A Letter from Nana Rose- Book Review

A Letter from Nana Rose by Kristin Harper

Publication Date: 25th Oct 2021

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Heartwarming but could have been better. 

Jill and her two sisters, Rachel and Brooke, are trying to overcome the grief of losing their beloved Nana Rose earlier that year. The old lady had asked them to spend two weeks at their cottage on Dune Island as the sisters didn’t every year. She has arranged to send them letters about her past; about things she never spoke to anyone. 

The sisters bond as always. Yet, Jill can’t help but worry about the underlying strain between them. It’s the letters that give them hope to make decisions and live lives the way they wanted. 

Being single at thirty-nine is not something Jill calls an achievement when her sisters have happy marriages. Still, she knows that she’d never settle for less. Her Nana Rose wouldn’t let her do that. 

Meeting Alex, the handsome tree surgeon on Dune Island, sparks interest in Jill. But her priority is the letters and Nana’s past. What happened back then that the old lady could never share it until after her death? How does the past affect their future, and what does it mean to Jill? 

The book is in the limited third person, with Jill’s POV been provided to the readers. The story starts with Jill and her sisters visiting the cottage for a two-week stay. However, things are strained between them. The elder sisters want to be practical about the cottage while Jill puts emotions first. 

The past was revealed in the form of letters, and I must admit that I enjoyed the past more than the present. In fact, I wished the past was shown to the reader instead of being told in the form of a letter. The main reason for this was the lack of enough backstory to fully understand and appreciate the dynamics between the sisters. 

With bits and pieces being shared, the rest is on the reader to assume and move along with the characters. The arc just wasn’t complete for any characters. They’ve been sketched and left to fend for themselves. It worked at times and didn’t at times. 

The ending was realistic and still hopeful and happy. The book is small (250+ pages) and was fast-read. Though I love small books, this one probably needed a few more pages to delve deeper into the storyline and highlight each character. 

Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a light read with a comforting storyline, A Letter from Nana Rose would be a good choice. Nana Rose is a great character and makes her presence/ absence felt in the book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

#ALetterfromNanaRose #NetGalley 

The Eternal Sky- Part IV: Star-struck, Love-struck

Star-struck, Love-struck

What can I say about the star-studded night sky? The scatter of tiny looking shinning dots across the vast dark sky, twinkling and winking at us, is a sight to behold. The moon is the guest here, with the waxing & waning and rotating positions across space.

Personally, I love the sky with no moon in it because then, the stars are the real heroes. The darkness emphasizes their beauty, their natural shine. As an amateur sky watcher, I love searching for different constellations spread over the vast expanse.

Being a layperson, I use a very useful app called the "SkyViewFree". It enables me to track all the planets, constellations, star trajectories and man-made satellites. How fun it is to be looking at a planet or a star and imagining that some extra-terrestrial life might be watching me at the same time!

The star formation, their lifespan, their death and the evolving of a  new star from the same dust makes the stars special. Look at a star that is possibly a million years old. Try to imagine the process it has endured to shine at us.

Each night when I look at the stars, I am star-struck, love-struck again and again.

Picture Credit: NASA (Instagram)

The Eternal Sky- Part III - Drama At Dusk

Drama At Dusk

Sunsets are the most beautiful creations of Nature. Do you know that no two sunsets are same? At least to me, they are not. The glorious colors of sky ranging from golden yellow to hot pink, bright orange to a soft red with a few clouds scattered around and there you have, one of the priceless artworks of nature entirely free for us to see and feel.

Sunsets are dramatic. The unique play of colors, the constant traveling of the sun, (north to south & south to north), clouded or clear sky, all are a part of the drama. But this drama is peaceful and soothing. There is neither turbulence nor any hyper unspent- energy. The splash of colors lighting the treetops and turning them golden is a sight to cherish forever.

No matter what kind of day we have had, a sunset always manages to set it right just by its presence in the background. All we need is to take a moment and enjoy its beauty, breathe in the peace.

I personally never get tired of watching the sunsets every day. They are the best conclusion a day can have. The changing seasons, the clouds in various shapes and sizes only enhance the beauty to dusk and dramatize further.

The Eternal Sky- Part II- The Looming Clouds

The Looming Clouds

I have written about the sunrise and morning rainbow in Part I  of the series.
The second part of my never-ending fascination with the vast sky deals with the monsoon sky.

Observing the varying cloud patterns and textures in different seasons throughout the year is a pastime of mine. The monsoon clouds (June- October) and particularly dense and rich in a much bigger size compared to the rest of the year. The cloud colors also are darker, ranging from pale grey to rich grey and soft black.

These are the clouds that reflect power, force, strength, and stability. Their silent presence covering the blue sky with their muted grey gives an impression of impending doom, whereas, in reality, these are the main cause of life in plants, farms, and forests.

Sure, these clouds have the capacity to destroy everything with a single strike of lightning; But the power to destroy is not misused by nature. Powerful yet distant, the grey looming clouds manage to pull and tug at the heart with their constant presence.

There was never a moment when I ever felt threatened by the sheer force of their wind or the magnificence of their rain and lightning. The sky with its unlimited span has always been my comforter and soother. I wonder at its patience to hold in control the power and look so graceful and regal!

The Eternal Sky- Part I- Beauty of Dawn

 I've always loved the sky- the unlimited span, the changing colors, the various clouds & their weird shapes, the sun, moon, stars & their changing positions, and finally the effect it has on people's moods.

Not being a morning person I tend to miss watching the sunrises, but yesterday I was lucky enough to watch and capture the most beautiful sunrise coupled with a rainbow.

      Opening my sleepy eyes to my mother's call, I noticed through my room window a burst of golden and pink clouds spread across the eastern sky ready for the sun to rise. When I got up to reach my mobile phone to take a picture, I saw one end of a rainbow towards the west. I ran into the balcony to get a decent view and to take pictures before the rainbow disappeared.

My father came out surprised to hear me running about at 5.40 in the morning. It usually takes me 15-20 minutes to get into active mode after I wake up unless of course, it is a rare occasion like this one.

     Realizing that I could see the complete arc of the rainbow, I was elated. The sky was pinkish-blue with a bright inner rainbow and a very faint outer one. The inner rainbow has red on the outside with blue on the inside. The outer rainbow has red on the inside and blue on the outside. This is because of the difference in reflection and refraction of light on the dew drops.

    Taking pictures of the rainbow and the dawn sky alternately I observed that as the sun rose, the rainbow lost color and slowly disappeared. The entire spectacle lasted for some 5-7 minutes, but it was the best morning of my life. The colors of the sky always do that to me. They bring peace, silent strength and a sense of content and happiness.

   I went back to sleep with a smile on my face and rainbows in my dreams.