Welcome to the blog tour for From Then to Now by Mitzi Mensch! Read on for details and a chance to win a print copy of the book!
From Then to Now
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Author House
From Then to Now is a novel within a novel. Maggie figures that, with events being so old, it is safe to tell all. Figuring wrong is her first mistake. Downloading the manuscript onto her grown daughter’s computer is her second mistake.
Andrea is dismayed to discover Maggie’s infidelity in her first marriage and shocked to learn of her grandmother’s cloistered pregnancy and forced adoption of her newborn daughter. She uses the Internet to find the people mentioned in her mother’s story, more to satisfy her own curiosity than to bring her mother peace.
From Then to Now spans six decades and addresses changes, both individual and societal, in attitude, perception, and awareness. These changes, triggered in part by outside world events, bring about personal understanding achieved only after loss is experienced and enlightenment has been attained.
Goodreads | Amazon | Auyhor House
Review:
If I had to pick a word to summarize this novel, it would be: powerful.
This is a really intriguing novel that spans six generations. I really love how well put together this novel is. A story like this could have easily become overwhelmingly confusing, however, the author manages to keep the writing tight. I was not confused once. I was intrigued by the characters and the drama unfolding.
This is almost entirely character driven. Every detail added is meant to bring the reader closer to the end. I really enjoyed the growth of these characters and was immersed in their story.
Overall, I enjoyed From Then To Now and would recommend giving it a read.
Rating:
4/5☆
*I received a free copy of this book from R&R Book Tours in exchange for an honest review on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*
Excerpt
I must have gone too far on Waialae Avenue because all of a sudden
I was on a freeway and then the freeway turned into a winding road cut
through a sheer cliff. There was no place to turn around so I kept going
and watched in wonder at the water pounding the rocks below and the vast
expanse of blue ocean beyond. I was ten minutes late for my assignment.
This was the road — I recognized it — where they had filmed Blue Hawaii, with Elvis. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. So far all I’d seen was Schofield, Waikiki, downtown. Now I was in Hawaii. The assignment
no longer mattered. I stopped at a look-out point called the Blow Hole and
peered down at a rock with a hole in it where the water spouted up like a
whale. I watched, mesmerized, for time indeterminate, enthralled at the
energy of the ocean. I had to see more. Continuing on I drove past a beach
where body-boarders sailed through the surf and flew through the foam,
flipping just in time to escape the fury before the waves crashed straight
down on the sand with frightening ferocity. When I thought I’d seen all
the glory this island could possibly offer, I came to another place where
the road steepened precipitously and the view was more spectacular, if
imaginable, than before. I craned my neck to see what beauty lay beneath
the guard rails but the sharp curves forced me to focus on the wheel. I
turned the bend and there was Sea Life Park on the mountain, or mauka
side of the road as Glen had taught me to say, and on the ocean side, or
makai, was Makapu`u. I drove down, parked, took off my shoes, walked
to the beach. It was so beautiful. I sat on a rock to take in the majesty
and totally gave up on the assignment. I thought of Michener’s words in
the first chapter of Hawaii, the book I was reading, about the creation
of the islands. About the force deep below the sea which built and grew
until volcanic eruptions burst through the surface and left molten deposits
which cooled and became rocks. I thought about the birds, from far
away, flying over, dropping seeds, creating vegetation. I thought about
the marvel of how these islands were formed, then found, and inhabited,
and now here I was, a tiny, insignificant speck on the face of the earth,
sitting on a rock, at the edge of an island, in the middle of the sea, in the
most beautiful place in the world. As I felt the water lap at my feet and
the sun caress my skin I knew, without a doubt, I was the luckiest person
who ever lived.
When I finally got back to my car there was a cop, writing a ticket.
Mitzi Mensch was born and raised in New England and attended college in Vermont. An island girl at heart, she moved to Hawai’i, where she has lived long enough to be a kama`aina.
💛💛Giveaway💛💛
Print copy of the book (North America Only)
Blog Tour Schedule
August 31st
Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com
Tsarina Press (Spotlight) https://www.tsarinapress.com
Meli’s Book Reviews (Review) https://melisbokreviews.wordpress.com/
September 1st
Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com
Didi Oviatt (Spotlight) https://didioviatt.wordpress.com
September 2nd
B is for Book Review (Spotlight) https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
Bookriot (Spotlight) http://anjedah.wordpress.com
@joanna.zoe (Revie) https://instagram.com/joanna.zoe?igshid=1xipr7pa6a9zl
September 3rd
PoptheButterfly (Spotlight) https://popthebutterfly.wordpress.com
Jessica Belmont (Review) https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/
The Faerie Review (Review) http://www.thefaeriereview.com
It’s My Life (Review) https://itsmylifejen.wordpress.com/
September 4th
Book Reviews by Satabdi (Review) http://satabdimukherjee.wordpress.com
@the.b00kreader (Review) https://www.instagram.com/the.b00kreader
Crossroads Review (Spotlight) http://www.crossroadreviews.com
Let me know what you think in the comments. I’d love to interact with you. If this sounds like something you would read, let me know!
Jessica Belmont 
Glad you liked it Jess! Thanks for hosting!
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