Obtain Sleep Toward Heaven Developed By Amanda Eyre Ward Issued As Version

never read this author before, Will now look for her other books This was her debut novel written in, Interesting read where three women's lives intersect during a hot Texas summer, One is a librarianand victim,one is a doctor and the other is woman on death row, It was a page turner and hard to put down, By the New York Times bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick The Jetsetters, the impressive debut novel about three disparate women who are irrevocably connected by one crime and a brutal Texas summer on death row.


In Gatestown, Texas, twentynineyearold Karen awaits her execution on Death Row, In Manhattan, Franny Wren, a twentynineyearold doctor, plans her wedding to her college sweetheart and resists the urge to run from a carefully crafted and seemingly satisfying life.
In Austin, Texas, Celia, a brassy young librarian, mourns her murdered husband and struggles to find a sense of self, wholeness and a will to live.


A luminous story of murder and desire, solitude and grace, fate pushes these eerily recognizable women together, culminating in a revelation of the possibility of faith, the responsibility of friendship, the value of life and the execution of a serial murderer.
This captivating, witty but ultimately sad book was one that I read very quickly, It was definitely one that was hard to put down,

Celia, a librarian, is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband years

ago, Franny, a doctor, is unhappy in her longterm relationship, Karen is on death row, The book follows the same period of a few months in each of their lives in an interesting narrative style that changes tense and readerperspective according to the character.


Sleep Toward Heaven describes grief, disillusionment in relationships and life on death row sympathetically and convincingly, The book is well researched and an enjoyable, absorbing read that an easily be devoured in an evening, My only criticism is personally I found the view of the book towards serial killers a little too sympathetic, a little too saccharine that made the ending a little unsatisfying.
This was a good book though I did enjoy How To Be Lost a lot more, The characters in this novel were quite strong, and there was definitely a high emotional appeal, but the plot was very predictable.
The biggest and most shocking drawback to the whole novel was Karen, Her entire crime wave as well as personal life was completely lifted from Aileen Wuornos's life, Ward hardly put any spin on that true story at all other than change Karen's race to make her story unique, I wouldn't have been as upset had Ward acknowledge this inspiration anywhere in the book, Since she did not, it seems a bit life theft, The book came out the same year as the film Monster, so the good ratings of the book are really shocking, unless the Sleep Toward Heaven's release preceded the movie's.
It was wellwritten, and I am glad that I read it, I just wish that Ward had thrown out some sort of acknowledgment that she based Karen of Aileen.
sitelinkHow to Be Lost: A Novel I read Sleep Toward Heaven inand loved it so much I kept the book.
years later, I read it again and loved it even more, I will put it back on my bookshelf because I know I will want to visit these characters again, Powerful, thought provoking, well written, One of the best in a while, The characters were well defined with physical and emotional detail, the predicament of being on death row was one of those things we rarely think about and yet drawing the reader in.
It reminded me of seeing a horrible accident where your pulse races and you know there is blood, you don't want to look but you want to know "what happened are they dead"

I had not read this author before and I must say that I am not a big fan of the change in POV as to each character but I did get past that, obviously because of my rating.


The ending was not at all how I thought it was going to end and yet, so strong and made quite a statement.
The first of Amanda Eyre Ward's novels that I read was actually her most recently publishedSame Sky, In less than ten pages, I was absorbed into the story and awash in her words, My gosh, how I wish I'd been able to write the way this amazing author does! Since I'd read her latest novel first, I chose to read her very first novel next, this oneSleep Toward Heaven.
Turning that last page was for me, as it was previously, a bittersweet experience, a mixture of regret and satisfaction coupled with an intense appreciation of the human spirit, that I've not felt from my reading in quite some time.
I've just made a library request for another of her novelsHow to be Lost, I hope it will be available soon! A very postmodern book, if only in its undertones, This was a surprisingly quick read which I devoured in a single afternoon, This engrossing plot features a triangle between three women: a prisoner on Death Row, a doctor, and a librarian, At first, the three narratives seem to be randomly thrown together, but their connection is revealed soon enough, You won't be able to put it down after that,

As a native Texan, I enjoyed the wellresearched bits about Huntsville, the prisons, and the death sentence, Texas executes more people than any other state, and middle schools statewide make the field trip / pilgrimage to the Huntsville museum where Old Sparky is retired.
From an early age, we learn about the lethal injection and the gruesome details of how exactly an executionviaelectric chair works, I recently went to the museum as an adult and was horrified to see a gift shop tshirt featuring Old Sparky, with the slogan "Riding Thunder.
" That is fucked.

