Book Review for The Color of Ice by Barbara Linn Probst

 The Color of Ice by Barbara Linn Probst 

Genre:  Women’s Fiction

Paperback

Publication: October 18th 2022 by She Writes Press

 

Taken from Goodreads:  A story of love and redemption set among the glaciers and thermal lagoons of Iceland, and framed by the evocative art of glassblowing . . .

Cathryn McAllister, a freelance photographer, travels to Iceland for a photo shoot with an enigmatic artist who wants to capture the country's iconic blue icebergs in glass. Her plan is to head out, when the job is done, on a carefully curated "best of Iceland" solo vacation. Widowed young, Cathryn has raised two children while achieving professional success. If the price of that efficiency has been the dimming of her fire--well, she hasn't let herself think about it. Until now.

Bit by bit, Cathryn abandons her itinerary to remain with Mack, the glassblower, who awakens a hunger for all the things she's told herself she doesn't need anymore. Passion. Vulnerability. Risk. Cathryn finds herself torn between the life--and self--she's come to know and the new world Mack offers. Commitments await her back in America. But if she walks away, she'll lose this chance to feel deeply again. Just when her path seems clear, she's faced with a shocking discovery--and a devastating choice that shows her what love really is.

 

My Thoughts:  I felt like I was on a vacation to Iceland.  Barbara Linn Probst wrote a book that took me on the trip of a lifetime.  Cathryn decides on this vacation as part of a work assignment.  Little did she know that her entire life would change.  Her perspective on her life in the USA change, her view of her children’s lives and what they needed from her change, and what she wants in life changes.   While this was a vacation, it was really a life changing event.

 

Mack was a unique character.  He was an artist or actually an artisan (read the book to find out the difference).   He was closed off, living a singular life.  I felt like he was just going through the motions.  The only time he was truly living was when he was blowing glass.  Then he met Cathryn and his heart started to open.  I enjoyed them together; Cathryn was patient and questioned him but did not always push him to give more than he could.  Somehow, without knowing the reasons, she understood that he was not available to give all of himself and was able to accept that.   With that acceptance, she learned more about what she wanted in life. 

 

This is my first book by Barbara Linn Probst, I will now be reading more of her books.  The ride she took me on, the wonderful descriptions of Ireland, and the small twist at the end made this a perfect read. 

**Thank you GetRedPR for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet Barbara Linn Probst (taken from Goodreads):  Barbara Linn Probst is an award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction living on an historic dirt road in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her acclaimed novels QUEEN OF THE OWLS (2020) and TTHE SOUND BETWEEN THE NOTES (2021) were medalists for prestigious national awards, and THE SOUND BETWEEN THE NOTES was selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Indie Books of 2021. Barbara has also published over fifty essays on the craft of writing for sites such as Jane Friedman and Writer Unboxed, along with two nonfiction books. Her third novel THE COLOR OF ICE will be released in October 2022.

FUN FACT:
Barbara's first book was framed around the art and life of iconic American painter Georgia O'Keeffe, and her second book was framed around music and the piano. THE COLOR OF ICE, set among Iceland's thermal lagoons and blue icebergs, is framed around the magical art of glassblowing.