Archive: Broken for You

This book is about two women, Margaret Hughes and Wanda Schultz who find friendship in a different way than most. Both women have dark secrets that they don't want to share. This book takes place in Seattle. The author is Stephanie Kallos. page.'''



Plot Summary
When we meet septuagenarian Margaret Hughes, she is living alone in a mansion in Seattle with only a massive collection of valuable antiques for company. Enter Wanda Schultz, a young woman with a broken heart who has come west to search for her wayward boyfriend. Both women are guarding dark secrets and have spent many years building up protective armor against the outside world. But as the two begin their tentative dance of friendship, the armor begins to fall away with Margaret opens her house to the younger woman. This launches a series of remarkable and unanticipated events, leading Margaret to discover a way to redeem her cursed past, and Wanda to learn the true purpose of her cross-country journey. Along the way, a famous mosaic artist is born, and an old woman is reunited with her long-lost tea set, and a sad-eyed drifter finds his long-lost daughter. Taylor Back 14 16:27, 2 November 2011 (MDT)

Characters

 * Margaret Hughes is one main character who has a malignant brain tumor and refuses treatment.

Taylor Back 14 21:12, 8 November 2011 (MST)
 * Wanda Schultz is the other main character who moves in with Margaret and doesn’t know about Margaret’s illness. She was left when she was a kid.

Themes
1. You can build a close friendship from nothing.

2. You can help others with their happiness, which can lead you to yours.

3. Be kind to everyone you meet, because they’re fighting a battle too. Taylor Back 14 21:14, 8 November 2011 (MST)

Symbols
1. “You’re part of this intense family for a while, and then everyone moves on.” I think this is a symbol for love and abandonment. I think this because Wanda was abandoned as a child and these were her words.

2. “Be happy, we’re worth more broken.” I think this is a symbol for moving on. When you’re broken, you don’t want to move forward, but with encouragement, you can get there.

3. “Wanda suddenly knew that she had found a home with someone who was as deeply aggrieved and crazy as she was.” I think this is a symbol for comfort. When you know you’re not the only one, it helps everything.

Taylor Back 14 21:16, 8 November 2011 (MST)

Significant Quotes
1. “Love? It's when you don't give a thought to all the ifs and want-to's in the world. It's when if all the fires of hell were between you, you'd walk in them gladly to be with him, and sing with joy at your own burnin' if only his kiss was on your mouth.” -- It’s showing that there is no greater thing than love. It shows that you’d do anything for that one person you love so much you could never be away from them.

2. “Less is less. Heartbreak is heartbreak. You think I’m sitting here gloating. Telling myself that my suffering beats yours? Hurt is hurt. You don’t measure these things.” -- It’s saying that pain is pain, no matter how bad. Your pain can be ten times worse than mine, but we’re both still in pain. You telling me that your pain is worse isn’t going to make either one of us painless, so there is so since is gloating.

3. “We’re more valuable broken.” -- I think this means that when we let someone in, while we are still broken, it means more than if we let someone in before heart break. Taylor Back 14 21:22, 8 November 2011 (MST)

Reviews
My wife read this book in one gulp, so to speak, and said, 'You must read this. You may find it a little too "girly," but I think you'll really like it anyhow.' Well, she was certainly right about my liking it. And it wasn't too 'girly,' either; although the main characters are women, the interactions, the plot twists, the quirkiness of all the characters, and the unexpectedness of their inner lives made it all fascinating to me. -J Scott Morrison http://www.amazon.com/Broken-You-Stephanie-Kallos/dp/0802142109<\ref>

I would give the first half of this book 5 stars. Stephanie Kallos is a talented writer, and I found myself caught up the story to the point that I didn't want to put the book down. And then I got past Part One. And that's when my troubles with this novel began. -sb-lynn ref>http://www.amazon.com/Broken-You-Stephanie-Kallos/dp/0802142109<\ref> ~