Review: Second chances
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 5, 2014
California-born and raised Utah author Lisa Loomis writes about the human condition: `love, life, and everything in between including sex, drugs, alcohol, and things just crazy enough to be true'. Though majoring and graduating with a BS in Finance from San Diego State University following which she became immersed in the mortgage and real estate industry. She spent over 20 years in varying positions in the mortgage industry, originally as a loan officer, and ultimately as a branch manager, and net branch owner. Lisa understands the ins and outs of lending. When the financial meltdown happened her lending lines basically dried up overnight and seeing the writing on the wall she closed her branch. This left her to embrace her true love - writing - and she writes and has published both books for children and books that basically fall into the chick lit category (note: that is not a derogatory category, it is an accepted genre of books that appeal more to a female audience than a general audience).Loomis opens her story in the air - on a plane - where her main character Loni Dugan reminisces about why she is where she is - and it sounds vaguely familiar to the author's history! `New York was an expensive place to live. The multimillion-dollar second home on the Cape was gone, along with the yacht, and the luxury cars that went with it. They'd had to sell those things in order to buy down the mortgage on the apartment, so they could afford to stay.' This is the manner of conversational languagethat Loomis uses throughout her book. In brief, at forty nine Roni Dugan thought she was living the dream with her high level investment banker position at Lehman Brothers, that is of course until the financial meltdown of 2008. When the dust settled she was left without a job and little hope of replacing it. Two years later, her ego in shambles, and her marriage on shaky ground, because of it, her husband encourages her to get away. Roni chooses a very small island in the Bahamas, Green Turtle Cay, where she honeymooned twenty plus years ago. Surprisingly the island is very much the same although this time she is looking at it, and the goings on, from a different perspective. Some of that influence comes in the form of a horse named Joe and a reticent Bahamian dock master and in the process Roni regains her sense of self, her refreshed priorities, and a new vista that opens the way to reconnecting with her soul.Loomis integrates the Bahamian dialect and vocabulary well, an aspect she enhances by including a Bahamian dialect dictionary at book's end. This is a relaxing read without many demands on the reader except to enjoy the time spent in the course of the unfolding of the story. And perhaps this kind of sensitive story should be higher on the list as an antidote for the condition of the world at present. Grady Harp, March 14