Book Review: "Amaryllis in Blueberry" by Christina Meldrum

Title: Amaryllis in Blueberry

Author: Christina Meldrum

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN, PUB Date: 978-1-4391-5689-6, February 8, 2011

Reviewed by: Jennifer Shaw for Author Exposure

When I received Amaryllis in Blueberry for review, I was drawn to the simplicity and beauty of the front cover. After reading the back cover synopsis, I thought this book sounded quite interesting. The idea of being uprooted from life as you know it, only to be plunged head first into a culture you don't understand is definitely an intriguing thought. Can you imagine how you would feel or react if this happened?

The following is an excerpt from the publisher's book synopsis:

Meet the Slepys: Dick, the stern doctor, the naive husband, a man devoted to both facts and faith; Seena, the storyteller, the restless wife, a mother of four, a lover of myth. And their children, the Marys: Mary Grace, the devastating beauty; Mary Tessa, the insistent inquisitor; Mary Catherine, the saintly, lost soul; and finally, Amaryllis, Seena's unspoken favorite, born with the mystifying ability to sense the future, touch the past and distinguish the truth tellers from the most convincing liar of all.

When Dick insists his family move from Michigan to the unfamiliar world of Africa for missionary work, he can't possibly foresee how this new land and its people will entrance and change his daughters - and himself - forever.

Nor can he predict how Africa will spur his wife Seena toward an old but unforgotten obsession. In fact, Seena may be falling into a trance of her own...

The four sisters really aren't exactly four Marys to me, as described in the publisher’s synopsis. Amaryllis is more the dark secret that everyone wants to ignore. The fact that she is so different from the rest of the family seems to be what separates her from them.

Only after reading this book did I realize that Meldrum has ties to both Michigan and Africa. Looking back, it is easy to see the authenticity of her descriptions of the Dipo ritual, the African community, and what something as simple as your name symbolizes. Meldrum's life experiences from childhood to adulthood are diffused throughout the pages and characters of Amaryllis in Blueberry.

Overall, I felt that the African culture, as well as the experiences each of the young girls had, was entertaining and intriguing. The writing was great and the plot unfolded nicely, but just didn't keep me enthralled. While I applaud the author for putting a touch of herself into the story, I just felt like this really wasn't the book for me. That said, I do think it would be a great selection for book groups. The religious aspects, family dynamics, and things the family experienced in Africa would all make excellent topics for discussion.