"Enthralling"
In Virgin River, Cameron sadly muses how ironic life is.
He and his former pediatric partners met at the Davenport
Hotel Steak House in Grants Pass while Abby attended a
wedding there. Attracted to one another, they had a fling
that he thought he outgrew and she never had one before.
He sought her out the next day, but she was gone. When
Doc Mullins died, he moved to Virgin River to change his
lifestyle; Abby arrived soon after carrying his twins. He
wants to marry her and raise a family with her, but she
rejects his advances. Marine corporal Rick went to Iraq a boy, but came home
early a shattered man who sees a dark future due to the
leg. Liz who loves him refuses to accept his rejection as
she keeps in her heart what the retired military like Jack
and the General (who misses his Muriel while she is in
Hollywood) told her; those who love a wounded warrior are
wounded too and never leave your loved ones behind.
Others like newcomer Dan pray for a fresh start here as
people before him have achieved; Cheryl who has a past too
gives him hope. Paraphrasing the early 1960s TV show the naked
City, "there are 8 million stories" in the Virgin River
community and Robin Carr nicely balances several of them.
The key to this well written multi-faceted contemporary
tale is the ensemble cast; for instance the eight players
named above are fully developed with different
personalities while other returning citizens enhance the
current tale. Filled with angst and pathos, fans of Robyn
Carr's quiet salute to the veterans will enjoy the latest
trip to Virgin Rover. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted March 29, 2009
SummaryThe moving story about survival, forgiveness — and
the power of love to heal a wounded spirit.
Marine corporal Rick Sudder is home early from Iraq —
his tour ended abruptly on the battlefield. The carefree
boy is gone, replaced by a man who believes his future is as
bleak as his mirror image. But can the passion and
commitment of a young woman who has never given up on him
mend his broken body and shattered heart?
As the people of Virgin River rally around Rick, another
recent arrival tests the tightly knit mountain town's famous
welcoming spirit. Dan Brady has a questionable past, and
he's looking for a place to start over. He'd like it to be
Virgin River...if he can find a way in. But he never
expects to find it in the arms of a woman who was as much an
outcast as himself.
For a favorite son returned from war and an outsider looking
for a home, Virgin River offers them a chance to make peace
with the men they once were...and to find the dreams they
thought they'd lost.
| 
