"My Mother's Chamomile"

by Susie Finkbeiner

Review & GIVEAWAY!

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece in sensitivity!

Description

Desperate for the rains of mercy

Middle Main, Michigan has one stop light, one bakery, one hair salon...and one funeral home. The Eliot Family has assisted the grieving people in their town for over fifty years. After all those years of comforting others, they are the ones in need of mercy.

Olga, the matriarch who fixes everything, is unable to cure what ails her precious daughter. She is forced to face her worse fears. How can she possibly trust God with Gretchen's life? A third generation mortician, Evelyn is tired of the isolation that comes with the territory of her unconventional occupation. Just when it seems she's met a man who understands her, she must deal with her mother's heart-breaking news. Always able to calm others and say just the right thing, she is now overwhelmed with helplessness as she watches her mother slip away.

They are tasting only the drought of tragedy...where is the deluge of comfort God promises?

Available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Biography

Susie Finkbeiner is a novelist from West Michigan. Her first novel "Paint Chips" released in 2013 and her second novel "My Mother's Chamomile" in  2014. She worked with WhiteFire Publishing on both novels. 

Susie's third novel "A Cup of Dust" will release Fall, 2015 with Kregel Publications.

Susie is a wife, mother of three, and avid reader. She enjoys time with her family, coffee dates with her good friends, and quiet moments to read and write.

Susie Finkbeiner is represented by Ann Byle from Credo Communications.

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My Thoughts ~

"My Mother's Chamomile" is the depiction of a family of morticians in Middle Main, Michigan. For 50 years the Eliots have assisted families through the most difficult stage of life..... death. Years of dealing with death and grief places them in a state of loneliness in the community. People are uncomfortable with thoughts of their own mortality. The Eliots exhibit a strong faith in God, and a powerful compassion for others. Their competence, sensitivity and quiet strength bring comfort to the families they serve.

Susie Finkbeiner has exhibited a depth of wisdom and sensitivity beyond her years in this remarkably written narrative of life and death, and the emotions that accompany the final phase of life. Her choice of words is poetic and evokes powerful emotions and poignancy. The book is written with tenderness and reverence, and qualities that project the intimacy of the death experience. 

Much research went into the composition of this book. The author visited with funeral directors in order to gain the insight and integrity necessary to write so that the reader can absorb the process of life to finality, and the grief that follows. The progression of life through the Eliots is remarkably personal and tender. The members of this remarkable family are created with depth of perception for humanity. individualism and believability. 

I read this book slowly in order to absorb the tenderness and compassion contained within, allowing myself to soak in the spirit of life, death and the aftermath of grief. I highly recommend this masterfully written novel. It is filled with spirituality, benevolence and empathy. I was so impressed with this book that I immediately read it again. Please pick up a copy of this book and allow yourself an opportunity to be swept into a world of love, the beauty of family, as well as the frailty of life.

Quote - "Out of the corner of my eye, a lanky chamomile flower danced in the wind. It grew up wild among the other flowers. Tall, green, spindly legs under heads of yellow and white."

Disclaimer: I purchased this book with no expectations for a review of any kind. All opinions stated are my own, and no compensation was received for this review.

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