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PrintOn Tour with Kris Radish
"The string is a powerful force, my sweet girl. It allows women to lean into one another and find a sister when they need one. The string can never be broken. You can use it to pull yourself up, to pull yourself forward, or to steady the place where you must remain."
"Hearts on a String", a novel by bestselling author Kris Radish, is a heartwarming story of five women who are connected during an unexpected circumstance. Their brief encounter soon becomes an unplanned adventure that lasts for days. As a sudden storm holds them hostage, they are forced to understand their differences and eventually find a common bond. From the first chapter, Radish's assembly of characters provides readers with yet another inspirational journey about women, their struggles, friendship and sisterhood.
“Hearts on a String” begins with a beautifully written prologue of Holly Blandeen’s recollection of a story her great-grandmother once told her. As a small girl, Holly understood Nana’s heart-warmingaccount of the thread that connects women. Sadly, during her life, Holly was isolated and never experienced any real friendship or connection. In the first chapter, Holly’s chance encounter in an airport bathroom with four strangers set the stage for her to truly experience what her great-grandmother was talking about. When the airport closed due to a storm, she and the four women decide to share a suite at a luxury hotel. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the newfound acquaintances soon began to berate each other. The bantering and ongoing headache made Holly wish she hadn’t made the decision to join them. Once they arrived at the hotel, they were determined to make the best of the situation. Soon after, however, it was announced that the storm would last for several days. The stress of being stranded and the preoccupation with personal problems, work and family set a sour mood. Food became the center point as the five women reluctantly began to share their deepest secrets. An agreement to put away cell phones to leave the anchor of their mundane lives encouraged reflection. As time passed, they began to realize that their own problems weren’t as bad as they thought. The events that took place changed how they viewed themselves and each other. Each learned how to let go of the past, to forgive and to accept what they could not control; each found that their heart’s strings had tangled together to form a bond that would last forever.
The story line of “Hearts on a String” is a lighthearted read with a very down-to-earth look at how women with different personality traits respond when put in uncomfortable situations. Throughout the novel, the characters were consistently reacting with trouble and regret. Radish's portrayal of these five women made it difficult to like them. Although this may not seem ideal, it actually was very insightful of Radish to include the reader in this process. As you progress, you begin to understand a little more about the characters and become a part of the string that bonds just as Holly had. The characters provide a thoughtful synopsis of how we can have differences and still build a bond. “Hearts on a String” is a novel that will bring you on a journey to experience the many characteristics of what it means to be a woman. We learn that each quality is special and that we can all learn from each other, to see ourselves and to form a sisterhood that will last forever.
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Reader Comments:
Great review! Thank you so much for being on the TLC Book Tour!