Review: Intriguing and Delightful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 10, 2013
GETTING BACK TO NORMAL is a charming story about an 12-year-old girl dealing with loss, changes and a ghost.Vanessa `Vannie' Taylor is dealing with the loss of her mother as she cares for her younger brother, Robby. Dealing with his own grief, Vannie's father moves his family out of their home and into a tiny cottage on the estate where he is the director of Merrymount Gardens. The move is made a bit easier by her Aunt Mayda, who really isn't an aunt but her late mother's best friend. Mayda owns Merrymount Gardens, but lives in the city where she's a lawyer.To Vannie's surprise, she encounters Archibald `Archie' Heatherton, the estate's resident ghost and Mayda's grandfather. After helping Vannie with a problem or two, Archie ask for her help in return. He wants her to help him make amends for something that happened with his death. While she'd like to help Archie, if she does it will mean a drastic change in Vannie's life. Longing for life to get back to normal, Vannie learns normal may not be what she expected.Author Marilyn Levinson has taken a story that deals with the death of a parent, added hope and mixed in a bit of humor for a well-balanced tale. Her characters are well-developed, likable and realistic. She blends the stress of family life with a touch of paranormal for a light-hearted tale that will have you smiling.GETTING BACK TO NORMAL is a quick read that flows smoothly with a surprise or two along the way.FTC Full Disclosure - An eBook copy of this book was sent to me as part of the author's virtual book tour in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.