To stand here was to experience the magnitude of Mother Nature, to witness her artistry and ruthless power. I closed my eyes and felt the winds of her sympathy move through my hair, and I listened to her tender mercies echo across craggy cliffs.
To stand here was to feel inadequate and grand and connected to something far beyond comprehension. But most of all, to stand here was to feel forgiven.
(from Looking for Me, page 164)
Looking for Me is a beautiful novel (the best book I’ve read so far this year, in fact) about following your dreams, holding onto memories instead of things, and making peace with the past. Teddi Overman left her family farm in Kentucky right after high school to live out her dream of restoring and selling antique furniture. She knew this was her destiny from the age of 10, much to the disappointment of her mother, who had a more secure future in mind for her daughter.
Around 20 years later, Teddi still wishes her mother would visit her store in Charleston to see her accomplishments and maybe even begin to heal the hurts that have plagued their relationship for so long. But Teddi ends up back in Kentucky, sifting through a lifetime of memories, secrets, and pain and must finally come to terms with the disappearance of her younger brother, Josh, who spent most of his time in the nearby national forest and had an unexplainable connection with animals and a fierce desire to protect them from poachers.
Her friends — the “firecracker” Olivia, a rare book expert; Inez, her feisty office manager; and Albert, the sweet but reserved furniture restorer — keep Teddi in the present, and an unexpected relationship makes her feel alive for the first time since Josh went missing. However, she can’t bring herself to believe Josh could be dead or stop looking for him.
Looking for Me is one of those books you know you’re going to love from the very first page. Beth Hoffman is such a talented storyteller, and I’ve loved her writing since I read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt (which made my Best of 2010 list). Her characters are so well developed and so real, and her descriptions are so vivid and rich that you feel like you are walking alongside the characters. The best way to describe Hoffman’s writing is warm and insightful, and this book just spoke to me. I remember having to go through my grandmother’s apartment, getting lost in old memories, feeling suffocated by grief, and wondering what to keep and what to discard, so I knew what Teddi was going through to some extent.
I love how Hoffman can take you on an emotional roller coaster ride (I teared up reading this on the train and didn’t care if anyone noticed), and even when you feel wrung out and breathless like the characters, you can’t help but enjoy it and want more. She writes about a family broken by a tragic event, and she does so with heart and even hope. Looking for Me is such a rich novel, with delicious descriptions of antiques and a portrait of the power of nature, the unbreakable bond of close siblings, and the freedom that comes from accepting the past while looking forward to the future. When I turned the last page, I knew this was a novel I wouldn’t soon forget and that from here on out, I will read anything Hoffman writes.
Disclosure: I received Looking for Me from the author for review.
© 2013 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Thank you for hosting this giveaway, Anna! I will post in my blog’s sidebar. This new book sounds wonderful!
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Thanks, Suko! I hope you get a chance to read it.
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Thanks for the review, Anna–I just started this one today. I too loved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, and was so excited to see Hoffman came out with a new book. Glad to hear it lives up to the first books. Cheers!
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I hope you love it as much as I did!
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Thanks for the review.
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Thanks for stopping by! Hope you get a chance to read it.
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Anna, I got to meet Beth tonight. She came to a small, independent bookstore in Oakland, CA. I haven’t read her before, but i bought her first one and will get to it soon. She’s quite an interesting, caring, emotional person. I really enjoyed seeing her.
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How awesome that you were able to meet her! I hope you enjoy her books as much as I do.
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I sooo want to read this book 😀 But I think I have to wait for xmas
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It would make a great Christmas present!
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I have the audiobook version and can’t wait to listen to it!
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I hope you enjoy it!
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I just finished the audio yesterday and it was WONDERFUL. I teared up once or twice as well…anything to do with animals always does that to me. I have to gather my thoughts before I sit down and write my review. This could very well be a five star for me.
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There were parts that were hard to read, but they were so well done.
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Anna, glad you loved this as I did.
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I’m glad you loved it as well!
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I know I am the only person in the entire universe who has not yet read a book by Beth Hoffman, but I kind of like the idea that there are books out there I know I will love, so I can look forward to them! :–)
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That’s one way to look at it. You really need to give her books a try!
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I’m about halfway through this book and I am loving every single word of it.
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I was confident that I would love it based on how much I loved the first book, and her writing is just so wonderful.
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Thank you for hosting a giveaway of this one! It looks fantastic, and I’ve read lots of positive reviews lately.
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Thanks! I’m glad to see it getting such good reviews.
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I cannot wait to read this. I didn’t get to it over vacation, but I hope to soon.
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It was a very quick read. I couldn’t put it down.
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I can’t wait to savor this book. I know it will be wonderful.
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You’re in for a real treat!
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I loved this book as well and like you I can’t imagine not loving anything she would write. Beth has a way of capturing her readers hearts. Her first book was on my favorites list and so will this one be. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much too!
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Well said!
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Oh my goodness … your review is stunning! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed Teddi’s story and felt a deep connection to the characters. Thank you so, so much for your beautiful words, Anna.
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Beth, Joni and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you last night. And, although, I had Jodi Picoult’s latest book next up on my TBR list, I swapping it out for CeeCee. All of these bloggers can’t be wrong.
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You’re very welcome, Beth! Your book deserves all the praise it’s receiving.
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Again Beth Hoffman has delivered the best! AND it is about time….we have all been waiting patiently. How does she know just how to tell the story of our lives with such beauty, laughter and a box of tissue!
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She’s definitely a talented storyteller!
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I loved CeeCee so I’m sure I will enjoy this one too. I guess I will just keep my tissue close by!
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I hope you love it as much as I did!
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The best book you’ve read this year? I better get myself a copy!
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The best book so far, and it would take a lot to surpass it at this point!
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The best book you’ve read this year – ok, add my name to the giveaway – I have to read this!
Great review, Anna!
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Thanks, Iliana!
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I’m ready for a book that will take me on an emotional roller coaster! Can’t wait to pick up my copy.
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Looking forward to your thoughts!
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Lovely, lovely review, Anna!! My heart broke a bit when you described how you felt going through your Grandma’s belongings…this book strikes a cord with so many of us because Beth wrote it with such love and heart. She’s an amazing writer, IMHO!!
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I couldn’t agree more!
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One of my favorites of the year so I’m glad you agree. I can see why it spoke to you in such a personal way.
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I’m so glad to see it among your favorites as well. 🙂
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Anna, thanks for coming over and adding to the “library”. Cheers
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Thanks, Carole!
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It makes me happy that Beth has earned so many fans 🙂
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Me, too!
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This book is simply AMAZING…I loved it.
Stopping by from Carole’s Books You Loved June Edition. I am in the list as #31.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Book Entry
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I’m so happy that so many people loved this book as much as I did!
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[…] who won a copy of Looking for Me by Beth […]
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[…] Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman […]
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