Tempest Rising: A Novel by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

Did I just read a novel that I really loved?

This story, set in Philadelphia, is about a young woman raised by strong-willed aunts and doting uncles, who elopes to marry a wonderful man, and create a family of her own.  For years, blessed with three young daughters and a fine marriage, things go well, very well in fact, as the family makes a nice living off a catering business that affords them moving to the suburbs to enjoy a privileged (so-to-speak) life among the elite.

But then tragedy strikes the family, resulting in an avalanche of incidents that places the three little girls in a foster home, just where the story turns from delightful, riddled with splashes of humor, to a hard read, in that it's not easy to 'really like' and find it 'entertaining' following the painful experience of others... except this is the other thing…

Outside of rich scenic displays and soft, albeit fierce pacing, the character development in Tempest Rising is phenomenal.  Everyone, and I do mean each and every character, is unique, brandishing varying personalities I related to in quite a few instances, admired at times, and sometimes questioned, such as the character, Ramona.

Questioning Ramona's behavior, and having all of my questions answered, almost as if the author not only knew I'd be asking, but knew at what intervals I'd be asking, has to be what makes this novel thoroughly poignant.

So, on one hand while I want to call the story enjoyable, because it really was, there's the other hand that prefers to leave my thoughts on a memorable fine reading experience. It was very hard to put this one down. I'll treasure it forever. It must be experienced.