One lie told to oneself and proven to the world again by lies, can be like a rolling stone which keeps on getting bigger and bigger till it destroys everyone in its path…

That’s the basic story line… This is a story about a mother Hannah and her daughter Ellen and their life from birth till the present. There is mystery, there are secrets, there are relationships, missing babies, dead babies, and a town which allows the past to remain where it is.

Grace Greene has written this story with a lot of sensitivity, taking care to bring home the caring and closeness between family members. With all the above sub plots in the story, Grace has brought to the forefront the biggest emotion— LOVE. Love between a mother and daughter and love between grandparents and granddaughter.

I can write about the pros and cons of the story and make a great review. But I cannot hide from a basic fact, universal truth about a mother‘s love, that she sacrifices everything for her child, to protect her child, even from the truth about herself. And sometimes fate delivers such twists and turns, that it brings the same loving mother to the crossroads of life, where she cannot help but choose the path which is pure love for her daughter even if the path is morally wrong, just to keep her child from getting hurt.

There is so many layers in this story that one is pulled deeper into the life of the mother, Hannah, and I give full credit to the author Grace Greene for drawing this emotion out. It is very rare that an author can show a mother’s love via her words but Grace has done it so beautifully here.

This is a sweet story of family, lies and heartbreak. It is the story of strong single Mother and the heartbreak she has hidden from her daughter. It is about how we recover from loss and carry on. Its beautifully told and a sweeping story that enthralls the reader from page one. I loved the authors sensitivity to family and how nicely she guides the story through hard times. Its truly a lovely read that captures your heart.
Thank you for the ARC that did not influence my review.

Hannah Cooper gave up her college aspirations to stay at home and take care of the grandmother who raised her after her own parents were killed in a car accident. An unplanned pregnancy keeps her from ever fulfilling her college dreams, but as her daughter Ellen gets ready to graduate high school, Hannah doesn't want to see the same thing happen to her. But is history repeating itself? And are the lies that Hannah told Ellen as she grew up about to be her undoing? A captivating story that keeps you guessing until the end!

Once again, another great book by author Grace Greene. The Memory of Butterflies is a heartwarming story of family and the lengths family members go to to protect each other. Sometimes, a bit to far? The story reveals cover ups by several people who justify the deceit with the fact they are doing it for the "right reasons". But cover up and deceit are still forms of lying. Which would you prefer? Is it okay to lie to protect your loved ones?

I absolutely enjoyed reading this story of Hannah, the mother, and her daughter, Ellen. A poignant story that had me mesmerized.

Hannah is hiding a secret, and it's a big one, from her daughter. Actually, she's hiding it from the whole town. The only ones who know the truth are herself, her grandmother and a neighbor. The secret is going to tear her and her daughter apart, but it's one that she's going to have to tell.

A wonderful, moving story that I would definitely recommend!

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Decisions can make or break you. Make the wrong one and all is lost. Make the right one and sometimes you can hurt the ones you love most. Sometimes things are not so cut and dry. Sometimes our decisions come back to haunt us. Sometimes things tend to work out and all can be good.

This book pulled me in from the start. I felt like I was right there watching things happen. From the beginning to the end you feel so drawn to Hannah and Ellen. I laughed and shed many tears reading this story. My heart broke for Hannah with things she had to do or decisions she had to make that changed her life and shaped her. It was not easy for her but she did what she did and had the best reasons for it.

Trying to care for her Gram after Grand died she put her education aside. She gave her whole life to care for her and then for her baby, Ellen. When a storm comes up things go from bad to the worse possible that can happen. But a noise at the front door make Hannah have to make a big decision that will change lives. Can she live with her decisions? Will she be forgiven for them?

I loved this book so much and hated to see it end. I savored it from start to finish. I cried so hard in places but felt things would be ok too. They had to be. Love should always prevail. But will it?
You have to read this book. It’s a wonderful heartfelt story of love, loss, laughter, sadness, dying and living. It’s definitely one of the best I have read.

I got a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I honestly loved it and gave it a 5 star rating. It was so worth more but you can only give it 5...

