Writing Contest and Giveaway Winner

In honor of Mother's Day and in particular of mothers and daughters everywhere, Jennie Nash, author of The Threadbare Heart, sponsored a Mother's Day Writing Contest on a number of blogs. (For the rules and details, see my announcement post.)

I am so pleased to announce the winner of the contest for Beth Fish Reads: Congratulations to Pam from Bookalicious who won with her essay on Jennifer Weiner’s Certain Girls. Pam won a signed copy of The Threadbare Heart and is now eligible for the grand prize, the winner of which will be picked by Jennie Nash.

Here is Pam's essay:

I love the relationship between Joy and Cannie in Jennifer Weiner’s Certain Girls. Cannie is an overweight successful author who is hoping Joy never reads her first book. Joy being an adolescent finds a copy of her Mother’s book and is appalled. She spends her time trying to get to know her real father Bruce, and trying to find her Paternal Grandfather.

Joy learns the hard way that her helicopter Mom is right about most things. Her Grandpa is an ass of epic proportions and her Father has way too much on his plate with his new family to have the extra time to give to her. She finds her way back to Cannie, and as their relationship is strengthening, her step-father who has been the constant in her life passes away.

Cannie and Joy find themselves alone and thrown together in grief. The way the characters handled their loss and the new life growing in a surrogate mother’s belly hit home with me. Their suffering became mine, and their joys radiated through me as well. I hope that I can be half as good to Adisyn that Cannie was to Joy.

A story of love and loss in a typical New York Jewish family, I learned a lot about adolescents and the kind of Mother I want to be to my children.

It's true that sometimes it's adversity that tightens the bonds. Pam definitely convinced me of the power of Certain Girls. And I'm sure Pam is a great mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are mothers and especially to my own mother (who is the best).