Just as alluring as its main character, this piece of fiction has had me captivated right from the first page. I must admit, I am not much of a ‘chick flick’ book reader.
Don’t get me wrong, I love watching movies from those wonderful books, and I'm a big sucker for romance, but I could never have the stamina to read through the books, it just seemed like an overload of Almond Magnum chocolates at times, too much sweetness and too much smoothness all in one place, can be, mind numbing.
Especially when you're a mother of five like me, and have crap short term and long term memory, because your brain has constructed various boxes instead, to categorise information and memories in your head, simultaneously, (or what I trick my brain to believe to be mutlitaksing), and whilst you try and read a newspaper, or a newsletter or romantic novel, your brain keeps interrupting your reading with reminders of things that you haven't done that you need to do, like have you called the 'Garage door man' to fix the garage door, or have you rang child number two's school to check on his school work progress, or have you finished those reports due in Court on Friday, and have you bought dinner etc. etc. etc.
Yes, when you have that type of brain, it is very hard for a book of romance to gauge your attention and then hold it for half an hour to atleast get to know the characters and what it's all about.
I am more of a John Grisham and James Patterson kinda gal! Solving horrific crimes and murder mysteries, with a twist of romance in it now and then,a bit of scandalous relations here and there, is more my flow. For example, my current obsessions on Television are, Scandal, Revenge, How to get away with Murder and State of Affairs. The world of solving Crime mixed with Pleasure always has my undivided attention like no other! It's a mystery to me!
But, like she did with her Telesa Series, Lani Wendt Young, has gone and convert me all over again!
I loved Scarlet right from the very first time I was introduced to her. I love that she has big thigh problems like me, and loves to eat, read, write and is very much of a rebel where family history lies. I love her struggles with spandex, shoes, and her ignorance of her beauty, which not only starts from inside, but also pours out onto her physical appearance.
The tone of humour used in portraying deep traditional family troubles and history, culture and mindsets of old Samoa vs contemporary Samoa, set by Young in this book, is nothing short of the many realities that any family experiences and as a reader, I could relate to so many different aspects set in the book. It had me nodding with every sentence! Yup.
What else do I love? (Trying really hard not to get you sick with too much almond chocolate magnums here).
How often do you read about a fiction, set in current day Samoa, with scenes at the local Apia town, hotels, restaurants, clubs and shops?
Oh and lets not forget the traditional Samoan delicacies and scrumptious rich cuisines and the exotic tropical flowers.
You can almost taste and smell the scents infilterating the senses and you actually experience salivating at various scenes with pagi popo and charcoal bbqs on the beach. (I usually have to get up and drink a glass of water during those scenes to stop myself from wanting to eat). That's how effective Young's words can be.
I love her use of rich vocabulary; this writer will have ten or more words or terms to describe a scene, feelings, an atmosphere, the sunshine and white sandy beaches, the lushious greenery of Samoa. It actually captures traditional and cultural views that can be good and damaging at the same time. I want to add this book to my list of great innovative unforgettable ways to market Samoa to the world. If I had never been to Samoa and my first knowledge of her, would be from this book - I would definitely be working towards a vacation.
I love the book's honest raw take on Scarlet's relationship with her younger sister Naomi. I am an only child, but I know from my cousins and friends, that sometimes, we don't always think our siblings are the best of people.
Scarlet struggles with her 'love hate' relationship with her sister. But as the story continues we learn the reality of sibling love. That - blood is indeed deeper than any struggle we have with each other.
I love that Scarlet has a leading delicious man who appears to be under the spell of her mysterious beauty. AND yes ladies, he is a Gawd! Chisseled top form, bounds of muscle and taut flesh, accessorized with great eyes, hair and slap of gentlemanly honour for the ladies! He's the man we (I) dreamt of before I got married! But the question is; will Scarlet let her haunting past, come between them?
I'll leave the rest for you to find out!
All I know is - I'm buying the second book ALREADY!
Congratulations Lani Wendt Young - you make me believe that my own stories can come to life too.
Blessings.
Xxx
