Lisa Wingate's The Story Keeper ~ Reviewed

The Story Keeper
by Lisa Wingate
Series: A Carolina Heirlooms Novel
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (August 22, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414386893

Description: 

Successful New York editor, Jen Gibbs, is at the top of her game with her new position at Vida House Publishing -- until a mysterious manuscript from an old slush pile appears on her desk. Turning the pages, Jen finds herself drawn into the life of Sarra, a mixed-race Melungeon girl trapped by dangerous men in the turn of the century Appalachia. A risky hunch may lead to The Story Keeper's hidden origins and its unknown author, but when the trail turns toward the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place Jen thought she'd left behind forever, the price of a blockbuster next book deal may be higher than she's willing to pay. 

Review:

Yes. I am a fan of Lisa Wingate. The Story Keeper contains all of the reasons Wingate is such a satisfying author. The story within a story is something she does so well. This tool brings her characters to life because they are discovering some event from the past that forces them to deal with the present and dredge up and work through some of their current struggles. 

But even if Wingate didn't use this method in her fiction, I'm pretty sure she'd still write great characters. In this particular story the reader gets to meet Jen Gibbs. Jen has big dreams as an editor and finally has a toe in the door of a small but prestigious house. A portion of a manuscript shows up on Jen's desk one day and rocks her world. She starts chasing a bunny trail, but it leads somewhere she thought she'd left behind and bolted the door on. Facing her past, and scrambling to grasp her future she risks job, reputation and comfort to chase the story to the end. 

You know. If you aren't reading books by Lisa Wingate, I just have to ask why not? 

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer