BOOKISH FRIDAY: “BRAVE GIRL, QUIET GIRL”

 

Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which we  share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers who do the same.

Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists! What a great way to spend a Friday.

Today’s feature is a book I bought in June 2020, and now I have brought it forward on my Kindle:  Brave Girl, Quiet Girl, by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

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Beginning:

Brooke:  Shattered

It started that day with just the normal levels of my mother driving me crazy.  Which, don’t get me wrong, is plenty bad enough.  And some leftover feelings from the odd conversation I’d had with the young woman at my daughter’s new day care might have factored in.

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Friday 56:

Part of me had been genuinely concerned for her.  And them.  I think.  Another big part of me was just avoiding steering the conversation to my own truths.

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Synopsis:

Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all Brooke can do is watch as Etta, still strapped in her seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night.

Miles away, Etta is found by Molly, a homeless teen who is all too used to darkness. Thrown away by her parents, and with a future as stable as the wooden crate she calls home, Molly survives day to day by her wits. As unpredictable as her life is, she’s stunned to find Etta, abandoned and alone. Shielding the little girl from more than the elements, Molly must put herself in harm’s way to protect a child as lost as she is.

Out of one terrible moment, Brooke’s and Molly’s desperate paths converge and an unlikely friendship across generations and circumstances is formed. With it, Brooke and Molly will come to discover that what’s lost—and what’s found—can change in a heartbeat.

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What do you think?  I have overlooked this book for a while, so I’m grateful I found it again.

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