New Releases by Sarah McCoy

From New York Times bestselling author Sarah McCoy—a spellbinding novel based on a true story: a beautiful young movie star of Hollywood’s Golden Age gives up her bright career to become a nun. In 1969, twenty-three-year-old starlet Lori Lovely, the apple of Hollywood’s eye, shocks the world by ditching a promising film career to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a Benedictine nun. Gossip columnists and scandal sheets can’t get enough of the story. Why would such a beautiful girl take the veil? Was she hiding from someone? Did it have anything to do with the tragic death of her costar, heartthrob singer Lucas Wesley? In 1990, Lu Tibbott is under the gun to complete her senior thesis in modern American history. Instead of spending weeks in dusty archives, Lu decides to dig into a true twentieth-century mystery and write about her aunt Lori, now the Mother Abbess at a cloistered convent in rural New England. Biographers, bloggers, and media types have long speculated about her aunt Lori’s sudden departure from Hollywood. Mother Lori, however, has refused all requests for interviews—until Lu arrives at the abbey with a tape recorder in hand. To her delight, Mother Lori announces she’s finally ready to talk...but only if Lu is truly ready to listen. Lu is shocked to discover that the story of Lori Lovely’s rise in Hollywood was far more tumultuous than she’d ever expected, a fairy tale twisting with ambition, unforeseen alliances, forbidden love, and secrets. What began as a history thesis now threatens to upend all their lives with its unexpected truths, especially as the media gets wind of Lu’s project and begins to ask… Whatever happened to Lori Lovely?

From bestselling author Sarah McCoy, a sun-splashed romp with a rich divorcée and her two wayward daughters in 1970s Mustique, the world’s most exclusive private island, where Princess Margaret and Mick Jagger were regulars and scandals stayed hidden from the press. It’s January 1972 but the sun is white hot when Willy May Michael’s boat first kisses the dock of Mustique Isle. Tucked into the southernmost curve of the Caribbean, Mustique is a private island that has become a haven for the wealthy and privileged. Its owner is the eccentric British playboy Colin Tennant, who is determined to turn this speck of white sand into a luxurious neo-colonial retreat for his rich friends and into a royal court in exile for the Queen’s rebellious sister, Princess Margaret—one where Her Royal Highness can skinny dip, party, and entertain lovers away from the public eye. Willy May, a former beauty queen from Texas—who is also no stranger to marital scandals—seeks out Mustique for its peaceful isolation. Determined to rebuild her life and her relationships with her two daughters, Hilly, a model, and Joanne, a musician, she constructs a fanciful white beach house across the island from Princess Margaret—and finds herself pulled into the island’s inner circle of aristocrats, rock stars, and hangers-on. When Willy May’s daughters arrive, they discover that beneath its veneer of decadence, Mustique has a dark side, and like sand caught in the undertow, their mother-daughter story will shift and resettle in ways they never could have imagined.

Um conto ousado e sincero da vida em Green Gables... antes da chegada de Anne. Um romance divertido e comovente, ambientado na zona rural da Ilha do Príncipe Edward no século XIX, que imagina a jovem Marilla Cuthbert e as escolhas que abrirão sua vida à possibilidade de desgosto ou de grandeza inimaginável. A escrita de McCoy é lírica, há uma história de fundo muito bem elaborada, que contribui para a nossa compreensão das histórias de Anne. É como se todos os pontos estivessem conectados de uma maneira excepcional. Para ler e reler, tamanha sensibilidade e riqueza de escrita.

Le récit d'une femme libre qui s'engage pour le bonheur des autres 1837, île du Prince-Édouard, au large du Canada. Marilla Cuthbert, 13 ans, mène une vie tranquille dans le cadre enchanteur de la campagne, avec ses parents et son frère aîné, Matthew. À la mort brutale de sa mère adorée, Marilla se jure de veiller toujours sur son père et son frère. Cette décision va entraîner sa vie entière. Désormais, elle se consacrera aux autres. Sacrifiant son amour pour John Blythe, elle décide de se battre auprès des plus démunis, les orphelins en particulier. Visionnaire, elle se révolte contre les mœurs de son temps et rejoint les rangs d'anciens esclaves affranchis afin que soit abolie la traite des Noirs. Mais ce combat pour la liberté a un prix : l'hostilité croissante de l'ordre établi. Chaque jour qui passe fait courir à Marilla un danger sans cesse plus grand.

