The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz

The Inheritance of Beauty Reviews

• 
  Christy

  I feel like any words I say about this book will be so inadequate. It's just that books like this rarely cross my path, maybe because I don't go out of my way to read them. What kind of book is that? Part sadness, part pain, while also moving slowly, but deliberately. Then, when I get my hands on a book like this, it always ends up that I love it or hate it. Hardly does it fall somewhere in between.
  
  The Inheritance of Beauty was a book that definitely fell on the "loved it" side of the equation. And even after I've put it down, I still can't put my finger on what captivated me so much about these characters. They're nothing spectacular. Nobody did anything that changed the world. They were just ordinary folk that were not far away from death's door. In my opinion, George was the main character of the story. He was like an open book; I always knew what was going through his mind. At times, he was complacent, other times a bit hateful, but at all times, he loved his sweet wife, Maggie, in a way that caused tears to come to my eyes. At one moment, he said, "I have loved Maggie since before I knew what love was. She is love to me. Without her, there is nothing for me here." Oh, to have a love that pure, that selfless from one person to another. That, indeed, is a most beautiful thing.
  
  As I read more and more novels, I have come to a conclusion about something. Authors should always write about what they know. When I discover that a particular book is loosely based on real life events, I can't seem to put it down. Just knowing that this book was partially based on a photo of the author's grandmother, and how that photo had been a part of the history of her family, made this story so much more real. I felt like I was peaking into a diary, only to discover that their family wasn't much different than my own. We all have skeletons in our closets; it's just a matter of how much or how little we let them shape the rest of our lives.
  
  I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to review this book as I doubt it would have ever crossed my path otherwise. This book had a little bit of a literary flair, which I'm not normally too crazy about, but it worked so well here. I can do nothing but give this book 5 stars, as well as a huge recommendation for people who love deep, and meaningful stories. I know that The Inheritance of Beauty will stay in my mind and heart for days to come, as I'm sure it will for many others.
  
  **Many thanks to Thomas Nelson through the BookSneeze program for providing a copy for review.
• 
  Jenny Orozco

  Title: The Inheritance of Beauty
  
  Author: Nicole Seitz
  
  Publisher: Thomas Nelson
  
  320 pages
  
  As a granddaughter of a man with advanced Alzheimer's, I've sat across the table from him many times and been crushed by the visage of a back bent with age, eyes cloudy with cataracts, and hands trembling from over-exertion. My grandfather was a legend in his own right, dashingly handsome and charismatic beyond measure. And sadly, I only saw sparse vestiges of this throughout my lifetime. I've relied mostly on stories from relatives and my mother to cobble together my own personal portrait of this man.
  
  Sometimes I wonder what he must have been like in his youth, fiery and full of the will to bend fate to suit his aims. Sometimes he lets hints slip--musings and regrets--and I stash them away for later consumption. This man is a mystery to me.
  
  So, I appreciate a novel like The Inheritance of Beauty. A story that opens with the 92 yr George Jacobs who is living in a nursing home with his wife, Maggie. Having suffered several strokes in the last few years, Maggie has been rendered mute, and she is not always lucid. A man who still loves his wife with the intensity of youth, but the depth that comes with age, George is haunted by a series of traumatic events that were a defining moment for him and other residents of his hometown, including his wife. Though George is through with his past, his past is not through with him, which becomes apparent when a long lost stranger shows up at his nursing home after 80 yrs, as does a long lost portrait of his wife. What does this all mean? What can come of it? As George struggles to piece together old memories and new revelations, he also copes with the burden of a long kept secret that has been a source of much personal anguish.
  
  The novel is told from alternating viewpoints: that of George, Maggie, and several other characters, from 1929, fast forwarding 80 some years. The suddent shift is a bit confusing, and may put off some readers. While there are some lovely passages, I was left wishing that it was more well written. There were themes that I also felt weren't explored thoroughly enough. The emphasis on beauty, and the blessing and curse it can become was something I wish had been developed more. I felt as if the biblical theme of the sins of the father struggled with theme of the dangers of beauty for the limelight, and won.
  
