Poughkeepsie Review

I have 2 songs that I picked for this review.  I thought they both were equally perfect for this book and I couldn't pick one over the other.  The first song is an oldie.

Sometimes you find a book that effects you so much, that you eat, breath and sleep it for the next days or weeks after reading it.  I found one of those books.  It stuck with me.  I finished it and immediately turned back to my favorite parts and started rereading it.  I absolutely loved this book.  It evoked so much emotion out of me that I felt like I was living the events with the characters. Parker said something to me that totally hit the nail on the head for me.  I was reading him some of my favorite parts of the book last night when he was trying to go to sleep. I was cracking up and saying how funny I thought some of these parts were and he made the comment "She writes conversations that sound real."  He was so right.  The conversations and actions described during the conversations are so real.  It doesn't sound like a story, it feels like it really happened.  Like people really said these things. What a talented author she is to be able to do that.  Before I post my review I'm gonna post the synopsis from Goodreads.

He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day. 

Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe. 

When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it’s not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives. 

Blake’s heart beats for Livia’s, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right? 

In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.

You know the gist of the story.  Now you can read how much I loved it.  But first my next song.




Read at your own risk.  There may be spoilers to certain events.



Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow.


I was hesitant about this story.  Mostly because the love story was between a normal girl and a homeless man.  I kept thinking, 'how can I relate to that?'  And I guess part of me kept picturing a dirty old man with a beard, whenever the word homeless entered my mind. Well, I'm SO glad that that didn't stop me from reading this book.


I fell in love with Blake and Livia almost immediately.  But especially Blake.  He had such a tender, pure heart and every time he opened his mouth you could hear it, which made him even more endearing because he had such a quiet almost shy way about him sometimes.  With every word he spoke, his heart was on display. Most especially when he talked to or about Livia.  A perfect example of what I'm talking about is the fact that he kept count of how many times she smiled at him.  Ugh, it's almost heartbreakingly sweet. I love how he interpreted actions with music.  He heard music through his daily life, like he had his own soundtrack.  I loved it.  In fact, one of my favorite scenes is when Livia gets him to play her little electric key-lighted keyboard that she got as a child.

Listening to him play was like discovering an eagle in the wild.  It was tumblingly bewitching.  She could feel and hear genius-she knew it.


"Blake." She didn't have to say more.


He locked his emerald eyes on hers, and she could not look away.  Not for anything.  He let his happy song trickle into a more intimate one.  Blake's fingers moved as he held her gaze.  "I wrote this one while we danced the other night," he said softly.


The music washed over her.  It changed her.  Refreshed her.  Made her more than she was.  Blake stood and twisted the keyboard around, still playing with one hand.  He motioned for her with the other.  She nearly ran.  He scooped her up with one arm and set her on the table next to the keyboard.


"This is what nibbling your ear sounds like." Blake created a soundtrack for his teeth.


"This is what looking into your eyes sounds like."  The notes were deep and beckoning.


"This is what my mind hears when my tongue is in your mouth."  The kiss sounded steamy and delicate.  The rhythm was her heartbeat as he sampled her mouth.


"But when you smile.  When you smile it's..."  Blake scooted the keyboard around behind her.  He needed both hands.


She put her hands on his face and smiled in amazement as the music exploded.  She couldn't imagine how her simple facial gesture could inspire such a majestic sound.


He smiled back.  "One thousand nine hundred and ten."


"So many?  Really?" 

"Yes, really.  And it's not nearly enough.  I want to lose count, Livia.  Make me lose count."

I just love that scene.  I want to hear the music he is playing.


I really enjoyed all the characters in this book.  They all had such individual personalities.  But I think my two favorites, besides Blake, would definitely have to be Kyle and Beckett!  OMG The two of them cracked me up.  But I'll get to them in a second.  I thought it was cool how as the story progressed and more characters were introduced more stories developed.  By the end of the book I felt like I read 3 love stories instead of 1.  I usually hate reading flashbacks and backstories in books, because I just want to get on with the story at hand.  But I got so caught up in these characters lives that I WANTED to learn more about them.  I wanted to know their back stories.


OK Kyle. (I've never heard that name used for a girl before, it was different.  I had a hard time reading it as Kyle, because I kept thinking of a boy I went to high school with. I kept reading it as Kylie) The things that came out of Kyle's mouth were hilarious.  She was so creative with her insults, she had a dirty mouth and was very R rated, but she was a ball of fire with a lot of spunk and energy.  I really enjoyed her. Little example of Kyle, when Livia is having trouble pulling herself together at her wedding Kyle says "Quit being such a snot-flinging drama queen.  Suck it up and marry him."

"[..] You scared the uterus out of me."




