I love to read and it is one of my favorite things to do when I have some quiet time. My favorite books are ones that take me away to another place and time; enveloping me into the story and getting so caught up in the characters that time is lost and I am far away in my mind.
So it was with the new book by Tom McNeal called To Be Sung Underwater. This amazing book is published by Little, Brown and Co June 2011.
Even the synopsis of the story allows you to identify with the characters and you just know this is going to be a great read:
Native Nebraskan Judith Whitman believes in the sort of love that “picks you up in Akron, Ohio and sets you down in Rio de Janeiro.” But life took her to Los Angeles.
Twenty-five years earlier, Judith was 17, living in the breathtaking open spaces of Nebraska, reveling in the love she shared with Willy Blunt, the ever-decent, soft-hearted carpenter whose pale blue eyes and easy smile awakened in Judith the reckless girl he alone imagined her to be. Back then, marrying Willy seemed natural and inevitable, until acceptance to a prestigious university carried Judith away from the plains and into a bigger, richer world.
Today, Judith Whitman is midlife, mid-career, mid-marriage, and mid-child-rearing; her husband, Malcolm, may or may not be having an affair, and Judith fears that she “hasn’t properly inhabited her role as a mother.” She begins acting in ways that are curious, even to herself; ways that include taking on a fake identity, and renting a storage unit to preserve a replica of her childhood bedroom. Through it all, memories of Willy occupy her thoughts, just has his boyhood photo always occupied her wallet. She sits near a phone, number in hand and finally reaches out to the man who long ago believed it when she said she loved him.
So opens To Be Sung Underwater, a new literary fiction novel by Tom McNeal; the critically acclaimed author whose first novel, Goodnight, Nebraska, won the 1999 James A. Michener Memorial Prize.
To Be Sung Underwater is already being hailed as the rich work of a master craftsman; a story that is both emotionally compelling and relentlessly intelligent. McNeal’s writing is as fluid and easy as the rolling landscapes he brings to life, and as fresh and riveting as the characters he beautifully renders.
In the words of Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford, “McNeal has the enviable talent of making splendid writing look easy at no cost to the complexity and the beauties of what fascinates him (and me)—the terrain occupied by women and men in love with each other.”
More than a love story, To Be Sung Underwater is a lovely, vivid exploration of relationships, and the human heart itself, in all of their wondrous intricacies.
This wonderful story grabs you from the first page. I am a small town girl from the mid west and I can totally relate to the main character and emphasize with her complex feelings, wants and desires. The long lost love, the ties that bind and the family that you love but stresses you out.
Mr McNeal weaves a beautiful tale of long lost love, family, and sadness too. His writing style is amazing and you are sucked right into the story and turning pages as fast as you can. I found myself reading faster and faster, and absorbing every word so craftily written by the author.
I took this book with me on my vacation and it was the perfect read for the airplane and lazy days spent with my family. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a beautiful and heartfelt story. So grab a copy, some lovely wine and curl up in your favorite chair and Enjoy the experience of a fabulously written book.
I am definitely purchasing more of Mr. McNeals books. Awesome!
Disclaimer: Chris Carroll has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.