October 4, 2019
It is a tribute to Jan Sikes’ writing that she had me worrying about Darlina from the moment she caught Luke’s eye. She draws the reader into a world of bars and music and dancing where too much can go wrong for a naive young woman. Darlina became a friend heading for heartbreak and I wished I could tell her not to follow her heart, But she did, and her heart was broken but not in the way I anticipated. This is a love story about the kind of love that transcends every obstacle and does not falter. Thank goodness Darlina followed her heart and found a deep love that most of us would envy, but maybe not have the grit to stick with.
This true story doesn’t end when the reader comes to the last page. Happily for us, we are able to find out what else happened to these two extraordinary people in subsequent books. I applaud the author’s wonderful gift of dialogue and scene-setting and her ability to draw the reader into the heart of the story. Ms. Sikes is a born story-teller both in writing and song.
Robbie Cheadle says:
A lovely review of this book, Mary. I have seen other great reviews and this has piqued my interest.
Mary Adler says:
Thank you, Robbie. The story is quite poignant.
D.L. Finn says:
Wonderful review of a beautiful story. It is the story of a rare love.
Mary Adler says:
I agree, Denise. Thank you for commenting.
Jan Sikes says:
What a delightful surprise to see this review of Flowers and Stone! Thank you, Mary, from the bottom of my heart. The character’s name is Darlina, but that does not take away from your beautiful review! I’m grateful and honored!
Mary Adler says:
Sorry about the name, Jan! I must admit to doing the same thing with actual people I know! It’s not easy getting old. 🙂
Jan Sikes says:
Lol, Mary. 😁 You are SO right. Aging is not for the faint of heart!