"Sometimes to move forward you must examine the past"
Reviewed by Sandi Shilhanek
Posted August 30, 2009
Fiction Family Life
Luanne Rice takes a peek into the inner workings of a family
in her newest book, THE DEEP BLUE SEA FOR BEGINNERS. As I read the story of Pell and Lucy Davis I couldn't help
but feel a pull on my heartstrings. At a young age they
were separated from their mother Lyra, and that separation
has impacted them from that day to this. At the beginning of Pell's teenage years their father,
Taylor Davis
succumbs to a brain tumor, and the young Davis girls are
essentially left parentless. Now, Pell about to begin her
senior year of high school wants definite answers about the
'hows and whys' her mother left and never attempted to contact
either Pell or Lucy. To get her answers Pell travels to Capri where her mother Lyra
has been living since leaving. Once on the island Pell and
her mother begin to form a relationship, and as with any
relationship, be it a new one or an infant one, there are ups
and downs. The unraveling of Lyra's disappearance affects
not only the mother-daughter relationship, but also the way
the Davis women from oldest to youngest react with others. I would not pick up THE DEEP BLUE SEA FOR BEGINNERS
expecting a quick easy read. It truly is a story of family
dynamics, and one that I believe will have you thinking on
your own interpersonal relationships. While I didn't cry
while reading THE DEEP BLUE SEA FOR BEGINNERS you might wish
to have tissues handy.
SUMMARY
A legendary island steeped in the mystery and wisdom of
centuries… A runaway heiress learning to trust life, and love… A mother and daughter, separated for years, searching for a
way to face the future together… New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice tells a
powerful story of love, family, and friendship through the
lives of two women who reunite at a place where dreams
begin—and where they may be fulfilled at last…. Years ago, Lyra Davis left behind a world of wealth and
privilege and the people she loved most in the world, unable
to reconcile the expectations of her celebrated family with
the longings of her own wild heart. Now she lives quietly
among a community of expatriates on the isle of Capri,
slowly, carefully learning to live fully for the first time,
flourishing in the friendship of a singular man who
recognizes in her a kindred spirit. Granddaughter of the reigning doyenne of Newport, Rhode
Island, wise beyond her sixteen years, Pell Davis is poised
to take her place at the pinnacle of society. Yet she and
her young sister still long for the mother who ran away from
them when they were children so that they could be raised by
the father they adored. Pell knows that Lyra felt she loved
them best by leaving. But with her father now dead and her
sister veering dangerously into fantasy, she will travel
across an ocean to find the mother she remembers and the
deeper truths they all need so desperately…. Lyrical, unforgettable, Luanne Rice’s new novel unfolds
against a background of timeless beauty, as an unlikely love
affair reshapes the meaning of devotion and three
generations of women resist the pull of memory and tradition
to find a new way forward.
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