Being a Virginia girl myself, I was really excited to read Grace Greene's The Memory of Butterflies. This novel is about Hannah, her daughter Ellen, and the secrets of Hannah's past. Ellen is getting ready to graduate from high school and Hannah has decided to rebuild at the sight of her family's old home place, where they lost their home to a fire several years earlier. In the midst of Ellen growing up, graduating, and preparing for college - coupled with Hannah starting construction on the house back in Cub Creek, the past starts creeping back in. Hannah is faced with decisions about being honest with her daughter and the people that she has known for some long, or keeping her family's secrets. 

Let me begin by saying that this novel was nothing like I expected. The main "twist" and the secrets that Hannah has held onto for so long, were a complete surprise to me. Moreover, in some ways, I understand the decisions that she made, but in other ways, it was incredibly disturbing. Hannah was relatable to me based on her extremely close relationship with her grandparents, but otherwise, I struggled to invest in her. Have you ever read a character that was just too plain, too peaceful, too quiet, etc? Hannah completely lacked spirit, which was somewhat understandable based on her past, but it was a real challenge to give two hoots about her at all. Or perhaps this was the author's intentions considering Hannah's upbringing? A woman that had grown up in that area, with her grandparents, thinking they had nothing may very well be a very quiet and not exciting person. 

I loved the spunk of Ellen, especially her intelligence, compassion, and ability to read others at such a young age. Roger, like Hannah, was somewhat "blah" to me, and regarding Liam, I don't really have an opinion one way or the other. I did love the simplicity and love found within Hannah's grandmother, especially the numerous things that reminded me of my own Mema. My grandparents didn't go without, but they never spent more money than was necessary and were happy with a life void of frivolous purchases. 

Despite my uninspired feelings about the main character, I found Greene's writing beautiful, vivid, and it completely pulled me into the world of Cub Creek. I could see the old cabin where she did pottery, I could see Elk Ridge, I could smell the woodstove, and so on. I won't add this to my top reads of the year, but fans of women's fiction with a twist, especially set in a very simple setting should truly enjoy this novel.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Memory of Butterflies by Grace Greene was less than a good read for me.  I have trouble sticking with books that are based on a lie.   The story flowed well enough and the relationships were interesting until the daughter grew up and was given a voice. The progression to senior in high school was too much.  That being said the story did teach several lessons about the reasons people lie and that there are consequences to be faced sometimes.

A beautiful story that touches onto all your emotions. Secrets very rarely stay hidden. Hannah barely 18 makes choices that will haunt her for many years. When those secrets are about to hurts the daughter she loves she must unearth those secrets for the sake of her daughters future.

While reading this book I could feel Hannah's emotions deep Dow in my soul.

Secrets and lies make for the best novels- but not the best lives. In this case, Hannah is finally forced to face her history, which might remake her relationship with Ellen, her daughter. Interesting setting, nicely written characters, and a neatly tied up plot made this a satisfying read. You might see the twist coming (I did) but I was curious to see how Greene would resolve things. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's hard to write a review of this type of book because of spoilers but try it and you won't regret the time you spend.

I love Grace Greene's books and The Memory of Butterflies was no exception. This book has a great plot and well written characters. I loved the setting and it was nice to revisit Cub Creek. I highly recommend this book.

There are two ways to look at this story. You can look at it as a book of deception and lies or you can look at it through the eyes of someone going through the worst heartbreak and being given a second-chance almost and then protecting that same gift. I felt this book was well-written to help understand Hannah's choices and why she made them however I found it hard to believe that she would have been so distrusting of the outside world like she was. Overall this book was well-written and had my interest once I started reading it.

This is a beautiful story about abandonment, rejection and how love and forgiveness can bring healing and unite family. Filled with hope and faith!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Wow! Beautiful, moving and thought provoking. It starts out thinking Hannah is this typical Mom ready to send her daughter off to college and start a new adventure in her life. Then we find Hannah has many secrets that will hurt many people including her daughter. There were many chapters I was reading through tears. Highly recommend!

