*** FIVE STAR REVIEW *** THE LAW OF MOSES by Amy Harmon

If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare.

Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start.

It all happened before I was born, and by the time I met Moses and my mom told me all about him, the story was old news and nobody wanted anything to do with him. People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids, and kids grow up to be teenagers. Nobody wants a messed up teenager.

And Moses was messed up. Moses was a law unto himself. But he was also strange and exotic and beautiful. To be with him would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe I should have listened. My mother warned me. Even Moses warned me. But I didn’t stay away.

And so begins a story of pain and promise, of heartache and healing, of life and death. A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. But most of all...a love story

5 Greats

Reading a book by Amy Harmon

Loving these Characters

Enjoying their Romance

Feeling the emotions

Knowing the story will not have a cliff hanger

I am never disappointment when I read an Amy Harmon book.  She is very talented at weaving a story that takes the reader go through a wide range of emotions.  Ms. Harmon beautifully develops her characters, oh my, her characters… I love the way these characters grab my heart strings and will not let go.  As with every book I’ve read of Amy Harmon the characters and the story is unforgettable.   

First I have to say that this is a book that requires the reader to go into with an open mind.  An open mind is needed to experience all the highs and lows of the story and also, for some, the storyline.  I can’t in good conscience give any more hints because the story needs to unfold for each individual reader. 

Georgia Shepard is the typical small town, Midwest, country girl.  She loves animals, especially horses.  She loves her family and she is a good person through and through.  I adore Georgia.  She has a beautiful heart and soul.  Georgia loves Moses even when he doesn’t want her to love him and Moses tries hard to shut Georgia down. Fortunately the more Georgia knows about Moses the more her love grows regardless of what anyone tells her—including Moses.  I love Georgia’s determination to show Moses that he deserves love.

“No one had ever wanted me, starting from the day I was born.  But Georgia had wanted me.”

Moses Wright is the abandoned son of a crack addict.  We meet him as a teenager.  He is now the grown up crack baby of whom everyone in the small town is a little suspicious.  Moses is different.  Moses is a talented painter of visions. His great grandmother (GiGi) is the only person who understands him until Georgia.  Moses is a distinctive character unlike anyone I’ve read before.  It is easy to see how he grabs Georgia’s heart.  

“So let the water fall. Let it come crashing down. Let it flow through your head and out your eyes. Water is clear when it washes the pain away. Clear when it cleanses. Let it take the colors away.”

Moses is a damaged young man.  He tries to fit in but all he has ever known is getting shuffled from one relative to another.  He only stays in one place until the people with whom he is place get tired of him then they move him on to the next home.  This constant shuffle teaches him not to get attached because it won’t last. 

“If you don’t love then nobody gets hurt.  It’s easy to leave.  It’s easy to lose.  It’s easy to let go.”

It is his fear of love that makes him keep Georgia at arm’s length.  Georgia doesn’t give up even when there is another change for Moses.  As hard as Moses tries to deny it is obvious that he loves Georgia but he is afraid. 

“If I were to paint you, I would use every color.”

What I really like about the story is that it isn’t predictable.  I was surprised by the many twists and turns.  There is also a mystery that is part of the story that continually touches on both Moses and Georgia’s life.  There are chapters told from Moses point of view and chapters seen through Georgia’s eyes.  It is important to get both points of view to clearly see what both characters see and to feel what each character feels.  There is a lot of joy, suspense, angst and tears for the reader to experience with the characters. 

Finally I have to comment on the five greats.  Moses is feeling down and Georgia tells him about the five greats. 

            “Give me five greats.  Five things that are great about today. About life. Go.” 

“Any time you start feeling sorry for yourself or you go into a rant about how bad life sucks, you immediately have to name five greats.”

 I have used the five greats a couple times since I read this book.  It is a good tool if you are feeling down.  I highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a really good story.  Amy’s books are different.  She doesn’t tell the same story over and over again and when she does tell a story it is worth reading. 

5 STAMPS

 

ITUNES

KOBO

Amy Harmon is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in several countries, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written eight novels - including the USA Today Bestsellers, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as The Law of Moses, Infinity + One and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her newest release, The Law of Moses, is now available. For updates on upcoming book releases, author posts and more, join Amy at www.authoramyharmon.com (less)

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