Review: Sweet and poignant parable about what we hold valuable
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 2, 2013
Joy Ross Davis has done it again! She has created characters, story, and theme that grips the emotions and imparts depths of wisdom, all with the lightest touch.  In this wonderful tale set in a quaint little town in Ireland, Lady Emalyn guards a secret that she holds in the highest value. The secret box, buried within an heirloom chair, contains the only tangible evidence of an encounter she had as a child.That encounter revisits her in ways she does not anticipate. Her life's love, her husband, has given her a beautiful and pampered life in his manor house, and her faithful servant woman Fiona is the best friend and confidant a woman can ask for. But this secret treasure is so deeply personal she guards it even from them, and from all who get too close. Only when tragedy strikes does she realize what her true treasures are, and how the real ones transcend time.Davis brings authenticity to her setting as a former travelogue writer, and captures the essence of the people's spirituality and love of animals and the land. This is a gem of a novella, and one to savor.