: The author does a great job with characterization, creating living, breathing characters that evoke strong feelings in the reader. Violet, in particular, will tug at the heartstrings as her story unfolds.
Blurb: Duke transports readers to another era in this engaging new work. Characters come to life and will stay with readers long after the last page.
Date Submitted: July 11, 2019
With an engaging storyline and deftly-woven characters, IT ALL COMES BACK TO YOU by Beth Duke is the kind of book that will have you recommending it to your friends purely so you can have someone else to discuss it with.
Ronni enjoys her job as a carer for the most part but deep down she would love to be a writer. When her favourite patient, Violet, passes away, she leaves Ronni with the means to follow her dreams in more than one way. Alongside some money, Violet has also shared her life with Ronni - the ups and downs, the tragedies and the love that she has experienced in Alabama after the war right up to the day she died. Violet always shone no matter where she was and she knows that Ronni can make her life a bestseller now that she is gone. But as Ronni begins to dig a little deeper into Violet's life there are secrets waiting to be unearthed and along the way Ronni's life will change too ...
IT ALL COMES BACK TO YOU by Beth Duke is the kind of grand story that sweeps you along in its descriptions and makes the past feel like the present as you read it. The story jumps between the two timelines which worked really well and there was never a moment when I wanted to put this book down. I smiled, I cried, and my heart may have even broken a little at times, which is always the perfect sign to me that a book is special and IT ALL COMES BACK TO YOU by Beth Duke is definitely special. A must-read for fiction fans who love a dual timeline and excellent characters.
- Books of All Kinds
"I laughed a lot, I also cried in places, I felt an affinity for the characters - and there are many - and their sorrows. I loved Violet and how she took the lemons life had given her and made a lot of lemonade for others who had nothing. I loved Ronni and her wonderful, dry, self-deprecating humor. This warm, funny book will surprise you a lot. It did me because I was expecting a simple, charming story about a nurse who has to write a book about her benefactor's life. Yes, it's about that, but so much more. Please don't miss out on this wonderful story. I was sad when it ended."
- Official 5-Star Readers Favorite Editorial Review
"The author has crafted a beautiful novel that takes the reader into another time and demonstrates how the past is critical in understanding who we are. We never fully understand the motivations underlying our choices. However, the past is an intrinsic part of who we are. This novel will absorb you and touch your heart. This is an unforgettable book crafted by a brilliant author.
I highly recommend this book to readers who like to get emotionally involved with the people they meet in novels. When reading leads to actual tears and laughing out loud, I have found a winner. Very well written, with such pain and love. I can't remember the last time I read a book that made me feel so much. This is a beautiful story of love, friendship and family. The characters stories are interwoven, and flow effortlessly. The story is both heartwarming as well as heartbreaking at the same time."
- Shelley's Book Nook
