Bottled Butterfly

By Penny Lauer

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595071776
• ISBN13: 9781595071774
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: GARDNERS VI BOOKS AMS006
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A charming tale

This is a delightful first novel by a wonderfully descriptive author. The reader becomes totally enamored with Nellie. There is great wisdom in the telling of her story. Penny Lauer has done a magnificent job of introducing us to a small Ohio town whose people struggle with the challenges of the depression. Her characters are colorful and memorable. I look forward to reading future books by this new author.

Elliott Trumbull ....Excellent! July 29th, 2007

Penny Lauer was an English teacher, and as a new author, she's still teaching. Her first novel "Bottled Butterfly", contains many valuable life lessons for her readers. The calm and comforting wisdom of Grammy, the strength and guidance of the Mother, and the strong dedication--the fortitude--of the heroine, Nellie, all contribute to our understanding of Penny's splendid character developments. In addition, she paints a vivid picture of traditional family life in small-town America, and specifically of 1930's Ohio, with all its vagaries, both pleasant and unpleasant. Elliott Trumbull

I couldn't put it down!

Through the telling of Nellie's story, Penny Lauer offers a unqiue slice of the American experience while challenging the reader to reflect upon the universal themes of prejudice, sexism, strength and the pursuit of self-actualization. A powerfully and beautifully written "simple story."

A Woman's Tale

This is a story about a life worth living. Nellie is an unforgettable character, who, in many ways reminds me of Charlotte Bronte's or Elizabeth Gaskell's young, impoverished, but strong women. Nellie tells her life story in her own words. She lives in rural Ohio, in Appalachian towns where poverty is universal. She speaks in the dialect of the area, but through her simple language, the growth of her wisdom and resilience, or, as she calls it, her "fortitude" is revealed. The author understands the psychological importance of identity formation in women and has walked in the shoes of her character to show how it happens in a difficult environment. Nellie seeks fulfillment, makes and lives with her choices, dreams of opportunities, gets caught in life's hardships, almost loses herself, but ultimately finds her voice. This first time author deserves to be discovered.

One word...Wow

First time author, Penny Lauer, has really hit this one out of the ball park. The vivid imagery and eloquent writing draws you into the story as you find yourself living through the eyes of Nellie, the novel's heroine. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment from this talented new author.