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Jude Deveraux's "As You Wish" is a heartwarming and enchanting tale that effortlessly blends contemporary issues with a touch of the fantastical. The novel centers around three very different women – Olivia, Kathy, and Elise – who find themselves unexpectedly brought together at a summerhouse in Virginia. Each woman carries her own burden of regret and dissatisfaction, stemming from pivotal choices made in their past.Book Description
One fateful summer, three very different women find themselves together in Summer Hill, Virginia, where they find they have much more in common than they realized…
Though each of them wound up at the Summerhouse for separate reasons, it’s not long before they begin to open up about their regrets, their wishes and their dreams. And when they’re presented with the opportunity of a lifetime—a chance to right the wrongs of their past—all three discover what can happen when dreams really do come true.
About Jude Deveraux
The oldest of four children, Jude grew up in a tiny town outside Louisville, Kentucky. She studied art at Murray State University, specializing in fiber arts and ceramics. She was also on the varsity rifle team. After graduation, she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, hoping to work in the arts, but such jobs weren’t easy to find. For years she taught fifth grade and in the summers she took graduate courses at the University of New Mexico.
Every Friday she went to a bookstore, bought two fat paperback novels, and stayed up all night reading them. One night, both books were rape sagas. The “hero” raped a woman until she said she loved him. Jude turned out the light and thought If I read the perfect book, what would the plot be?
She began thinking about the story, complete with characters and dialogue. The sun came up, and she was still plotting in her mind. Three days of no sleep went by and the story was all she could think about. She thought that if she wrote down what was in her mind, it might stop. She bought a binder and some lined school paper and began to write.
Instead of going away, the story kept growing.
Meanwhile, she had a job and household responsibilities that took up all her time.
It was nearly two years before she finished the novel. Since it was all handwritten, she paid her next-door neighbor’s teenage daughter to type the pages. They came back bent and stained but readable.
Jude laughs now at her naiveté. She didn’t know you were “supposed” to get an agent before sending a book to a publishing house. She just packed it up and sent it to Avon Books, because they had pretty covers.
About a month later, she received a letter from them asking if they could please publish her book and send her money. The next day she quit her teaching job and started writing full time.
Jude has published over seventy novels, including A Knight in Shining Armor, The Summerhouse, The Girl From Summer Hill, and countless stories involving the Montgomery and Taggert families. She has over sixty-million books in print in eighteen languages. In 2013, Jude was recognized by Romantic Times with the Pioneer Award, a special recognition given to her as a pioneer in the romance genre.
Besides writing, Jude loves to travel the world and photograph her adventures. She swears she writes better on a cruise ship than she does on land. She’s lived in several states as well as England and Cairo, Egypt. Her other passions include boxing (she has a mean right cross) and weight lifting. She still writes all her novels by hand and watches English TV shows while she types her work.
When she’s back in the States, Jude lives in South Florida in a house filled with art from around the world. If she’s not traveling — and writing — she can be found in her comfy writing chair, in her screened-in patio, or driving around in her MINI Cooper.
My Thoughts
Jude Deveraux's "As You Wish" is a heartwarming and enchanting tale that effortlessly blends contemporary issues with a touch of the fantastical. The novel centers around three very different women – Olivia, Kathy, and Elise – who find themselves unexpectedly brought together at a summerhouse in Virginia. Each woman carries her own burden of regret and dissatisfaction, stemming from pivotal choices made in their past.
Deveraux skillfully crafts relatable characters facing genuine challenges. Olivia grapples with lost years after a difficult first marriage, Kathy confronts the painful reality of her husband's unrequited love, and Elise navigates a stifling marriage orchestrated by her wealthy parents. Their initial interactions are marked by vulnerability and a shared sense of longing for a different life.
The narrative takes a captivating turn when the women are presented with an extraordinary opportunity: a chance to revisit a significant three-week period in their past, armed with the knowledge of their present. This premise allows Deveraux to explore the "what ifs" of life in a compelling way, examining how altering past decisions can lead to unexpected and transformative outcomes.
While the element of time travel introduces a touch of magic, the core of the story lies in the women's emotional journeys of self-discovery and empowerment. They confront past hurts, re-evaluate their desires, and ultimately learn valuable lessons about love, loss, and the courage to forge their own happiness. Deveraux's engaging storytelling and warm characterizations make "As You Wish" a delightful read that lingers in the mind long after the final page.
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