Narrative theme: coming of age

Book SynopsisTwenty-eight-year-old struggling San Francisco artist Anne McFarland is determined to get a one-woman show, even though no one, including herself, believes she can do it. But when she buys a coat at a thrift shop with a key in its pocket, strange, even magical, occurrences begin to unfold, and she is inspired to create her best work ever. Fifty years earlier, it’s 1963, and the coat’s original owner, young heiress Sylvia Van Dam, is headed toward a disastrous marriage with a scoundrel. In a split-second reaction she does the unimaginable, which propels her on a trip of self-discovery to nature-filled Northern Arizona. When Anne and Sylvia’s lives intersect, they are both forced to face their fears―and, in the process, realize their true potential.Trade Review2021 Next Generation Indie Awards Winner in Series (Fiction) 2021 CIBA Fiction Series Book Awards First Place Winner 2016 International Book Award Finalist, Best New Fiction “In Jill G. Hall’s lovely debut novel, a vintage coat and the brass key discovered in its pocket provide the foundation for the alternating stories of two women from different eras. As we read, we follow Anne and Sylvia as they navigate love and loss, heartbreak, and triumph. The Black Velvet Coat is an absolute delight.” —Midge Raymond, author of Forgetting English “Jill G. Hall creates a novel with two unforgettable characters whose lives, though generations apart, are inexplicably intertwined, which gives you the qualities you want in a great story—mystery, suspense, and romance.” —Judy Reeves, author of Wild Women, Wild Voices “The Black Velvet Coat is a story about fate and friendship and love. These characters will break your heart in all the best ways.” —T. Greenwood, author of Two Rivers, Bodies of Water, and The Forever Bridge “Jill G. Hall’s book is a real page-turner! Artists everywhere will especially enjoy reading about the artistic process and the inspiration behind creating new work.” —Jane LaFazio, mixed media artist and feature writer for Cloth, Paper, Scissors and Quilting Arts magazines “Readers looking for a simple story will find charming elements in this blend of mystery and historical fiction.” —Library Journal “Spellbinding. Readers will feel they are watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie as they turn the pages of this vivid, fast-paced novel about how uncovering the past can lead to discovering oneself. You’ll never look at vintage clothes quite the same way again.” —Jennifer Coburn, author of We’ll Always Have Paris

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Book SynopsisIt only takes one moment to change everything. Long ago, Heather left her old life behind. Now, she has everything: a marriage to a handsome executive, a managerial human resources position in a powerful multinational, and a beautiful daughter. And she will do anything to keep it that way. But everything has a price. When a bullet ends the life of another woman—an ex-employee whom Heather helped fire—it sets off a chain of events that jeopardizes everything for which Heather has worked. Events of Heather’s past soon collide with her company’s wrongdoings, and she must risk everything to expose them. But all she’s ever known is the peril of being visible. Frightened and desperate, Heather calls upon her constant childhood friends—friends who long ago saved her from a life of pain—and, together, they will once again face the events of a traumatic night that each has sought to forget. Because sometimes the only ones who can save you are those with whom you share your deepest and darkest secrets—those who know that fear is the price of silence.Trade ReviewFeatured on Indie Picks Magazine’s Breakout Novels of 2018 Featured on BookBub's "10 of This Summer's Creepiest Thrillers by Women" "A lyrical mystery that captures your attention with the first sentence and does not let you go." —Tracee Beebe, award-winning screenwriter and author of No Excuses. Write Anyway! “… Gripping first novel. Frey reveals her protagonists’ many secrets with Scheherazade-like skill.” —Publishers Weekly "A vivid tangle of corporate intrigue, murder, friendship, and love gone wrong.” —Kirkus Reviews "A lyrical mystery that captures your attention with the first sentence and does not let you go." —Tracee Beebe, award-winning screenwriter and author of No Excuses. Write Anyway! "Five good friends—Heather, Eve, Mariah, Espy, Fiona—plan their annual BFF reunion in Charleston. What could go wrong? Finding out will keep you up at night.” —Barbara Elmore, author of Breathing Room

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Book SynopsisWhen Bess and Frima—best friends, both nineteen and from the same Jewish background in the Bronx—get summer jobs in upstate hotels near Monticello, NY, in June 1940, they have visions of romance . . . but very different expectations and needs. Frima, who seeks safety in love, finds it with the “boy next door,” who is also Bess’s brother. Meanwhile, rebellious Bess renames herself Beth and plunges into a new life with Vinny, an Italian American, former Catholic, left-wing labor leader from San Francisco. Her actions are totally unacceptable to her family—which is fine with Beth. Will their young loves have happy endings? Yes and no, for the shadow of world war is growing, and Beth and Frima must grow up fast. As their love lives entangle with war, ambitions, religion, family, and politics—all kinds of conventional expectations—they face challenges they never dreamed of in their struggles for personal and creative growth.

