Today it is my pleasure to kick off the tour for Raising John by Jennifer Lesher!
Publisher: Paperback: Cavu Press (Jan. 18, 2014)
Category: Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Tour Dates: March/Arpril, 2014
Available in: Print & Kindle, 322 pages
How do you go on living when you have done the unforgivable? How do you love a mother you barely remember? John is an orphan who misses the mother he hardly knew. Robert is the drunk driver who killed her. As the story opens we meet 4-year-old John, who wonders why his mother had to die. Robert wakes up in lockup, expecting to sleep off a blackout and go home, until he learns of the accident he caused.
John grows up under the care of his devoted maternal grandmother, who grapples with guilt over her daughter’s past. Just as John is on the cusp of manhood, he must confront his mother’s death anew and question everything he has come to believe about himself and the people he loves.
Robert is sentenced to 4 years in state prison. His incarceration begins a journey that will have a profound effect on not only himself, but on the life of the boy he orphaned, and on the legacy of the young mother who died.
Raising John was a semi-finalist in the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Alumni Association Emerging Writers Contest.
My Thoughts:
This book had me right from the beginning. Mary is in her last year of high school and can hardly wait to move away from home to go to college. Her father is an alcoholic and her mother doesn’t seem motivated to anything about his abusive behaviour. She earns a full scholarship to university. Incidents happened to Mary in college that kept me up the night I read about them. However, she was able to move on and graduated and even went through a doctorate program.
One day she called her mother to tell her that she was pregnant and would having the baby on her own. She loved her new boy, John so much. When he was four years old she was driving with him in the back seat and a drunk driver ploughed into their car. The car seat protected John but Mary did not survive.
John went to live and be raised by his grandmother and the driver was sent to prison for four years. Then we follow back and forth from the driver in prison to John and his grandmother. I can’t tell you any more without risking giving away major spoilers.
Although this book was heart wrenching at times, I loved it! I really had a hard time putting it down. The writing was literary. The characters we studied in-depth and felt real to me. It was like I was there as part of the family. Jennifer Lesher really his a home run with Raising John and I can hardly wait for her to come out with a new book! Please hurry Jennifer! Highly recommended!
5/5
I received the ebook version of this book from the author for my honest opinion.
About Jennifer Lesher:
Jennifer Lesher is an author, mountain biker, travel junkie, non-sufferer of fools, and graduate of the School of Hard Knocks. Recently Jennifer left her job in the high-tech industry to pursue certification as an airplane mechanic. She will complete her schooling in the spring of 2015 and, FAA willing, will be certified shortly thereafter. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Website: http://jenniferlesherauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferLesher
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennlesher
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7579266.Jennifer_Lesher
Buy Raising John:
Thanks to Jennifer Lesher, I am giving away one copy of Raising John. This giveaway is open internationally. Print is available to the U.S. or Canada. An international winner would receive ebook. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
Jennifer is also giving away a copy of Raising John on Goodreads.com. Hurry, it ends on March 16, 2014!
Follow the Tour:
So Many Precious Books Mar 14 Review & Giveaway
Crystal’s Many Reviewers Mar 17 Review
Teena in Toronto Mar 18 Review
Bookalicious Traveladdict Mar 19 Guest Post & Giveaway
Manic Mama of 2 Mar 21 Review
SincerelyStacie Mar 25 Review
Deal Sharing Aunt Mar 26 Review
Deal Sharing Aunt Mar 28 Guest Post & Giveaway
Every Free Chance Mar 26 Guest Post & Giveaway
Mom in Love with Fiction Mar 27 Review
Sweeps 4 Bloggers Mar 7 Review & Giveaway
Heck Of A Bunch Apr 9 Review & Giveaway
Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings Apr 14 Review & Giveaway
Luxury Reading Apr 18 Review
