To find herself, she left everything behind.
Wilma Azevedo became a mother in her forties, after years of trying. Her rebellious daughter Pauline became a mother at fifteen. Deeply depressed, Pauline rejects her newborn daughter. Wilma is more mother than grandmother to the baby she named Jewel: precious and valuable, no matter how Pauline feels.
With her mother’s blessing, eighteen-year-old Pauline accepts a job at a friend’s estate in Portugal; she doesn’t tell her mother she plans to never return to California. As Wilma raises her granddaughter, free-spirit Pauline enjoys this exciting new life with her found family in Portugal.
Despite her best attempts to not be a mother to Jewel in any way, they develop a relationship over the years and Pauline learns to see her role as mother from fresh perspectives. When Pauline sees her chance to earn forgiveness, she is prepared to do whatever it takes for both of her families.
Across fifteen years and two continents, three generations of mothers and daughters navigate fraught relationships, and define ‘family’ on their own terms.
Can’t get enough of the Azevedo women? Read the sequel “An Artist’s Heart” to see what happens to Jewel as a young adult.
An epic female feature starring three generations of complicated women.
Amazon review
I laughed, I cried, sometimes I even cringed. The author has the ability to share human experiences in a way that captivates the imagination.
Amazon review
Riveting from the first page! I was rooting for Pauline from the start.
Amazon review
