Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman

This book captured me in the first paragraph and never let go. It is so well crafted I didn't want it to end. The characters are so well developed I wanted to sit down and talk with them. The themes in the novel are so well presented I felt I wanted to be a part of the family.
Lily Winter is on her way to Australia to find a twin sister she never knew she had until just a few weeks ago. Her mother - how could her mother have given away her twin sister when they were just a year old? Why? Lily is also recovering from the sudden heart-attack death of her husband a year ago. A sudden death that prevented the two of them from talking about the affair she had discovered he was having.

In Melbourne, Lilly is sitting on a bench wondering how she is ever going to find her sister when a man begins to talk to her. He's a bit odd but there is something attractive about him. But the

last thing Lily needs is a stranger trying to help.

What a great novel. It's the best I've read in a while. The major theme of taking care of others runs through the entire story. Is a mother supposed to take care of her children instead of giving one away and shoving the other to a nanny? In an older brother supposed to take care of his much younger sister and keep her from harm? And what happens when there is terrible failure with those responsibilities? Can there be forgiveness and reconciliation?

This novel is very well crafted. The theme of caring for others is presented on different levels in the responsibilities of the various characters. The novel is a multi-level story, weaving in and out and through the characters' lives. They help each other as healing action moves from one to another.

The writing is tight. There is not an unneeded scene nor unnecessary word. And there is a bit of humor interspersed throughout the serious nature of the story. What a delightful book. I am amazed that I think this is the first novel I have read by Higman. I won't miss another.

A great novel of difficulty, forgiveness and restoration.

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book and you can find other reviews here.

Anita Higman is a best-selling and award-winning author with over thirty books published. She has a BS degree combining speech communication, psychology and art. Learn more at http://anitahigman.com.

River North (Moody), 304 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.