A bold, heartfelt tale of life at Green Gables . . . before Anne: A marvelously entertaining and moving historical novel, set in rural Prince Edward Island in the nineteenth century, that imagines the young life of spinster Marilla Cuthbert, and the choices that will open her life to the possibility of heartbreak—and unimaginable greatness. Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved mother dies in childbirth, and Marilla suddenly must bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew and father, Hugh. In Avonlea—a small, tight-knit farming town on a remote island—life holds few options for farm girls. Her one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth "Izzy" Johnson, her mother’s sister, who managed to escape from Avonlea to the bustling city of St. Catharines. An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy’s talent as a seamstress has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world. Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables and discovers new friends and new opportunities. Joining the Ladies Aid Society, she raises funds for an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America. Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness—Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another. She soon finds herself caught up in the dangerous work of politics, and abolition—jeopardizing all she cherishes, including her bond with her dearest John Blythe. Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.

De langverwachte nieuwe roman van de auteur van De bakkersdochter – een groots liefdesverhaal dat meerdere decennia en continenten omspant Hallie Erminie, die eind negentiende eeuw opgroeit in een plantersfamilie in Kentucky, is een wilskrachtige jonge vrouw die één grote passie heeft in haar leven: schrijven. Ze is vastbesloten een groot schrijfster te worden en laat zich niet tegenhouden door de conventies van haar tijd, die bepalen dat een vrouw hoort te trouwen en kinderen te krijgen. Met het manuscript van haar debuutroman in haar koffer reist ze af naar New York om een uitgever te zoeken. Daar leert ze de journalist Post Wheeler kennen, een overtuigd vrijgezel. Vrij van amoureuze verwachtingen ontwikkelt zich tussen hen een bijzondere vriendschap, gebaseerd op wederzijds respect. Zo begint een spel van aantrekken en afstoten dat tien jaar zal duren en hen naar Europa, alle uithoeken van Amerika en zelfs Japan zal brengen. Steeds weer merken ze dat de aantrekkingskracht tussen hen groeit, maar het lot lijkt hen telkens uit elkaar te drijven. Durven ze elkaar uiteindelijk de liefde te verklaren? De pers over de boeken van Sarah McCoy ‘Knap verweeft McCoy twee verhaallijnen, met als gemeenschappelijke factor mensen die als vuilnis worden beschouwd.’ Nederlands Dagblad ‘Ze kan uitstekend schrijven. Een sympathieke roman die zeker velen zal boeien.’ NBD Biblion ‘Boeiend en emotioneel geladen. De boodschap in het hart van het verhaal is dat het leven dat we zouden willen niet altijd het leven is dat we krijgen.’ Kirkus Reviews ‘Het oude huis is niet alleen een eerbetoon aan de heldendaden van een onbekende vrouw, maar laat ook op knappe wijze zien hoe het lot ons soms in een heel andere richting voert dan we voor onszelf hebben uitgestippeld.’ Washington Post ‘Probeer bij dit boek je ogen maar eens droog te houden.’ Soest.nu

Allemagne, 1944. Malgré les restrictions, les pâtisseries fument à la boulangerie Schmidt. Entre ses parents patriotes, sa soeur volontaire au Lebensborn et son prétendant haut placé dans l'armée nazie, la jeune Elsie, 16 ans, vit de cannelle et d'insouciance. Jusqu'à cette nuit de Noël, où vient toquer à sa porte un petit garçon juif, échappé des camps... Soixante ans plus tard, au Texas, la journaliste Reba Adams passe devant la vitrine d'une pâtisserie allemande, celle d'Elsie... Et le reportage qu'elle prépare n'est rien en comparaison de la leçon de vie qu'elle s'apprête à recevoir. " Un dilemme passionnant, un roman déchirant à dévorer d'une traite. " ELLE " Un bijou de roman, aussi beau que déchirant, écrit juste comme je les aime : le passé qui revient hanter le présent, des héroïnes attachantes, une fin lumineuse pleine d'espoir. " Tatiana de Rosnay

