Music and Memories Heal Family Wounds in Dynamic New Novel

April 20, 2009 - PRLog -- Generational differences and old family wounds are overcome by the power of music and memories in Lynda Fitzgerald’s “Of Words & Music” (ISBN 9781594147760, Five Star/Gale/Cengage, 2009).

Lilah Kimball is a widow in her sixties with no one for company except a controlling son and her best friend and housekeeper, Marabet. When Lilah learns her estranged daughter, Elizabeth, has been killed in an accident, she suddenly discovers she has a twelve-year old granddaughter. Bethany is now an orphan—and Lilah and her son are the only known relatives. Lilah is not happy about this situation, but she agrees to take the girl in temporarily.

Lilah warns Marabet that having Bethany is a trial run for the summer while the social worker looks for a permanent home for the girl. But slowly, Lilah begins to develop feelings for Bethany, as she also remembers her daughter and comes to terms with how she allowed her husband to prevent her from seeing Elizabeth. Bethany is also coming to terms with her mother’s loss. Elizabeth’s piano and her diaries that Bethany finds in the attic allow Bethany to grieve for her mother.

Elizabeth’s diaries also provide Bethany with an understanding of the woman Lilah used to be. When Lilah and Bethany start taking piano lessons, they bond through their love of music and memories of Elizabeth. Slowly, Lilah and Bethany’s relationship grows closer. Then the social worker discovers a secret about Bethany’s past that threatens to shatter the fragile bond between Lilah and her granddaughter.

“Of Words & Music” is a story of a family’s love, loss, and renewal. Lynda Fitzgerald skillfully weaves the lives of three generations of women together through their words, writing, memories, and love of music. Lilah, Bethany, Elizabeth, and Marabet are memorable characters because of their flaws and limitations, their motivations, fears, courage to overcome their fears, and ability to open their hearts to love. Get a box of Kleenex and prepare to fall in love with the women in “Of Words & Music.”

About the Author
Lynda Fitzgerald has been writing all her life. She studied creative writing at both Georgia Perimeter College, where she was the winner of a Creative Writing Scholarship, and at Emory University. Her short story, “And We'll Call Him Jeff,” was published in the DeKalb Literary Arts Journal. Her debut novel, “If Truth Be Told” was published in June 2007. When Lynda isn't writing, she can usually be found curled up with a book written by one of her many favorite authors. Lynda resides in Snellville, Georgia, a small suburb of Atlanta.

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