Tides of the Heart

January 4, 1999
Stone (Birthday Girls) shines up a familiar plot with mature characters, riveting narrative and some surprising twists. As a teen, Jessica Bates had been forced by her unforgiving father to put up her baby daughter for adoption. Now, 30 remorseful years later, Jess receives a message: "I am your baby--the one you gave up. Isn't it time we met?" Assisted by her old pal Ginny, with whom she shares a horrifying past, Jess begins a search for her daughter that takes her to a quaint hotel on Martha's Vineyard. The events that follow (family truths revealed, love ignited and re-ignited, personal healing) are the stuff of much women's fiction, but Stone's graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters make this one a standout.