Tag: hope

Finding Evie – Ilana Hepburn

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Book Review
Fiction | Emotional | Family | Abuse

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Finding Evie is a powerful and emotional novel that tells the story of Evie, a young woman who moves to post-war London with a heart full of hope but faces numerous betrayals and struggles in life. The story is narrated through dual timelines, with the present-day storyline following Alice as she uncovers the hidden truths about her family’s past and her estranged grandmother, Evie.

The novel is beautifully written and features well-developed characters that bring depth and complexity to the story. The author’s portrayal of Evie’s life is heart-wrenching and at times difficult to read due to the emotional and physical abuse she endures. The theme of abuse and abandonment is interwoven into the narrative, and the readers will find themselves empathizing with Evie’s plight. I was personally fuming with rage while reading the atrocities committed by her husband, Frank.

The story is captivating, and the plot moves at a steady pace, keeping you engaged throughout. The author’s use of descriptive language creates vivid imagery and transports the reader to post-war London, where they witness the struggles and hardships that Evie faced.

One minor criticism is that the storyline could have been expanded upon, allowing for the full impact of the story to be felt. Even though, there were no loose ends, I was expecting more from the story. Despite this, “Finding Evie” is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel that explores the lengths people will go to protect the ones they love.

Overall, “Finding Evie” is a poignant and beautifully written novel that delves into themes of love, abuse, and abandonment. Despite the difficult subject matter, the book manages to convey a message of hope and resilience that will stay with the reader long after the final page.

PS: This was an Advanced Review Copy (or ARC), you can find more about this book on Reedsy Discovery

Advertisement

Poet in the Park

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Dear ol’ poet in the park,
with a smile spread across the face
and hands in the air
you welcome passersby
to stop by your side for a while.
Be it sun or rain,
you’re there all day, every day.
A hope to the hopeless,
a pause for the busy,
a smile for a frown,
a joy for the moody.
When I stopped by and noticed the twinkle in your eyes
I realized that stars don’t just shine bright from afar,
they sing sweet poetic words of melody.

Don’t miss the chance to talk to Garrett Buhl Robinson outside the New York Public Library. *.*

Thirty-Minute Friend

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment
Daily writing prompt
Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.
View all responses


Ten years ago, on my way to college, I got on my regular bus, which was fortunately not crowded and had a few vacant seats. I sat by the window and started reading a book that they were teaching in my Literature class, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. At the next stop, a girl got on the bus and sat next to me. She noticed what I was reading, then smiled at me and asked, “Is that by Daphne du Maurier?” That was the conversation starter. The route to my college usually takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on the traffic. The entire time, we chatted without a pause. We talked about all the books we enjoyed reading, the authors we love, and I cannot forget the enthusiasm with which we would laugh and agree if we both named a book that we mutually enjoyed reading. We also talked a bit about our personal lives, I guess, but I don’t remember much about that. All I know is that her name was Hannah. I did not meet her again but the joy that I felt while talking to her was surreal. I usually dislike and dread conversations with strangers as it makes me very uncomfortable. I do not like small talk, I do not like listening to random people rambling about their life. But with Hannah, it was a two-way conversation about topics of similar interests that brought out the best version of ourselves.

It is strange how we can sometimes connect with strangers, while there are certain people with whom we can spend a lifetime together and still be uncomfortable showing our real side.

Emotional Strength Explained By Alicia Pozsony

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

#BookReview

Self-help| Self-improvement| Life| Emotions

A quick, powerful, and effective self-improvement workbook – aimed to help us build emotional strength by practicing a healthy lifestyle.

Emotional Strength Explained by author, Alicia Pozson, is a quick, powerful, and effective workbook that is aimed to help us build emotional strength. In life, we often have ups and downs and we face challenging circumstances that can affect us in many ways. This book teaches us to acknowledge those emotions and weaknesses, accept them, and work towards becoming emotionally strong. 

