BookBrowse Reviews Above The Thunder by Renée Manfredi

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Above The Thunder by Renée Manfredi

Above The Thunder

by Renée Manfredi
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • First Published:
  • Jan 1, 2004, 333 pages
  • Paperback:
  • May 2005, 352 pages
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BookBrowse:


A multi-generational family saga and first novel
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From the book jacket: The mesmerizing story of three generations of women confronting the emotional turmoil of abandonment, and the men with whom their lives converge. Young and ambitious Anna puts her career on hold to support her husband through medical school, only to find out she's pregnant when it's her turn. Troubled and difficult from the start, Anna's daughter, Poppy, hasn't been home since she drove away with the man who came to buy the family's VW bus. After a twelve-year absence, Poppy begs to reunite with her now widowed mother, only to disappear again, leaving her mysterious and wildly imaginative young daughter, Flynn, in Anna's care.

This is also the story of Jack and Stuart, a couple struggling with commitment despite their love for one another. When Jack and Stuart meet Anna in a support group, they feel a connection that eventually leads them to form a loving, if unlikely, family.

Comment: If you enjoy multigenerational family sagas focusing on women this one's for you. Publishers Weekly describes it as 'stunning' and Booklist says it is an 'engrossing family drama', Kirkus Reviews is a little more cautious opining that it is 'freshly narrated' but 'longer and rather more drawn out that it needs to be'. As always, decide for yourself by browsing an excerpt at BookBrowse.

This review first ran in the May 18, 2005 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.

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