Hallie Erminie, issue d'une famille de planteurs du Kentucky, est une jeune femme de caractère. À New York, où elle s'est mis en tête de trouver un éditeur qui publierait son premier roman, elle fait la connaissance de Post Wheeler, un journaliste célibataire et fier de l'être. Sous des abords arrogants et rustres, il est en fait d'une compagnie agréable. Tous deux discutent à bâtons rompus de la vie culturelle new-yorkaise, bouillonnante en cette fin de xixe siècle, et s'attachent l'un à l'autre sans oser se l'avouer. Malheureusement, quand Post part pour l'Alaska du jour au lendemain, la possibilité d'une histoire d'amour s'évanouit. Commence alors un chassé-croisé, des États-Unis à l'Italie en passant par l'Angleterre et la France. À chacune de leurs rencontres, les sentiments des deux jeunes gens ne font que croître. Le destin les réunira-t-il enfin ?

Free at Last: How To Free Yourself From Bad Habits! The Secret to a Happier and Healthier Life Everywhere you look, people want to know why they're unhappy. And they want to know what they can do about it. Have you ever asked yourself why intelligent people let bad habits keep them from living happier and healthier lives? I ask myself that question all the time. We live in a world where 30-second commercials offer instant solutions. We shouldn't be surprised when easy solutions don't work: There are no magic bullets, no quick fixes on the path to lasting change. People are overwhelmed with options today. It's beginning to seem that the more solutions there are, the harder it is to find one that works. Programs that promise easy change fail because they gloss over the necessary stages that people have to go through on the path to lasting change. People who regain more weight than they lost by following the latest fad diet are victims of programs that ignore the need for a lifestyle change. Many people have learned the hard way that lasting change is only possible when you have the right information. New Year's resolutions usually fail. They don't work because people jump into them without the right preparation. As I learned from my own experience, you can't be successful in the action stage if you haven't been successful in the preparation stage. Most people make New Year's resolutions when they wake up with a hangover-or with a few extra pounds weighing them down. They haven't done the necessary preparation to have a fighting chance to be successful. It's no wonder so many people give up before January is over. My research, as well as my experience and common sense, tell me that anyone can change, if you have a compelling reason to change-and the right strategy to guide you. The first step is to get unstuck. Many people spend years telling themselves that they're going to change "one day." They spend years worrying about the problem instead of working on it. Maybe they're waiting for the "perfect" weight-loss program, the "perfect" smoking-cessation program, or the "perfect" time to stop drinking. "I'll change when the time is right." How many times have you heard that one? Many people are never able to make a serious commitment to change, even though their life depends on it. Imagine What Life Will Be Like When You're Free... Even good change threatens our sense of security. When you're used to something, the thought of losing it can cause you to panic and get stuck where you are, no matter how much you have to gain by changing. Your capacity to shift your focus from the past to the present is the key to breaking bad habits. You can't make a decision to change as long as you're still focused on the past. Here is what you will learn inside this guide.... The six stages in the process of breaking bad habits How to replace bad habits with a healthy new lifestyle How millions of people have succeeded in breaking a bad habit Why you have a better chance of freeing yourself from a bad habit by taking responsibility for your own program Why successful preparation for change means that you set goals for yourself Why change is not an event, but a process Why most successful self-changers fail at least once before they succeed Why willpower alone isn't enough Why quitting a habit cold turkey usually doesn't work Why a commitment to a more active lifestyle is one of the keys to breaking a bad habit And a lot more!

Après le best-seller UN GOÛT DE CANNELLE ET D'ESPOIR, le nouveau roman de Sarah McCoy 1859. La jeune et impétueuse Sarah apprend qu'elle ne pourra jamais avoir d'enfant. Mais comment trouver un sens à sa vie dans ce monde régi par les hommes ? Comment trouver sa place quand on est la fille de John Brown, célèbre abolitionniste qui aide des esclaves à fuir ? 2014. Eden et son mari emménagent dans la banlieue de Washington dans l'espoir de sauver leur mariage et fonder enfin une famille. En explorant sa nouvelle demeure, la jeune femme découvre une tête de poupée ancienne. Que signifient les mystérieuses lignes qui la recouvrent ? Plus de cent cinquante ans séparent Eden de Sarah, mais sur la grande carte du monde et de l'Histoire, les destins de ces deux femmes se rejoignent en plus d'un point. Un voyage exaltant, à la redécouverte du courage, de la famille, de l'amour et de l'héritage.

