From the award-winning author of The Promise Kitchen comes a riveting new story of twin sisters caught in their mother’s crosshairs on what to do about their disturbed younger sister. Lush with devastating secrets, lies, romance and psychological drama…”You tell me about a family without a certain amount of dysfunction, and I’ll tell you that family is lying.”After aimlessly traveling the … lying.”
After aimlessly traveling the country for fifteen years, Linnea Chandler returns to her hometown of Key West, Florida keeping the genesis of a life-altering phobia to herself–not a good idea, as she comes to find out. The 19th Century lighthouse that she, her parents and two sisters call home also has a troubled past, carrying the frightening myth that eerily mirrors the mystery of her younger sister today. Should Linnea run while she can?
The women must decide to what extremes they are willing to go to protect their secrets. Ignore the brutality behind the retrieval of spoils from a fatal shipwreck in 1857? Defy a 2017 hurricane threatening to pummel their town? And when their world is upended, do the women have the strength to move forward?
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Spellbinding and breathless. That’s how this book had and left me feeling. This wonderfully powerful story touches on many of today’s concerns and issues all wrapped up in the love and lives of the main characters. Characters who are floopy, nurturing, scared, in pain, insecure and loving. A “can’t miss” gem for your summer reading.
My Review of The Ruby of the Sea by Peggy Lampman; published by Alliance Press
Breathe, just breathe…
The Ruby of the Sea by Peggy Lampman evoked multiple chords for me. Having two sisters myself, I felt the camaraderie, as well as the angst, between Delphina, Linnea, and Ivy. We all have our insecurities and/or demons, but Peggy found an ingenious way to embrace them with passion, giving the reader a fabulous story full of all the emotions we, as readers, thoroughly enjoy. With Key West as a setting for this story, I found it to be a perfect “at-home” getaway. There’s even a fun feathery character amongst the family that’s sure to bring a smile to your face. The Ruby of the Sea by Peggy Lampman is a book I highly recommend.
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#alliancepress
The Ruby of the Sea by Peggy Lampman
This is a story of forgiveness, love, a family secret and twin sisters and their younger sister with a secret of their own. The sisters over come a tragedy that entangled the family as a whole. I enjoyed reading this page turner in which the ending was a total surprise of its own. I highly recommend this book.
THE RUBY OF THE SEA
By Peggy Lampman
An exceptional familial tale that takes you to the very heart of a family and looks into the innermost depths of the good and bad that a person can exemplify. To learn what you think you know about someone that’s as close to you as can be but to realize you don’t know them at all. This book shows how human connections are formed and how easily they can be broken. Told from the perspective of three daughters; two whom are twin adult daughters (Delphina & Linnea), they tell tales of their lives, their sister Ivy and their parents. They find mental illness running rampant and could cost one of them their life. The fears and trauma from the past and the the grudge and anger that Delphina still holds against a former foe from High School prevents a future for someone else.
You become so immersed in this highly descriptive world that you don’t want it to end. You feel the apprehension that the characters would feel as news breaks of an approaching hurricane. The thoughts and worries race through your mind as you silently speak to the characters as if they can hear you. That’s how deep you fall into this story that is so exceptionally told. I will definitely be checking out her other novels as this was fulfilling and in depth read with drama, fear, love and intrigue. Not a quick read, get ready to embrace a weekend full of reading without interruption.
The Chandler family has lived in Key West for over 30 years in a 19th-century lighthouse with a dark history, the Maiden Tower. The youngest of three sisters, Ivy is a turbulent artist who hides away at the top of the tower battling unknown demons while her parents run a bed and breakfast below. Her older twin sisters, Linnea and Delphina, have grown apart over the past 15 years as Delphina settled in Key West and Linnea drifted across the country.
Each sister hides secrets from the others – a love affair, the origin of a phobia, and a serious mental illness – which are gradually revealed. Throughout it, all the sisters struggle with their conflicting emotions and familial ties. The dysfunctional relationships come to a head as a powerful storm drives the Chandlers from their home. When the unimaginable happens to their family, will the sisters move forward despite tragedy?
Peggy Lampman, the best-selling author of The Promise Kitchen, delivers a vivid depiction of Key West and difficult family dynamics. Each sister brings a powerful and provoking voice to the novel. The idyllic setting is the perfect backdrop for the dramatic, romantic, and painful story of three sisters.
Beautifully written book of 3 sisters, a historic lighthouse turned B&B, mental illness and family secrets. Set in Key West, Florida with Keys history interwoven into story too! Well done and interesting, this was a thought provoking story, I reccommend it.