As I sit here unable to breathe and with tears running down my face, I hope that I can give this book the review that it deserves. This is a story about love, loss, lies and truth, but also so much more. It is about the courage to go on and spread your wings, like that of the butterfly. This is such an exquisite book and you will feel so much emotion. You will laugh and you will most definitely cry. This is one of those books that make you feel. You are there. Your life is immersed in these characters. This is the story of Hannah, Ellen and Gran, along with a few secondary characters. This is a book about life and the choices we make, good or bad, they are the choices that we choose given the situations at hand. The characters are rich with life and are very real in your heart. It is at once heart wrenching and heartwarming. It will grab onto your heartstrings and not let go. This is a book to remember. The flow is as effortless as Cub Creek where most of the book takes place. It is extraordinary reading. The dialogue is true to life and rich in detail. The vividness of the surroundings is astounding. You are there. You can hear the birds singing and see the butterflies flitting about. I highly recommend this book. It is a very good read. I will leave you with two quotes that touched me with their authenticity. "Hope could uplift, but it could also hurt. One never understood how painful hope could be until the last shred of it was ripped away." "Because that's what life was--a series of changes, some painful but sometimes garnering a greater beauty despite the pain."

I loved reading this book and wanted to debate both sides of the lies.. Were the lies to meet selfish needs or for the best of the individual, that is the question. Conversely is the truth always the best? I had to finish this book in one sitting

This story was full of so many different emotions for me. A mother's unconditional love and devotion, the need to fill a void, living with grief, and strong family ties. Hannah was a strong character with her own unknown background about her parents, being raised by her grandparents and their decision to keep certain things from her. And then she became a parent who had many secrets that she kept from her daughter. It was interesting to see how that continued through the generations in this family. A good read and it showed what a strong family bond can be and also what that family would go through to try to protect their children without worry of the repercussions for their lies or omissions of truth. children.

The Memory of Butterflies by Grace Green

This novel, The Memory of Butterflies by Grace Green, is the story of family, love, mistakes and forgiveness. It is filled with wonderfully developed characters, identifiable situations, and wonderful dialog. The reader feels transported and becomes part of the story. Always one of my favorite authors, Grace Green has excelled with this captivating and heart warming story.

I was given an ARC of this book by the author and with no obligation to review it. This is my honest review after reading.

What a poignant and heart-rending story of family, love, and sacrifice. Decisions made and the consequences from them play out throughout the book. Grace Green has crafted a tale with vivid, multi-layered, memorable characters amidst a setting rich in descriptive detail. I could easily visualize the setting and characters in my mind with the scenes coming alive to me. This is definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Memory of Butterflies is a beautifully written story of the Cooper family of Cooper Hollow, Virginia, in particular the story of Hannah Cooper. This is not a light read-but a deep, heart wrenching story of the Cooper women and their frailties and strengths, their fears, grief, mistakes, secrets and consequences. It pulled me in and kept me involved in their story to the end.

Hannah was raised by her beloved grandparents, Grand (her grandfather) and Gran (her grandmother), since her parents died when she was a baby. They lived outside of town in a small house where generations of Coopers had lived on a large plot of land. The original log cabin still stood and housed pottery tools used by Cooper women over the years. Their life was a simple but full life. They had necessities but no luxuries although they did access to money if needed. Grand and Hannah were very close. He liked to use big words so he and Hannah spent time learning new words. He died when Hannah was in high school about to graduate and was buried in the family cemetery on their property. His death almost killed Gran. She never left home afterwards and her health declined. Hannah's plans to go to college were put on hold. One mistake that Hannah made turned their little family into three. Hannah and Gran welcomed Ellen into their midst. Hannah was the caretaker of the family where their life was mostly limited to the hollow with very few trips to town or connection to others.

As Hannah tells their story, the reader is pulled into their life of survival through ups and downs, natural and human mistakes and their love for each other through everything. It is hard not to love Hannah and her family and pull for them through the struggles. I stayed up late to finish the book but couldn't sleep for thinking about the story and everything that they lived through.

This is my first book by Grace Greene but not my last one. I highly recommend reading this story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.