Give My Love to the Chestnut Trees

Title: GIVE MY LOVE TO THE CHESTNUT TREES
Author: Beverly Varnado
Publisher: WestBow
September 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4497-2360-6
Genre: Inspirational/women’s fiction

In 1988, Mary Helen Reynolds discovers that her mother has breast cancer. Against her wishes, she is sent to stay with her Aunt Laney, an eccentric artist, while her mother goes through breast cancer treatment.

Aunt Laney is actually a great aunt, a relation to the father that Mary Helen never knew. And she lives in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Aunt Laney loves to paint by the marsh, and goes crabbing. Mary Helen understands little about her way of life, all she knows is she misses her friends and her mother.

But then Mary Helen meets Ben. Ben has a passion for the island that opens Mary Helen’s mind to new possibilities and sends her on a journey of self-discovery. Will Mary Helen embrace the changes in her life? Or continue to cling to the familiar?

I have to say that as a rule I avoid self-published books because you just never know what they’ll be like. But GIVE MY LOVE TO THE CHESTNUT TREES intrigued me by the blurb I saw and so I decided to take a chance on it. I have to say that this is a wonderful book! Partially written in present time and mostly written in the view point of the fourteen year old Mary Helen, it had me crying by the time I finished the book. I fell in love with Mary Helen and St. Simon’s Island. This is coming-of-age story that will live on in my heart and memory. I’m passing my copy on for my daughter. GIVE MY LOVE TO THE CHESTNUT TREES is highly recommended. You will not be disappointed by this book. $17.95 paperback. 217 pages.