A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.

Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily’s good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.

A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch.

Emily, reeling from the loss of an unfaithful husband has decided the very best place to recover is a small island she once called home during the summers of her youth. In Bainbridge where her Aunt Bee resides Emily takes a much needed rest and suddenly discovers something much much different. A diary tucked away in the side table of the room she’s staying at reveals a suddenly different past than she had expected from the lives of certain Bainbridge residents. A quiet and unassuming town may hold more secrets than a book could contain, some of which may change Emily’s life forever.

Have you ever read a book that you could feel as you were reading it? I don’t mean the actual physical book with it’s paper and weight in your hands, but what’s held within those pages. This is exactly what happened to me with The Violets of March. As Emily made her way to the sleepy island of Bainbridge I could literally feel the cold wind from the salty seas outside Aunt Bee’s home on the waterfront. I could imagine strolling down the beach with my arms swinging at my sides and breathing deeply that wonderful sea air. It was beyond perfect, it made not only the place Emily was visiting come alive, but it made Emily and eventually Esther come alive as well.

It’s difficult to put into words how exactly I feel about the other portions of the story without giving away too much of the story. The Violets of March is a novel that slowly tugs away at each of your heartstrings making it nearly impossible to put down. The way in which Sarah Jio weaves the varying times and characters makes the story an entirely engrossing read. Portions of the story are told from the pages of a diary Emily finds which actually takes place back in the 1940′s, a time frame I adore, and the remaining parts revolve around Emily coming to terms with her new life without her husband. One of the things I really appreciated about her experience through it all was the sometimes difficult lessons she learned about being prudent and not jumping to conclusions. It’s something I think we could all practice a bit more at and learn to appreciate the value of the phrase “take time to smell the roses.” With the Island of Bainbridge as the background it’s easy to see why you could take time to resist those knee jerk reactions and I’m overjoyed that Emily finally understands that at some point.

There’s something to be said for the characters I’ve come across recently. Nearly every favorite character I’ve had throughout my reading over the last few months has been over the age of 60 or more, and nearly all were women. There is absolutely a way they carry themselves, their grace & charm but also their no-nonsense way of approaching life. All of these fabulous women, Evelyn and Bee from The Violets of March included, have aged beautifully and their kindness shines through the pages of their respective books making them come to life where ever you may be reading. I love it! In The Violets of March though, it’s not only the women who hold my heart but the men as well starting with Henry. His kindness and the way his story plays out through the remaining pages is wonderful.

Not to leave out the younger generation, Emily and her best friend Annabelle certainly have their fill of romance. Though Emily is still recovering from her divorce and trying to move forward her past quickly catches up to her in Bainbridge in the form of two men from her youth. One, a high school sweetheart from her summers there and another an unknown. Her interaction with these two was perfect and in the end I was so pleased with how things ended up, as well as for her friend Annabelle.

As The Violets of March unfolds through the stories of the past and present you will find yourself pulled into these beautiful worlds. Emily’s journey and the discovery of the diary is something that has myself thinking long after I’ve put the book down. Simply a gorgeous debut novel by an author I’m eager to read more of; Sarah Jio is brilliant and will no doubt be writing more novels I can’t help but fall in love with for years to come.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Plume, for providing a copy of The Violets of March for review!

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