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Book Synopsis"Love matters a little, but luck matters more." The words of thirty-five-year-old David Melman's Jewish grandmother still haunt him. He's scared to settle down. Instead, he dates twenty-something pop stars that he meets through his celebrity-branding business. But when his niece and nephew inform him that he's hit "rock bottom" with his latest inappropriate relationship, David realizes that change might be in order-so when his sister Marcy, with her own ulterior motive, pushes him to take a film-writing class taught by her friend Laurel, he agrees. Will writing a movie about a childhood visit to his grandparents in Florida, an unforgettable driving lesson, and a 1977 Cadillac bring David love? Luck? Or both? Alternating between David's present-day life and his past through his movie script, Chuckerman Makes a Movie is a romantic comedy blended with a comedic coming-of-age.Trade Review2019 International Book Awards, Winner, Fiction: Religious 2019 International Book Awards, Finalist, Best New Fiction 2018 Foreword Indies Winner in Adult Fiction—Humor 2018 Winner, Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Award Fall book pick by the LA Times, Denver Post, and NY Daily News “Dickman’s debut novel is witty and observant throughout, and she packs her prose with sensory detail. A funny, romantic story.” —Kirkus Reviews “Art imitates life in Chuckerman Makes a Movie, a laughter-inducing novel of nostalgia and self-discovery.” —Foreword Reviews, 5 star review “With snappy dialogue and a witty collection of characters, Dickman's debut is utterly enjoyable.” —Booklist “Chuckerman Makes a Movie is an endearing, comic novel full of love and family dysfunction. Its characters are so alive they might as well, for better or worse, be standing in your living room. By interweaving Chuckerman’s screenplay with his life, Francie Arenson Dickman cleverly blends the past with the present and coming-of-age with romantic comedy. The result is a truly original debut novel—a story that is multi-layered, multi-generational and downright hysterical. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll never want to leave your front row seat as the delightful drama unfolds.” —Dylan Massin, television director and producer of NBC’s Parenthood “Thoughtfully narrated and with a split-screen storyline, Chuckerman Makes A Movie is a unique coming of age tale told through the lens of a film-writing class. Quick-paced, witty, and well-executed, Francie Arenson Dickman’s debut novel weaves together a series of flawed and honest relationships, both past and present, with the kind of mastery one would expect from a seasoned best-selling author.” —Randi Olin and Lauren Apfel, executive editors of Motherwell Magazine “Francie Arenson Dickman has crafted a quietly beautiful love story about the relationships that matter most, spanning decades and stretching from 1970s Florida to the early 2000s New York. At the center is David 'Chuckerman' Melman, a mid-30s fragrance king whose sisters think has an unnatural relationship with his grandfather's classic Caddy. It's in this behemoth of a car that the story begins and ends. But it's the in-between that will draw you in. The book's colorful character development, under the guise of a screenplay, makes for an entertaining and even touching read. If I could recommend it as a beach read, I would — instead, it'll have to go on the Fall 2018 Getting Hygge With It list. A great page turner for a long weekend!” —Bookblogger LitzyDitz: Books Without the BS “I enjoyed Francie Arenson Dickman's Chuckerman Makes a Movie immensely. Not only does Chuckerman (AKA David Melman) try and make a movie, he makes a book, a damn good one, funny, full of great energy, serious without, thank god, taking itself too seriously. And best of all it's chock full of family stories, the stories who make us who we are—whether we pull off the movie or not.” —Peter Orner, author of Am I Alone Here? “Francie Arenson Dickman’s strikingly original debut novel, Chuckerman Makes a Movie, seamlessly glides between David Melman’s past and present though a witty, nostalgic screenplay, a charming, thought-provoking love story, and a big, beautiful 1977 Cadillac. The author’s humorous and disarming storytelling will not only have readers immediately rooting for Melman as the protagonist of what is, at its core, a romantic comedy, but it will also offer them a fresh, funny, and sneakily allegorical take on the important relationship between interfaith dating and coming-of-age. A fantastic read.” —Ron Bahar, MD, author of The Frontman

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Book SynopsisWe Never Told is a page-turning novel about a glamorous family in the golden age of Hollywood. Set in suburban New York, it follows Sonya Adler's life from growing up in a "broken home," to the hippie sixties, and into the present with a shocking twist at the end. The story outlines a time when unmarried women were shamed into putting their newborns up for adoption and the consequences which have touched thousands of people. This fast-paced story is not just about sisters keeping a secret but is a heart-wrenching and funny tale about a not often talked-about part of American history: children finding their birth families fifty years later.