  Still, I enjoyed the novel and immensely enjoyed my time with George Black. I do wish the other characters had been as finely wrought, and I can only hope that like Sue Grafton, Nicole Seitz's writing will improve with each novel she writes.
  
  If you liked Secrets of the Divine Sisterhood or The Notebook, then I would recommend you read this one.
  
  Some wonderful excerpts:
  
  "I saw magic once, real magic, and there's something I've come to understand after all these years :magic can come from one of two places, up above or down below."
  
  "No matter how much you want your beauty to stat hidden, people will go to great lengths to reveal it to the masses. But it's dangerous, beauty is. I've always known it. And it doesn't last. Just look at what happened to my mother."
  
  "There are some things I guess we bury so we can get on with living. I don't think it's wrong, necessarily, just what we do to survive. It's the remembering part that's hard. Some people remember and some never have to. The blessed and the cursed."
  
  * I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
• 
  Trudy

  Seventy five percent of this book was great. It's all about the interactions of four young people in North Carolina in 1929. Then, the author presents these same people as 90 year old residents in an assisted living situation. First the good. I think the author did a marvelous job of expressing the thoughts of elderly people. Because I have a parent in a nursing home, I spend a lot of time interacting with the residents. One thing is very clear to me. If you look beyond all of the wheel chairs, wrinkled skin, hunched shoulders, ect., you'll see young spirits whose bodies are failing them. However their spirits are in there struggling to be free. Author Nicole Seitz was able to give the reader many beautiful examples of this. She even gave one character, who had lost her ability to speak and function because of a stroke, a "voice and ability to reason", in her own head. I'd like to think that people who are still living, but appear lost to us because they can no longer interact with us are still "here" just trapped inside bodies which have become silent.
  The not so good part. I did not like how the story turned towards the end. There were too many "chance happenings" and I could not make myself buy into them. So it appeared like the author was trying to tie up all the loose ends.
  All that being said, I do think it's a very worthwhile read.
• 
  Samantha Glasser

  George and Maggie Jacobs are living in an old folk's home. Maggie cannot speak or control her body due to a stroke, and George wonders if she even recognizes him anymore. His loneliness causes him to reflect on their past, especially when they were children in a town called Levy. These reminisces are enhanced by a new man at the home. George hasn't seen Joe since he was ten years old, about eighty-years ago. Seeing that face recalls secrets he forgot about long ago.
  
  This book is a quick read. The typeface is neat and appealing, as is the cover and the texture of the pages. (Die-hard book-lovers understand the importance of this.) The author breaks the story up into short sections, so there are plenty of places to pause, but I can't imagine wanting to. Almost every stop left me wanting more and the desire to read on was too irresistible.
  
  The author does some clever things, like joining the ends and beginnings of chapters with a common phrase or thought. Reading the perspectives of several different people makes each character come to life and gives the story fullness.
  
  The twists are interesting, although some of them are predictable, but this provides a bit of realism to a story filled with divine "coincidences" (Think Louis Sachar's Holes, for adults). Overall, this is an enjoyable novel.
• 
  Janell

  I read The Inheritance of Beauty in two sittings. The story drew me in with its historic South Carolina Lowcountry embrace and wouldn't let me go until I emerged, both smiling and tearful, at the end of the story. "Inheritance" is reminiscent of Fried Green Tomatoes - high praise from me, as "Tomatoes" is one of my all-time favorite and beloved books.
  
  I can't wait to discover more books from Nicole Seitz. I have a feeling I'll enjoy her other books every bit as much as this one (at least, I hope so!)
• 
  Amy

  A beautiful portrayal of aging-- when bodies grow old, but hearts and minds live in another time. Of family, loyalty, love, even when separated by time and distance. And, an equally beautiful tribute to my beloved Lowcountry of South Carolina.
• 
  Barbie

  I had high hopes when I started reading The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz, published by Thomas Nelson. The story promised to be a bit of mystery, a bit of love, and a bit of bittersweet as the aged characters, George and Maggie, relived their past in memories. With the book published by Thomas Nelson, a Christian publishing powerhouse, I also expected a story that pointed to redemption through Christ.
  