In cuor suo, Eden ha sempre coltivato la speranza di diventare madre, e il sorriso non l’ha mai abbandonata. Ma adesso quel sorriso si è spento: non ci saranno bambini nella sua vita. E la grande casa che ha appena acquistato col marito Jack rimarrà un nido vuoto. Una verità dolorosa, destinata ad allargare la crepa che, a poco a poco, si è venuta a creare tra loro. E infatti lui commette subito un errore madornale: le regala un cucciolo. Per Eden è quasi un affronto. Davvero Jack pensa che un cane possa sostituire un figlio? Se ciò non bastasse, in un goffo tentativo di rimediare, Jack «assume» come dog-sitter Cleo, la nipotina undicenne del loro vicino. Pur di non doversi occupare di quella bestiola, Eden si rassegna a sopportare la presenza della bambina e le permette di andare a trovarla ogni giorno. Ancora non lo sa, ma quella decisione le cambierà l’esistenza. Perché Cleo è dotata di un'intelligenza vivace e di un'insaziabile curiosità, che la spingono a porsi domande su tutto, persino sull'antica testa di bambola che Eden ha trovato per caso in cantina. Affascinata, Cleo vuole a ogni costo ricostruirne la storia e trascina Eden da Ms Silverdash, la libraia del quartiere, nonché esperta antiquaria. Ed è proprio lì, tra gli scaffali pieni di libri e i saggi consigli di Ms Silverdash, che Eden scoprirà che quella bambola è la chiave per risolvere un mistero legato a una donna vissuta durante la Guerra di Secessione, una donna con cui Eden ha stranamente molto in comune. E così, grazie all’amicizia della libraia e alla disarmante simpatia della sua «piccola detective», Eden tonerà a sorridere e a ritrovare la voglia di aprirsi al mondo, rendendosi conto che ci sono molti modi per donare affetto e amore, soprattutto a chi ci è più vicino. Un raggio di sole tra le nuvole è una storia di rinascita e di scoperta, una celebrazione degli imprevisti che la vita ci riserva. Perché la felicità ci sorprende quando meno ce lo aspettiamo.

Wanneer een jonge journaliste in 2008 een hoogbejaarde Duitse bakkersdochter interviewt in Texas, haalt deze herinneringen op aan haar leven tijdens de oorlogsjaren.

Découvrez un extrait de ce " bijou de roman " selon Tatiana de Rosnay, une boulangerie allemande prise dans les tourments de l'histoire, une famille déchirée par les horreurs de la guerre, l'innocence confrontée à un choix terrible... Bouleversant d'émotion, un roman porteur d'une magnifique leçon de vie et de tolérance. Découvrez un extrait de ce " bijou de roman " selon Tatiana de Rosnay, une boulangerie allemande prise dans les tourments de l'histoire, une famille déchirée par les horreurs de la guerre, l'innocence confrontée à un choix terrible... Bouleversant d'émotion, un roman porteur d'une magnifique leçon de vie et de tolérance. Garmisch, 1944. Elsie Schmidt, seize ans, traverse la guerre à l'abri dans la boulangerie de ses parents et sous la protection d'un officier nazi qui la courtise. Mais, quand un petit garçon juif frappe à sa porte, la suppliant de le cacher, la jeune fille doit choisir son camp... Soixante ans plus tard, au Texas, près de la frontière mexicaine, la journaliste Reba Adams réalise un reportage sur la boulangerie tenue par Elsie. Peu à peu, elle comprend que la vieille dame a beaucoup plus à révéler qu'elle ne veut bien le dire. Comment la jeune Allemande est-elle arrivée au Texas ? Quels drames elle et les siens ont-ils traversés ? Qui a pu être sauvé ?

