Book Review: Sweet Forgiveness By Lori Nelson Spielman

SWEET FORGIVENESS

By: Lori Nelson Spielman

Published: June 2, 2015

Publisher: Plume

Fiction

Last summer, I read Spielman’s first novel, THE LIFE LIST. I loved it (see my review, HERE) and have been anxiously waiting for her second novel. Even with a very hectic schedule, I breezed through this one in just three days.

Remember receiving chain letters in the mail? You received a letter and then you had to send stickers, a recipe, or maybe a book on to the previous person on the list and then send the letter on to several other people. SWEET FORGIVENESS mimics that idea, but with two pouches of forgiveness stones showing up in your mailbox. One pouch is for you from someone seeking forgiveness and the other is for you to send off, forgiving someone. Hannah, a popular New Orleans talk show host, has received the forgiveness stones from a high school classmate and has hidden them in her desk drawer for two years.  Now the forgiveness stone craze has spread all over the country and Fiona Knowles, who sent her original stones to Hannah, is coming on her show to talk about them. The problem is that Hannah has kept her past under wraps and her Mayor boyfriend wants it kept that way, for his political reasons. These forgiveness stones stir up memories of Hannah’s past. The stones force her to rethink what she really believed was the truth and attempt to right some of the wrongs. In the process of forgiving others, she may need to forgive herself the most.

The idea of forgiveness can be very difficult for some people to accept, especially when it involves family. Spielman handles this difficult concept with expert care, knowing that when we forgive we often have to ask for forgiveness ourselves. Holding onto a grudge can be a heavy burden, but letting go of it can be even scarier. Pasts that we have buried are now being rehashed and the pain of remembering can be brutal. The idea of forgiveness stones is an interesting concept and this book offers the reader a life lesson on forgiveness, a bit of romance, and a reminder that it is possible to heal from our mistakes.

Lori Nelson Spielman – source

Lori Nelson Spielman was born and raised in Michigan, the youngest of four children. After college, she began working in the public school system. She spent the early part of her career as a speech-language pathologist, and later became a high school guidance counselor. It was during her stint as a homebound teacher that she rekindled her love for writing. Her first book, THE LIFE LIST, became a #1 international bestseller, and Fox 2000 purchased the film rights. It has been translated into twenty-seven languages.  She lives in Michigan with her husband, and is working on her third novel. 

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