How I Came to Sparkle Again: A Novel
Written by Kaya McLaren
Narrated by Tanya Eby
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Jill Anthony spent her youth in the ski town of Sparkle, Colorado, but more than a decade has passed since she left. Then a devastating tragedy, coupled with the worst kind of betrayal, makes her want to run away, but the only place she knows to go is home: Sparkle.
Lisa Carlucci looks in the mirror one morning and realizes that she no longer wants to treat her body like a Holiday Inn. She’s going to hold out for love. The only problem is, love might come in the form of her ski-bum best friend, who lives next door with his ski-bum friends in a trailer known as “The Kennel.”
Cassie Jones, at age ten, has lost her mother and no longer believes in anything. Her only solace comes from the messages she believes her deceased mother is sending her through the heart-shaped rocks they once collected in the streams and hills of Sparkle.
Three people at the crossroads of heartbreak and healing. Three lives that will be changed one winter in Sparkle, Colorado. One tender, funny, tear-jerking novel that you won’t soon forget.
Kaya McLaren
Kaya McLaren is also author of On the Divinity of Second Chances and Church of the Dog. She lives and teaches third and fourth graders on the east slope of Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State. When Kaya’s not working, she likes to telemark ski, sit in hot springs, moonlight hike, and play in lakes with her dog, Big Cedar.
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Reviews for How I Came to Sparkle Again
37 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Chick lit -- but kind of fun...setting is in Colorado Rockies, so a bit like Roslyn. Includes positive reference to an immigrant child and family.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Love the title of the book; it sounds like it should be an inspirational story. I don't know anything about skiing but this was an ok background in spite of my ignorance of the sport. The skiing stuff was kept simple enough for it to make sense to me. Rather a large cast of characters and it was definitely difficult to keep some of them straight. Especially since many of them didn't really add to the story. While I probably wouldn't deliberately seek out this author again, I would consider reading additional books after reading their descriptions.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I characterized this book as "light" when I first received it, then reconsidered (the themes of death, recovery,longing, etc are pretty strong throughout), and finally think...yes, it is a light read. Not that it is bad at all; it is in fact a very engaging book with characters one cares about and some very funny episodes amongst the tears. It is light because...you just know that everything is going to turn out okay, in the best traditions of light reading. No worries; good will find good, hearts will be healed, beauty will shine through the world. In that way it is a feel good book. But..it's not all fluffy; it is one of those books that engages the heart (and tells the mind to go sit in a corner and behave itself).
Now, I've received communications from family members in my life much like those our heroine gets (via email in this book, cause it's modern times now). Mine were letters. Not the same denomination, but the same theme of "oh, we are so sorry you are gonna burn in hell" (or in this case, not be in the same special rank in heaven as the good family members). But I was a little uncomfortable on behalf of anyone who might pick up this book and might belong to the church our heroine's parents are part of. It's not a church I know much about, but my fair-play obsession was going "well, surely not everyone is as bad as that".
Loved Uncle Howard, who talks just like my own philosophic strange partner (and reminded me of Jane Langton's Homer--you know the guy who is obsessed with Thoreau and such? Though Howard is more obsessed with Hesse). Loved the dogs. Loved Cassie, though I'm not sure she is a fully believable 10 year old...but hey, I was having my mind go sit in a corner, so I didn't have to fuss about such things. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For the 30 something female crowd
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How I came to Sparkle again is a really heartwarming book. Not the typical type of romance book or even contemporary fiction novel either. The characters all feel like real people~ they are funny, goofy, and sometimes sad. The story is more about finding yourself when everything in life has gone wrong. I'm more of a horror reader myself, and I won this in a Goodreads giveaway, but I am so glad that I did. This is a really good book. It's a sweet novel that warms the heart. I look forward to reading more from Ms. McLaren in the future.**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review, only an honest one.**
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I am so lucky to have won this book on goodreads from firstreads, because it was by far one of the best books I have picked up in years! The story is about a woman named Jill who catches her husband having an affair, and so retreats to her home town called sparkle. When back in her hometown Jill takes up a couple different jobs that snowball her through some pretty emotional events with a girl named Cassie and her father Mike who recently lost Cassie's mother. The story also tells of an old friend Lisa and her own personal relationship issues. Basically this story is one about how fate can bring certain people together at just the right time in their life, helping them all heal in different ways. The writing was awesome and had a very smooth flow to it, and there was quite a few chapters that were hilarious, I actually laughed out loud so many times. This book is a must read, however for adults only there were some parts that are only age appropriate for adults. So if you are thinking about reading this and aren't decided, take my advice and read it! I promise you will not regret picking this book up it was a fantastic one.