“Laurel-Rain Snow’s ‘An Accidental Life’ tells a familiar story: Four teenage girls have a ‘coming-of-age’ summer during which they experiment with alcohol, drugs and sex. (Think ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ meets ‘Trainspotting’).
“But in her debut novel, the…author manages a unique
feat by detailing how the girls’ behavior affects not
only them, but the parents, guardians, boyfriends, and
social workers who surround them.“Sick of hearing about a 15-year-old’s unwanted
pregnancy? Flip ahead a few pages and find a subplot
about a social worker who’s being stalked by an
unknown obsessor. Think the ‘junkie boyfriend’
storyline is cliched? Not so much when you realize
that the book focuses more on his mother’s
dialogue—both internal and external—than his.“In a story which could be replete with minor
characters, there are surprisingly few. An ex-husband,
whom many authors would write off in a passing
reference, acts as a major foil. Snow also offers more
than a peek into a next-door lover’s past, and exposes
a reluctant grandmother for the fraud she really is.”Liz Raftery – Blast Magazine
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Another Review:
I particularly enjoyed some of the secondary characters, their stories barely breaking the surface of the novel but giving it depth. Something tells me that this author hasn’t told us all she knows, and I’m looking forward to reading the other books she has in print (and more in the future, I hope). A retired social worker herself, Snow uses her writer’s gift to showcase real life and, more importantly, the crucial connections that give it structure and joy. I recommend An Accidental Life as a fine family drama with contemporary flair. Five stars. (Linda Bulger) Full Review HERE
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Check full customer review HERE
Excerpt: Laurel-Rain’s writing is seamless. She writes in such a way that allows you to float from one character and one situation to the next as she builds on the relationships and the story that comes to a dramatic end. Laurel-Rain makes you care about these characters, their lives and what happens to them. You won’t want to put it down until you find out how it ends and oh what a surprising end it has. Laurel-Rain has created a masterpiece.
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Snippet from Author Betty Dravis’s Review: How does Merrilee cope while raising her son alone? And when she eventually marries, what happens to that relationship? What are her parents’ shortcomings that they can’t help her more? And when she’s doing well financially, what happens when her long-estranged sister comes back into her life? Why does she come back? And where was her son’s natural father during all this time?
Laurel Rain Snow answers all those questions in such well-developed, realistic scenes that the story moves along in a smooth, yet dramatic flow. While in some books the plot is gripping, in Chasing Stardust it is Merrilee Hennessy who is gripping, giving the book an easier, more natural flow. This is a rewarding reading pleasure with a satisfying ending that brings the troubled young girl’s life full circle. Read Full Review HERE.
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Full Review from Betty Dravis HERE:
Laurel-Rain Snow has penned a compelling story with such well-developed characters you will feel as though you know them. These women are so realistically portrayed you’ll recognize them in your own family, whether your daughter, your sister, mother … or even your grandmother, depending on your age. They are THAT real, with problems we all face at one time or another. In addition, Ms. Snow’s text is clean, crisp and flows smoothly, pulling the reader along with ease … through one exciting scene after another.
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Review from Rita, a blogger and reader:
….The story follows Margaret Graham, who by the end of the story has gone through many changes on the path to finding herself: change of name, change of looks, change of address, change of jobs and most importantly, change of attitude. She goes from an oppressive father to an oppressive husband, and then goes completely the other way and becomes a “child of the Summer of Love”. This story gives a whole new meaning to contemporary women’s fiction.
“In the light of a new day her individual reality hit home. There would be no exciting new career awaiting her. Her degree would lie unused in some drawer while all her educational experiences gathered dust along with the diploma. And now that the very real immediate future would mean endless childcare…what if this life she’d chosen somehow became a total disaster?” – excerpt from Web of Tyranny
I will go out on a limb and say that women of a certain age (those who were born in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s) will absolutely relate to the storyline and will be nodding their heads as they read…”yes, been there, done that”. But of course all women, and men too, will enjoy the attention to detail, and believable dialogue and situations, that make this a great read; it’s one woman’s journey from doormat to feminist, with many false starts and stumbles along the way. “I Am Woman- Hear Me Roar”! Recommended highly- 5 stars!
Amazon Review HERE
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With great skill, Snow captures the essence of the `60s via her depiction of that era’s fashions, vernacular, sexual mores, protests against the Viet Nam War, and women’s efforts for egalitarianism through the feminist movement. (Author Christy Tillery French) -Full Review HERE
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Ms. Snow’s writing style is very compelling as she spins a wonderful web of words, creating interesting, sympathetic images that draw the reader in. (Customer Review Excerpt) – Full Review HERE
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Author Sandra Nachlinger writes: “Web of Tyranny is the kind of book I adore–a meaty story that takes you deep inside the mind of the main character. Growing up, Meg’s family is ruled by an abusive, religious fanatic father who dictates every aspect of her life–her choice of clothes, hairstyle, friends, and all her activities. The story takes us through the decades of the 1960s and early 1970s–turbulent times….”; check out full Review HERE.
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“Web of Tyranny”
LAUREL-RAIN SNOW CREATIONS 