Spin the Plate by Donna Anastasi Review

About the Book:

Jo is a survivor of a bleak and abusive childhood. She channels her pain and rage into weight training and roams the city streets at night as a powerful vigilante. While she is more than capable of defending herself against physical danger, she is defenseless against the memories of the past that torment her.

Francis is a mysterious man she meets on the subway train. He doesn’t have a regular job and is still living at home. But he is gentle, likeable, friendly, intelligent, sensitive, respectful, generous, patient, and understanding. Just what a brave, but damaged soul like Jo needs.

In this story, the average-guy hero battles to win the battered heart of the wary, edgy, less-than-perfect heroine.

     Author’s Bio:

Donna Anastasi is the author of two non-fiction small animal books published by Bowtie press: The Complete Guide to Gerbil Care (2005) a popular how to breed, raise, and care for gerbils book and The Complete Guide to Chinchilla Care (2008) a chinchilla handbook promoting these exotic and intelligent creatures as companions, not coats. Spin the Plate is Anastasi's debut novel. The 2013 printing of Spin the Plate is a completely revised and expanded version of her 2010 indie-award winning novel: Living Now Book Awards (Gold Medal), Reader’s Favorite Awards (Silver Medal, Contemporary Romance), International Book Awards (Finalist, Women’s Literature), Best Book Awards (Finalist, Cross-Genre Fiction).Donna Anastasi lives in the woods of Southern New, Hampshire with her husband, two teen-aged daughters and an ever-changing menagerie.

My Thoughts:

Spin the Plate is a novel that gets the reader to think. To think about life, past experiences, the future, faith and a myriad of serious issues. Jo is a tattoo artist and a very troubled young woman. She has low self esteem issues due to her abusive childhood. A father who repeatedly rapes her, a mother who distances herself to this. Jo is anti social and goes out at night to rescue the downtrodden, be they animals or people. One of the people who befriends her is Francis, a young man whom Jo finds interesting but strange. He portrays himself to be homeless, but not all is what it seems to be. Their relationship blossoms and with Francis's patience and persistence, Jo evolves into a self assured woman, in spite of her past.

I found this book to be a bit disturbing at first, especially when Jo is recounting her rapes by her father, but as the story moved along, I was intrigued by how the author weaved together Jo and Francis's story and loved how it all came together at the end. A story of faith and love.

I received this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.

You can purchase the book HERE at Amazon

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