  George and Maggie reside in a nursing home. Maggie is surrendering to Alzheimer’s Disease and George, her adoring husband, can only stand idly by her side, supporting her where he can. One day, a new resident moves into the nursing home, upsetting the balance with his unusual ways. Soon after, a package arrives that causes further distress for George and Maggie.
  
  The memories begin flowing. A mystery is revealed and solved. Heartaches are exposed and healed. Old friends are found and lost.
  
  Overall, I liked the story. Written in a very casual, conversational manner, the story flowed fairly smoothly and the characters were interesting and fully fleshed out.
  
  Unfortunately, though, the promise of a redemption through Christ never materialized. The book is full of feel-good spirituality without the substance of a life changing encounter with and a decision for Christ by any of the characters. The reader is left with a vague, “Well, they’ll all go to heaven, right?” feeling, but the stuff and substance of a relationship with Christ is never presented.
  
  Three stars.
  
  Full disclosure: I received The Inheritance of Beauty free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in return for a review. My thoughts are my own.
• 
  Michele Harrod

  This book was so well constructed that I've read the entire thing, in a Southern drawl, in my mind. I didn't even mind the 'I cain't swim' 'Lawd in heaven' and the 'Dangit' southern slang, that would normally drive a grammar Nazi like me insane. It was as if these characters were whispering their stories in my ear. It's a gorgeously rendered tale of the consequences of family secrets, and the redemption that can only ever come, when the truth finally sees the light of day. Of the choices we make to protect those we love. It is also an exploration of the value of life - both for the young, and the very old, who seemingly ate mo longer connecting with us in our world - but who may, in fact, still be very much 'alive inside'. And perhaps most importantly, a book to remind us, that the most precious beauty is revealed by how we love our way through this life. I would tag this one 'a gentle gem'.
• 
  Deborah Ingersoll

  Couldn’t stop reading!!! Small town comfort meets evil!!
• 
  Dawn

  This was a very interesting novel. I enjoyed the concept of beginning the story at the end of these characters lives. They are all old, forgetful and dying -aren't we all - but they are connected from childhood. This story weaves their childhood into their current lives and manages to tell a warm story of love, family and forgiveness.Not something I would generally pick up, yet I am glad I had the opportunity to read this.
• 
  Amy Cummings

  I really, really liked this one. It was sad and heartbreaking at times, but with redemption and closure that made it all the more beautiful. I'll definitely be reading more from Nicole Seitz.
• 
  Amanda Ishtayeh

  This was a great read with a mysterious twist as well as supernatural. I enjoyed it!
• 
  Kelley Bigger

  Loved this book. I was so sad at the end. I miss Maggie!
  
• 
  Kathleen

  Rating this book was hard. I very much liked the build-up, the character development, and the stories told through Magnolia, George, and Annie. The relationship between Magnolia and George was beautiful and painful, particularly though George's efforts and doubts about getting through to her.
  The story of the childhood friendships was wonderful as well. Being the one girl amidst the group of boys and the intense connection with her older brother was well-told.
  The resolutions from the time Ash left were not as satisfying. It was hard enough believing that he had to leave, but the reasons for him to not return were even less believable. The introduction of his son was unnecessary and the set-up for him to meet his grandparents just inexplicable.
  It would have been just fine to let the explanation of the photograph untold. It became bigger than life, and would have still carried some depth to the characters, without the simple and shallow actual happening.
  I loved the character of Annie, and would wish that all aged in care homes would be so blessed to be in her care.
  
