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Review: Ashes

ASHES by Steven Manchester

As an author, Steven Manchester is amazing! I have read all his novels and although each one is wonderful, he keeps continually improving. In my opinion, Ashes is an outstanding novel and his best so far. As all his novels, this tells the story of people in moral conflict. In Ashes, two estranged brothers are forced into making a cross county road trip to fulfill their father’s last wishes. At the start of the trip, they loathe each other because of real and imagined slights that occurred as children. Raised by their father who was an alcoholic and abuser and never knowing their mother, all they had was each other till their twisted father managed to destroy that. Forced to share endless hours in each other’s company, they are driven to face their childhood demons that have followed them into adulthood.

This is one of Mr. Manchester’s finest novels. His character development is thorough, leaving the reader believing they personally know the brothers. The storyline is fast moving, filled with expressive situations that keep you turning pages, wanting to discover the emotional hurts driving their adversarial relationship and thrilling physical adventures that they must work together to resolve.

This book can be read and enjoyed by teens though adults but because of the adult situations, it is directed at an older audience. If you are a fan of Steven Manchester, you will definitely want to read this book, you will love it. If this is your first introduction to his work, you will find a compelling story that evokes strong emotions with the thought provoking situations presented. Just a word of warning, after you read this book, you will find his books are addicting and you will want to read them all!

Synopsis:

Middle-aged brothers Jason and Tom Prendergast thought they were completely done with each other. Perceived betrayal had burned the bridge between them, tossing them into the icy river of estrangement. But life – and death – has a robust sense of irony, and when they learn that their cruel father has died and made his final request that they travel together across the country to spread his ashes, they have no choice but to spend a long, long car trip in each other's company. It's either that or lose out on the contents of the envelope he's left with his lawyer. The trip will be as gut-wrenching as each expects it to be . . . and revealing in ways neither of them is prepared for.

At turns humorous, biting, poignant, and surprisingly tender, Ashes puts a new spin on family and dysfunction with a story that is at once fresh and timelessly universal.

Book Details Genre: Fiction Published by: The Story Plant Publication Date: February 21st 2017 Number of Pages: 260 Purchase Links: Amazon:

Exerpt:

Author Bio:

Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin’ Chair, Pressed Pennies, and Gooseberry Island as well as the novels Goodnight, Brian and The Changing Season. His work has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s The Early Show, CNN’s American Morning, and BET’s Nightly News. Recently, three of Manchester’s short stories were selected “101 Best” for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Find Steven on his Website, on Twitter, & on Facebook!

Steven Manchester is on Tour February 19 - April 21, 2017

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