Nell was an interesting voice to hear the majority of the story through. She's not the oldest child, but she is the one that stuck close to home; part out of duty, part out of circumstance. Growing up, she was the one that had to hold the fort down after an unfortunate situation blew down the very walls of their family structure. Never again would things be the same, and the rift created would grow to proportions larger than any could have guessed. They learned to live with it, even if they weren't happy about it, until one day, fate gave the family matriarch's life a final twist that both finished the demolition act it started once upon a time and allowed for the rebuilding of family that never knew it needed that new beginning.

In the end, the author wove a wonderful web of secrets, and love... with many well intentioned missteps for our characters along the way. I was touched by Nell's story filled with so much good intent and blind faith, flabbergasted by Bridget's ups, downs, and manipulations, and moved by Mary's strategic maneuvers that kept her sane, her heart in tact, and a family together, through better and worse. Nell and Bridget were so much more connected to Mary than they ever truly knew and despite words left unsaid, due to circumstance, by book's end I am convinced that they each knew they held each other close in their hearts.


***copy for received for review...full post can be seen on my site*** ( )

Nell Williams finally has it figured out. “Life is short. Be happy.” But she didn’t always realize this.

One day she receives a phone call telling her that her mother is in a hospital in Vermont. What? Her mom lives in an assisted living facility in Massachusetts. What is she doing in Vermont? Nell calls her sister Bridget and then drops everything and rushes to the hospital. Thus begins the unraveling of the secrets their mother has kept from them their entire lives. Complicated relationships are finally revealed.

Three remarkable women – extraordinary family ties. An ever popular theme of mother-daughter(s) bonds. The lengths mothers will go to in order to protect their children. Redemption. Children realizing their mother had a life before them. All themes we can relate to. Believable and lovable characters.

I highly recommend this loving story. The sequel is highly anticipated. ( )

I was captivated by author Gail Cleare’s storytelling in “The Taste of Air”, and much of it resonated strongly with me as a reader. While I lived with my own mother for almost fifty years, and I knew her better than anyone else possibly could, there was still much about her life that I will never know. We often forget that our parents are people, that they are human and make human mistakes, and none of us are perfect. “The Taste of Air” is a compelling reminder that none of us know how we would react when faced with some the choices our parents had to make. The comfort of Nell Williams’s neatly-organized life is left behind when a phone call changes her reality forever. Not only is her mother, Mary, not in a care facility in Massachusetts as expected, she is hospitalized in Hartland, Vermont, a town unknown to Nell and her sister, Bridget. Upon their arrival in Vermont, they discover their mother’s “other life”, complete with a cottage home and a set of local friends. As more and more secrets about their mother and family are revealed, the sisters are forced to examine their own lives. While nothing will ever be the same, will long-held hopes and dreams find a way to come true? Author Gail Cleare has created a compelling portrait of three memorable women and the unique bond that exists between mothers and daughters—and the varied emotions in the relationships of sisters with each other.

Book Copy Received Gratis Via Author—Opinions Are Strictly My Own Observances ( )

A beautiful depiction of how decisions can impact a family through the generations. It's a tale about moving into the next stage of our lives, as our children grow up and of making a life of our own. It's also a tale about the secrets that mothers hide in order to keep those closest to them safe and the sacrifices that are made, as a consequence. Bridget, Nell and Mary's characters are sympathetically drawn and the movement through the turbulence of their lives is convincing. I am particularly impressed with the writer's depiction of life in the Vietnam war and the lasting effects it left on people's lives. Well recommended.
( )

The Taste of Air by Gail Cleare
Starts out where Mary-the mother has alternating chapters with her daughters: Nell and Bridget
The girls have been notified their mom is in the hospital but it's nowhere near the retirement center she's been staying at. Nell goes to the VT area to investigate and within a few days, no answers as her mom has a vent tube in, she learns her mother has a cottage
and a has been living there for about 10 years and is friendly with the neighbors. Nell has a family and children and is happy. Bridget has just left her cheating spouse and his daughter and heads to VT also.
Like the travel and the mysteries surrounding why she even choose VT as I am familiar with some of the areas there.
Story goes back to the past, present for each of them as we are brought up to date and then understand what's going on with everybody.
Other mysteries surround the neighbors wife til you realize the whole story and then other secrets come to life.
Lots of twists and turns and just when you think you have it all figured out, you do not.
Author gets a lot done in the amount of pages, so well I feel as if I am there with them. Can't wait to read more from this author.
It's the little things that grab my attention, VT, rose arbor, paths and especially the glider.
Received a copy via the author from Book Review Buzz and this is my honest review. ( )