A gripping family story of tragic loss, forgiveness, secrets and resilience set in rural Texas, from the author of Birdie and Jude and The Ember Months. Opal’s Story is delivered in delicious bites with rich characters. A murder/suicide in 1948 rocks a small west Texas town and leaves a young widow with a new baby questioning her judgement. Opal Evans revisits that past as she faces a terminal … past as she faces a terminal illness destined to end her life before she has forgiven herself for her role in changing the lives of her family.
In a love story of acceptance and family bonds, an unlikely hero emerges to reveal to Opal it is never too late to discover and forgive. Opal’s brothers, Harold Joe and Jimmy Dale are just as vibrant in their appeal. Their easy presence is a testament to their concern for their sister and the love of a family bound by an unthinkable tragedy.
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About strong family relationships coming out of extremely difficult circumstances
enjoyed Opal’s Story completely!!!
It’s hard to imagine one person being able to overcome so much tragedy and go on to live a good and productive life.
Not well written, some repetition, dragged throughout
A interesting and touching story and very likable characters. Really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it.
So good and teaches forgiveness of self and knowing that you don’t know anyone’s full story. Don’t judge there is a story behind the decisions we make. Sometimes we blame ourselves on the decisions we make and our perception is not true. Forgive yourself and love others.
I loved this story!!!
Repeats a theme I’ve read many times before.
Getting into the story was hard and I almost put it aside unread.
Didn’t like the ending.
Keep the tissues nearby and enjoy this heart wrenching story of love, life, and redemption . What a wonderful and insiteful tale of life in a “simpler” time.
This book was poorly written and cliche ridden.
Liked this book very much. Took a while to get into it, but once you understood what had happened, everything fell into place. Great book. Recommend it!
could not get into it . Hated it it
predictable and characters are shallow
The tragic elements of this story are somewhat softened by the passage of time, emphasizing the possibility of recovery from suffering. My problem with the book is that the author was writing about a time (1948) and a place (Abilene, Texas, early 21st century) which she did not know well. Perhaps I would have been less annoyed if I did not know them both.
I just loved this book!