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Book SynopsisWhen David approaches his New Hampshire cabin one cool October night to find it engulfed in flames, he knows his girlfriend Hope set the fire. At least, he’s pretty sure he knows. David first decides to upend the creature comforts of his post-collegiate life and try roughing it for a year after he inherits two acres of land and a rustic cabin from his deceased grandfather. Life at the cabin proves to be more difficult than expected, however, and it all starts with the woman he loves—Hope—whose dark past is written in the twisting pink scars covering her body. Their relationship is challenged after his car slides through an intersection one dark night and, later, his realization that someone is out there, watching him through the trees. Over the course of five seasons, David struggles to maintain his relationship with Hope. Ultimately, in an attempt to understand the sacrifices she has had to make, he decides to rewrite their story. In doing so, he explores the lessons he’s left with--after everything he thought mattered is gutted or burned away—and the surprising bits of wisdom he finds in the ashes.Trade Review2020 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards: Silver Medal in Fiction – New Adult 2020 American Fiction Awards:Finalist in Coming of Age 2020 14th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Winner in New Adult Fiction “A moving, emotional, and unpredictable drama.” —Kirkus Reviews “Mysterious, vivid, and deftly drawn, The Way You Burn explores the perils of intimacy and the psychic burdens of the past. You'll stay up late turning pages as if they were hot to the touch.” —Molly Prentiss, author of Tuesday Nights in 1980 “The Way You Burn is a thrilling mystery, a complex romance, and a beautifully written character study all in one. I loved the vivid, poetic prose and tight storytelling, and I know the characters will stay with me for a long time. A gorgeous, haunting debut!” —Sonia Belasco, author of Speak of Me As I Am

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Book SynopsisIt’s the season of siren songs and loosened bonds―as well as war, campaign slogans, and assassination. At the height of the Vietnam War protests, Washington lawyer Tom Rayson uproots his family for the freewheeling city of Berkeley. While Tom pursues a romance with a sexy colleague in the Marin County woods, Marian joins a peace party that’s running a Black Panther for president and meets the Berkeley revolution. But for young Alice, her parents’ liberating forays become a blind leap in a city marked by beauty and social change―and for a girl, that’s no Summer of Love. Feeling estranged from her family, Alice embraces the moment and falls in with Jim and Valerie Dupres. Jim and Valerie have been learning the ropes on Telegraph Avenue, cadging meals at a nearby communal house and camping out in People’s Park. Soon they’re confronting National Guardsmen. As family and school fade away in a tear-gas fog, Alice feels an ambiguous freedom. Caught up in a rebellion that feels equally compelling, scary, and absurd, Alice could become a casualty—or she could defy the odds and become her own person. One thing is sure: there’s no going back. Trade Review2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Literary2021 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Social Issues “This intense retrospective on people yanked out of the strait-laced Fifties and tossed into a culture of anything goes will appeal to readers wanting to learn more about Berkeley’s days of rage.” —Historical Novels Review “Like the writing of Jodi Picoult, Sarah Relyea has the ability to build a particular drama into a compelling plot, unveiled through multiple points of view. . . . Through music, literature, and actual events, the author creates a clear picture of the 1960s, especially the tumultuous events and the free-love flower power that swept the west coast in particular. This is a powerful, historical drama. Well constructed.” —Readers’ Favorite, five-star review “An eerily compelling déjà vu of the free, wild, and jeopardy-ridden kid scene in late-1960s Berkeley. Uncanny and powerful.” —Charles Degelman, Editor, Harvard Square Editions “Like a trip through the Looking Glass, Sarah Relyea’s engrossing debut novel takes you by the hand back to the sixties, where social rules were being challenged and political upheaval was the norm.” —Patricia Hurtado, Brooklyn writer and journalist with Bloomberg News “A fascinating exploration of a strange and exciting time in US history . . . I was totally immersed in the story as Alice grows and develops in a world in which freedom has many different outcomes.”—NetGalley

