Carly Lorraine Sinclair grows up in the home of her fiercely strong mother, Leigh. Naturally timid, Carly finds that constantly trying to please Leigh by hiding her own fears only increases her insecurities. In a bold attempt to face them head-on, she joins the Army. Through the military Carly confronts her self-doubt, realizing when sent to Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Storm that facing fears is crucial to survival. After she is wounded, she returns to Ivy Manor and the nursing care of three generations of women who have faced their own warspersonal or otherwise. Carly must determine whether she can cope with her new physical needs and find peace . . . and finally, love.

My comments: The fourth book in the Women of Ivy Manor, “Carly,” differs from the other three in that this book only explores one year in Carly’s life. This is more of a contemporary book. What is interesting is that Leigh, Carly’s mother, reminds me exactly of Bette, Leigh’s mother in the book “Leigh.” It seems they forget what they went through themselves. Carly finds nothing but opposition from her mother when she wants to forego college and join the military. Thankfully, the other women of Ivy Manor support and understand her decisions. Carly has quite a difficult year in the military, however - lifechanging to say the least. She is able to face her fears and conquer them to a great extent. She comes through well, although she faces adversity and loss. This is the most overt Christian book in the series, and possibly my favorite. I hated to see this series come to and end, but look forward to beginning Lyn’s newest series, Blessed Assurance.

Carly was published by FaithWords and released April 2006.

The third in a tale of four generations of women set against the sprawling tapestry of the 20th century from award-winning author Lyn Cote. Linda Leigh Sinclair is born in the aftermath of WW II. Lovingly raised at Ivy Manor with everything she could possibly need, she is still discontent and finds herself gravitating toward the fringe elements of society. At 17, the modern civil rights movement comes crashing into Leighs life. Choosing a journalists life over her parents wishes, she immerses herself in the rights movement and anti-war protests over Vietnam. She is caught up in the winds of change, falls in love with a young radical, and is devastated when he leaves her. Shes made some bad choicesand shes pregnant. Leigh must learn to juggle single motherhood with workand more importantly, learn that with Gods help she can finally grow into the strong and mature woman she is capable of being.

My comments: I loved this book because it was just before and part of MY history. Leigh faced some real tragedies and didn’t always make the best choices. In many ways I feel like she was ahead of her time in some of her tastes. She had an interesting group of friends and most of the time she made good choices, but made one very wrong choice which had life-long consequences. Her mother, Bette, came across as cold and intolerant, but thankfully she had other women of Ivy Manor to support her during her rough periods. Again, this book is a winner and I recommend it!

Courtesy of the publisher, we have a copy of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson to give away!

Here’s how to enter!

1) Agree to participate in the Group Discussion if you win the third week of June and leave a comment. (one entry)

2) Blog about the Group Discussion and invite your readers to join in with a link back to this giveaway! (two entries)

By the way, I’m reading it now and it’s unputdownable. Thanks everyone! I’ll leave this open for a week.

Book Synopsis: Set in Siam and Europe during the 1920’s, the glittering decade of change, The Moon in the Mango Tree is based upon the true story of Barbara Bond, a beautiful young ex-patriot and opera singer from Philadelphia who is forced to choose between her fierce desire for independence – a desire to create something of her own to give purpose and meaning to her life – and a deep abiding love for her missionary husband who harbors a mysterious secret.
But when you choose between two things you love, must one be lost forever?

My Review: I loved this book. It’s a feminist book in the truest sense of the word. Not because it champions women’s rights exactly, but because it tells the universal story of women, it gives a layered and complex look at one woman’s journey and the difficult decisions she faced choosing between her passion and her true love.

The characters are magnificently drawn, there were times I wanted to speak some sense into both Harvey and Barbara and help them bridge the growing gap. The settings are vividly described, you can clearly picture these places in your mind and feel so much of what Barbara must have felt. During the missionary years, the whole set-up rings of so much authenticity. Admittedly, I found the hard line some of the missionaries took to be terribly discouraging and rather heartbreaking that they lacked the ability or compassion to recognize the very real need of one of their own team members! I know, however, that this is true to life on the mission field. Many missionaries struggle with competing visions and personality clashes.

Barbara’s continued search for meaning in her life, the historical elements of her times woven into the story, her love for her husband and desire for him, and all her many exciting international experiences make this a book I think every woman will relate to (regardless of her marital status or religious background) and enjoy. I couldn’t put it down. Ten out of ten. Must read of the year. Come by tomorrow for a very special guest post by Pamela Ewen!

The Moon in the Mango Tree is published by B&H fiction and is available now in stores.