"The Feathered Bone"

by Julie Cantrell

Description

“Feathers—no matter what size or shape or color—are all the same, if you think about them. They’re soft. Delicate. But the secret thing about feathers is . . . they are very strong.”

In the pre-Katrina glow of New Orleans, Amanda Salassi is anxious about chaperoning her daughter’s sixth-grade field trip to the Big Easy during Halloween. And then her worst fears come true. Her daughter’s best friend, Sarah, disappears amid the magic and revelry—gone, without a trace.

Unable to cope with her guilt, Amanda’s daughter sinks into depression. And Amanda’s husband turns destructive as he watches his family succumb to grief. Before long, Amanda’s whole world has collapsed.

Amanda knows she has to save herself before it’s too late. As she continues to search for Sarah, she embarks on a personal journey, seeking hope and purpose in the wake of so much tragedy and loss.

Set amidst the murky parishes of rural Louisiana and told through the eyes of two women who confront the darkest corners of humanity with quiet and unbreakable faith, The Feathered Bone is Julie Cantrell’s master portrait of love in a fallen world.


Purchase at the following locations:
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
http://www.christianbook.com
http://www.deepershopping.com

Biography

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, Julie Cantrell was the editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review. She has been a freelance writer for a decade and has contributed to more than a dozen books.

Julie's debut novel, Into the Free (David C Cook), earned a rare starred review by Publishers Weekly, became an international bestseller, and received two Christy Awards and the Mississippi Library Association Fiction Award. It spent three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, made the USA TODAY Top 150, and was listed as a top read of the year by USA TODAY and LifeWay Christian Stores.

The sequel, When Mountains Move, received the ACFW Carol Award for Historical Fiction and was again named a top read of the year by both USA TODAY and LifeWay Christian Stores.

A speech-language pathologist and literacy advocate, Julie was honored to receive the 2012 Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Fellowship. Her third novel, The Feathered Bone, will release January 26, 2016 (Harper Collins Christian). It is set in Louisiana where Julie spent her childhood.

Julie and her family now live in Oxford, Mississippi where they operate Valley House Farm.

Learn more:
Website: www.juliecantrell.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliecantrellauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieCantrell



My thoughts ~

I'm captivated by Julie Cantrell's writing, and didn't want any prior information about this book, so I preordered The Feathered Bone with no knowledge of what the book would reveal. Very difficult topics are broached throughout the book, with a depth of reality that is heart wrenching, emotional, and disturbing.

The first four chapters of the book made me extremely uneasy as a classroom of children touring some of the highlights of New Orleans sent my anxiety level skyrocketing. I immediately sensed the presence of evil, and the Mardi Gras atmosphere sent chills down my spine. A garish, clown-like atmosphere of illusions and bizarre activities came to mind.
  
Descriptive within tactful parameters of very difficult topics, those revelations are balanced by a strong message of faith and hope. This book is an experience in the hard core realities of life at its bottom line. Profound and powerful themes are strong features of The Feathered Bone.

Characters are believable and well developed, and events represented are authentic. My impression of Ms. Cantrell's most recent book is one of strength and immense compassion for humanity. I highly recommend this book. In lieu of revealing spoilers or information that may take away from your reading experience I will not go into further details.