I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the THE TIME KEEPERS by Alyson Richman Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Alyson
Richman
Pub. Date: October
15, 2024
Publisher: Union
Square Co.
Formats: Paperback,
eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 336
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/THE-TIME-KEEPERS
An unforgettable novel that captures
the power of longing, loss, and love, The Time Keepers transports
us from 1979 suburban New York to war-torn Vietnam, revealing that sometimes
the most unexpected friendships can save us.
Two women from different worlds, Grace and Anh, are indelibly changed when a
runaway boy is found on a street in their small Long Island town. Brought
together by the love of this child displaced by war, the women find friendship
and healing from their own painful pasts when their lives intersect with a
mysterious wounded Vietnam vet. The vet, Jack, works at the Golden Hours, a
watch store that mends timepieces—and might even mend damaged souls.
Richman interweaves the journeys of these wonderfully diverse characters who
will grip, fill, and break your heart—only to bring them together with the care
and precision of an expert watchmaker, one piece at a time. Inspired by the
true story of a Vietnamese refugee who entrusted the dramatic account of her escape
from Vietnam to the author, and also that of a wounded veteran, Richman sheds
light on those whose lives were forever impacted by the devastation of that
war.
Excerpt:
PROLOGUE
Vietnam, 1978
They have been waiting all night
by the river, the dark water smooth as glass. They carry nothing but a
bundle filled with food and canteens of fresh water all tied in a square
piece of cloth. A single tin pot. A sack of lemons and a box of
sugar.
The boat is late. The children are
hungry. The men and women who are with them are standing still as
trees.
The moon cuts through the darkness
like a scythe. As they wait, looking for the boat they were promised, the
tide inches closer to their silhouettes. They walk backward, retreating
into the marsh, tall spears of reeds behind them. The cicadas loud in the
wet grass.
It is the youngest boy who first
sees the flash of light. A small beacon from a torch pulsating atop the head of
the fisherman. They walk into the river. Treading past the water hyacinth, a
mass of green leaves and singular pink flowers. First, ankle-deep.
Then, knee-deep. Finally, waist-deep. The children are afraid. Seaweed
wraps around their legs, pulling them down. Still, they inch toward the
boat. The weight of the river slowing them with each step until there is
no sand or silt beneath their feet.
They reach their arms up toward
the boat. The current flows against them. In the shadow of the ship’s
hull, they see a woman extending her hand. A rope is thrown out to reach
them, curling first on the surface of the water before sinking
down.
PART I
CHAPTER 1
Long Island, 1979
Grace Golden would never know why,
on that sunny afternoon in late May, she had chosen to walk down Gypsum
Street after Mass instead of her usual route to the grocery store. Maple
Avenue had always been the fastest way from Saint Bartholomew’s to
Kepler’s Market.
Her husband, Tom, believed Grace
picked Gypsum Street because the cherry blossoms there were at their
peak. That was the thing about his wife, he explained. She’d always go
out of her way to encounter something beautiful. But neither of them
could have anticipated on that fine spring day, as Grace’s heels
rhythmically struck the sidewalk, her shopping list tucked inside her
leather purse, that she would notice a little boy curled up against the
side of a building. Sleeping on the hard cement, his body was tucked so
tightly, he reminded Grace of a small whelk nestled into its shell.
She stopped and hovered over him.
Then she leaned down to nudge him.
“Are you lost, love?” The lilt of
her Irish accent, still detectable after years of living in New York,
floated through the air. “Let me help you up,” she offered her
hand.
But the boy remained fixed in a
fetal position, his arms locked even tighter around himself and his feet
inched closer to his bottom. One of his tennis shoes had a hole in its
rubber sole. The other was missing its laces.
She still could not see his face,
only the tiny edge of his ear and the shock of straight black hair.
“Please.”
His head rose slightly, revealing
his dark eyes, heart-shaped lips, and small nose.
It was the face of a child, frightened and alone.
About Alyson Richman:
Alyson
Richman is the USA Today bestselling and #1 international bestselling author of
several historical novels including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of
Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a
major motion picture. Alyson graduated from Wellesley College with a
degree in art history and Japanese studies. She herself is an
accomplished painter and her novels combine her deep love of art, historical
research, and travel. Alyson’s novels have been published in twenty-five
languages and have reached the bestseller lists both in the United States and
abroad. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two children, where she
is currently at work on her next novel.
Website | Twitter (X) | Facebook
| Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will receive a finished copy of THE TIME KEEPERS, US Only.
Ends October 29th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
10/14/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
10/15/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
10/16/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
10/17/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
10/18/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
10/21/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
|
10/22/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
|
10/23/2024 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post |
|
10/24/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
|
10/25/2024 |
IG Review |