Thursday, October 9, 2014

Book Tour and Giveaway--After The Fog by Kathleen Shoop


A Nurse’s Obligation
A Town’s Demise
A Mother’s Regret
A Son’s Calling
A Daughter’s Mistake
A Time to Forgive

For every woman who thinks she left her past behind…Historic, environmental drama wrapped in a love story...

It's 1948 in the steel town of Donora, Pennsylvania, site of the infamous “killing smog.” Public health nurse, Rose Pavlesic, has risen above her orphaned upbringing and created a life that reflects everything she missed as a child. She’s even managed to keep her painful secrets hidden from her doting husband, loving children, and large extended family.

When a stagnant weather pattern traps poisonous mill gasses in the valley, neighbors grow sicker and Rose’s nursing obligations thrust her into conflict she never could have fathomed. Consequences from her past collide with her present life, making her once clear decisions as gray as the suffocating smog. As pressure mounts, Rose finds she’s not the only one harboring lies. When the deadly fog finally clears, the loss of trust and faith leaves the Pavlesic family—and the whole town—splintered and shocked. With her new perspective, can Rose finally forgive herself and let her family’s healing begin?

My thoughts
Although this story is fiction, it is based around an actual event. Rose Pavlesic feels her control over her family slipping away, as everyone seems to be making decisions which go against her plans for their lives. When the "killing smog" from the mills is stuck over the town due to an unusual weather pattern, secrets and lies begin to unravel. Even Rose, who has tried to control everything and everyone, has to face up to her past.

Rose is a very complex character. While she is a very caring nurse, she tends to look down on the people she treats, as well as the extended family that share her household. She also has a little too much of a taste for vodka. When she is forced to see herself as she really is, she wants to make serious changes.  But will it be a case of too little too late?

Shoop has obviously done a lot of research into the area and the time period. Her descriptions of the people and their living conditions are raw, realistic and heartbreaking. The language is frequently raw, as well, but again, it is realistic.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or family dramas.

I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


***2013 Eric Hoffer Award Finalist*** 
***Independent Publisher Awards: 2012 Silver, Best Regional Fiction–Mid-Atlantic*** 
***National Indie Excellence Awards: 2012 WINNER-- Literary Fiction***

Buy the book from.......
Amazon.com    Amazon.co.uk    Barnes and Noble

“Shoop masterfully details familial struggles, secrets, and consequences that keep the reader riveted til the end.” - Melissa Foster

 “A great and satisfying read. Rose’s triumph over adversity touched me deeply. Ms. Shoop truly knows how to tug the heartstrings. S. K. McClafferty, author of The Ghost and Devlin Muir.” - S. K. McClafferty, author of The Ghost and Devlin Muir

 “This is a well-written story set authentically in a historic place and time, around an intricate plot which includes most of the elements that provide for a good “soap opera,” or a book that would be accepted by Oprah Winfrey.” -Historical Novel Society

About the Author

After the Fog is the second novel by bestselling Kindle author Kathleen Shoop.  Her debut novel, The Last Letter, garnered multiple awards in 2011.  A Language Arts Coach with a Ph.D. in Reading Education, Kathleen lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.


Kathleen has also written award winning Love and Other Subjects and her stories have also appeared in several of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

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NOW FOR THE AUTHOR'S GIVEAWAY !!
THREE Lucky Winners will each receive a $15 Amazon Giftcard,
courtesy of After the Fog author, Kathleen Shoop
Ending on Sunday 9th November at 11.59pm EST
Open Worldwide

Enter  Below & Good Luck !!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

2 comments:

Teresa Kander said...

So many books I want,I don't know which I'd buy with this gift card!

Beck Valley Books said...

Such a wonderful read, this one gripped me !!