Kathleen Smith Reviews Adventure Novel

Title: Can You Hear the Music?

Author: Sandra Farris
Author's website: www.sandrafarris.com
Genre: Adventure
ISBN: 0595302688
Reviewer's rating: 5 stars

Reviewed by Kathleen Smith originally for Amazon and www.reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com

This one has captured my heart and soul! I absolutely loved it from beginning to end!,

"Listen, son, can you hear the music?"

"What music, Pa? I don't hear anything."

"Stand quiet and listen. Hear the wind singing through the trees, the birds whistling from the meadow and, if you listen really close, you can hear the brook laughing as it runs across the rocks and spills down the hill. That's the music I'm talking about...the music of life. No matter how big or important you may feel when you get older, I hope you will always take the time to stop and listen to that music."

"I don't understand. Those are just ever'day sounds you hear all the time."

"True, they are everyday sounds, but we don't always hear them because we take them for granted. It's the same with people. They are always there but we take them for granted and that is what saddens my heart, for I am as guilty as the rest." He sighed and shook his head. "Listen to the frog. His song is not as beautiful as the bird's and he is truly an ugly creature to you and me, but in his own way he contributes to that music of life. What I am really trying to say, son, is that no matter how insignificant and small a man may seem, he has that right to contribute and he is just as important."

In the novel, Can You Hear The Music by Sandra Farris, the reader is in for a delightful surprise when they begin this story in the life of Corey James, a young nine-year-old girl who finds herself left orphaned in 1919 when a tragic car accident claims the life of both her parents. Her Uncle, George and his wife Lizzie take Corey in, but soon is seems the Corey finds herself the target of abuse from Lizzie. Faced with emotional and physical abuse, Corey finds herself not wanted and it hurts her deeply. Knowing only that she doesn't like being hurt anymore, she takes her small dog Muffin and slips away into the night searching for love and acceptance in the form of anyone who can provide it.

Lucky for Corey that she has disguised herself as a young boy to avoid being found by her Aunt and Uncle, and finds the most unlikely friend in the form of a hobo named Andy Curruthers. Andy relates to Corey's situation being orphaned at the age of ten and vows to help him learn the ways of life traveling the rails and seeing the world.

I received this novel compliments of Sandra Farris for my honest review and was so enraptured by this story, I could not put it down once I started. She demonstrates the talents of a great story teller in creating the characters of Corey and Andy. You can't help but wish for them to remain together throughout the book and along the way, they both learn a thing or two about forgiveness and unconditional love. There are a host of lovable supporting characters, Gus Thatcher, Lord Mayor, Injun and even Muffin, her delightful dog who never leaves Corey side no matter how dark things get. I would love to see someone pick this one up and create a beautiful movie from it, and in my opinion this one deserves so much more than my usual 5 out of 5 stars. I would rate this one a 10!

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