  
• 
  Joyce

  I thought many aspects of this book were excellent---especially the way the author depicts the thoughts and feelings of elderly people. Having worked in a nursing home before, I felt that her descriptions were very accurate. However, I struggled some with the part of the book dealing with the past of Charles, Maggie, Ash, and Joe. A tragedy had taken place when Maggie and Ash were children and they were permanently separated at that time. In the last part of the book, the reader finds out more of what happened at the time of that tragic event. However, the ending seemed rushed and not as well written.
• 
  Bettina

  Spoiler here. So many loose ends..a magician who adopts a boy in New Orleans and they travel to a small town to get revenge on a woman by taken her son and magician ends up killing the moonshiner. Then 80 years later the characters all meet up again somehow in a nursing home. Then there’s this mysterious house fire and then the boys leave with the magician on the train and why was this even allowed. Sorry it’s too confusing. Also The relationship between the brother and sister was a little too much. There’s too much affection and love and pointing out her beauty, it was almost like He was in love with her. I rolled my eyes multiple times reading this.
  
• 
  Elizabeth

  Maggie, once so full of life, can no longer voice her thoughts - but we get to read them. She and her husband, George, are in their early 90s in a care center together. The story moves back and forth from the present to 1929 when they were young in Levy, South Carolina. When a package arrives, and then letters a few days later, the past secrets appear slowly and come back full strength with a trip home.
  
  This is a story of truth and facing the past and its "lifetime of repercussions." It's a beautifully written story with a few surprises that made me smile.
• 
  Linda

  This was one of the most weirdly convoluted books I've ever run across. The characters were interesting, but....Don't think I'd ever recommend it to anyone, and I know I'd never seek out any of the author's other books.
• 
  Judy Hardwick

  Great.
  
  I've long known older people have wonderful stories to tell.
  She weaves their stories so well.
  This book was a joy to read.
• 
  Mimi

  Beautiful book. Reflections of their young lives while living in an old age home.
• 
  Lyssa

  3.5 stars
• 
  S

  A good story. Bit whimsical, as all good stories should be.
• 
  Rita

  This book was a mystery that kept me guessing until it unfolded at the end. It also had a very sweet love story and stories of friendship and also great pain. I loved it.
• 
  Kara Hunt

  The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz is an enchanting tale of true love, growing loss, forgiveness and memories of long ago. Memories which stem from four childhood friends, two of whom are siblings, whose lives were forever changed by one man in the lowcountry of South Carolina.
  
  Ash and Magnolia Black, brother and sister grew up in the lush countrylands of 1929 Levy, South Carolina with their friend George Jacobs. Soon after, they were briefly joined by childhood genius Joe Stackhouse, a young boy not originally from Levy but whose short stay with his “magician father” turned the small but quaint town into a show of horrors for the four children.
  
  The story is told from the different point of views of the main characters. It is now eighty years later and they now reside in Harmony House, an assisted living facility. The reader is then taken on a journey back to a fateful day in 1929 Levy, SC. Magnolia, lovingly known as Maggie, has since married her childhood sweetheart George. They are later reunited with their long lost and brilliant friend, Joe. But the golden years have not been kind to either Maggie or Joe as they both suffer from the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s.
  
  The heartbreaking journey back to 1929 Levy starts with a life sized portrait of Maggie being mysteriously delivered to Harmony House followed by a host of letters written by someone who knew them long, long ago. George reluctantly embraces the fact that the time has come for him to accept the reality of what happened that awful day. Unable to make peace, he increasingly becomes anxious and uneasy as he continues to read the letters and decides that a trip back to where it all started eighty years ago, is long overdue. And he takes Maggie and Joe back with him.
  
  The Inheritance of Beauty simply deserves nothing less than five stars from this reviewer. Reading about what happened from the point of views of so many characters if not done right, can become quite confusing, but Mrs. Seitz was able to do this seamlessly. It was a true delight to read the pages of this book that also offered deep insights into what may be going through the mind of an Alzheimer’s patient as they endure the slow emptying of a lifetime of memories. The love that George shows for his wife as they both suffer various physical and mental ailments comes through the pages and straight to your heart.
  
  Highly recommended. This is a book you do not want to miss.
  
