Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole Seitz c2012

I have read a fabulous, fantastic novel today! How am I going to share it with you without giving it away, because I want you to discover it yourself? This book is about giving of self, entirely.

http://prezi.com/h3ggfqw6mvxo/beyond-molasses-creek-novel-preview/

Come and meet Molasses Creek's neighbors and beyond!

Overview: 

Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.

Ally:

Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past.

Vesey:

But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship--he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she's stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn't through with her yet.

Sunila:

As Ally's wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there's more to her story than she's ever been told, and she's determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her.

A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.

Both Ally and Sunila long to be free in their own ways. The themes of "coming home" and "escape" are threaded throughout Beyond Molasses Creek. This novel confronts diversity and prejudice in both the American South and in Nepal. Ally and Vesey meet as young children and are a strength to each other through their adult years upon Ally's return home.

My favorite characters were Sunila and a secondary character, Mr. Assai, who helps Sunila in her freedom. Here is how they meet:

"You speak Nepali. I understand you were just here looking for a consulate officer. Yet you are obviously not American, are you? I have to wonder what brings you here. Tell me, how long have you traveled to get here?"
My eyes shift and I recount the days.
"You do speak?"
I count the times I found an overhang or trash bin to rest my eyes. "Four days," I say.
His eyes open. "In the rain? No wonder you're cold. It is too dangerous for you to be on the street." Silence sits between us as I sip my milked tea. The steam wafts up into my face.
"Tell me, why did you come all this way to the US Embassy? It must have been a very important trip for you to make. Do you have matters with the US?"
I am afraid to speak. I bite my cracked lips.
"I'm sorry, where are my manners?" The man unfolds his arms and puts a gentle hand out to me. "My name is Theodore Assai. I'm with the US Consulate. And your name? Please. Look at me."
I look at him and say, "M-My name is Sunila Kunari. I came to see a consulate officer I met many years ago. Mr. Davidson Monroe."
"Ah, I see. And you've come all this way to find out he is no longer here?"
"Yes."

I traveled those long days with her to get there to find out this news! This is a story rich in detail and care and concern for each other among the characters. I am concerned for Sunila's safety each time she journeys out.

Definitely a five-star novel! You will love it.


Author/Illustrator, Nicole Seitz, weaves enchanting tales of redemption filled with unforgettable characters and a refreshing Southern voice. She lives near Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband and two children.


Beyond Molasses Creek
320 pages
Trade paper
ISBN-13: 9781595545053
Pub date: Jan 2012
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Pre-order Online:
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Other novels by Nicole Seitz
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
The Inheritance of Beauty; Feb. 2011
Saving Cicadas; Dec. 2009
A Hundred Years of Happiness; Mar. 2009
Trouble the Water; Mar. 2008
The Spirit of Sweetgrass; Mar. 2007


Thank you to Thomas Nelson BookSneeze for this copy of Beyond Molasses Creek in exchange for an honest review.