AMARYLLIS IN BLUEBERRY by Christina Meldrum

AMARYLLIS IN BLUEBERRY

By Christina Meldrum

Available here on Amazon

A book review for 

Food for Thought, 

a delicious blog for readers with 

an appetite for the written word.

Amaryllis symbolizes 

success that comes from struggle.  

The beauty of an amaryllis comes 

from deep within the bloom and

 thus represents beauty from within.

"The word "amaryllis" 

comes from the Greek word "amaryssein," 

which means to sparkle,"  referring to the bloom.  

Today, the amaryllis symbolizes 

pride, determination and radiant beauty 

- the kind that emanates from 

an inner source and flowers outward."

"In Greek mythology, Amaryllis was a shepherdess who loved Alteo, a shepherd with Hercules' strength and apollo's beauty.  However, Alteo only loved flowers.  He'd often said that he would only love a girl who brought him a new flower.  So, Amaryllis dressed in maiden's white and appeared at Alto's door for 30 nights, each time piercing her heart with a golden arrow.  When Alteo finally opened his door, he found a crimson flower, sprung from the blood of Amaryllis's heart."

Meaning and information above quoted from ehow.com 

Set in the mid 1970s, this is the story of a dysfunctional family, "a head-in-the-fog family" that lives with a life of deception. The father is obsessed with his catholic faith, and the mother is obsessed with the world of Greek Mythology.  Their three oldest daughters are named for the Virgin Mary, and the youngest named, Amaryllis, after the shepherdess who loved Alteo.   

~ Love ~ betrayal ~ faith ~ disbelief ~ redemption ~ 

fill the pages of this book.  

The Slepy Family

~ Dick ~

 the father, a physician, a devout catholic 

~ Senna ~

 the selfish mother, steeped in a world of Greek Mythology

~ Mary Grace ~

eldest daughter, both beautiful and ambitious

~ Mary Catherine ~

overtly pios, insecure, vain

~ Mary Tessa ~

headstrong, rebellious, eager to live for the moment

~ Amaryllis ~

youngest child who was born in a blueberry patch

a synesthete 

"who sees what can't be seen, 

smells what can't be smelled,

 and knows what can't be known"

"In a West African village, Seena Slepy stands trial for the murder of her husband, Dick, a doctor who brought his family from their home in the United States to do humanitarian work.  How Seena got to the crossroads, with her fate hanging in the balance, is told in a series of flashbacks.  Richly atmospheric, Amaryllis in Blueberry is a stirring, soulful novel about the intricacies of human relationships and the haunting nature of secrecy."    Christiana Meldrum

I read this book over a two day period, at times having difficulty sticking with it while at the same time mesmerized by Meldrum's dynamic writing style and the complex emotional drama that each new page offered.   Christiana Meldrum is a talented author.  If you are looking for a book that will stir your emotions, pick up a copy of AMARYLLIS IN BLUEBERRY.

You can find more reviews of this book below:

Jain @ Food for Thought

Mary @ Home is Where the Boat Is


Yvette @ Yvette's Twistedvines