Wednesday, July 2, 2014

I can't recommend Invisible Ellen by Shari Shattuck enough. I just have to share a few things about this wonderfully heartfelt (it can be sad yet also comforting) novel. 

from Booklist magazine:

Ellen Homes lives a quiet life, working nights as a custodian at the local Costco and spending days holed up inside her small apartment. Overweight, socially stunted, and burdened with a facial scar received during childhood at the hands of her abusive mother, Ellen is comfortable letting the world go by without her. But when she witnesses an attempted mugging, she discovers hidden strengths when she single-handedly chases away the perpetrator. The result is an unexpected relationship with the victim, a young blind woman, Temerity, and her brother, Justice. The women become fast friends and find their experiences with crime have inspired a greater need to help the underserved. The two become involved in a variety of escapades, including helping Ellen’s pregnant neighbor connect with her relatives, solving the attempted murder of a local drug dealer, and uncovering an international crime ring at Costco. In her seventh novel, Shattuck (Lethal, 2005) delivers strong, well-balanced characters and clever dialogue, making this both a fun read and a satisfying story of personal transformation. --Carol Gladstein


Praise for Invisible Ellen
“A sweet comedy about a lonely young woman who discovers she has a talent for righting wrongs.” —Good Housekeeping

“An upbeat, entertaining survival story about the souls of lost human beings often ignored by society. With her well-drawn characterizations and distinctive protagonists, she shows how lives can be profoundly transformed through unlikely human connections.”
Shelf Awareness

“Shattuck delivers strong, well-balanced characters and clever dialogue, making this both a fun read and a satisfying story of personal transformation.”
—Booklist

"Invisible Ellen is a heartfelt and moving portrait of life on the sidelines.  It is a book for anyone who has ever felt they didn't count.  And who hasn't felt that way at least once?  A lovely, compelling novel about a woman you won't soon forget."
—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Fly Away

“Look out world, a new dynamic duo is in town!  Ellen and Temerity sparkle on the page in this tale of unlikely friendships, heartbreak, paying it forward and taking a stand!”
—Gena Showalter, author of Beauty Awakened

“Ellen is the most unique, well crafted heroine I have ever had the pleasure of taking a journey with. Every character jumps out at you in full bright color and is utterly unique. It moves me to think about how many "invisible" people this book will touch and make stronger.”
—Claudia Christian, actress on Babylon 5



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