Emotional Strength Explained is more than just a self-help or self-improvement guide, it is a workbook with a targeted approach. It asks you questions that we might often ignore, they are simple questions but important ones that we need to prioritize. It encourages you to self-analyze and write down your vulnerable emotions and deepest thoughts so you can face your fears. Healing always begins with self-awareness, self-talk, and self-love. It is a slow and step-by-step approach towards building emotional strength. The practice worksheets in this book will help you track your progress so you can emerge as a strong and confident person.

It is a wonderful book that shares the secrets of success and inner peace. It teaches you to find solutions, to face criticism or judgment, and self-reflect on your thoughts. The best part about this workbook is that you can always come back to it every year or whenever you find it necessary to continue making this journey stronger.

Once you have the strength and bravery to be open to see things you may not want to see, you are ready for the next thing.

– Alicia Pozsony

Sometimes, Just Drift Along

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Jane handed me a piece of paper and said, “These just came in! I printed them out for you, can you please fetch these from the shelves?”

“Sure!” I replied and went hunting for The Four Winds, The Last Thing He Told Me, and The Paper Palace from the new books section.

When you are working at the library, you need to be quick and always on your feet. Working at a library has been a childhood dream for me, a dream job! Imagine being surrounded by books all the time, can a job get better than this? I was overwhelmed with joy when they told me I was selected for the position of Circulation Assistant/Shelver. It’s been three weeks now and it’s also the last day of my training. Most importantly it’s payday and I am eagerly waiting to be paid. After all, money isn’t insignificant.

Continue reading “Sometimes, Just Drift Along” →

Tomorrow Will Be Better

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Somebody told me –
If you are going through a difficult phase in your life,
Remember that you’re not alone.
Nobody has it easy.
Some days can feel like a burden
Like there’s no way out.
Sadness, tears, anger, frustration.
Like life is unfair for no reason at all.

Then she told me to give it time.
It’s also about giving things time,
To run their course.
For them to pass.
So you can heal.
Everything eventually gets better.
It always does and you know that it’s true.

This isn’t the first time,
You were expected to face a challenging circumstance.
This isn’t the first time you had to brave.
You have done this before,
Then why the uncertainty now.
Like all the other times, this will pass too.
Wait for the morning
For the sun to shine with new rays of hope.
And just like that,
Your day will seem a whole lot better than yesterday.
She said with a smile.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Pexels.com

Wanderer by Court Young

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 1 Comment

#BookReview
Poetry|Love|Heartbreak|Hope

Wanderer is a poetry book which discusses the author’s journey of falling in love, heartbreak, pain, hope, and finding forever love. 

In this poetry book, the author Court Young shares the two most important phases of her life. The first part is about the Wolf and the second part is about the Eagle/Lion. The first part is about getting attracted to the Wolf and falling hard in love. It’s about love, lust, heartbreak, and the pain that follows.

The poems express the vulnerability, anger, confusion, and frustration that she feels towards the Wolf. Her anger is also towards herself because she had given him the power to hurt her. She goes through this emotional journey with questions of self-doubt and self-worth. Some of her poetry is also about the seasons which reflect her state of mind. This poetry book progresses slowly towards hope when she finds her Eagle/Lion. The haunting memories of her past are soon forgotten after she finds her soulmate. She realizes what she has been missing out on and understands love is all about respecting one another and making each other feel beautiful about themselves.

Most of the poems in the Wanderer are about love, desire, and pain. It’s about the turbulent times in the author’s life and how she learns to overcome these challenges. The poems are not super impressive; they felt more like the experiences of a teenager. It was also a little confusing because the author talks about the Wolf and the Eagle in the Author’s Note, but in the second part, she addresses her forever love as the Lion. The poems were not thought-provoking and lacked imagination and rhythm. However, her sweet short poems are easy to read and are great for young adults. Through her poems, she tries to inspire all those people experiencing heartbreak to get back up as there is always light at the end of the tunnel.