"When Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, realizes that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the Underground Railroad's leading mapmakers, taking her cues from the slave code quilts and hiding her maps within her paintings ... Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, moves to an old house in the suburbs and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar--the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance ... Sarah and Eden's woven lives connect the past to the present, forcing each of them to define courage, family, love, and legacy in a new way"--

Verhaal over een moeder-dochterrelatie, waarin schaamte en schuldgevoelens over gebeurtenissen in deTweede Wereldoorlog een belangrijke rol spelen.

Heden en verleden ontmoeten elkaar in deze prachtige historische roman Voor de lezers van Jenna Blum West Virginia, 1859. Het is een veelbewogen zomer: Sarah Brown is na een ziekte onvruchtbaar geworden en de Oktoberopstand doet het kruitvat van de Burgeroorlog ontploffen. Sarah helpt slaven ontsnappen en verkeert in groot gevaar, maar het grootste gevaar schuilt in haar eigen hart. Ze is hartstochtelijk verliefd op Freddy... Kan ze zijn aanzoek accepteren nu ze weet dat hun huwelijk kinderloos zal blijven? Honderdvijftig jaar later verhuizen Jack en Eden Anderson naar West Virginia om een gezin te stichten. Hoewel Eden alles heeft geprobeerd om zwanger te worden, wil het niet lukken. Op een dag vindt ze een vreemde pop in de kelder. Wanneer ze de herkomst probeert te achterhalen, gaan heden en verleden steeds meer door elkaar lopen... De pers over de boeken van Sarah McCoy ‘Knap verweeft McCoy twee verhaallijnen, met als gemeenschappelijke factor mensen die als vuilnis worden beschouwd.’ Nederlands Dagblad ‘Het oude huis is niet alleen een eerbetoon aan de heldendaden van een onbekende vrouw, maar laat ook op knappe wijze zien hoe het lot ons soms in een heel andere richting voert dan we voor onszelf hebben uitgestippeld.’ Washington Post

Een Holocaust-overlever werkt in de Oyster Bar, waar een klant hem doet denken aan zijn in de oorlog gestorven moeder Op zomaar een willekeurige dag passeren duizenden mensen het Grand Central Station van New York. De fluistergalerij, het plafond vol sterren, het informatiehuisje en de enorme, vierzijdige klok: het is een plek waar mensen komen voor afscheid en weerzien. En elk van hen heeft een verhaal te vertellen. Bestsellerauteurs Jenna Blum en Sarah McCoy hebben zich voor de verhalen in Het afscheid laten inspireren door dit iconische New Yorkse station. Hun op elkaar aansluitende verhalen spelen zich af vlak na de Tweede Wereldoorlog, een tijd van hoop, onzekerheid, verandering en vernieuwing.

Presents short stories that all take place in and around New York City's Grand Central Station on the day after World War II ends, including contributions from such authors as Melanie Benjamin, Sarah Jio, and Amanda Hodgkinson.

Garmisch, Germania, inverno 1944. È un anello di fidanzamento, quello che un ufficiale nazista ha appena messo al dito della giovane Elsie. Un anello che potrebbe cancellare l’amaro sapore della guerra, regalando a lei e alla sua famiglia il sogno di una vita in cui l’aria profuma di biscotti allo zenzero e di serenità. Invece, d’un tratto, Elsie si ritrova a guardare negli occhi la realtà: un bambino ebreo si presenta alla sua porta e la implora di salvarlo, di nasconderlo. E lei lo aiuta...El Paso, Texas, oggi. È un anello di fidanzamento, quello che Reba non ha il coraggio d’indossare. A darglielo è stato Riki, un uomo che la ama senza riserve, nonostante le sue asprezze. Eppure Reba esita: prigioniera di angosce e inquietudini radicate nel profondo, sa che la sua armatura di donna realizzata potrebbe frantumarsi da un momento all’altro. E ha paura... Elsie e Reba non potrebbero essere più diverse, ma il destino ha voluto far incrociare le loro strade, come se l’una non potesse proseguire senza l’altra. Per Elsie, parlare con Reba significherà ripercorrere le vicende che l’hanno portata dalla Germania agli Stati Uniti, ricordare tutto ciò che la guerra le ha brutalmente strappato e infine perdonare se stessa. Per Reba, confidarsi con Elsie significherà accendere la luce della verità, ascoltare la voce del cuore e accettare che la speranza possa nascere anche dal dolore. Per entrambe, l’amicizia che le lega darà loro il coraggio di sconfiggere i fantasmi del passato... Un esordio letterario folgorante, una storia intensa e coinvolgente che ha conquistato prima i librai indipendenti americani, poi i lettori di tutto il mondo grazie alla forza del passaparola.