~Kyle

And Beckett. He was so charismatic, I just loved him from the start. He was a mobster/gangster with a surprisingly big heart.  In fact everything he did, was out of love for his brothers.  He totally went about things in the wrong way but he did the only thing he knew to do to keep his brothers safe and happy.  His and Eve's story lines were the only thing I wasn't happy about at the end of the book. I realize he did it to himself by killing Chris.  But I hated how it ended for him.  Really, it didn't feel like an ending for him, or for Eve.  It doesn't make sense for two people to both love each other, and then split.  Even if it is BECAUSE they love each other that they split.  That just doesn't make sense.  You stick together, you find a way to get through it. They seemed so perfect for each other in so many ways, right down to the fact that they both had such a soft spot for kids.  Really, when does Beckett get his happy ending.  It seems like everything he does is for everyone else.  He sacrifices his own happiness for the people that he loves over and over.  His whole lifestyle choice was out of the love he had for his brothers.  I was really hoping that there was going to be a continuation of their story, but I haven't found where Debra Anastasia has said anything about a second book.  It would be hard to create a sequel I think because she wrapped up every one else's story so nicely.  There was closure with everything, except Beckett and Eve.  Well, thats not true either.  They did get closure, but I just didn't like it.  Their last scene together made my heart hurt. I'm a happy ending kind of girl, and Beckett was one of my favorites so I hurt for him in the end.

"So I'm sitting in that damn chair, ready to die, and I say to her, 'You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.  I'm so damn glad you're going to kill me instead of some brainless, toothless druggie."  Beckett smiled again at the memory of his almost-murder.  "Then she traded the knife for her lips, and now she works for me."  Beckett put his hands behind his head and flexed his giant biceps. "She won't tell me who hired her to come here.  She's the deadliest person I've ever encountered.  I still think she might kill me, but I can't stop looking at her."




~Beckett

I thought Debra Anastasia was so good at writing scenes that could very easily be corny and making them beautiful.  For example Blake and Livia's wedding.  When I read that it was going to be at the train station, I thought that was pushing it.  But having it told from Blake's point of view was perfect!  Seeing it through his eyes and his emotions as he thought back about waiting in that exact train station all those hours just to get a smile from Livia, then to be standing and waiting there for her to come to him as his bride was so touching.  (Since I'm talking about the wedding I want to mention now that another one of my favorite scenes was at the very beginning of their wedding and Livia wouldn't look at Blake because she knew she would start crying.  So Blake got down on his knee to get her to look at him and asked her again if she would marry him. So sweet!)  Or when Livia tried for the first time to get Blake to come out in the sun.  The way she did it, could have been a really corny scene except the way it was written made it beautiful.


I will definitely be reading more from this author and I will read this book over and over again.


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FAVORITE QUOTES


There are so many favorite quotes and scenes in this book that I'll probably end up just copying the whole book here if I include them all, so here are just a few.  It was hard narrowing it down to just a few though.


"He counts.  You've smiled at him four hundred and forty-six times as of a few minutes ago.  He announces the number every time I see him."


~Cole (talking to Livia about Blake)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Hello, beautiful Livia," Blake answered.


"How did you know it was me?"  Livia saw her wide smile in the rear view mirror.


"The phone looked sexier when it rang."


~Blake and Livia


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


This was after Becketts place of business blew up and he thought Eve was inside.  Eve realizes this and runs to him just before he is about to run into the burning building.


"Don't ever die in my head again.  Please, never again,"


~Beckett


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


After soft kisses, they pressed their hands together palm to palm.  The tingling scattered all over Livia's body, warming her.


"Do you feel that?"  she whispered with a smile.


His lips moved in his silent count.  Blake wrapped his fingers around her hand. She copied the movement.  Their hands together now resembled a heart-not a cartoon rendering of the shape, but a real human heart.


He touched her lips with his and murmured, "I've been feeling it since you first smiled at me."


~Blake and Livia


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Oh my God! I'm engaged! I'm marrying Cole!"


"What?!"  Livia squeezed her sister hard.  "Let me see.  When did this happen? Did you tell Dad? When is it going to be?  How did he propose?"


The men stopped their congratulatory handshake to stare at the speed-talking ladies.


"Last night, not yet, four weeks from today, naked!"  Kyle blurted in response


The girls became a moving, jumping circle of hug.


"Cole, you popped the question in your birthday suit?"  Blake teased.


Cole put his face in his hands.  "Did not think she would share that bit of information."


~Kyle, Livia, Blake and Cole


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


She picked up the phone and dialed Blake's number.  His silky hello made her smile.


"You're smiling, right?"  His voice was so intimate.


"Of course," she murmured.  "Does it still count if you don't see it?"


"It counts when I feel it,"  he replied.


~Blake and Livia


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Beckett's probably the hardest man there is to love,"  Blake said.  "He does life wrong for all the right reasons."


~Blake




Believe it or not I DID narrow it down.  Those were not ALL my favorite quotes or scenes.   This was SUCH a good book!


After posting this review on Goodreads, I got a message from the Author Debra Anastasia, she informed me that she IS writing a sequel!!! I am so excited about this.  I'm so glad the journey I experienced with the people in Poughkeepsie is not over.   For more information about Debra Anastasia and her other books click the link below.

http://www.DebraAnastasia.com/