The Memory House
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4.7 • 119 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The inspirational story of two women whose lives have been destroyed by disaster but find healing in a special house.
When Beck Holiday lost her father in the North Tower on 9/11, she also lost her memories of him. Eighteen years later, she’s a tough New York City cop burdened with a damaging secret, suspended for misconduct, and struggling to get her life in order.
When a mysterious letter arrives informing Beck that she’s inherited a house along Florida’s northern coast, she discovers something there that will change her life forever. Matters of the heart only become more complicated when she runs into handsome Bruno Endicott, a sports agent who has never forgotten their connection as teenagers. But Beck can't even remember him.
Decades earlier, widow Everleigh Applegate lives a steady, uneventful life with her widowed mother after a tornado ripped through Waco, Texas, and destroyed her new, young married life. When she runs into her former high school friend Don Callahan, she begins to yearn for change. Yet no matter how much she longs to love again, she is hindered by a secret she can never share.
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck brings us a sweet romance where the power of love and the miracle of faith promise hope and healing in a beautiful Victorian home known affectionately as The Memory House.
A split-time (contemporary and historical) standalone romanceBook length: approximately 100,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubsAlso by Rachel Hauck: The Wedding Dress, Once Upon a Prince, and The Writing Desk
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This endearing but muddled tale from Hauck (The Love Letter) follows two women, separated by 50 years, who are connected through a Victorian home. Eighteen years after her father died during the collapse of a tower on 9/11, Beck Holiday is a NYPD sergeant, recently suspended for her anger management issues. But it is actually the perfect time for a vacation, as she learns that she has inherited the house of Everleigh Callahan in Fernandino Beach, Fla. Beck's family used to vacation in Fernandino Beach, and Miss Everleigh took a liking to Beck, feeling they were "twin souls born sixty years apart." Beck travels back to a town that is saturated with memories of her father, and also childhood sweetheart Bruno Endicott. In the other plot, set in the 1970s, 23-year-old Everleigh Novak believes she has the perfect life with her new husband in Waco, Tex. But when a tornado destroys their home and kills her husband, she must turn to God and prayer for answers. The arrival of high school friend Don Callahan, and his offer of moving to Florida, provides an opportunity for a new beginning, and they move to the house in Florida. While Hauck's enjoyable portrait of the Victorian home stands as the main bridge between the narratives, the two plots prove to be an awkward fit.
Customer Reviews
BEAUTIFUL STORY OF HOPE!
“I’m just saying God has a way of taking the worst situation and turning it for good.”
Rachel Hauck takes this theme and showcases it throughout her latest novel, THE MEMORY HOUSE. It’s a time slip story of the lives of Everleigh Applegate and Don Callahan and Beck Holiday and Bruno Endicott. Everleigh and Don own a home affectionately known as “The Memory House.” Bruno grew up across the street from Everleigh. Beck’s family used to vacation at Everleigh’s home.
Both women have lived through their share of loss. Their losses have left them empty, scarred and wondering if they would ever be able to be happy and know love again. Though they are separated by 50 years, they have more in common than most people. Everleigh loved Bruno and Beck and invested her time with them when they were children. She also recognized a part of herself in Beck. It’s as though Beck was the daughter Everleigh never had. The Memory House itself serves as a silent character in this novel as it’s the constant that ties them all together. Don and Bruno prove themselves time and again to be men who are trustworthy, loyal, kind and will always put their significant other’s needs before their own. Through it all, Hauck continues to point the reader to God by taking the worst situation and working it for good. She accomplishes this subtly by incorporating it into the story as the natural process of things rather than being overtly Christian. This is a wonderful book from start to finish and I highly recommend it! I was provided an ARC of this novel by Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
A book that stays with you longer after you finish it
The Memory House is another beautiful story by Rachel Hauck. The Memory House is told from the perspective of Beck, Bruno, Everleigh and Don. We get to see how each of them came to be at the Memory House. The Memory House is well-written with thoughtful pacing. The characters suit the story and I like that we get to see them grow as individuals and in their faith. In The Memory House Don and Bruno help Everleigh and Beck deal with their grief. Grief takes a terrible toll on an individual and we each handle it differently. Beck was a teenager when her father died, and her mother was busy. She handled her grief by forgetting. Everleigh lost her husband, father, in-laws and her home all on one day. She clung to her grief and memories. Beck is now suspended from the force and dealing with a personal issue that will forever change her life. She was unprepared to meet Bruno with his continual references to their summers spent together when they were kids. Both women must deal with the past or they will be stuck living a half-life. God has a plan for these ladies’ lives. Joshua Christian was a mysterious character who provided little nudges when needed. I was little surprised to find intimate relations with a married man included in this Christian story along with violence to a suspect (even though he deserved it). Beetle Boo’s story will have you in tears. I wanted to take the sweet little dog into my arms and comfort him. Christian elements are light but impactful. It is true that God does work in mysterious ways. I enjoyed Beck’s Gilmore Girls marathon and the references to the characters (one of my favorite shows). My favorite sentence from The Memory House is “You could be Lana Turner or Marilyn Monroe on the outside, but if you ain’t got Jesus on the inside? Well, just leave your lipstick and mascara at home.” I liked how the characters stories connected and the book ended. The Memory House is one of those books that stay with you and puts a person in a reflective mood.
THE MEMORY HOUSE
THE MEMORY HOUSE.
by Rachel Hauck
Beck now facing of what happened that night with Hunter. Rescuing a dog, and knowing stepfather was allergic, guess she would need to get her own place, after all she was thirty one, As a cop which she loved, knew what to expect, the friendships there.Now suspended for four weeks without pay,
Telling Hunter, that didn’t go beyond, him saying ‘my wife’.
Getting a legal letter, stating that the will from a Mrs. Callahan in Florida, she had inherited a house, Was on Memory Lane, how they were connected, for herself, the memory of before her Dad died, are gone.
This goes from the life of 1950-1960 to present with Beck, both suffered loss, facing the past and rebuilding to having another life.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.