Solomon's Oak
A Novel
By Jo-Ann Mapson
October 2010
$25.00
384 pp
5.5 x 8.25 in
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9781608193301
ISBN-10: 1608193306
ISBN-10: 1608193306
Solomon's Oak
A Novel
By Jo-Ann Mapson
"If you haven't discovered Jo-Ann Mapson yet, you're in for the finest of treats-her books will move you from out-loud laughter to bittersweet tears."-Jodi Picoult
Solomon's Oak is the story of three people who have suffered losses that changed their lives forever.
Glory Solomon, a young widow, holds tight to her memories while she struggles to hold on to her Central California farm. She makes ends meet by hosting weddings in the chapel her husband had built under their two-hundred-year-old white oak tree, known locally as Solomon's Oak. Fourteen-year-old Juniper McGuire is the lone survivor of a family decimated by her sister's disappearance. She arrives on Glory's doorstep, pierced, tattooed, angry, and homeless. When Glory's husband Dan was alive, they took in foster children, but Juniper may be more than she can handle alone. Joseph Vigil is a former Albuquerque police officer and crime lab photographer who was shot during a meth lab bust that took the life of his best friend. Now disabled and in constant pain, he arrives in California to fulfill his dream of photographing the state's giant trees, including Solomon's Oak.
In Jo-Ann Mapson's deeply felt, wise, and gritty novel, these three broken souls will find in each other an unexpected comfort, the bond of friendship, and a second chance to see the miracles of everyday life.
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Advance Praise for Solomon's Oak:
“How does Jo-Ann Mapson do it? She makes us look at people we'd rather
not see—the abandoned, the broken, the lost—and then makes us cry for
them and care for them, rejoice and hope for them. One chapter into
SOLOMON’S OAK, I surrendered to Glory Solomon's hope and her collection
of restless hearts, and my world simply disappeared.”
—Jacquelyn
Mitchard
“In SOLOMON’S OAK, we see how some things—like massive oaks, and
unshakeable love—can stand the test of time. I love the way Jo-Ann
Mapson writes about family—how the roots we put down are the ones that
ultimately hold us together. Actually, let me correct myself: I just
love the way Jo-Ann Mapson writes, period.”
—Jodi Picoult, New
York Times bestselling author of House Rules
“Three people aching with loss piece together new lives in Mapson’s
gorgeous new novel. Dazzlingly writte, indelibly moving and deeply
profound, SOLOMON’S OAK is filled with grace, heart, and wisdom, and a
rich cast of indelibly real characters, right down to the dogs. It’s
sometimes a cliché to call a book the author’s absolute best, but this
one is truly a gem.”
—Caroline Leavitt, author of Girls in Trouble and Pictures of You
Reviews for Solomon's Oak:
Caroline Leavitt featured Jo-Ann on her blog. “Jo-Ann Mapson has been a kind of lifeline for me. I've known her for years, and she's held my hand through publishing trials and cheered me in publishing triumphs, and every time I see her, I'm thrilled.”
| 10/13 Taos, NM Moby Dickens Bookshop / 1 pm luncheon | 10/15 Santa Fe, NM Collected Works / 6 pm | 10/17 Albuquerque, NM Bookworks / 3 pm | 10/27 La Jolla, CA Warwick’s / 7:30 pm | 10/28 Huntingon Beach, CA B&N Huntington Beach | 10/29 Pasadena, CA Vroman’s / 7pm | 11/4 Scottsdale, AZ Poisoned Pen / 7pm reading | 11/9 Denver, CO Tattered Cover / 7:30 pm reading |
The author has a great Facebook page for the book!
“Mapson’s three damaged souls, and the ghosts in their lives, are able to find in each other just the thing to make life worth living. A tender portrayal of those left behind in the wake of tragedy.”—Kirkus Reviews
"Mapson continues to carve out her niche with this lovely, well-written story of the walking wounded reaching out to one another and the beauty of friendship.—Library Journal
“With abundant compassion and soothing humor, three damaged souls are rescued in Mapson’s delicate tale of renewal and healing.” —Booklist