Ward is obviously not from Texas, but this fact, obviously, does not take away from the quality of her writing, which is wellresearched and written in lovely prose.
However, her opinions on the death penalty go against everything most Texans believe, Her characters do not reflect the average Texan, Here, the death penalty is not just a policy, but a part of religion, Just like gun rights.

Ward devalues the death penalty, As in, what good would this woman's death do What good could come from killing this woman We look at this woman's life before prison and sympathize with her plight, but Ward seems to be advocating that justice is relative.
Her character is a murderer, but she had such a tragic life, surely we can judge the murder in a different life

The death penalty is not a cruel and unusual punishment.
. . There are many arguments made about its cruelty, but as for unusual, it's definitely not, because we do it! A lot, Especially in Texas. This is a common punishment, Common! If you tip the scales of justice, they must be righted again, Ward questions this sentiment with grace, No bells and whistles here just some fine storytelling about three seemingly unconnected women a doctor, a widow, and a death row inmate.


Ward's story is involving and unforgettable,.

Three very different women are connected by an impending execution at the Huntsville Prison in Texas, Karen “the Highway Honey” is on death row for the series of murders she committed in an effort to keep her young lover supplied with heroin.
Celia is a lost and emotionally drained librarian and widow, whose husband was murdered, Franny left the small Texas town years ago for boarding school, making her life in New York as a doctor, Reeling from the recent death of one of her pediatric patients, she leaves her fiancé behind to return to Texas when her last relative, Uncle Jack, dies suddenly, and winds up taking over his job as prison physician.
All three are emotionally disconnected and fragile, The novel spans one hot Texas summer and is told in alternating chapters by each of the three women,

Karens background story is obviously based on that of Aileen Wuornos who was executed in Florida for the robbery/murders she committed there, with very little effort to change the circumstances.
She might have been any murderer, why borrow such a recognizable back story The novel is set in the fictional Gatestown, which is obviously a standin for the real Gatesville in which the Mountain View Unit for female Death Row prisoners is actually located.
Why bother to change the name if its going to be so similar The book mentions that this is about ahour drive to Hunstville, where the executions actually take place, yet hordes of people show up “for the execution.
” This confused me wouldnt they go to Huntsville But enough quibbling over small details they were distractions, yes, but not major flaws.


This book surprised me, Despite the emotional distance of the three central characters, there was an immediacy to the writing and I found myself completely drawn into their combined story.
Their tale of grief, loneliness, longing and forgiveness has a universality about it despite the unique circumstances of each, Karen and her fellow inmates on Death Row try to create some sort of “family” out of their shared experience as they wait for their respective execution dates.
Celia stumbles through her days trying to find a way back to life, afraid to hold anyone close again after losing Henry in such a violent and sudden way.
She insists she is “fine” and proves it by buying a new bikini “Isnt that what normal women do”, but her therapist feels that she has not really faced her rage yet.
Franny is perhaps the most closedoff character and I had a very hard time with her, Of the three, she seems to be the one most damaged, going through the motions and sedating herself with alcohol, Her actions make little sense to me, but I was glad that she was finally able to acknowledge some love and personal connection.


The ending was emotionally charged for the characters, but I felt a little manipulated, The women didnt seem to understand their own motives and, frankly, neither did I, And I thought the “resolution” was contrived and convenient, Still, this was a pretty good debut effort and I will certainly read more of this authors works,
Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. This novel follows three women who seemingly have very different stories but ultimately wind up coming together in a moment that changes their lives forever.
Each chapter is told from one of their perspectives, and the voice for each is clear and distinguishable, The way the author uses tense and person really sets the idea that the people we're reading about are more than just characters.
Though they are fictional, they feel real,

Some tough stuff is tackled here, Forgiveness, death, letting go, and purpose, They're all heavy topics, and you don't think the novel would end the way it does, but I'm so glad it does.
I don't want to give away spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that!

Overall, I highly recommend, It's a really quick read, but it's gorgeous from beginning to end, The only reason for two for this book is that it really gave my book club a lot to discuss however, it was the topic of the book not the book itself that led to all the discussion.
I personally felt the book was a little weak, I didn't like the character of Franny at all difficult to believe she was a doctor she was so wishy washy and tremulous all the time.


No matter how hard the author tried to make the reader feel sorry for the girls on death row, I just can't waste my sorrow and patience on someone who kills people no matter how poorly they were treated growing up.
Everyone has a story get over it and get on with living, I hate bleeding hearts . do I believe in the death penalty I don't think so but life in prison without parole should do it, Sorry for the band wagon this is mostly what my book club discussed rather than the book!

Wow, a few months ago, I didn't even post reviews because I didn't like to have my opinions influence readers one way or another, and now I find myself ranting!! Sorry.
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