Book Review ~ Stardust by Carla Stewart

 After a life time spent wondering why her mother and father would abandon her at the age of 5, Georgia Peyton feels as if her past is coming back to haunt her.  She is abandoned yet again, this time by her unfaithful husband.  When he turns up mysteriously dead, Georgia is left to put the pieces of her life back together again and to build a future for her two young girls.  Wondering what to do, she notices the old sign of the abandoned Stardust motel in the distance.  Belonging to a distant relative, the Stardust is where Georgia last remembers being with her mom and dad.  When it turns up that the relative has passed away and left the Stardust to Georgia on the condition that she cannot sell it for five years, she takes a risk and agrees to the terms in spite of her Aunt Cora's fierce misgivings.  Gathering hope and confidence, Georgia sets to cleaning and renovating the old motel with the vision of sheltering those who need it and having families enjoy a getaway.  Soon a handful of characters are involved in her life and in the Stardust and she finds herself coming face to face with her past, her future, family secrets, her husband's choices and the forgiveness it will take to move on.

I love the way Carla Stewart tells a story.   Set in the '50's, this book is a step back in time.  It's rich descriptions of East Texas, the attitudes and outlooks of the era are told in wonderful detail.  A good part of the story tells of the polio outbreak of the time and it helped me to have a better understanding of the panic and fear that must have surrounded the people that it came near.  My heart went out to Georgia as she deals, with as much grace as possible, the horrible circumstances facing her.  The choices she makes had me applauding her courage and for walking in graciousness, forgiveness and recognizing and meeting others needs.  I wondered if I could do the same had the circumstances been mine.  It's an inspirational story of second chances, finding what you were meant to do,  love and forgiveness.