When We Believed in Mermaids: A Novel

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I see myself too, an urchin of seven with too much hair, whirling on the beach, the sky overhead blurring blue and white. For one long second, she looks at the camera. Long enough that there is no mistaking her. That straight, straight blonde hair, cut now into a sleek bob that just grazes her shoulders, her tilted dark eyes and slashes of cheekbone, that fat Angelina Jolie mouth. Everyone always fussed over her beauty, and it’s that combination of dark and light, angles and softness that does it. She’s an exact mix of our parents.

Instead, she made of her life a great ruinous drama, just like our parents, with a suitably catastrophic ending. Josie and I ran around like puppies, sleeping on the beach of the cove when we got tired, underfoot and ignored. My mother was a great beauty who’d come for dinner with another man and fallen instantly in love with my father, or so the legend says. But if you’d known him, you would know it was entirely likely. My father was a massive personality, a charming, bigger-than-life chef from Italy, though people just said cook in those days. Or restaurateur, which was what he really was. My mother loved him to excess, far more than she loved us. His passion for her was intense, and sexual, and possessive, but is that love? I don’t know. I’m absolutely gutted at how dreadful this book was. It has firmly lodged itself in my top five least favourite books of the past couple of years and almost led me to have a January DNF – as if January 2020 hasn’t been bad enough as it is.The story: The obvious expected question of the tale is not whether Kit will find Josie but what happens when she does. We are all traveling the path to get to this climatic moment in the story, but the path to get there is kind of like driving down Lombard Street in San Francisco-lots of curves to get from one point to another. The tone was so confused. O'Neal should have made up her mind – was she depicting a romantic vision of two sisters torn apart by time and reconnecting in a peaceful re-imagination of their childhood home by the sea? Or was she writing a tragic and gritty story of two traumatised adults looking for closure? Because she failed at both. If you're under 50, don't be turned off: most YA novels are read by people who are no longer "young adults", likewise young adults are welcome to read boomer books! When We Believed in Mermaids” explores various themes, including loss, grief, family secrets, trauma, and the power of love and forgiveness. These themes are woven into the storyline with great sensitivity and depth, making the novel emotionally resonant. The Emotional Journey

And then she’s gone, and the disaster keeps going. I stare, openmouthed, at the empty spot she left, holding the Mountain Dew out in front of me like an offering or a toast. Our family restaurant was called Eden, both exclusive and permissive, frequented by hippie movie stars and their drug dealers. Our parents were part of that world too—stars in their realm, each wielding power on their own terms, my father the jovial, welcoming chef with his hearty laugh and excessive habits, my mother on his arm, a charming coquette.It also hasn’t been in the library since then, so you can imagine how I felt when it landed as a donation in my Little Free Library Shed! Yes, ecstatic!

Barbara O’Neal, an award-winning author, is celebrated for her remarkable storytelling and beautifully crafted prose. Her books have been translated to multiple languages and have garnered praises from readers worldwide. Her works often deal with complex relationships, emotional journeys, and personal growth. The Narrative Style The title “When We Believed in Mermaids” is metaphorical and reflects the themes of lost innocence and the power of belief. It signifies a time of innocence and naivety when the sisters believed in fantastical creatures like mermaids. Conclusion After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives. Three, Kit as an adult is often an uninteresting character to me. Four, the romance between Kit and Javier seems out of place and took up time that should have been dedicated to the family drama. Not to mention, the fact that romance is part of how to show Kit is all healed is a problematic trope. I would have given her close friends to start with it; it doesn't seem like she has any. In this comprehensive look into When We Believed in Mermaids: A Novel by Barbara O'Neal , you'll gain insight with this essential resource as a guide to aid your discussions. Be prepared to lead with the following:

Josie thrived on drama the way my parents did. She had both my father’s enormous personality and my mother’s beauty, though in Josie, the combination became something extraordinary. Unique. I can’t count the number of times people drew and photographed and painted her, men and women, and how often they fell in love. I always thought she would be a movie star. Barbara O’Neal is the author of twelve novels of women’s fiction, including The Art of Inheriting Secrets, How to Bake a Perfect Life, and The All You Can Dream Buffet. Her award-winning books have been published in more than a dozen countries, including France, England, Poland, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Brazil. She lives in the beautiful city of Colorado Springs with her beloved, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent. This novel has garnered positive responses from critics and readers alike. It has been lauded for its compelling narrative, well-drawn characters, and deeply emotional themes. The plot twists and turns have also been appreciated for keeping readers engaged till the end. The Setting First sentence, "My sister had been dead for fifteen years when I see her on the TV news." I was like, "Yes!" I knew then I was in for a story.

One of the challenges was dealing with two narrators and two timelines–the current day and the past of their childhood on California cove, which was a mental tangle at times. I need to unspool the history of the sisters very carefully to underscore the current day. In the end, I had to make a giant, color-coded chart so I could keep it all straight.I had begun to question Kit's resolve to locate her sister as she spent more time pursuing her attraction to Javier that looking for Josie. I also had trouble feeling the chemistry between the couple, initially, maybe because I was more interested in finding out if Kit’s sister was alive, and if so, what would happen when they finally met face to face. I was also more invested in Josie’s marriage and what her husband would do once he found out the truth. I adored these characters, but I especially loved living as Kit, a ER doctor and a surfer, who is a total badass loner who lives her life on her own terms–or so she thinks. It was just a lot of fun to be Kit for the better part of the year. Authors are influenced by their characters, and she led me to stand up straight and look the world in the eye. I also loved taking a big risk and taking some big steps forward in my writing. Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything.