Blackberry Winter

A Novel

De: Sarah Jio

Narrado por: Tara Sands

Seattle, 1933: Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, good night and reluctantly leaves for work. She hates the night shift, but it’s the only way she can earn enough to keep destitution at bay. In the morning - even though it’s the second of May - a heavy snow is falling. Vera rushes to wake Daniel, but his bed is empty. His teddy bear lies outside in the snow.

Seattle, present day: On the second of May, Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge awakens to another late-season snowstorm. Assigned to cover this "blackberry winter" and its predecessor decades earlier, Claire learns of Daniel’s unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth - only to discover that she and Vera are linked in unexpected ways.

©2012 Sarah Jio (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Wanna get lost in a great book?....

I love Sarah Jio. Her writing captivates me. You will find a bit or more of yourself in anyone of her amazing books. I've read almost all her books and they are all really good, but I think Blackberry Winter is my favorite.

My kind of book

If you could sum up Blackberry Winter in three words, what would they be?

Clever, determined effort

What did you like best about this story?

The tenacity of the journalist

Have you listened to any of Tara Sands’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't think so.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Would have been nice

Any additional comments?

Of interest to many readers

Historical Fiction of Depression Era and Now

This is a beautifully written story, very personal . . . which I easily related to . . . if you have had the privilege to have grown up with or known family members who went through the Great Depression, you will appreciate this audio book. My mother-in-law grew up during the depression. She was the most unassuming, gentle, giving person I have ever known. She never went past third grade, because she had to leave her family, her mother, father and seven siblings to go to the city and keep house . . . cook and clean for a wealthy family. And she was never, ever bitter. Family was everything to her. This book tells about a young single mother who has to leave her three year old son in bed asleep at night, while she goes to work cleaning motel rooms. The poverty during the 1930's is absolutely unimaginable to our society today. But I assure you, it was real. This is a complex story of the haves and the have nots . . . of those who abuse their power . . . and those, who by the grace of God, USE their power and money for good. It was then . . . and is now . . . a choice. The story goes back and forth between the '30s and today, and weaves a beautiful tale of love, sadness, mistakes, forgiveness and hope.

Sweet, Emotional Story about Motherhoo & Loss

What made the experience of listening to Blackberry Winter the most enjoyable?

Although this story is a bot predictable and doesn't make you think or learn, it is emotional, and sweet and made me cry more than once. It explores motherhood & loss and because I am a mom it touched my heart. When it ended I was left wanting more. I wanted to go into the story and meet the heroines of the story and become their friends.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I am not sure I can pick a favorite character. However I liked Dominic a great deal. He was a more minor character, but I felt that he was an honorable and loyal friend. He was a person I trusted and I felt he allowed the main characters to flourish and grow.

Which character – as performed by Tara Sands – was your favorite?

I loved the voice she used for Daniel - the grandfather. Some of the other characters sounded much alike but Daniel was easily distinguishable and he actually sounded aged, I heard weakness, kindness and surprise in his voice at the appropriate times.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and I did. I finished it in a 24 hour period.

Any additional comments?

This is my first review ... if I didn't explore parts of the story or narration or there is something I could do to make my reviews more helpful please leave me comments.

Formulaic, Irritating Narration - but Still Worthy

The over-enunciating, over emphatic narrator practically ruined this story for me. Add that to the rather predictable, formula-driven plot and this became an average if not less than average read at best. Still, there was something captivating about the plot. . . pitting poor against wealthy and overcoming the ravages of time to open old memories and uncover new evidence. So I'll give it a weak, wavering one-thumbs-up.