The Hope of Azure Springs by Rachel Fordham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THIS is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It aimed straight for the heart and hit bullseye. The story is about love and loss, with A LOT of focus on LOSS and how to deal with it. I cried rivers while reading some parts, which to me, is proof oh how excellent the author tackles and describes some of the hardest things in life – losing a loved one. How to turn sad memories around and see the sunshine through the heaviest of clouds.

This book is truly a gem, and I think a lot of people suffering from losses of loved ones can regain strength and happiness from reading it. Another thing I loved about the book is how it touches the ever present topic “definition of beauty”. I will share some amazing quotes about just that (and other important things) from the book.

“Looks are a funny thing, very peculiar. Never waste any time disliking the ones you have. The right person will think they are the very definition of beautiful.”

“A pretty face can be hard to see past. Be careful, though. All faces change with time. It’s a good heart you want to be saddled with.”

“The secret is that you have to find a way to enjoy life on the ordinary days. You have to enjoy the little things, like yellow houses with bright red doors. You have to enjoy the sound of the door when your man gets home. The laughing of little ones. Those things are more fun than gossip, but it takes a trained mind to soak them in. These folks who waste their time talking about you and me, they are the ones missing out. Not us.”

SPOILER!!! “His father had asked him questions about her. Questions that had him thinking. “Does she bring you happiness, make you laugh?” Gideon had asked. When Caleb confessed that she did, his father then asked, “Do you like who you are when you are with her?” Again Caleb answered the affirmative. He confessed she was not what he had planned, that at first she was just a case to solve. Then his father said something Caleb couldn’t get out of his head.” (see last quote to get the full picture) SPOILER!!![“His father had asked him questions about her. Questions that had him thinking. “Does she bring you happiness, make you laugh?” Gideon had asked. When Caleb confessed that she did, his father then asked, “Do you like who you are when you are with her?” Again Caleb answered the affirmative. He confessed she was not what he had planned, that at first she was just a case to solve. Then his father said something Caleb couldn’t get out of his head.” (see last quote to get the full picture) (hide spoiler)]

“Our whole lives people try to tell us what beautiful is. As young boys we think we know exactly which women are the loveliest. The we meet one who doesn’t fit the mold and we know we were taught wrong our whole lives. […] Beauty is something we get to define. We may not see it right away, but when we do, we have trouble even remembering the other definition. We wonder how we were ever so misled. All we can see is the one person who defines it for us. […] Don’t let anyone else decide which kind of beautiful is right for you. You find a girl who brings out the best in you. Who you can see a happy future with. That’s your kind of beautiful.”

I started reading yesterday evening, and even though I’m a morning person, I kept reading until 2 am. I had a third of the book left, but forced myself to sleep. I wanted to be fully awake and mentally present to enjoy the beauty of the story to the fullest! So, after breakfast today I finished it. Tears in my eyes and all…

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