Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Willing Spirits: Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tour

When MaAnna from Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours contacted me about hosting a tour for Phyllis Schieber’s book Willing Spirits, I immediately jumped at the chance. I read and reviewed Schieber’s last book Sinner’s Guide to Confession a couple months ago, and LOVED it (read my review!), so I was excited to see what she had to offer this time. I was NOT disappointed!!!

This story has so much to offer! It really is a strong novel about different relationships, friendships between women, relationships between lovers, and the relationship between parents and their children. Schieber has a gift when it comes to portraying women’s friendships. The primary characters in this novel are long time friends Jane and Gwen, and Schieber does an amazing job in relaying the comfort that comes with having a friend who knows you and has been there through the good and bad. There is no judging, just unconditional love and support. Sometimes these relationships can come across as fake and unbelievable, but I felt that these characters, as well as the supporting characters, were real people dealing with real life situations.

We also get to spend some time with both Jane and Gwen in their pasts, so see how they came to be the women they are. Their relationships with their own parents, their relationships with their husbands and insight in to how they grew up are all introduced in order to give the reader a better understanding of their current decisions and reactions to what is going on around them.

Phyllis Schieber has written a beautiful novel about the importance and significance of female friendships. I highly recommend this novel!!

Please feel free to leave a comment!! Each comment on any of the blogs in the tour will offer a chance to win a free copy of Willing Spirits or The Sinner’s Guide to Confession. A couple of people who make a real impression on Phyllis during the tour will be chosen to win a free book.

To follow this tour, click here!!

About Phylis Schieber:

The first great irony of my life was that I was born in a Catholic hospital. My parents, survivors of the Holocaust, had settled in the South Bronx among other new immigrants. In the mid-fifties, my family moved to Washington Heights. The area offered scenic views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, as well as access to Fort Tryon Park and the mysteries of the Cloisters. I graduated from George Washington High School. I graduated from high school at sixteen, went on to Bronx Community College, transferred to and graduated from Herbert H. Lehman College with a B.A. in English and a New York State license to teach English. I earned my M.A. in Literature from New York University and later my M.S. as a developmental specialist from Yeshiva University. I have worked as a high school English teacher and as a learning disabilities specialist. My first novel , Strictly Personal, for young adults, was published by Fawcett-Juniper. Willing Spirits was published by William Morrow. My most recent novel, The Sinner’s Guide to Confession, was released by Berkley Putnam. In March 2009, Berkley Putnam will issue the first paperback publication of Willing Spirits.

6 comments:

Phyllis Schieber said...

Thanks so much for the review. I am delighted that you enjoyed WILLING SPIRITS and felt connected to the characters. What more could I ask for?

bermudaonion said...

Sounds great. I love to read about friendships between women.

Serena said...

Wow, I guess these reviews are making me more interested in the novel as I go along. Thanks for this great review. I really liked Sinner's guide as well.

Phyllis Schieber said...

Hi bermudaonion! I'm glad to see you.

Aha! You see, Serena! We are luring you in! Glad to see that you are coming around.

Anonymous said...

i saw this book featured on another blog and loveloveloved the cover! the other blogger had only good things to say too! i'd love to get my hands on a copy...adding it to my TBR pile. i haven't read anything by this author YET...but plan to now. thanks for the tip!

Vi (pronounced Vy) said...

i've also been to dachau.

she
www.shebecameabutterfly.net