by LibbyAtwater | Jan 26, 2016 | Blog, Reviews, What Lies Within
I have been enjoying finding new friends and other voracious readers on Instagram since I joined the photo-centric social media platform. You wouldn’t think so initially but there is a passionate literary community on Instagram including book reviewers, avid readers, and authors alike.
Freesia of www.instagram.com/bookishreview recently read my memoir What Lies Within. Her review is touching:
“I was honored to meet Libby Atwater here in Instagram and read her memoir What Lies Within. I give it 4/4 stars. Her story starts by discovering she was adopted. How much strength finding that out would take is amazing. She traveled across the country to California, enduring more personal losses but becoming stronger and still fulfilling her dreams.
I enjoyed how she connected her story with the current events at the time, like the civil rights movement.
I think that time period certainly affected people’s lives more than ours might now. If you enjoy memoirs, I heartily recommend this one by Libby J Atwater. Thank you so much for sharing your story Libby! I was truly touched by your truth that comes through in this book!”
If you are on Instagram, I hope you will connect with me at www.instagram.com/libbyatwaterbooks.
by LibbyAtwater | Dec 15, 2015 | Blog, Reviews, What Lies Within
This beautiful review was written on Amazon.com by my friend and talented author Janelle Jalbert. Janelle’s book Triangulating Bliss is one of my favorites, you can purchase a copy here: http://amzn.com/194253518X
“WHAT LIES WITHIN is a story that would bring a lesser woman to her knees. Instead Atwater’s account of her early years illustrates how an indomitable spirit is comprised of resolve, mettle, and just plain chutzpah. WHAT LIES WITHIN is the story of a girl – growing into womanhood – while facing obstacles that would appear to be insurmountable. The family she held dear undergoes a series of trials and tribulations that leave her to stand on her own and define life as she would come to know it. Libby Atwater has definitely seen the darker side of life yet proves that the events of your life do not have to define who you are.
(more…)
by LibbyAtwater | Oct 15, 2015 | Blog, Reviews, What Lies Within
This beautiful review was posted by Sarah E. White on Amazon.com.
Her words bring me so much joy, it is an honor to share my story, and to hear it so well received.
Read the full review on Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/B00FVXF5JC
If you have read my first memoir, What Lies Within, it would mean a great deal to me if you would take a moment and leave a review on Amazon.
“Libby Atwater handles with grace telling the story of her difficult childhood and coming of age, proving that “ordinary” people can and do have extraordinary stories.
If you are thinking about writing your life story, leaving a memento for those who have known you and a legacy for those who come after, this book is worth your attention. In particular, I found it helpful to observe how she handled chronology as an organizing principle (not so strictly as to detract from powerful stories) and the difficult question of what to include (since, as the saying goes, “just because it happened to you doesn’t make it interesting.”)
Libby’s journey from adopted infant to orphan to newlywed, as America transitioned from the conformist 1950s into the radicalism of the late 1960s, reflects our shared social history and illuminates its often cruel effect on many lives.“
by LibbyAtwater | Oct 1, 2015 | Blog, Reviews, What Lies Within
This beautiful review was posted by my friend Robin E. Grant on Amazon.com.
It is not only incredible to me that in this age we can keep whole libraries on our mobile devices, but that such kind words can make their way through the web to touch another person’s heart. (more…)
by LibbyAtwater | Sep 26, 2015 | Blog, Reviews, What Lies Within
by Rachel Koestler-Grack
Appeared in StoryMonstersInk from Five Star Publications, January 2015 issue
“You know what happens when people read your book?” asked Libby Atwater’s cousin after reading her memoir What Lies Within. “They fall in love with you.”
It’s no surprise that readers become enamored with Libby, a child who triumphs amid adversity. As the world around her suddenly unravels, she finds a way to remain true to herself and become the woman she was meant to be. (more…)
by LibbyAtwater | Sep 18, 2015 | Blog, Reviews
This wonderful review was posted by Denis Ledoux on Amazon.com – http://amzn.com/B00FVXF5JC
I am humbled by your kind words, Denis.
“Libby Atwater has written a book that is rich in the culture of the times she grew up in (and as such an interesting read in this regard), but it is also a story of a hero’s journey who is facing trials seemingly beyond her abilities to overcome.
Orphaned by the time she was in her mid-teens, shunted from relative to relative, Atwater taps “What Lies Within” to fashion in time a life she could live. Coming from a stable home, I can only imagine the emotional difficulties Libby Atwater faced in her pursuit of an adult life that would be happy, fulfilling, and contributory.
My hat is off to her! If you are looking for an uplifting story, this one will inspire you.”
