Bodies Of Water by T. Greenwood– 384 pages
Book Blurb:
In 1960, Billie Valentine is a young housewife living in a sleepy Massachusetts suburb, treading water in a dull marriage and caring for two adopted daughters. Summers spent with the girls at their lakeside camp in Vermont are her one escape–from her husband’s demands, from days consumed by household drudgery, and from the nagging suspicion that life was supposed to hold something different.
Then a new family moves in across the street. Ted and Eva Wilson have three children and a fourth on the way, and their arrival reignites long-buried feelings in Billie. The affair that follows offers a solace Billie has never known, until her secret is revealed and both families are wrenched apart in the tragic aftermath.
Fifty years later, Ted and Eva’s son, Johnny, contacts an elderly but still spry Billie, entreating her to return east to meet with him. Once there, Billie finally learns the surprising truth about what was lost, and what still remains, of those joyful, momentous summers.
My Review: 4 stars
Thanks to my followers on both my website and my Facebook page for introducing me to this author. Tammy Greenwood has created an intensely beautiful love story that differs from anything I’d read before. In Bodies of Water, the main protagonist reminisces about her great love with another woman during the 1960’s. With expert skill, Greenwood has reminded us that love is love and that yes; it can happen between those of the same sex. The story starts in current day and alternates back to the 60’s when women were isolated, bored and kept stagnant in their homes with no transportation and a houseful of kids. Not only was homosexuality uncommon, but also considered sinful by many. Sadly these women were born in the wrong time period and this story nailed down the point of how far we’ve come in the acceptance of all types of love.
It amazed me that the infidelity of both these women didn’t even bother me; I just wanted them to be together.
The water references were symbolic and poignant, however for me, there were just too many of them. I did feel the ending was a little rushed after we waited patiently to learn why her past was calling her back to Vermont.
Quotes I liked:
This may have been the only similarity we shared; when the going got tough, we both retreated into our books.”
-“There is something about going home, like water always wanting to rise to its own level again. This was my level. Here was my water.”
-“I live alone now, but I am not lonely.”
-“We dreamed ourselves free.”
-“The best way to defeat an enemy is to make them think you’re ready to surrender.”
-“But water, like memory, is more devious than it appears, becoming exactly what you need for it to be: liquid or solid. Yielding or firm. It capitulates, or resists. And sometimes it just evaporates.
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Thank you.. Just downloaded it – free on kindle for me.
Awesome Sadie! Hope you enjoy it.
Totally enjoyed reading this book. It was a wonderful love story. I too didn’t even think of their infidelity probably because neither of their husbands were decent people. Thanks so much for the recommendation. I am hooked to the good book fairy and check in a couple of times a week to see what you’ve read.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for being such a great supporter of the Good Book Fairy!