What is your opinion?
Good book
"Keep it up."
Up So Floating
"Up So Floating is a love story that shows us that love often comes when and where we least expect it. The young girl in the story, Aria, longs for connection. Abandoned by her mother and father for years on end, she finds this connection with relatives and friends she grows to love, with all their faults. The relationships Aria develops with her uncles are unique and she loves each of them in her special way, grounding them in her love, waking them up to life. The relationship of Kiev and Aria is particularly beautiful. She accepts him exactly as he is and their love is transformational. Kiev becomes her safe space. She becomes his. Aria’s relationship with Eloisa also grounds her, the gardens become a place of refuge. The author’s use of language allows us to feel the deep emotions that all the characters struggle with in their perfect imperfections. Listen to this beautiful language: “The transformation of dark thoughts to light is a quiet miracle done in private.” “Community is for spreading the secrets around, letting others hold the burdens so they can be carried off.” “Faith is the table or wall you lean against when you can’t hold yourself up.” “Sometimes you’ve got to ground yourself first before you take flight.” “Where do small birds go in the night to hide, to remain safe? Maybe darkness is faith personified.” “What was once a loosely organized interconnection of rubble has intertwined to become a complex organism of pulsating love.” The book is filled with such language. In the end, this love story pulsates with connection and faith."
A moving human interest story
"This drama novel is full of very human characters, each struggling with their own secrets and inner turmoil as they try to connect with each other. The main character, a young girl, Aria, is confused and hurt and is striving to deal with her parents' abandonment as well as adjust to life in a new country with relatives she doesn't really know. Although we don't see her parents' motivations up close, we see the struggle play out as she gets to know her uncles and their wives/partners when she is abruptly brought to live with them. As a reader, I found the scenes with her uncle Kiev touching and sweet. Each uncle grows as the story progresses, finding inner strength and developing a love for their niece. This well-written story is an enjoyable read. It is a moving story with likeable and unlikeable characters and elements of suspense and intrigue. I felt that it was really several stories rolled into the one novel, Aria's story with her secret and her parents' response and then the various characters within the family and their individual dilemmas. A lovely story and a good read."
