The Distant Shore
by Debora M. Coty
Published by Vintage Romance Publishing (August release)(to come)
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Reviewed by Brenda A. Snodgrass
Emma-Lee Palmer is an intelligent 9 1/2-year-old girl with an abundance of red hair and a life that is about to be turned upside down. Without warning or explanation, she is sent away from her family to live with her Aunt Augusta.
At thirty-eight, Aunt Augusta has never married and has moved to a remote island where she teaches school. Aunt Augusta is rigid with rules and has difficulty displaying emotion.
When Emma-Lee arrives by train in her best traveling clothes, there is no one at the depot to meet her. She is tired and hungry when she meets Captain Stone, who immediately befriends her. Eventually a dockhand from the island shows up to take Emma-Lee to her aunt, who is at the doctor’s house with a sick headache. The doctor is gone on another call and the nurse shoos Emma lee outside. She falls asleep in the rocker on the front porch.
Not exactly the welcome she was expecting. Emma-Lee grieves for her family, her siblings and her mother. She tries to figure out what she did that was wrong enough to get her sent away. She is too young to understand what the bruises on her mother and her oldest sister represent. Her father has an explosive temper and lashes out (behind closed doors) at those who love him most.
Captain Stone introduces Emma-Lee to his parents, who asked to be called Ma Stone and Pap. Having no grandchildren themselves, they absolutely dote on the child. They all talk about God as if He were a personal friend. This concept is new to Emma-Lee and she immediately embraces the idea of a heavenly Father who is constantly with her.
The Distant Shore is a delightful read filled with the sweetness of a child’s prayers, the depth of God’s love, and good versus evil. A well-rounded story, the subplots come together to give depth to this tale.
Armchair Interviews says: Well-written, even-paced, and endearing, Debora Coty has certainly hit the mark.
Author’s Web site: http://www.DeboraCoty.com