Choices come at every age, no matter how young or old you are

Synopsis

Cassie Lewis, a widow for over 20 years has begun to realise there must be more to life.

In-between working at the family boatyard in picture perfect Dartmouth and raising two children, she wonders where the years have gone.

Both her children, Tom and Polly, have inherited their father’s love of sailing and currently Tom is preparing for a gruelling round the world race. When an accident forces Tom to pull out, Polly, to Cassie’s horror, insists she is capable of takinghis place.

As Polly prepares for the race, Cassie unexpectedly finds herself with two keen and eligible men vying for her love.

With her BIG 5-0 birthday approaching Cassie knows she has some big decisions to make but will the worry over Polly’s safe return, cloud her judgement?

Originally published in 2003 as Call of the Sea

My review

Cassie Lewis is has been a widow for over twenty years and has dedicated her life to her children Tom and Polly. But with Tom starting to have his own family, and Polly with equal happy prospects, Cassie starts to wonder if there is more to life.
However, as a true loving mother, she cannot stop worrying about her children, especially as they have inherited their father’s love for sailing, which terrifies Cassie. And things only gets more worrying for Cassie when Tom has an accident which causes him to pull out from his planned round the world race and Polly is determined to take his place.
And let’s not forget that suddenly Cassie finds herself two men who would want to steal her heart…

I have read several books from this author and maybe this one is my favourite one (until now).

First of all, Cassie is so likeable, not only as a mother, but also as a friend and a daughter. Yes, she has last her husband in a terrible accident, which made her wary of sailing. But seeing that same passion her husband had in her children’s eyes, she does not hold hem back. She is obviously terrified that history would repeat itself, but she also knows that both Tom and Polly have to live their lives how they want and just follow their passions. 

While Cassie is a wonderful woman, I also felt a bit sad for her. Because she has so much potential, still so much to give, but she won’t allow herself to get out there again, to start to think about herself a little bit more.
In my opinion, she is holding on to the past for too long, and even if she is reaching her fifties, it’s okay to start living again, even fall in love again. 

But I think this story is not only about Cassie, it’s about her family in general. Tom has to learn to overcome a great disappointment, but he also is facing a great, amazing change in his life. I loved to read his bits and discovering how even despite his own sadness and even jealousy, he is supporting his little sister on her adventure.

And Polly… wow, I for sure would be terrified in her place! She is a stubborn woman, even a little bit annoyingly if I may say, but that doesn’t take away my admiration for her. She wants to make a name for herself, and she tries to persuade everyone to give her this unexpected chance.
I also admired her determination. She knows that not everyone understands her dreams but she doesn’t believe that love is a reason to give up on what she wants to do. Love is indeed about compromising, but compromising should work both ways, and only if both parties understands what the other person feels, loves and dreams of. 

Cassie and her children are all at a point to make decisions, that will somehow change their lives forever. Will Cassie find the courage to allow love again, with two men vying for her love? While I obviously had my own preference, I understood the pull of the other man. But I liked how Cassie made it clear that she does not want to force things, and she just wants to enjoy the time spend together. And I liked how she slowly realizes who the perfect man for her is. 

I also was proud of Polly’s adventurous spirit. She knows perfectly what she can and cannot do. And even when things get more difficult, she knows who to reach to get her back on track. Her trip also makes her realize better what she truly wants to do with her life, and with whom she wants to do it. Even if this is not the easiest path, she will see what the future brings. 

This book took me on a great journey, showing also what the strength of love for someone or something makes us capable of doing.
It takes us also literally miles into the ocean, showing courage in dire circumstance, but also courage in truly seeing what and who is around us.

I found it a wonderful, amazing read about a lovely family, where they all support and love each other unconditionally no matter what decision they make. Decisions and choices, that make them, and also us, realize that life is not only too short to keep lingering in the past, but also decisions and choices that make us understand ourselves better and understand what course we have to take to live our lives at the fullest.