Name: Looking for Me
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)
Author: Beth Hoffman

About this book

Summary

Book Summary

A Southern novel of family and antiques from the bestselling author of the beloved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Beth Hoffman's bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel, Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life's passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people's castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop. Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she's felt in the years since her brother Josh's mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky. It's a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family - and to find herself at last. But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Looking for Me brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The result is a tremendously moving story that is destined to make bestselling author Beth Hoffman a novelist to whom readers will return again and again as they have with Adriana Trigiani, Fannie Flagg, and Joshilyn Jackson.

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Media Reviews

"Hoffman's novel of a woman putting the pieces of her family's secrets together combines a deep dramatic impact with Southern charm." - Publishers Weekly

"Hoffman has a good ear for dialogue, and Teddie and her friends are realistic, appealing characters. Perfect for fans of family-centered women's fiction, this book will have special appeal to readers interested in antiques and 'shabby chic' style." - Booklist

" Hoffman's (Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, 2010) sophomore novel confusingly mingles a charming Southern-girl romance with a weighty mystery. The romance resolves predictably, yet the mystery leaves far too many loose threads." - Kirkus

This information about Looking for Me was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

Beautiful - Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews
We all have dreams...some are fulfilled, some are not. Teddi Overman knew she had a talent for refinishing antique furniture even though her mother told her there was no future in it. Her mother wanted her to be a secretary.

Teddi didn't want to be a secretary. Teddi pursued her dream but had reservations about leaving her family when she did. She was so far away from them, and since she had left secretly in the middle of the night and on a bad note, there was some regret on her part. Her decision was a good one in the long run, though.

LOOKING FOR ME is another spectacular read by Beth Hoffman. The book faces family issues, friendships, dreams, unearthed talents, tragedies, regret, and heartbreak, but also has wonderful lessons. You will need a kleenex as you follow Teddie Overman from her childhood to adulthood. You will share in her triumphs and also her let downs.

You will follow the Overman family as the book goes back and forth in time. Mama was an odd character who was always pessimistic. Teddi was loveable, hopeful, ambitious, optimistic, and a joy. Josh was a sad character. Daddy was a wonderful character. Grammy was the perfect grandmother. Stella and Olivia were perfect friends for Teddi.

The book is about memories....so important, yet so painful. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the setting, the storyline, and the lessons learned. The book was uplifting and sweet but will also bring tears to your eyes....good tears.

LOOKING FOR ME is about the relationship between family members and how tragedies can tear them apart and also about talents that we shouldn't waste. If you are an antique buff, you will be thrilled.

LOOKING FOR ME perfectly describes how we all are looking for something in our lives that usually takes root in our childhood. The quote from page 206 made an impression on me and seems to sum up what Ms. Hoffman was trying to convey:

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."

This quote stayed with me long after I turned the last page of the book.

The book is written in Ms. Hoffman's customary beautiful, effortless storytelling style. It conveys the fragility and beauty of family and the determination to never give up.

This is a must read so you can soak up the depth of, the warmth of, and the beauty of Ms. Hoffman's writing, and share in the benefit of her words of wisdom about being happy.

I absolutely loved this book. 5/5

This book was given to me by the author free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

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Author Information

Biography

Beth Hoffman

Beth Hoffman was the president and co-owner of an interior design studio in Cincinnati before becoming a full-time writer. Looking for Me is her second novel. Her debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, was a New York Times bestseller in hardcover and paperback. She lives with her husband and two cats in northern Kentucky.

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