Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2024 #Potluck – #Bookreview by Abbie Johnson Taylor #Fiction #Inspiration Together: A Story of Shared Vision by Tom Sullivan and Betty White

Welcome to the series of Posts from Your Archives and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2023 from your archives.

If you wish to be included the information is at the the end of the following post which is from the previous series, and shows you what it will look like.

This is the second post from author Abbie Johnson Taylor and she shares her review for an inspirational story.

A Special Friendship Between Man and Canine: My Review of Together: A Story of Shared Vision by Tom Sullivan and Betty White

About the book

One misstep on a mountain climbing trip plunged Brenden into darkness by stealing his sight—and everything else he held dear. But an independent guide dog named Nelson might just bring him back to life . . . if they don’t kick him out of guide dog school first.

Twenty-two-year-old Brenden McCarthy feels like he’s lost everything. His fiancée. His independence. And his passion for life. All due to one mountain-climbing misstep that cost him his vision.

But he’s about to gain the last thing he ever expected: a big-hearted black Labrador named Nelson who’s given one last shot at being a Seeing Eye dog after his last two pairings failed.

Both are beyond hope and resigned to live alone. And both are about to experience a bond of friendship that develops when they least expect it.

Together is a heartwarming story for anyone who’s ever lost sight of what matters most in life . . . but has hope that there’s more.

Full-length inspirational novel
Written with beloved actress and animal advocate Betty White
Perfect for pet lovers who enjoy stories of hope, optimism, and trust
Continue Brenden’s story in the sequel: Alive Day

Abbie’s review for the book

In my work with older adults who recently lost their eyesight, I learned that adjusting to vision loss can be more difficult than being born with impaired or no vision. For this reason, I think the authors gloss over Brenden’s initial rehabilitation process. I would like to have read more about his struggles to learn to cook, use a computer, and organize his clothes, not to mention dressing, shaving, eating, and other personal care tasks. Granted, we see him in a daily living class at the rehabilitation center, pouring milk into a glass, then realizing the cup is upside down, thus spilling milk all over the table and into the other students’ laps. But how does everyone, including Brenden, react to this? We don’t know, and we should.

That having been said, I was right there with Brenden and Nelson during guide dog training, feeling all the emotions associated with the process. I’ve never used such an animal, but Tom Sullivan has had a few of them. Compared to true stories I’ve read on the subject, I think this is realistic. I was moved by the way Nelson saves Brenden from himself.

I like the way this story is told from the third-person point of view of the main characters. The list of resources and author’s note after the amazing ending add a nice touch. I recommend this book especially to those who had sight and lost it in the hope they may be inspired.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

©Abbie Johnson Taylor 2023

My thanks to Abbie for inviting me to share posts from her archives and I know she would love to receive your comments.

Books by Abbie Johnson Taylor

One of the reviews for The Red Dress

Robbie Cheadle An enjoyable family drama

The Red Dress is a lovely novel about a woman, Eve Sawyer, who has become a best selling author and has a devoted husband and three children, but who has never been able to move on from an unfortunate incident in her younger years when, in a fit of embarrassed irritation, she gave away the red dress that her mother had made for her to wear to her prom. Although Eve was goaded by her selfish roommate, Charlene, into giving her the dress, her mother has never forgiven her for this transgression and it has impacted heavily on their relationship. Her mother is now suffering from dementia and is being cared for in a home for the elderly, but she still remembers that Eve gave away this dress and holds it against Eve.

Eve wore the dress to her prom and she associated the dress with bad memories as her date had disappeared with her best friend, Adele, and she had found them in a compromising position in the back of his father’s car. Eve cuts Adele out of her life and has not contacted her in many years, even though Adele had returned to their home town to raise her son, conceived on the night of the prom.

The story starts with Eve receiving a Facebook request to connect with her old roommate, Charlene. She accepts the request, although she had doubts because she didn’t like Charlene. Before long, her daughter, Ashley, is in touch with Charlene’s daughter, Brenda, and the situation is irreversible. Eve is having her own problems with overwork and issues with her older daughter, Julie, who feels neglected as a result. Her husband is also irritated with her because he feels she favours their younger daughter and son and is harsh with Julie.

This is a story that tackles the themes of working mothers, unresolved grudges and situations from the past, raising teenage children, forgiveness, terminal illness, and death. The author does a good job of sharing Eve’s frustration at her mother and older daughter, irritation at Charlene for the trouble she has caused her, and hurt at Adele’s betrayal of their friendship.

Eve has to confront her negative emotions to resolve these lingering troublesome relationship issues from her past and move on with her future.

I enjoyed the character of Eve and found her to be realistic and relatable. Her situation vividly establishes the difficulties that can result from unsettled emotional problems from the past and juggling work and motherhood.

I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to readers of family dramas.

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US: Blog: Abbie’s Corner WordPress Goodreads: Abbie Johnson Taylor

About Abbie Johnson Taylor

I live in Sheridan, Wyoming, where for six years, I cared for my late husband Bill, totally blind, who was partially paralyzed by two strokes soon after we were married. Before that, I was a registered music therapist and worked for fifteen years in a nursing home and other facilities that served senior citizens. I have a visual impairment, and during this time, I facilitated a support group for others like me. I also taught braille and served on the advisory board of a trust fund that allows persons with blindness or low vision to purchase adaptive equipment and services.

I’m the author of a romance novel, two poetry collections, and a memoir and am working on another novel. My poems, short stories, and essays have been published in various journals and anthologies. I belong to several writers’ organizations and a women’s singing group and take water exercise classes at the YMCA

How to feature in the series?

All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sally.cronin@moyhill.com)
Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2023. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.