Review by Marlene Engel
We’d all like to think that we’d do
“the right thing” in certain situations, but what would you do if you found an
abandoned newborn? That’s exactly what a
New York City man had to ask himself when he found an infant on the ACE subway
platform. Author, Yona Zeldis McDonough,
a Brooklyn native, was so taken by this story that it was the inspiration for
this book.
Miranda was content in the thought
that she may never be a mother. In her
mid-thirties and single, the chances weren’t looking too good. But she had a great job and amazing
friends. Things definitely could be
worse. Her life changed one night when
she was heading home from a night out with the girls. Walking through the subway station, she spied
the usual sights … people running to catch their train, a homeless person
huddling in the corner, but it wasn’t until she saw a little bundle with a foot
sticking out that she stopped to take notice.
At first, she thought maybe it was a doll, but when the foot moved she
knew that she stumbled upon something more than a child’s discarded toy. She found someone’s discarded baby!
After turning the baby over to the
local police, Miranda couldn’t get the thought of that little baby out of her
mind. She went to the court to inquire
about the infant and was shocked when she was asked to consider fostering the
baby. A bit nervous, what did she know
about raising a baby?, she decided to take on the challenge. It didn’t take long for her to fall in love
with this child, whom she named Celeste.
But when a local paper got wind of the story and asked to do an
interview, things got complicated. A man
claiming to be the baby’s father surfaced and was looking to claim his
child. Heartbroken and confused, Miranda
was torn between fighting for the baby that she loved and returning her to the
rightful parent.
As a foster and adoptive parent, this
book spoke volumes to me. I could relate
to much of what Miranda was going through with the inner turmoil of loving a
child unconditionally, yet knowing that they can be taken from you without
question. The joys that a child brings
to your life, and the sorrows of the unknown.
The author does a brilliant job of bringing out real, raw emotions while
making you feel like you’re living the story along with Miranda.
A heart-wrenching story about love,
family, sacrifices … life! Go out and
get this book. You won’t be able to put
it down until you hit the last page!
Purchase the book at:
About the Author:
Yona Zeldis McDonough
is the author of seven novels for adults: THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS, IN DAHLIA'S
WAKE, BREAKING THE BANK (which has been optioned for a film), A WEDDING IN
GREAT NECK, TWO OF A KIND and YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME.
She is also an
award-winning children's book author with 23 children's books to her credit.
THE DOLL SHOP DOWNSTAIRS received a starred review from Jewish Book World
saying that it "will become a classic." In another starred review
Kirkus called the sequel, THE CATS IN THE DOLL SHOP, "a quiet
treasure." THE DOLL WITH THE YELLOW STAR won the 2006 Once Upon a World
Award presented by the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Her most recent book
for children, LITTLE AUTHOR IN THE BIG WOODS: A BIOGRAPHY OF LAURA INGALLS
WILDER, came out from Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt, on September 16, 2014
and her latest in the popular WHO WAS...? series, WHO WAS SOJOURNER TRUTH?, is
forthcoming from Grosset & Dunlap.
For
over a dozen years, Yona has been the Fiction Editor at Lilith Magazine. She
works independently to help aspiring writers polish their manuscripts.
Connect with the
author at:
NALPublicity is giving one lucky winner a print copy of
You Were Meant For Me
a Rafflecopter giveaway
