Review:The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson

Title: The Underside of Joy

Author: Sere Prince Halverson

Category: Contemporary Fiction  

Pub. Date: 1/12/2012 

Publisher: Dutton Adult  

Format: Hard Cover 

Pages: 307 

ISBN#: 0525952594

Synopsis: 

Set against the backdrop of redwood forests and shimmering vineyards, Seré Prince Halverson's compelling debut tells the story of two women, bound by an unspeakable loss, who each claims to be the mother of the same two children.
To Ella Beene, happiness means living in the northern California river town of Elbow with her husband, Joe, and his two young children. Yet one summer day Joe breaks his own rule--never turn your back on the ocean--and a sleeper wave strikes him down, drowning not only the man but his many secrets.
For three years, Ella has been the only mother the kids have known and has believed that their biological mother, Paige, abandoned them. But when Paige shows up at the funeral, intent on reclaiming the children, Ella soon realizes there may be more to Paige and Joe's story. "Ella's the best thing that's happened to this family," say her Italian-American in-laws, for generations the proprietors of a local market. But their devotion quickly falters when the custody fight between mother and stepmother urgently and powerfully collides with Ella's quest for truth.
The Underside of Joy is not a fairy-tale version of stepmotherhood pitting good Ella against evil Paige, but an exploration of the complex relationship of two mothers. Their conflict uncovers a map of scars--both physical and emotional--to the families' deeply buried tragedies, including Italian internment camps during World War II and postpartum psychosis.
Weaving a rich fictional tapestry abundantly alive with the natural beauty of the novel's setting, Halverson is a captivating guide through the flora and fauna of human emotions. 

My Review: 

You have heard the saying that not every book is for every one? Well this is just one of those kind of books that was not for me. I always try to give every book at the most three to four chapters and sometimes more, and even up to and including the whole book before I decide rather or not it was for me. Why you might ask, well because I do try and review so that others can hear about them. And I did finish reading this one.

But with that being said I will only add that yes as of right now it is still on my self and that I might at some time in the future try and re-read it. There again, Why? Because over the past several years my reading habits have changed. There have been times that I mood read. I do not always like that because I have a very wide spread variety in my library. So therefore at the time I read this one it just may not have been a good pick for me. 

I will say that I will be trying to read this at a later date. But at this time I will be giving this book my Breath of Life rating of:

   Two Clock Rating: 

Disclosure: I did not receive the above book in exchange for my honest opinion and or review. But the Opinions are my own and yours may differ.

 About the Author:  

I became a writer because I loved to write, and I was blessed with an utter lack of any other talent. (Can’t sing, dance, or hit a softball far enough to make it to first base. Sad, but true.) I read and wrote stories from an early age. Books opened me up and made me feel more connected. Great writing can show you what it’s like to walk in another’s shoes, but can also make you feel less alone in your own, can take you down streets you’ve never been, but can also describe an emotion in a way you’ve never heard before that makes you think, Yes. That is exactly what it is like for me, too. For me, reading a good book is receiving a gift. It’s the gift I’ve always wanted to give, and I felt that if I worked hard enough and long enough, someday I would be able to do just that.