by Ashley Mackler-Paternostro
"Jenna Chamberland never wanted anything more than to be a wife
and mother. That is, until she realized that her life was ending after a
three-year battle against breast cancer. Now, all she really wants is more
time.
With 4,320 hours left to live, Jenna worries for her loved ones
and what she knows awaits them on the other side: Gabe will have to make the
slip from husband to widower, left alone to raise their seven-year-old
daughter; Mia will be forced to cope with life without her mother by her side.
In a moment of reflection, Jenna decides to record a set of audiocassettes —
The Milestone Tapes – leaving her voice behind as a legacy for her daughter.
Nine years later, Mia is a precocious sixteen-year-old and her
life is changing all around, all she wants is her mother. Through the tapes,
Jenna’s voice returns to teach Mia the magic of life, her words showing her
daughter how to spread her wings and embrace the coming challenges with humor,
grace and hope.
THE MILESTONE TAPES is the journey of love between a parent and
child, and of the bonds that hold them when life no longer can."
PROLOGUE
With much
determination, Jenna willed her fingers to press the record button. She couldn’t
allow herself to think about how silly she felt speaking the paramount words to
only herself and a small tape recorder in the dark of her office, years and
years before they’d even harbor an inkling of truth. Or, how
heartbreaking it felt to know that eventually she would be finished recording
and the silence left behind would speak volumes.
She had
no notes, no frame of reference and no way of knowing exactly what her daughter
would need to hear when she finally, in time, came about pressing play.
All she had was a list, a list of milestones and a corresponding blank tape.
The fear
and utter sadness of that enveloped her like an inferno, burning her, buckling
her heart and breaking her in a million ways that would remain unseen, as so
many other breaks did. She would never really know if she got it right,
of course. She’d. Never. Know. And, if she were
being honest now, that realization had been the driving force behind the
recordings to begin with.
Hadn’t
that knowledge pinged her so many months ago, while the quiet of the morning
and darkness of her home gave the illusion of peace and rightness, and did
nothing more than make her think.
But even
more than that, wasn’t the unknown what she’d been fighting all along.
Trying to somehow rally against what the doctors told her was inevitable,
trying to be the exception rather than the rule. Jenna knew that she had fought
hard, battled with every moment, with umpteen doctors, with every drug, every
needle or pill or hope. The fighting had never been the problem; it was
simply what she was fighting against. That thing, so bound and determined to
win.
So now
she was left with the unknown. All of the things that couldn’t possibly
be known. It was no longer a question of science, medicine and time. Now
it was a matter of fate, faith and the natural unfolding of things. Jenna
had resolved that, although everything moving forward would be unknown, she
would plan and prepare and hedge her bets like a mother would, she would bet on
her daughter, and leave behind her voice.
She knew
her little girl now. She knew the determined expression that would cross
her face when they worked together side by side in the expansive kitchen she
had designed for family time and togetherness. She knew the jubilant smile
that would never fail Mia’s face when she huddled over her English homework,
letting her unique brand of creativity roll off in waves, limited only by what
she could spell and express at seven years old. She knew the tell-tale
face of a fib or half truth, Mia’s mouth dropping open just enough, as she
tried not to smile and tried harder to convey honesty. She knew the way
Mia’s lower lips would tremble as she departed the bus when the kids had been
less than kind, running for the security of home and the comfort of her mom,
running to the place that would nurture and welcome her budding individualism
rather than shy away from it.
Jenna
knew Mia better than she knew herself in every single way possible; she was her
mother. From the very beginning, her baby girl had been the epitome of a
miracle in Jenna’s eyes and remained steadfast in that role forever
after. Mia was Jenna’s sole reason for the death match that spanned out
behind them now, defining holidays and birthdays, along every other ordinary
day. Mia was reason and logic, hope and heartbreak; she was Jenna’s dream
personified. The prose of that would have made Jenna laugh, had the
thoughts and feelings ambushed her in a normal life. But in her life,
their life as a family with their singular child, the emotional turmoil was
highlighted and hung from their only child. Jenna knew she could never,
even if words flooded her, really say enough about her daughter.
But who
would Mia be when these tapes became relevant?
Suddenly
the unknown crept in again, playing around, twisting two or five or a million
different landscapes. Landscapes Jenna would be absent for. Would
Mia be analytical and thoughtful, living a life of logic and reason, a
breathing echo of her father? Would her love of words bloom into a love
of numbers? Or would she hold fast, stay true to her dreamy and creative
nature?
Would
some of these tapes be left, unheard, in their little plastic casings because
they didn’t apply to Mia? And if they didn’t pertain, why not? But,
if they did, and Mia needed them, and Jenna failed to push the worry aside,
then what? What if Mia carried the responsibility, all the joys and all
the burdens of life alone? The stark thought of that was enough to
cripple Jenna.
Jenna
pressed her finger firmly against the flat button with the red circle.
She thought about the laughter and tears, the piles of homework, the family
trips, the snuggles and hugs and kisses and fights. She thought about her
husband, trying to understand
the enigma that was the teenage girl. She pictured her daughter, grown up
with a life, maybe even a family, of her own. And she felt courage; these
tapes were not expectations, they were hopes— her hopes. And with
all of that floating around in her head, she began.
“Mia
… I love you.”
MY REVIEW
I have to be honest, I am not done reading this book - but it's not because it's not good, I just got a late start on it... so far, it's been really hard to put it down. I don't want to get into too much details just yet and will post a more detailed review when I am finished with it.
For now, I must say, it is heart-clenching. I have used up a few tissues. And even though I know what's going to happen to Jenna and it might get sadder, I can't help but follow on and wonder what is going to happen to everyone else....
And, I have to say, the cover is absolutely one of the most beautiful covers I've seen in a while -
if that doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will!
For now, I must say, it is heart-clenching. I have used up a few tissues. And even though I know what's going to happen to Jenna and it might get sadder, I can't help but follow on and wonder what is going to happen to everyone else....
And, I have to say, the cover is absolutely one of the most beautiful covers I've seen in a while -
if that doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ashley
Mackler-Paternostro lives on the outskirts of Chicago with her husband and
their three dogs. The Milestone Tapes is
Ashley’s first novel.
A Promo/Review for:
http://www.bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/ |
Wow! What a beautiful cover. This sounds like a very intriguing story.
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