Monday, May 9, 2011

"More Than Good-Bye...As One Journey Ends, Another Begins" by S. Carol Crovo



What happens when we die? Have we been here before, and if we made mistakes in our lives, will we get an opportunity to make them up to our loved ones? This is the stuff of S. Carol Crovo's new novel, "More Than Good-Bye~As One Journey Ends, Another Begins..." She poses the questions and spins a story that will answer these questions in her own way.


Through the eyes and lives of her main character, Jane, who has died suddenly and is given a second chance at her own life, we see how one can become a more fulfilled person by experiencing life to the fullest with love, joy, acceptance of sorrows, forgiveness and sharing a spiritual kindness. Expressing love to others becomes a significant key to Jane's happiness and completeness. Her life and her connection to her loved ones is made more significant, infinitely more meaningful; and, she's able to "relive" it without feeling she's left messages to them undone. We learn along with Jane that love is the answer to life's meaning.


S. Carol Crovo writes her novel from a gentle and caring perspective. Her sense of timing in the character interactions is spot on, as is the fleshing out of her characters. We come to believe the people and places of the novel can actually be found somewhere in mid-America. Jane is an "everywoman" with the mind of any woman who has died without being able to say good-bye to her children and husband.


I was particularly interested in Ms Crovo's handling of Jane's connection with the spiritual. By means of "Golden Boy" who served as guide on her relived journey, there was less confusion and more a sense of clarity in the story as a whole. This clever device was one that was not intrusive, but fit the storyline perfectly.


"More Than Good-Bye" is a gentle and sweet book. Written by an author who has a message of hope and meaning. This is not a book for those seeking a deep literary experience, however, but for those seeking an answer to what it might be like to be able to "come back" and relive their lives. It is a sort of confirmation of life in another stage and dimension~life continuing on after this earthly existence. I must be clear that it is not a Christian novel, however, rather it's a book that works to transcent religions in a "what-if" manner in order to reach a wider audience.


If you're looking for a novel that's one to sail through and that may answer some of your musings about life after death, this one might interest you. It's a charming book that's light-hearted for the most part, as well as being a map of dealing with tragedy and loss. It might bring some comfort in the loss of a loved one to a sudden death without having time for final good-byes.



While I cannot recommend this book to all my readers, I can recommend it to those mentioned above.


Deborah/TheBookishDame

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