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Book SynopsisReminiscent of the stories and styles of Harper Lee, Sue Monk Kidd, and Jan Karon, Pam Webber’s The Wiregrass ​is ​an extraordinary tale about a magical time in an ordinary place full of lovable and unlovable characters. Infused with laughter, tears, love, loss, and hope, the story follows fourteen-year-old cousins Nettie, J.D. Eric, and Sam as they navigate the summer of their discontent, struggle with the physical and emotional turbulence of puberty and disappearing childhood, feel the excitement of first love, and run for their lives ​after they uncover an evil secret hidden in the shadows of the small town they love. Their story promises to stay with you a lifetime.Trade Review“There are deep southern traditions at work here, of memory, courage, sweetness, and sadness. This is a brave book at the same time it's complex and gentle, and the way it honors a sense of time and place is truly remarkable.” —David L. Robbins, New York Times best-selling author of Scorched Earth and The Empty Quarter “Webber has crafted a summer setting that is both magical and dangerous in this profound coming-of-age story. I laughed out loud. I held my breath. I anxiously pressed on for 'just one more page' (page after page, after page) and I cried. She has touched me on many levels in this, her first novel. Its ending has haunted me for days since finishing it. It is a book I'll not soon forget. For this reviewer, The Wiregrass was reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Sawyer, and Of Mice and Men, yet all the while it was its very own unique story written with a large measure of tenderness and grace. What a privilege to have the opportunity to read this book that is surely destined to become a best-seller!” —Lee Ambrose, Story Circle Book Reviews

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Book SynopsisForeWord Reviews’ IndieFab Book of the Year “Editor’s Choice Award” Independent Publisher Awards Bronze “Best Regional Fiction South” Winner of International Book Awards in “Religious Fiction” Category Set in 1940s Germantown, Tennessee, South of Everything is a magical coming of age story about the daughter of a plantation-owning family, who, despite her privileged background, finds more in common with “the help” than her own family. She develops a special kinship with her parents’ servant Old Thomas, who introduces her to the mysterious Lolololo Tree––a magical, mystical tree with healing powers that she discovers is wiser than any teacher or parent or priest. Her connection with the Lolololo Tree opens her eyes to the religious and racial prejudice of her surroundings and readers will root for her to fight against injustice and follow her heart to meet her fate.Trade Review“When I was a young black girl I knew my place was on the ‘other side of the track’ of limited opportunities. And then there was Missy Sara, that other girl, who was rebuked for her cosmopolitan imagination and urban dreams and was raised up in high cotton, separate and unequaled, asking questions that whites disregarded. That’s just the way it was—with her and for me. This story will take you south of everything.” —Deanie Parker, African America singer/songwriter and former president/CEO of the Soulsville Foundation “South of Everything is a coming-of-age journey with poignant moments, distinct characters, and a powerful message about love in a time of harsh race relations.” —IndieReader, Starred Review “In the hands of an adroit storyteller, magical realism has always been one of the most truthful and compelling forms of fiction. Here, Gonzales proves herself to be master of both the form and her material. A beautiful book.” —Phyllis Tickle, American author and lecturer, founding editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly “Audrey Taylor Gonzalez has written a magical tale about the realities of religious and racial prejudice, transformed by the author's compassion and depth of understanding of the flawed nature of humanity.” —Jimmy Santiago Baca, American Book Award and Pushcart Prize winning poet and novelist

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Book SynopsisThis heart-wrenching drama about two university students and their growing disillusionment--from Yoru Sumino, the author of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas and the Eisner-nominated I Had That Same Dream Again--was adapted into a live-action film that's now on Netflix (Blue, Painful, Fragile).Two young people in their first year of university, drawn to each other’s passion, establish a secret society to pursue those ideals. But as time passes, the demands of a world that isn’t kind to dreamers threatens to force them apart, filling the space between them with shattered hopes and the fallout of lies. A tender, tragic tale about growing past pain and the cruelty of youth, by acclaimed author Yoru Sumino.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Man Booker PrizeEverything about this novel rings true. . . . Original, funny, disarmingly oblique and unique.The GuardianIn an unnamed city, middle sister stands out for the wrong reasons. She reads while walking, for one. And she has been taking French night classes downtown. So when a local paramilitary known as the milkman begins pursuing her, she suddenly becomes interesting, the last thing she ever wanted to be. Despite middle sister's attempts to avoid himand to keep her mother from finding out about her maybe-boyfriendrumors spread and the threat of violence lingers. Milkman is a story of the way inaction can have enormous repercussions, in a time when the wrong flag, wrong religion, or even a sunset can be subversive. Told with ferocious energy and sly, wicked humor, Milkman establishes Anna Burns as one of the most consequential voices of our day.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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