Like Dandelion Dust

by Karen Kingsbury

I haven't met a person yet who didn't just love Karen Kingsbury books! But be warned - they are tear jerkers - and you won't want to put them down. I have often found myself up to the wee hours of the morning comletely engrossed in one of her books. Like Dandelion Dust had me up until 4 am! (Luckily, it is summer holidays!)

Jack and Molly Campbell have the perfect life. They have a beautiful home in an upscale neighbourhood. They go boating on the weekends. They are financially secure with Jack's power job. And they have the perfect son - Joey. Unable to conceive on their own, they adopted Joey almost five years ago when he was a newborn. They love him fiercely and he is their world. Their world is shattered when they receive word that there is a problem with the adoption papers and Joey must return to his biological parents. Unable to think of living without Joey, they turn to Molly's sister, Beth, and her faith in God. But will that be enough? Jack is convinced that something drastic must be done. Perhaps they should disappear "like dandelion dust."

Like usual, Karen Kingsbury is able to paint a picture with words of each of the major characters in this novel. Her ability to draw the reader in and have us feel as if we know the characters is a wonderful thing. I was able to feel the heart ache and the longings of both sets of parents.

Wendy, the birthmother, who longs to hold her son once again, but is trapped in a relationship with her abusive ex con husband, has just as much love to give to Joey as the Campbell's do. Her angst and pain is felt just as much as Molly's.

Young Joey, as he is torn apart from his parents and forced to visit the "other mommy" and the "other daddy", experiences fears and questions that are easily felt by the reader.

Beth, as she watches her sister, Molly, has her own questions and anxiety over her relationship with her sister.

The social worker, Allyson Bower, feels great defeat and frustration as she must wrench Joey away from the Campbells and place him in a home she is sure is dangerous.

While the characters are fantastic, the action is also great. It is constant and moves the reader along at a good speed. There are very few down times and each event is placed in because of its significance. Even the description of the social worker's own family life and the making of the famous banana pudding helps us to see the woman as real. (The fact that this character is based on a real Allyson Bower from the Forever in Fiction winners makes it even more special.)

In short, I loved this book! You won't go wrong getting a copy of your own.

For more books by Karen Kingsbury, click here.