Cornelia Brown is the protagonist for whom Marisa de los Santos has written two previous books: LOVE WALKED IN and BELONG TO ME. This third adventure once again centers on Cornelia, a little woman with a much bigger personality, our well-worded guide through a trip from the past to the future.

As Cornelia attempts to overcome a terrifying act of violence herself, she receives word that her mother, Eleanor Campbell, has been in an accident and is badly injured. She races to her side, bringing readers into the house in which she grew up. Spending time with Ellie, who is struggling to return to her former vigorous self, Cornelia is confronted with a loss from the past and a strange, confused message from Ellie to bring her the Northern Lights. What does this mean? Cornelia agrees to do so, even though the request leaves her reeling. She invites the help of her angry sister, Ollie, and they begin to research the life that their mother led before they were brought into this world --- a life of rebellion and adventure in the 1960s that they knew nothing about.

"If you are looking for a fun beach read that also leaves you with plenty of food for thought, WATCH US SHINE fits the bill completely."

WATCH US SHINE marches resolutely from Cornelia’s present back to her mother’s old world, and the sisters’ competitive and jealous spirits vie with how Ellie’s life changed when they were not yet born. The difficult associations made, the ages-old fights that rear their ugly head once again and threaten to push the sisters apart --- these scenes resonate with the challenges of growing up, having kids, reaching for dreams beyond the obstacles of reality, and all the ways that different generations view themselves when marking their lives against history. As Ellie continues to fight to stay in this world, Cornelia and Ollie find out that her connection to them and her time on this planet are rife with more mysteries than answers.

De los Santos has a very gentle and generous perspective on Cornelia, as well as her family, and never lets readers lose touch with the myriad of ways in which they are all similar, even though her characters don’t always see it. The pleasant and readable prose hides a thoughtful and inquisitive soul, and the situations contained in the story bring to the forefront the history of a past era that not too many novels choose to explore.

The author is no slouch when it comes to showing us how the past was so different and how generations of a family are not only affected by those differences, but how they are able to overcome them, as their grip on the family tree continues from era to era. Cornelia, Ollie and Ellie are all fascinating characters on their own, but the time that de los Santos has invested in creating Cornelia makes this particular set of chapters in her life a truly rollicking ride of adventure and discovery.

If you are looking for a fun beach read that also leaves you with plenty of food for thought, WATCH US SHINE fits the bill completely.