BOOK REVIEW: Life, Liberty, and Pursuit

Title: Life, Liberty, and Pursuit
Author: Susan Kaye Quinn
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Omnific Publishing (June 2010)
Pages: 262


The .pdf copy I reviewed was provided to me by the publisher.


Favorite segment: He chuckled and kissed her. It was molten sweetness on her lips, and it was a good thing he had a firm hold on her. (page 253)


Description: When college-bound Eliza falls into a cruise-ship pool, she doesn't expect to fall in love. And when navy recruit David pulls her from the water, he finds her surprisingly hard to resist. But a whirlwind of rescues, candlelit nights, and beachside misunderstandings pulls them into a four-day love affair that threatens to break their hearts before their love has a chance to start. When David leaves for endless drills and physical training in boot camp, and Eliza returns to Albuquerque to prepare for Princeton in the fall, they dare to keep loving each other and struggle to imagine a future when they can be together. But when miles and mistrust pull them apart, they are forced to choose between keeping true to their dreams and having the courage to love.

COVETED - a must read.

My Splats: I am a visual person. Book covers do influence me. When I first saw the cover of LIFE, LIBERTY,AND PURSUIT, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But it grew on me, encapsulating the story to a greater degree than I could have imagined. It fits; it really does.


This story was a pleasure to read. The writing was easy to read, and had a poignant almost poetic flow to it. Scenes were ordered for a quick pace which made the story hard to put away at times. It didn't have or need any big, bad villians or paranormal monsters lurking around every corner to drive my interest. The character driven threads were plenty to keep me reading. 


At times I found myself fully drawn into the minds and hearts of Eliza and David, as if I had known them...And herein lies when I began cheering for their success. I especially enjoyed the awkward moments of their relationship. I think most people, regardless of age, could relate. This story was sweet and quaint, yet real and true to the trials a newly graduated teenage girl would face. My favorite character arch was how Eliza and David grew together. Susan does a magnificent job of subtly mapping out the struggles and growth of a young relationship. It is a thing of beauty, and these two characters, in my opinion, will stand the test of time.


As a writer, I found myself learning from the ease of Susan's style. She has a way of soothing her reader into a scene, and then before the reader knows it the scene is over, filling them yet leaving them a little bit hungry. It worked.


Visit Susan's website to find out where and how to purchase the book. And please make sure to come back and read the interview Susan so graciously gave me. I'll be posting it in a few weeks.