Review: A powerful read with a heart-warming message
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2012
Blue Sky Days has left me feeling torn. It's not a genre that I generally tend to read and apparently there's a reason for this. Intellectually speaking, I realise that this is a very good book with a strong message - strive for those days of happiness, those blue sky days. Emotionally speaking, I just didn't connect very well with the characters in the first half, which in turn meant that I wasn't as moved by the events in the second half as I would have been in other circumstances.There was no threat in the first half of the book and it was more a form of chronicle of the events of Emma's life, which left me feeling a bit as though I was standing at the window and looking in on things, and that made me feel uncomfortable.The second half was extremely well written. There were a lot of tense, emotional moments that would have had me in tears had I connected better in the first half. There were some very inspirational quotes and meaningful passages as the characters all discovered the hidden wells of strength within themselves.Overall, this was an emotionally powerful book with a very good - and important - message. I think that my inability to connect was purely on my end, and not the author's fault. For those who do enjoy this genre, you'll find a very moving story with a heart-warming message of hope that can be found in the darkest places.