Book Description:

Like the braiding of three strands of brioche, the lives of three women Sophie Zabel Sullivan, Marcelle Pourrette Zabel, and Kate Barrington become inextricably intertwined as each struggles to resolve issues from past wars that have profoundly impacted their lives.

Sophie believed her childhood nightmares were safely behind her once she married and moved to the U.S. from France until she is called to her mother, Marcelle’s, deathbed to honor one final request: Search for my father! Search for Pourrette!

Born on the last day of World War I, Marcelle, whose life epitomizes the human cost of war, never knew her father, yet carried the Pourrette name, along with the shame of illegitimacy, as did her two oldest sons born during World War II.

Enlisting the expertise of a friend and family therapist, Sophie encourages Kate to join her in France to help find her grandfather scour the stain of illegitimacy from her family s name.

Unbeknownst to Sophie, Kate s 34-year-old illegitimate daughter, given up for adoption during the Vietnam War, has recently reappeared. Kate, struggling with her own shame and guilt, pushes aside her feelings to join Sophie in France. Rising out of the collateral damage wrought by war,

My Thoughts:

As many of you, my dear readers know, I love historical fiction, especially that of WWI and II.  So, when I was approach by the author to read her upcoming book (Oct. 27, 2014- She Writes Press), I was very excited!  Was it worth my excitement, you ask?  Yes, very much so!

Based on a true story, Sophie was raised under traumatic circumstances.  Her parents were part of the French Resistance during WWII and married during that time.  Her mother, Marcelle, already had two illegitimate children, Thierry and Gerard, earlier during WWII.  Jules, Marchelle’s husband was violet towards the children, especially the oldest, Thierry.

Marcelle, herself was also born as an illegitimate child and never knew her father.  Sophie, her daughter, was called back to France from the U.S., to Marcelle’s death bed.  Marcelle’s dying with was for Sophie to find out who Marcelle’s father was.

After her mother’s death, Sophie’s friend, Kate, joined her in France to help research who Sophie’s grandfather was.  On their odyssey, they discover many answers to family secrets.  Meanwhile, Kate had secrets of her own.

I loved ‘A Cup of Redemption’, I couldn’t put it down and when I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  It haunted me, especially at night, trying to fall asleep.  Once I did fall asleep, I dreamed about it, almost non-stop.  Seriously, I would wake up to relieve myself, have troubling falling back asleep thinking of the dream I just had and then, when I finally fell back asleep the dream picked up where it left off.   

I have never experienced a book like I experience ‘A Cup of Redemption.’  This book and characters will stick with me for the rest of my life, of that, I am sure.  This is a must read for historical fiction lovers!

5/5

I received this book for my honest review.

About Carole Bumpus:

As a retired family therapist, she began a second career as a freelance food/travel writer compiling vignettes from both French and Italian families regarding their favorite foods and family traditions. Her fiction and nonfiction, including travel and food essays, are published in the US and France. Her blog, savoring the Olde Ways is taken from her interviews in France and Italy about the tradition and cultures of food in the family. Her memoir stories have been published in three Fault Zone anthologies: Words from the Edge, Stepping Up to the Edge and Over the Edge. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
 
While researching her novel, Carole traveled with US WWII veterans returning to France on the 65th anniversary of the Allied landing on the southern beaches. Her daily reports chronicled the forty village receptions held to honor those who liberated these towns. Carole traveled again to France with veterans participating in ceremonies celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Southern D-Day, on August 15, 2014. Her blog coverage can be found at www.carolebumpus.com.

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