Gen. Plot~end
In THE RUBY OF THE SEA Peggy Lampman casts the net early and I was captivated on page one. The Chandler family lives in a lighthouse in Key West, Florida. They’re loving, quirky, dysfunctional and have a heartbreaking secret. I felt a personal connection to each of them and the beauty of their somewhat broken and cracked relationships is that the love shines through.
Well placed humor and a subplot surrounding the family business that adds an element of mystery, as well as a romance carry us through the depth of this poignant and atmospheric story.
Through vivid descriptions of the beautiful sea life and a small town on the coast I felt as if I was the Chandler’s neighbor and friend. The tempo of Ms. Lampman’s writing kept me turning the pages and beckoned me in the night to visit the lighthouse for just a while more.
This story addresses Mental Illness in a sensitive yet realistic and responsible manner, with an emotional impact I did not foresee. It makes us question how we love, the secrets we keep to protect those we love and how they may destroy us all. And yet, it shows us that love, acceptance and forgiveness can prevail.
Because of the poignant writing I experienced this story in a very visceral manner. I thought about the fate of the entire family and I closed this book fully satisfied that despite the circumstances of their lives, they’ll be okay.
I strongly recommend this book to the reader who enjoys family drama that is realistic and relatable. Book Clubs will find much to discuss. This is not a quick beach read but rather an emotional novel of which you will want to absorb every word. This book emotionally gutted me and I loved it.
My deepest praises to Peggy Lampman and much respect for her addressing a difficult topic in such an honest manner.
I was provided an ARC of this book by the author. This is my unbiased and thoughtful review which is voluntarily written.
Ruby of the Sea is a very well written, deeply emptional book set in Key West. Family love at times can be challenged by many different issues. The Chandler family is one of those families, this book is gut wretching at times as the sisters come to terms with one sisters bout with mental issue. You may want to have a box of tissues handy while you read this book. The author has the ability to pull her readers into the lives of her characters. I received a ARC from the author and am under no obligation to leave a good review. This is my fair and honest review and I would recommend this book to others.
The Ruby of the Sea the story of a family divided by secrets and mystery set amidst the lush landscape of Key West. Told in alternating viewpoints, I was quickly pulled into the story. A word of warning: have the tissues handy. This one is a tear jerker. Having dealt with the ups and downs of mental illness in a family member, The Ruby of the Sea was an emotional read for me. Peggy Lampman shines a light on the stigma of mental illness!
Family is everything! You can’t choose them, and there is no doubt some are wonderful and some not so perfect. We all know this. In this poignant, heartfelt, touching story that took me on an unbelievable emotional journey The Ruby of the Sea will open your eyes to the truth about some very difficult topics that the world needs to be more aware of in my opinion. Family dysfunction and mental illness, and other topics we don’t talk about openly wreak havoc in people’s lives. In this story I was brought to tears by the truth of that, having experienced it in my own life.
The narrative of Florida’s Key West was delightful, having been a resident of Florida myself and once enjoying the splendor of the beaches and oceans. Parts of the story were funny, while other parts were dramatic, serious and heart wrenching. I cried a million tears! I was drawn to every character and felt completely absorbed in the mystery of their lives.
The story is about a 19th Century Lighthouse legend, the history of The Chandler family, now the owners, and the secrets, lies, dishonesty, and painful truths. Twins sisters Delphina and Linnea used to be close, but have lost their sisterhood bond. They both struggle with troubled pasts. Their younger sister Ivy is an impressive artist hiding out in the families Maiden Tower, also home to the portrait of the original lighthouse keepers daughter Rossalea. When a hurricane threatens the Keys, and their world is changed forever will faith, strength and love bring this family together again?
Peggy Lampman wrote a beautiful story that will stay with me long after I’ve closed the book. I appreciated the conclusion in the afterwards where she offers help to those in need. With sincere gratitude, thank you!!
I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
There is nothing more precious than the love that families share with each other. That love is often challenged with life, events, and secrets that bend that love to almost breaking. Ms. Lampman has written a book that challenges the Chandler family to the very core. It’s an emotionally heart wrenching family drama about three sisters, Linnea and Delphina who are twins, and their younger sister, Ivy. Each one with secrets that they hold so close inside they lose their bonds of sistership. What are these secrets and why are they so difficult to share? This book takes you into the depths of the issues and your heart with it.
