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Book Title: Call My Name: A Novel by Jenni Ogden
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 384 pages
Genre: Literary/Women's/Bookclub Fiction
Publisher: Sea Dragon Press
Release date: April 2020
Formats Available for Review: print (USA only), ebook (MOBI FILE
(FOR KINDLE), EPUB, PDF, NetGalley download), audiobook (Findaway
download, NetGalley download)
Tour dates: Aug 18 to Sep 14, 2022
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: Has
childbirth/abortion/adoption/surrogacy themes, the brief description of a rape in the past by a Japanese guard of a prisoner in a POW camp in Sumatra in WWII (not explicit but of course disturbing and violent). A mention of cannabis smoking when characters are young, mild in-context use of f-word and other expletives.
Praise from Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife & When the Stars Go Dark:
"An emotionally piercing and absorbing account of turbulent female friendship over time, Call My Name is also a keen meditation on the powerful pull of connection and belonging—the places and people that shape and change us, forever calling us home."
"Jenni Ogden's done it again—given us a beautifully crafted novel filled with the complexities, mysteries and joys of human connection within a family and between sisters, lovers and friends. Filled with authenticity, compassion and grace, Call My Name will find its way deep into your heart and soul, and stay with you long after the last page has been turned." — Sally Cole-Misch, Award-winning author of The Best Part of Us
“Vivid setting, dynamic plot, and likable characters come together beautifully to deliver an emotionally compelling tale of friendship, love, loss, and forgiveness. Call My Name is a fantastic read.” — Jodi Wright, Award-winning author of How to Grow an Addict & Eat and Get Gas.
“This is a love story ... of couples, of friends, of families. A page turning saga that is fresh in its story, yet provides the warmth of an old-fashioned classic." — Romalyn Tilghman, Award-winning author of To the Stars with Difficulties, 2018 Kansas Notable Book of the Year
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Two women, bound together by opposite personalities, friendship, love and family—until motherhood rips them apart.
From Jenni Ogden, author of bestselling novel A Drop in the Ocean (Gold Nautilus Award for Fiction) comes a compelling family saga set in the Australian Tropics and spanning the 1960s to 1990s.
Her mother dead from a drug overdose, thirteen-year-old Olivia is rescued by Cathie Tulloch, her mother’s friend throughout the years they were held captive in Japanese prison camps in Sumatra in WWII. Welcomed into the Tulloch’s remote family home in the Australian tropics, introverted Olivia is claimed by dramatic, generous, controlling Cassandra Tulloch as her sister and best friend. Moving to the UK at 18, Olivia finds her independence, and partner Ben. But in 1970, after five years away, she is homesick, and ready to fulfill her long-held dream: to make a family of her own. In Brisbane she and Ben share a hippie lifestyle with Cassandra and husband, Sebastian. But while earth-mother Cassandra effortlessly produces beautiful babies, for Olivia, becoming a mother is hard. Even harder is discovering the truth about her own mother. And when the unimaginable happens, destroying the friendship with Cassandra that has been her bedrock for so long, Olivia tells herself that she doesn’t deserve a family, nor a place to call home.
Call My Name is an Emotional Page Turner. I am not always a fan of women's fiction and family dramas--but this one pulled me in on the first page and kept me engaged to the end. The author creates an emotional life journey for her main characters--and keeps the storyline realistic, well-paced, and powerfully gripping. The novel holds many darker themes--so, it may not be for everyone. Life is not always perfectly easy and uncomplicated. While the characters seemed unlucky at times--there was a feeling of reality present as well.
Call My Name Offers the Perfect Blend of Characters, Setting, and Plot. While I struggled with Olivia's decision-making and reactions from time to time--I could also understand them and sympathize, empathize and root for her along the way. The author uses the period, the setting, the primary and supporting characters, and the well-developed plot perfectly from page to page. I settled immediately into the story and couldn't leave it even as it ended. From relationships to history to feelings of home, grief, love, and hope--the author brings it all to readers in this novel.
Would I Recommend Call My Name by Jenni Ogden? I loved this book! It is about a lot more than pregnancy and motherhood and tugs the emotions and heartstrings from beginning to end. The author's writing style pulls so many dramatic, emotionally charged scenes together into a family saga that you won't be able to put down. If you enjoy realistic women's fiction that spans decades with attention to time, detail, character development, and human emotions and relationships--this book is certainly one for your reading list or your book club.
Jenni Ogden and her husband live off-grid on spectacular Great Barrier Island, 100 kms off the coast of New Zealand, a perfect place to write and for grandchildren to spend their holidays. Winters are often spent in Far North Tropical Queensland, close to Killara, the fictional home in Call My Name, her third novel.
Her debut novel published in 2016, A Drop in the Ocean, was an Amazon bestseller and won multiple awards including the 2016 Gold Nautilus Award for Fiction, Large Publisher.
Her second novel, The Moon is Missing, was published in 2020 and is set on London, New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and Great Barrier Island, NZ.
Jenni, who holds a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology and was awarded the Distinguished Career Award by the International Neuropsychological Society in 2015, is well-known for her books featuring her patients’ moving stories: Fractured Minds: A Case-Study Approach to Clinical Neuropsychology, and Trouble In Mind: Stories from a Neuropsychologist’s Casebook.
Connect with the Author: website ~ facebook ~ twitter ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ goodreads
CALL MY NAME: A Novel Book Tour Giveaway
1 Comments
Thank you Angela for your post on 'Call My Name' and for your lovely review. So glad you enjoyed it and hope some of your readers do as well. Today in NZ is the first day of Spring, so that is another plus! Best,Jenni
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