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ALWAYS Deirdre Savoy BET/Arabesque October 2000 (5) Wayne Jordan |
Contemporary Romance |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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REVIEW: |
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In
early 2000, ROMANCE IN COLOR conferred on Deirdre
Savoy the reviewers' award for BEST NEW AUTHOR
for 1999. This award was a result
of a powerful debut novel, SPELLBOUND
(4+),
which wooed readers, and placed Ms. Savoy in the precarious position of having
to do even better with her sophomore effort. With
ALWAYS, Ms. Savoy fulfils the promise of SPELLBOUND
and establishes herself as an author of immense talent.
In a letter to her readers at the end of ALWAYS,
Ms. Savoy identifies the essence of romance as “bringing together two people
who belong to one another, body and soul.” In ALWAYS,
Ms. Savoy does this and much more. ALWAYS
is not only the story of two individuals who have for a long felt a strong
attraction and attachment for each other; it is also about the importance of
family and friends in one’s life, and the importance of trust. As
a young girl, Jenny Sconlon was in love with Michael Thorne.
Years later, a talented dancer, she returns home to see her father who
has been hospitalized. While there, she meets Michael again and realizes that her
childish infatuation has matured into the intense love of a woman for a man. At home, however, she discovers a dark deep secret that changes the nature of her relationship with her father and the two women who’ve been significant in her life; her mother and her aunt. (Or should I say, her aunt and her mother) What Ms. Savoy weaves is a story plot that succeeds on several levels. On one level, it is about that special kind of love for which each of us yearns. The kind of love that tears us up inside; the kind of love that makes us laugh; and the kind of love that make us dream and hold on to that special feeling that can only exist between two persons who love each other. On another level it is about forgiveness, and the fact that sometimes in life those we love make bad choice that affect who and what we are, but what makes us stronger is our willingness to forgive. It is only through forgiveness that we can be truly happy, and embrace the love that is destined for us. In ALWAYS, Jenny learns this truth. I cannot conclude this review without mention of the vivid secondary characters that are so essential to Ms. Savoy’s work. Most memorable is the delightful Nathan Ward who at every turn threatens to take over the story. Only a writer of Ms. Savoy’s skill could take him under control and make him wait until his own story, ONCE AND AGAIN, due in May 2001. ALWAYS is a major achievement from an author with only two novels in her portfolio. Ms. Savoy already possesses the skill of a veteran writer. With lyrical precision, she pens one of the most powerful stories of the year, and establishes herself as one of Arabesque’s best. A book worthy of every one of its five stars! |
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wayne@romanceincolor.net (4th October 2000) |
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