Once in Every Life : A Novel

Tess Gregory's brilliant career as a research scientist hides her longings for husband and child. Though deaf, she is a free spirit — a woman full of life and love. She is struck down all too soon. But for Tess, a new life begins at her death, in post-Civil War America. She is now Amarylis Rafferty, wife and mother of three — and she can hear. Shocked and disoriented by her new surroundings, she is drawn into the savage heartache burdening the family, especially her husband, Jack, a man who fears himself capable of anything. Publishers Weekly Tess Gregory is a successful research scientist with a poignant past when her deafness keeps her from hearing and avoiding an oncoming bus. Because her life has been so unsatisfactory and truncated, she is given a chance at a new one. A guardian angel escorts Tess to the ``theater of second chances,'' where her options consist of choosing among several different men to accompany in her next go-round. What she fails to understand is that the appealing man and newborn baby on whom she settles are living in the year 1873. On the positive side, Tess has been reincarnated in the body of a drop-dead gorgeous new mother complete with curly blond hair and perfect hearing. As for the down side, the woman whose body she now inhabits has been unspeakably cruel to her husband and daughters, so that they are afraid of her. Before her situation is resolved she uses her modern psychiatric knowledge to help a dyslexic daughter learn to read, as well to cure her husband of the post-traumatic stress disorder he suffers from as a result of having fought in the Civil War. While not all of the details are historically right--much of the language sounds up-to-the-minute--the heroine's pluck and imagination are always engaging. Hannah wrote The Enchantment. (Feb.) Kristin Hannah's book, 'Once in Every Life' reflects her ability to write with sensitivity and a stylish ease. Readers will be drawn into the lives of her characters as well as be able to clearly envisage the beautiful setting of the San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest. The crossover from the modern era to the historical past is handled seamlessly in this memorable account of one troubled family's life. It demonstrates how love, understanding, patience and empathy can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to establish a solid family unit. Tess Gregory's brilliant career as a research scientist hides her longings for husband and child. Though deaf, she is a free spirit--a woman full of life and love. She is struck down all too soon But for Tess, a new life begins at her death, in post-Civil War America. She is now Amarylis Rafferty, wife and mother of three--and she can hear. Shocked and disoriented by her new surroundings, she is drawn into the savage heartache burdening the family, especially her husband, Jack, a man who fears himself capable of anything. For research scientist Tess Gregory, a new life begins at her death. In the post-Civil War South, she becomes Amaryllis Rafferty and is propelled into a pioneer world, where she dares to love a man who doesn't dare to love at all