In this New York Times bestseller, two women in different eras face similar life-altering decisions, the politics of exclusion, the terrible choices we face in wartime, and the redemptive power of love. In 1945, Elsie Schmidt is a naive teenager, as eager for her first sip of champagne as she is for her first kiss. She and her family have been protected from the worst of the terror and desperation overtaking her country by a high-ranking Nazi who wishes to marry her. So when an escaped Jewish boy arrives on Elsie’s doorstep on Christmas Eve, Elsie understands that opening the door would put all she loves in danger. Sixty years later, in El Paso, Texas, Reba Adams is trying to file a feel-good Christmas piece for the local magazine, and she sits down with the owner of Elsie's German Bakery for what she expects will be an easy interview. But Reba finds herself returning to the bakery again and again, anxious to find the heart of the story—a story that resonates with her own turbulent past. For Elsie, Reba’s questions are a stinging reminder of that last bleak year of World War II. As the two women's lives become intertwined, both are forced to confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and seek out the courage to forgive.

Een meeslepend verhaal over goed en kwaadin de Tweede Wereldoorlog – zet aan tot nadenken Duitsland, 1945. De ergste oorlogsterreur is aan de jonge Elsie voorbijgegaan. Zij en haar familie worden beschermd door een hooggeplaatste nazi die met haar wil trouwen. Maar als er in de kerstnacht een ontsnapt Joods jongetje op de stoep staat, weet Elsie dat ze alles wat ze liefheeft in gevaar brengt als ze de deur van de bakkerswinkel voor hem opent. El Paso, Texas, zestig jaar later. Journaliste Reba Adams werkt aan een kerstartikel voor het plaatselijke blad en interviewt Elsie, de oudere eigenaresse van een bakkerij aan de andere kant van de stad. Elsie geeft haar verhaal maar moeilijk prijs. Reba's vragen zijn een nare herinnering aan een donker verleden: haar leven in Duitsland tijdens de oorlogsjaren. Als de levens van deze twee vrouwen steeds meer met elkaar verweven raken, worden ze gedwongen om de ongemakkelijke waarheid uit het verleden onder ogen te zien en de moed te vinden om te vergeven. De pers over de boeken van Sarah McCoy ‘Ze kan uitstekend schrijven. Een sympathieke roman die zeker velen zal boeien.’ NBD Biblion ‘Boeiend en emotioneel geladen. De boodschap in het hart van het verhaal is dat het leven dat we zouden willen niet altijd het leven is dat we krijgen.’ Kirkus Reviews ‘Probeer bij dit boek je ogen maar eens droog te houden.’ Soest.nu

It is 1961 and Puerto Rico is trapped in a tug-of-war between those who want to stay connected to the United States and those who are fighting for independence. For eleven-year-old Verdita Ortiz-Santiago, the struggle for independence is a battle fought much closer to home. Verdita has always been safe and secure in her sleepy mountain town, far from the excitement of the capital city of San Juan or the glittering shores of the United States, where her older cousin lives. She will be a señorita soon, which, as her mother reminds her, means that she will be expected to cook and clean, go to Mass every day, choose arroz con pollo over hamburguesas, and give up her love for Elvis. And yet, as much as Verdita longs to escape this seemingly inevitable future and become a blond American bombshell, she is still a young girl who is scared by late-night stories of the chupacabra, who wishes her mother would still rub her back and sing her a lullaby, and who is both ashamed and exhilarated by her changing body. Told in luminous prose spanning two years in Verdita’s life, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico is much more than a story about getting older. In the tradition of The House on Mango Street and Annie John, it is about the struggle to break free from the people who have raised us, and about the difficulties of leaving behind one's homeland for places unknown. At times joyous and at times heartbreaking, Verdita’s story is of a young girl discovering her power and finding the strength to decide what sort of woman she’ll become.

"The following pages depict the events as they occurred over the week of June 9th, 2008 in Des Moines, Iowa"--p. [1].