• 
  Sheila

  Maggie and George are living out their declining years in the peace of Harmony House, ably cared for by the wonderful Annie who is quite sure, despite Maggie’s seeming distance, that the silent woman in the wheelchair is “still there.” George just wishes his wife would sometimes recognize him. And the stranger, Joe, who arrives one summer, seems to have no wishes at all.
  
  Nicole Seitz portrays these characters wonderfully in her novel, The Inheritance of Beauty. Beautiful Maggie slips seamlessly from present to past while George struggles with memories brought to light by a curious photograph. Treading round the tragedy that Maggie silently embodies, George faces his own curtailed future with a sudden urgent desire to revisit old haunts. But how do two, or even three elderly inmates get from here to there.
  
  As the threads come together, the reader knows as surely as the characters that there’s something more to be told. The author pulls us in with beautiful prose, haunting depictions of past and present world, of childhood and old age, and of the different lives of white and black people in South Carolina. A swimming hole’s reflections will finally reveal the truth, and George will find both his past and his future there.
  
  Beauty is not just the image of Maggie in her youth. Beauty is the shape of a world coming to rights. It’s the freedom of past and present in harmony. It’s an inheritance too long denied, waiting to bless the protagonists and set them free. The Inheritance of Beauty is a wonderful novel that portrays the inner thoughts of old and young with equal skill and honesty, building vibrant characters and truths perfectly grounded in time and place.
  
  
  
  Disclosure: I was lucky enough to be given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Cheeyee

  At the age of 92 and 90, George and Maggie Jacobs are spending the rest of their days at Harmony House nursing home in South Caroline. Since the last time Maggie attacked by the stroke, she hardly talk to anyone. George and Maggie have known each other from birth and have been growing up together, with Maggie's brother, Ash, in Levy. George has been fall in love with Maggie since he was very young and at the age of 92, he still loves his wife very much.
  
  One day, a mysterious package arrives, followed by a new resident at the nursing home forcing George to remember a past that he does not want to remember - 80 years ago, something had happen and it has changed all their life.
  
  The story of The Inheritance of Beauty is not straightforward. It is narrated mostly by George and Maggie, jumping between present and flash back of their memory. And later part through the letters written by Ash. Despite this is not the first time I'm reading story written in this style, but at the beginning I have some difficulty following the storyline. Until reaching about half of the book, I begin able to grab the essence and started to enjoy reading the story.
  
  The Inheritance of Beauty is full of mystery and suspense, enough to hold my interest until the end where the truth is revealed. It is also a story about love, friendship and truth. The power of love, the power of the friendship, made George able to face the past and speak the truth. It is a beautiful story.
  
  
  Note: I receive the ARC of this book from the publisher Thomas Nelson via Net Galley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
• 
  Melanie Coombes

  George Jacobs and his childhood sweetheart Maggie, along with her brother Ash, were just kids living in small-town Levy, SC, when the train brought a magician and Joe Stackhouse into town. What happens next changes all of their lives forever. Eighty years later, George and Maggie are spending their remaining days in a nursing home. After a mysterious package arrives, followed by a new resident at the nursing home whose identity haunts them, Maggie and George are forced to remember a past they'd rather forget.
  
  The story was bittersweet with mix of suspense and even humor. It's told from the point of view of Maggie, George and Annie. Later on, we hear Ash's point of view through old letters written by him. The story goes back and forth between the year 1929 and the present. There is a large group of characters, but the short excerpts told by each one is easy to follow and leaves you wanting to find out more. I so enjoy books that have different characters narrating each chapter. None of the characters are perfect, each have a mixture of good and bad in them and decisions they have suffered over. I was riveted and anxious to find out what tragic event happened to these characters eighty years ago. This book encourages you to speak the truth and believe in miracles. Guilt, grief and redemption are some themes in this tale.
  
  The author did a really nice job inhabiting her elderly characters. I would definitely recommend this book to others. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. The opinions I have expressed are my own.