Willowood, Kentucky 1965 – Robin Lee Carter sets a fire that kills her rapist, then disappears. She reinvents herself and is living a respectable life as Catherine Henry, married to a medical school dean in Tucson, Arizona. In 1985, when their 5-year-old son, Michael, is diagnosed with a chemotherapy-resistant leukemia, Catherine must return to Willowood, face her family and the 19-year-old son, … son, a product of her rape, she gave up for adoption. She knows her return will lead to a murder charge, but Michael needs a bone marrow transplant. Will she find forgiveness, and is she willing to lose everything, including her life, to save her dying son?
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Robin Lee Carter had a very loving and caring mother whom she loved very much and two brothers whom she also loved and adorned very much as well. Robin Lee left home just shy of her eighteenth birthday. She left because of a tragic accident that could put her behind bars for a very long time.
When Robin Lee left home she had her name changed met a wonderful man Ben Henry whom she fell in love with and married and had a little boy Michael. Now Catherine has a wonderful life and has put her past behind her. Until one day Michael has an accident and is sent to the hospital. While at the hospital they discover that he has a chemotherapy-resistant leukemia and needs a donor.
Catherine has told so many lies over the years about her past and now it may all come tumbling out. To save Michael’s life Catherine may have to return home and face her past and the people she left behind.
How will she ever tell the man she loves that she has lied to him about who she truly is and what she did all those years ago. How will the people she left behind on that tragic day except her now? What is going to happen to Michael? What will happen to Catherine when she returns home to face the music? Can she save her son? Will her marriage be left behind this time?
Robin Lee/Catherine is one very strong woman to have endeared all that she lived through her whole life. With never having gone through anything even close to what she did there is no way I can identify with her. There is no way I can ever say that I know what you are going through or I know how you feel because there is no way I ever could. I can feel for her; have compassion for her but I cannot know how she feels.
Michael is a very strong, loving and compassionate person as well. He is so adorable. I loved what he told his Uncle Kyle when he met him in the hospital. Kyle was a very strong and loving man as well and has very big heart and a soft spot for children.
With A Bend in the Willow Susan Clayton-Goldner had me from the summary not the first page. Once I picked it up and started reading I didn’t want to put it down. Although there were times I couldn’t see the pages for my eyes tearing up. A Bend in the Willow will grab a hold of your heart and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze until you think you can’t handle anymore. A Bend in the Willow is one of those stories that will stay with you forever and forever; never letting go.
This book is the story of a girl named Catherine Henry, aka Robin Lee Carter and the trials and tribulations she goes thru as a young girl. The author writes about betrayal, forgiveness, family, trust and love.
Suffering from many types of abuse, a fire that contributes to killing her rapist and a pregnancy as a result of rape. Catherine puts her baby up for adoption and leaves her home town to seek a new life. She changes her name, marries Ben, a rigid German man and has a son named Michael. At the age of five Michael is thrown off a horse and is diagnosed with leukemia. He needs a bone marrow transplant. Catherine has to face her past because family members are the best match for a transplant. She must reveal to her husband that she has a nineteen year old son she put up for adoption and the family and circumstances she left behind. Does she risk everything to save her son?
Can we live with our past or will things happen in the future that make us face what we want to forget. The book is well written, holds your interest to the point you want to finish the book and find out what happens. Once I started reading I found it very hard to put down.
Sometimes it is a struggle to face your past, I know I had to face things in my past that were very difficult for me. I truly could relate to this book and I thank the author for a heartwarming story. I look forward to future books written by this author, she is an amazing writer.
I loved this book. The story captivated me and I couldn’t put it down; I just had to know what happened. Susan did what great authors do, left me wanting more. I can’t wait to read her other books. I highly recommend this book but beware some passages are emotionally difficult to read.
I loved this book from cover to cover….a testament of courage, faith, and the healing power of love.