Song I Knew by Heart - by Bret Lott (Paperback)

About the Book

Inspired by the Biblical story from the book of Ruth, this novel is a beautiful exploration of the power of love and family, of the ravages of grief and regret, and of the strength of the mother-daughter bond.

Book Synopsis

During a cold Massachusetts winter, a tragic car accident leaves a mother childless and her daughter-in-law a widow. Naomi and Ruth are now each other's only comfort. Naomi lost her own husband eight years ago, and now she has lost her son. Carrying a deep secret in her soul, Naomi decides to return to her childhood home in coastal South Carolina. When she tells Ruth her plan, she receives an unexpected reply: "Where you go, I will go." So the two women plan the journey together, arriving at a place that is flooded with a love they are nearly too fragile to accept. Surrounded by the warmth of their newfound family, Naomi and Ruth begin to find themselves reawakened-and open to the possibility of redemption.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR BRET LOTT
"A beautifully crafted first-person epic of one poor Southern woman's personal duel with God . . . This is a voice we don't want to stop hearing. . . . Some of the tenderest scenes of family love since those in Dickens."
--"Chicago Tribune
"Lott is one of the most important and imaginative writers in America today. His eye for detail is unparalleled; his vision--where he looks--is like no one else's in this country."
--"Los Angeles Times
"Bret Lott has a gift for making the ordinary seem luminous. In Jewel, he applies his art to a broad canvas and produces what may stand as his masterpiece. . . . Lott matches the honest strength of his characters with that of his prose. His Jewel is a force of nature, her story rising out of a perfect, seamless union of teller and tale."
--"The Boston Globe