Good day, my bookish divas and divos. I am beyond excited to welcome today’s guest Elizabeth Byler Younts, author of The Solace of Water, a recently released coming-of-age historical fiction novel set in the 1950s. Today, Ms. Younts will be providing us a few character sketches to help whet our interest in The Solace of Water. I’ve already put this book on my TBR list and I hope you will as well. Without further adieu, I give you Ms. Elizabeth Byler Younts.
I’m so happy that The Solace of Water is highlighted today! This book has my heart and I’m so excited that it’s out there in your hot little hands now!
And now…meet the 3 leading ladies!
Delilah Evans…aka Deedee. The reader will meet Delilah in the midst of deeply grieving the loss of her young son, Carver. But she’s trying to keep it together for her husband, two daughters, and two more sons. She blames her oldest daughter, Sparrow, for Carver’s death. She has been born and bred in the Deep South but is moving North—oh, the culture shock!
The reader will get a sense for Deedee’s anger and heartache. Her grief is heavy and she doesn’t mince words. You will get no shortage of her thoughts on how she feels about facing her new life. And when Emma becomes part of her story, she will tell you what she thinks about that!
Emma Mullet is a reclusive Amish woman who has never lived anywhere but the small secluded town of Sinking Creek, Pennsylvania. She has a husband who isn’t just a deacon in their Amish church but is also a closet alcoholic. They have a son, Johnny, and many years earlier lost a baby through a traumatic miscarriage.
Emma not only is burdened with the secrets of her husband but also her own. You’ll have to read the book to find out what they are.
Sparrow Evans—Deedee’s daughter. Sparrow was the last to see her brother Carver alive. The weight of the guilt that she feels and experiences is palpable and, without question, utterly heartbreaking. She feels she’s lost her mother’s love and begins to express her hurt and fears through self-harm.
Sparrow and Emma develop a deep connection and they begin to fill a void that both of them need. You don’t want to miss Sparrow’s story.
The Solace of Water by ISBN: 9780718075668 (paperback)
ISBN: 9780718075675 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781978607156 (audiobook)
ASIN: B077CS7NL6 (Kindle version)
Publisher: Publication Date: June 5, 2018
After the loss of her young son, Carver, an African-American preacher’s wife named Delilah Evans moves with her family from Montgomery, Alabama, to Sinking Creek, Pennsylvania, for a fresh start. The last thing she could have imagined was becoming friends with Emma Mullet, a reclusive Amish woman.
Emma is fighting personal battles of her own and feels estranged from her small Amish community. The secrets that have kept her isolated from her own community serve to unite her in an unlikely friendship with Delilah.
Sparrow, Delilah’s eldest daughter, knows she is responsible for the death of her little brother. When tensions at home become unbearable, she seeks solace at Emma’s house, becoming the surrogate daughter Emma has always wanted. Sparrow, however, is hiding secrets of her own, secrets that could sever all ties to her safe refuge.
Life for these three gets harder when church and social issues confront them, causing rifts within Sinking Creek’s three distinct communities: whites, blacks, and Amish. When their carefully protected secrets come to light, there seems to be little hope for friendship, restoration, or even forgiveness. But when the unthinkable happens, Delilah and Emma find themselves looking into the mirror of their own self-deceptions and are forced to make a choice that will set the way of their future.
Listen to a sound clip from the book here.
Meet the author
Elizabeth Byler Younts gained a worldwide audience through her first book Seasons: A Real Story of an Amish Girl and is a RITA nominated writer. She is also the author of The Promise of Sunrise series. She has consulted on Amish lifestyle and the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect for two award-winning television shows. Elizabeth lives in Central Pennsylvania with her husband, two daughters, and a cockapoo named Fable.
Connect with Elizabeth
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy the Book
Available from BookDepository | Alibris
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Author: thebookdivasreads
I'm a reader, an avid reader, or perhaps a rabid reader (at least according to my family). I enjoy reading from a variety of different genres but particularly enjoy fiction, mystery, suspense, thrillers, ChickLit, romance and classics. I also enjoy reading about numerous non-fiction subjects including aromatherapy, comparative religions, herbalism, naturopathic medicine, and tea.
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Thanks for featuring Elizabeth for the tour!
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