Eighteen-year-old Sondra, or “Sunny,” has recently graduated from high school. After their single mom passed away, Sunny assumed the legal guardianship of her half sister Amanda, or “Mandy,” who is eight years old. The story begins in June, when the girls move from New York City to a small mountain town in Western Maryland. They have been given two properties that belonged to Mandy’s father, whom they have never met. Matters become complicated for Sunny when her little sister longs to continue with her ballet training. The child is an exceptionally gifted dancer and a natural, charismatic little superstar, while Sunny is a quiet, studious, hardworking girl who is still uncertain about the direction that her life will take.
With the capable assistance of the many new friends that the sisters have met in the small town, in addition to their good friends back in New York City, Sunny puts aside her own interests and goals to manage Mandy’s career. However, she draws comfort – and realizes her eventual destiny – through restful, solitary excursions to a small house in the forest called “The Hut,” one of the properties given to the two girls. Here she discovers the natural wonders of the surrounding forest and the incomprehensible number of stars in the deep night sky.
The twofold mystery of The Garland is revealed near the end of the story. One part of the mystery makes complete sense to Sunny, while she is astonished by the second more personal meaning.
Genre: YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Performing Arts / GeneralThe Garland was published on November 14 and 15, 2018, so it is a very recent publication. It is doing well so far and has received reviews on Amazon and Readers' Favorite, but I have not yet received a report or sales receipts from Amazon - it is still too soon. The Kindle eBook and paperback book are so far indicating sales in "units." I have requested an Audio Book with ACX.com.
The Garland Segment for Translation into German
Along came the car, driven by the man in the overalls and the red hat. They had not gone far when he parked in front of the house. The house faced east and was situated in the middle of a slightly elevated grassy hill that was separated from the sidewalk by a small concrete wall covered with vines in blossom. In the nearest patch of grass was a mailbox on which the names Everett and Davison had been painted. The yard was shaded by several large trees. Some concrete steps took them up to the sidewalk leading to the house. The house was constructed mostly of bricks. There was a small front porch with two white metal chairs and several pots of flowers. The man opened the screen door and helped Sunny open the front door, as she was using her keys for the first time. Then he retrieved the suitcases and backpack from the trunk of the car.
Beyond the small entrance foyer was a bright living room with two large windows covered with attractive shades. The room was sparsely furnished but the furniture was pleasant and appeared clean. The floors were wood and still attractive, although their original glaze had dulled. To the left was a staircase to the second floor, and beyond the staircase, also to the left, was a large room that might have been a bedroom but was empty of furniture. Sunny saw that it had a small bathroom. A dining room with a table and matching chairs separated the living room from the kitchen. The dining room also had a small table and chair for the telephone.
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by JARDEL BAUMHARDT
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Author review: Insofar as I can determine without knowing the Portuguese language, this is an excellent translation, by Jardel Baumhardt. I followed the translation carefully, next to every page of the English book, comparing the two languages, and found the Portuguese translation to be complete. Also, the excellent work was done in a fairly short period of time. Martha Keltz |
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Celeste M. M.
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Author review: The translation of The Garland into Spanish was very accurate and true to the original. I had carefully compared the Spanish to the English and found nothing to be lacking. The book was also quickly translated by Celeste Mayorga, who is obviously very fluent in both the English and Spanish languages. Many thanks to Celeste Mayorga and Babelcube for making The Garland - La Guirnalda - available to Spanish readers. |
