Alison Ragsdale

Someone Else’s Child was heart-breaking to read, Catriona and Duncan had so much tragedy in 8 years and it almost broke them. Not only did their living twin Hope die in tragic circumstances and the family not doing very well with processing it, but now April’s birth mother wants to visit her, and promises her so much that it seems April is being pulled away from Catriona.

I cannot imagine living through what Catriona and Duncan went through, it was so sad to read that I was grabbing tissues frequently. It was an emotional read that really got to me and I had to tell my husband what I was reading just to relieve myself from the emotions I was feeling about it.
Alison Ragsdale wrote this perfectly, it pulls you in from the very beginning and doesn’t want to let you go, even when you have finished the book.
… (mere)

A quiet, slowly moving (but not necessarily slow, more like drifting quietly) tale of loss, recovering from grief and finding oneself again, Ragsdale does a lovely job developing her characters, and her settings are richly described. (You may find yourself researching flights to the Isle of Skye.) While Heather isn't always likable (a difficult thing to say about someone who is drowning in grief) but I found myself rooting for her.

A beautiful book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher who provided me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions, however, are my own.… (mere)

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Art of Remembering" by Alison Ragsdale, July 16, 2019

WOW! Alison Ragsdale, Author of "The Art of Remembering" has written such an intense, captivating, thought-provoking, poignant, emotional and heartbreaking story. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex, complicated, flawed, and having their own set of problems and expectations.

Ailsa is a professional ballerina and is married to Evan, and to the outside world, it appears that she has everything. Some of Alisa's and Evan's goals are different. Alisa is getting terrible headaches and collapses on stage. The diagnosis is a brain tumor, and surgery is required. Both Alisa and Evan try to understand the prognosis and the possible results.

Will Alisa be able to dance? What will happen to Alisa's memories? There are so many questions, and even after the surgery, there might not be answers for a long time. When Alisa first wakes up, she doesn't have many memories of Evan.

I love the way that Alison Ragsdale describe in vivid detail Alisa's emotional and physical changes. I also appreciate that the author discusses the importance of living your dreams for yourself, courage, emotional support, family, love, and hope. I would highly recommend this well-written story. I have to confess to some Kleenex moments.… (mere)