Cover Image: The Taste of Air

The Taste of Air

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Member Reviews

The Taste of Air is a truly original read. It explores the life of a woman, Mary—loyal wife, loyal parent and loyal friend. The consequences of one’s choices are cleverly revealed as the author takes the reader back in time to share Mary’s life changing experiences. The author also gives the reader a glance into Nell and Bridget’s lives.

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The Taste of Air is the second novel by Gail Cleare. In this novel I saw shades of two of my very favorite stories, The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe and The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller. Nell Williams is blindsided when she receives a call from the hospital in Hartland, Vermont, telling her that her mother, Mary Sullivan, has been admitted to their ICU and has asked them to contact Nell. Inasmuch as her mother is supposed to be at a senior living facility at Marblehead, Nell doesn't know what to make of this.

After making arrangements with her husband, David, for their two kids, Nell gets reservations to fly to Vermont to help her mother. Her older sister, Bridget, will join her from the DC area soon to help out. But first it is up to Nell to determine what has happened to their mother.

Upon her arrival in Hartland, Nell goes straight to the hospital. Once she has seen her mother, gotten a few details, and her mother has again drifted off to sleep, Nell asks the attendants where she can find lodging. They show surprise and ask her if she doesn't want to stay in her mother's home? Until now, Nell had no idea her mom had a residence there, let alone a circle of friends.

As Nell probes deeper and makes the acquaintance of several town residents, she discovers a life her mother led previously unknown to the sisters. And when Nell and Bridget piece the puzzle together, they find a future they had not known existed.

Out of sadness comes a future the sisters had no idea could exist. In a beautiful story of love and the sacrifices made in its name. Mary Ellen Sullivan had shown much love in her lifetime and this story shows the rewards that she has showered upon her girls.

This was a very moving story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wholeheartedly recommend this novel!

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Red Adept Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Taste of Air. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Nell Williams gets a call about her mother, Mary Ellen Reilly, who is in a hospital located hours away from her home in Massachusetts. As Nell discovers her mother's secrets, a life emerges that she and her sister Bridget knew nothing about. Will the past that is revealed tear apart the family for good?

The biggest issue that I had with The Taste of Air is that it is simply just not that believable. If her daughters had not been a part of her life, I could see Mary being able to pull off the deception. However, I found it implausible that she could have fooled so many for so long. There were certain plot points along the way that seem to exist only to move the story along. I had trouble forming a connection to any of the character and, to that end, I do not feel that The Taste of Air warrants a recommendation to other readers.

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I received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

When Nell's mother gets sick in a different state, Nell discovers her mother has been living a secret life. Lots of great twist and turns and I could not put it down.

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Nell Williams receives a phone call informing her that her mother, Mary, has been admitted into the hospital in Vermont. Not only is her mother’s health a real concern for Nell but just why in the world was her mother even in Vermont is the big question, Mary was supposed to be in an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts.

When Nell arrives in Vermont she finds that her mother has had a secret life that no one in the family had known about. Mary owns a small cabin and it seems that she has had the place for years, even before Nell’s father had passed away. Now while waiting for news of her mother’s health Nell needs to piece together this secret life that her mother had been living.

The Taste of Air was a fantastic contemporary read that almost had a bit of a thriller edge to it when it came down to unwinding years and years worth of family secrets. The story alternates between the current day and the past leading the reader to find out what exactly Mary had been hiding from her closest family for years.

Not only did Mary have her secrets for Nell to uncover but the book touches upon Nell’s own self discovery along with other characters during the read. It was quite intriguing and had the pages turning all throughout watching the characters grow and find themselves right along with solving the mystery of the small lakeside cottage that Mary had kept and why she hadn’t even told her daughters.

Definitely a compelling read for those that enjoy more of a family drama and secrets spanning decades unfolding before your eyes, one that I’d highly recommend.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

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I enjoyed this story! Heartfelt and sweet! Easy read going from past to present.

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