A small French town is consumed by a witch hunt. Nobody is safe from the power-hungry men, who will accuse anyone who stands in their way of witchcraft. I’ve read many stories about the witch trials here in the U.S., but didn’t know that this went on in Europe as well.

This book has to be one of my favorite books of all time. I don’t remember when I first read it–middle school maybe? But every few years, I dig it out and rediscover it again. I’d be hard-pressed to describe exactly what I like best about this book. Overall I’d say that I love the Nolan family, who struggles not only to survive, but thrive, against great odds. But my favorite scene in the book is definitely when Francie retreats to her shady apartment balcony on a peaceful Saturday afternoon with a glass of ice water, a bowl of candy, a comfortable pillow, and of course, a good book. Does it get any better than that?

Janey is severely injured in a car accident, and her parents are killed. Janey and her little sister must then go to live with their grandpa and great-aunt. Immediately, Janey’s sister seems to forget about their parents, and Janey’s aunt is focused on suing and getting money. Janey makes it her mission to help her sister remember their real family, but at the same time, Janey must learn to cope with her memories of the accident, and with the realities of her new life.

Dilly’s mother died when Dilly was 6. Now that she’s 12, Dilly has few memories of her own about her mother. What she does have is a life full of “traditions” that are being kept to honor her mother’s memory. Dilly is tired of doing things to make her mother happy. When Dilly learns about a letter that her mother wrote to her for Dilly to read when she was older, Dilly decides to find the letter and tear it up, before she can read any more decrees from her mother. This was a good book, but nothing spectacular.

When Christine’s fiance calls off the wedding, her friend Jessica decides that Christine needs a change of scenery. So together, the two women travel to Peru on a missions trip. There, Christine meets Paul, a doctor who has dedicated his life to helping the orphans of Peru.

I have always enjoyed Evans’ novels. True, they are quite sentimental, but the plot is usually entertaining. The Sunflower wasn’t what I was hoping for. It really felt like a cleaned-up version of a Danielle Steele novel, with a predictable, unrealistic plot and a nice tidy ending.

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