Linnea returns home to her family in Key West, Florida from being away for 15 years. Her family is far from the idyllic, perfect “Cleaver” family and is more to the dysfunctional end of the spectrum but they need her home so she returns. This is where the secrets, lies, deceit, painful pasts, and injured feelings start to unravel. Ms. Lampman took me into each of the character’s lives in a very personal and intimate way. I felt for each one and her struggles. The story unfolds in chapters that rotate between the three sisters. It’s a poignant story and written so that my heart felt each sister’s hurts and anguish of what they were going through.
The setting of the story in Key West, Florida in telling this story was perfect. I’ve never been to Florida, let alone Key West but I have a vivid impression in my mind of a virtual visit from the great descriptive writing. I loved the historical lighthouse setting that the family runs a B&B out of. The Maiden Tower plays a crucial part in Ivy’s story. The Foghorn House and Lightkeeper’s Quarters are “home” for the family. The mystery surrounding the history of the grounds and stories were intriguing. Especially the mystery of the original lighthouse keeper’s daughter, Rossalea, and the parallel with Ivy’s story in the book. Then add an impending, historic hurricane into the scenario. How would such devastation change a family and would it bring the family together or tear them apart like the destruction of the hurricane? My emotions were so all over the place in this book. I became a part of the family and experienced their hurts and emotions as I turned the pages.
This is a very well written family drama that addresses the issues of mental illness, family dysfunction and what the effects are to a family. I want to thank Peggy Lampman for writing such a heart tugging novel. I am so grateful for the ARC copy and the honor of reading this book. This is my own, heart felt review of this wonderful book.
THE RUBY OF THE SEA by Peggy Lampman is a beautifully-written and heart-wrenching story that kept me engaged from beginning to end. Set in Key West, Florida, it is rich in history, family drama, mystery and romance as well as a heartfelt and honest look at mental illness, life-changing traumatic events and the journey to acceptance and healing. I loved the vibrant descriptions of the setting and the characters. I felt like I was right there with them, sharing their deepest secrets and their pain, but also the love between them. The past and present were interwoven seamlessly to create a haunting and compelling story of family and survival. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time to come and I highly recommend it! Thank you to the author for providing me with an early copy of the book to read and review.
On the back cover: “You tell me about a family without a certain amount of dysfunction, and I’ll tell you that family is lying.”
I have been saying something close to this for years. Life is messy. Families are complicated. Marriage takes effort and hard work. If someone does not believe this, they are lying. The Ruby of the Sea is an extremely well written, deeply emotional book! I felt, from the beginning, that it was like a run-away train heading to a ravine, with the bridge missing. Impending doom was in the recesses of my mind. Little did I realize, it was not an escaped train, it was a hurricane coming.
I have never been to Key West, but I definitely felt like I was there with the author’s fantastic descriptions. I do have firsthand knowledge of hurricanes and the author hit that feeling spot on!
The characters are well developed and I cared about them almost immediately. They are flawed and realistic. This book spoke to me on so many levels. I have dealt with many of the issues that arise in this book. I suppose that is why I felt for the characters so deeply.
I highly recommend this wonderfully developed family drama, full of heartbreak, hope and survival.
I want to thank the author for giving me the honor of reading the ARC of her book. This review is my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the Advanced Reader’s Copy.
This is a breathtaking novel that will leave you speechless! The lives of three sisters seem to be intertwined not only by blood but by hidden secrets that will lead to a devastating end. Twin sister’s Linnea and Delphina have always been close but living thousands of miles apart, there are some distances that cannot be bridged. Coming home to Key West for a visit is hard for Linnea because she has a phobia of the ocean due to past secrets that she will not reveal. Being attracted to the one man that hurt her twin, Delphina, by spreading rumors about her in high school, makes it even more difficult. Will Linnea be able to be with the one man she can trust or will her love for her sister Delphina keep her from following her hearts desire? Delphina is having a hard time trying to deal with her family’s finances, as well as, being a new mother. Always one to never let go, Delphina cannot understand how her twin could possibly be dating the one man that she despises the most. The turmoil that these sisters face is made even bigger with the knowledge that their baby sister, Ivy, has a mental illness. Not understanding what is going on with Ivy, Linnea and Delphina do not buy the excuses their mother keeps making up. When a hurricane is approaching, the residents of Key West evacuate to safety. Will the aftermath be more than the Chandler family can handle? Will one tragedy release years of secrets? Author Peggy Lampman has written an emotional novel that will show the devastating effects of hiding from mental illness. Seeing so much of my past in this story made me more thankful that the stereotypical outlook on Mental Illness has lessened as more awareness is made. I look forward to seeing what this amazing author has in store for her reader’s next!