Fragments of Light by Michèle Phoenix ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"He stood and stared at the floor for a minute.  Something that looked like regret crossed his face just long enough for me to wonder if I imagined it...He closed his eyes and the enormity of the milestone was finally hitting him....He tucked the messenger bag under his arm and walked to the door to pick up the duffel.  'I'm done.'"  (p 37)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

July 2020; Thomas Nelson; 978-0785232056
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); women's fiction

Fragments of Light is a novel told in two time periods and it's a story of regret, redemption, and ultimate acceptance during both time periods.

Current timeline:  Ceelie has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer.  After she rings the bell that shows she's cancer-free, her husband of over 24 years tells her that he wants out of their marriage.  He had helped her throughout the cancer but could no longer cope with what their lives had become. Ceelie's friend Darlene - who she met at the hospital during treatment - helped her through the loss of her husband.  When Darlene finds out that her cancer has returned, she asks Ceelie to help her find out about her father, Cal,  who had deserted her when she was very young.  She had huge resentment about her father but decided that now was the time to find out about him and try to understand why he left the family.  Trying to find out what happened to Cal, takes Ceelie to Missouri and ultimately Normandy, France.  While Ceelie works to find out more about Cal, the memory of her husband leaving after such a long marriage continues to affect her life. 

1944 timeline:  Cal is in the Army and parachutes to France to help the advance forces before D-Day.  Due to the weather, he ends up off-target and stuck in a tree.  When he drops out the tree, he injuries himself.  Two sisters, 14-year-old Sabine and her younger sister Lise, find him and take him back to their castle.  They need to be very careful because the Germans who had used the castle as a headquarters are still in the area and along with the sisters, many of the town's families have come to the castle for safety.  What happens during the few days at the castle, set Cal's life on a completely different past.

This is a book about regret and resentment both in current times and during WWII.  It's full of brave and wounded women that you won't soon forget.  It's a story of love and friendship and asks the question 'When life becomes unbearable, will you press toward the light or let the darkness win?'

Buy Fragments of Light at Amazon

About the Author

Raised in France by a Canadian father and an American mother, Michèle Phoenix is an educator, writer and speaker. After teaching at an international school in Germany for twenty years, she launched her own global work advocating for the children of missionaries. Michèle writes novels in the margins of her life. 

Connect with Michele  Website | Twitter

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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