Fire & Water by Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
Only in the glaring light of hindsight does pediatric surgeon Kate Murphy understand that she was groomed for the path she's taken. Raised by a widowed dad and a misshapen, sometimes comical trio of parental surrogates from Murphy's Pub, her father's Irish bar in San Francisco, Kate has never understood how protected she is - but when she learns that her well-meaning family has hidden bitter truths about her mother's mental illness and death, the rest of her family history unravels. Kate is still recovering from her family's deception when she becomes involved with Jake Bloom - a charming artist different than anyone she's ever known. When she experiences his sculptures on Ocean Beach, she is forever changed; in the months that follow, Jake reveals beauty Kate has never noticed, and exposes her to spontaneity, sensuality, and love deeper than she'd imagined it could be. Only Mary K - Kate's hard-edged best friend who doesn't miss a thing and names bull when she sees it - is immune to Jake's charms. She sees the potential for danger in Jake, and, of course, she says so. Caught between her newfound passion and her friendship, Kate dismisses her friend's warnings. Ultimately, it isn't until she is in too deep, with a daughter on the way, that Kate understands what Mary K feared on her behalf. Fire & Water is a story of navigating the treacherous territory of passionate love, friendship, and family devotion - and of how love is always a matter of life and death.
“Fire & Water is simply a wonderful readFrom the very first page, story and characters urge the reader forward. Yet even as the plot rises and tangles, vital issues are examined: Can a surgeon, who thinks she can fix anything, fix a broken heart? A broken mind? Art, like life, is transient. With a discerning eye for detail, and some truly beautiful love scenes, Fasbinder takes the reader on a most compelling and satisfying ride, all the way to the final four words.”
—Sands Hall, author of Catching Heaven and Tools of the Writer’s Craft
“A heart-wrenching journey set against a richly drawn San Francisco Bay Area, Fire & Water deftly explores trust, wealth, family, and the way love changes the shape of our hearts. What a beautiful exploration of love and mental illness and family. A triumph.”
—Kim Culbertson, author of 2012 NCBA Winner Instructions for a Broken Heart
“You will not be able to put this book down. It celebrates the families we’re born to and those we choose, and digs deep into the diffi culties of wanting love and art in the same life. It examines the cost of being true to yourself, all the while being a total page-turner. Is it possible to say that reading a book might actually make you a better person? I think so, and Fire & Water is just that kind of book. It’s wonderful.”
—Heather Donahue, author of 2011 Growgirl: How My Life After the Blair Witch Project Went to Pot
“Fasbinder writes about ordinary human lives in an extraordinary way, revealing the secrets, desires, and fears that lie under the waters of everyday life. Her prose is deft, sure, and deeply wrought, her story one you will want to follow to the end.”
—Jessica Barksdale Inclan, author of Her Daughter’s Eyes and When You Believe
—Sands Hall, author of Catching Heaven and Tools of the Writer’s Craft
“A heart-wrenching journey set against a richly drawn San Francisco Bay Area, Fire & Water deftly explores trust, wealth, family, and the way love changes the shape of our hearts. What a beautiful exploration of love and mental illness and family. A triumph.”
—Kim Culbertson, author of 2012 NCBA Winner Instructions for a Broken Heart
“You will not be able to put this book down. It celebrates the families we’re born to and those we choose, and digs deep into the diffi culties of wanting love and art in the same life. It examines the cost of being true to yourself, all the while being a total page-turner. Is it possible to say that reading a book might actually make you a better person? I think so, and Fire & Water is just that kind of book. It’s wonderful.”
—Heather Donahue, author of 2011 Growgirl: How My Life After the Blair Witch Project Went to Pot
“Fasbinder writes about ordinary human lives in an extraordinary way, revealing the secrets, desires, and fears that lie under the waters of everyday life. Her prose is deft, sure, and deeply wrought, her story one you will want to follow to the end.”
—Jessica Barksdale Inclan, author of Her Daughter’s Eyes and When You Believe
When Betsy Graziani Fasbinder married a widower with a young son, she became a second wife. Their family was built on the foundations of sorrow and love, with tenderness and commitment as their guides. She is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Fire & Water and the founder of The Morning Glory Project, which honors those who have not only survived devastating loss and tragedy, but have also transformed their grief into courage and their history into inspiration. Since 1992, Betsy has been a certified psychotherapist in the state of California. She and her husband live in Marin County, California, in their recently empty nest. Visit www.betsygrazianifasbinder.com for additional information.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781938314148 |
| ISBN 10 | 193831414X |
| Title | Fire & Water |
| Author | Betsy Graziani Fasbinder |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | She Writes Press |
| Year published | 2013-03-28 |
| Number of pages | 416 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |