CALL MY NAME by Jenni Ogden "Book Tour & Giveaway"

 

Join us for this tour from Aug 18 to Sep 14, 2022!

Book Details:

Book Title:  Call My Name: A Novel by Jenni Ogden
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +),  384 pages
Genre:  Literary/Women's/Bookclub Fiction
Publisher:  Sea Dragon Press
Release date:   April 2020
Formats Available for Review: print (USA only), ebook (MOBI FILE (FOR KINDLE), EPUB, PDF, NetGalley download), audiobook (Findaway download, NetGalley download)
Tour dates: Aug 18 to Sep 14, 2022
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M: Has childbirth/abortion/adoption/surrogacy themes, the brief description of a rape in the past by a Japanese guard of a prisoner in a POW camp in Sumatra in WWII (not explicit but of course disturbing and violent). A mention of cannabis smoking when characters are young, mild in-context use of f-word and other expletives.

 Praise from Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife & When the Stars Go Dark:

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"An emotionally piercing and absorbing account of turbulent female friendship over time, Call My Name is also a keen meditation on the powerful pull of connection and belonging—the places and people that shape and change us, forever calling us home."
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“A gripping story that’s hard to put down--draws the reader into complex and deeply human questions as her characters’ lives intertwine over three decades of joy, loss, grief, and below it all, like a sustaining chord, loyalty and kindness. Call My Name reminds us that love calls us to be generous rather than possessive and that we can go on, even when terrible things happen, because we’re profoundly connected. Layered, sometimes shocking, yet shining with goodness and hope, it’s exactly the kind of story we need right now.” — Barbara Linn Probst, Sarton and Nautilus award-winning author of The Sound Between the Notes & The Color of Ice

"Jenni Ogden's done it again—given us a beautifully crafted novel filled with the complexities, mysteries and joys of human connection within a family and between sisters, lovers and friends. Filled with authenticity, compassion and grace, Call My Name will find its way deep into your heart and soul, and stay with you long after the last page has been turned." — Sally Cole-Misch, Award-winning author of The Best Part of Us

“Vivid setting, dynamic plot, and likable characters come together beautifully to deliver an emotionally compelling tale of friendship, love, loss, and forgiveness. Call My Name is a fantastic read.” — Jodi Wright, Award-winning author of How to Grow an Addict & Eat and Get Gas.

“This is a love story ... of couples, of friends, of families. A page turning saga that is fresh in its story, yet provides the warmth of an old-fashioned classic." — Romalyn Tilghman, Award-winning author of To the Stars with Difficulties, 2018 Kansas Notable Book of the Year

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Book Description:

Two women, bound together by opposite personalities, friendship, love and family—until motherhood rips them apart.
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From Jenni Ogden, author of bestselling novel A Drop in the Ocean (Gold Nautilus Award for Fiction) comes a compelling family saga set in the Australian Tropics and spanning the 1960s to 1990s. 

Her mother dead from a drug overdose, thirteen-year-old Olivia is rescued by Cathie Tulloch, her mother’s friend throughout the years they were held captive in Japanese prison camps in Sumatra in WWII. Welcomed into the Tulloch’s remote family home in the Australian tropics, introverted Olivia is claimed by dramatic, generous, controlling Cassandra Tulloch as her sister and best friend. Moving to the UK at 18, Olivia finds her independence, and partner Ben. But in 1970, after five years away, she is homesick, and ready to fulfill her long-held dream: to make a family of her own. In Brisbane she and Ben share a hippie lifestyle with Cassandra and husband, Sebastian. But while earth-mother Cassandra effortlessly produces beautiful babies, for Olivia, becoming a mother is hard. Even harder is discovering the truth about her own mother. And when the unimaginable happens, destroying the friendship with Cassandra that has been her bedrock for so long, Olivia tells herself that she doesn’t deserve a family, nor a place to call home.

 MY THOUGHTS

This is my first book by this author and it will not be my last. This is a gut wrenching, heartbreaking, sad yet beautiful story of love, friendships, loss. Laughter, tears, anger and separation. Friendships tested almost beyond repair. Marriages from the heart and soul. Love can withstand almost anything. This book is both beautifully written and so full of feeling it literally hurts while reading it. It will leave you breathless. 

I throughly love this book. I was not disappointed in any way whatsoever. From the very first it pulled me in and took hold of my heart. I shed so many tears reading this book. So much sadness and so much happiness too. Four friends who are almost inseparable from the start. Cassandra and Sebastian, Olivia and Ben. Two couples who love each other unconditionally even when they think they don't. What they go through is so much more than you would think anyone can withstand. Especially Olivia and Ben. Their losses are the ones that are almost unbearable. But with their friends they do persevere. They build a new life and find a happiness that will take them through anything.

Olivia losses her mother as you will read in the synopsis. She then goes to live with her mother's best friend from years before and becomes Cassandra's best friend. Cassandra is their daughter. They go through a lot of ups and downs but are as close as any two sisters. Until something so horrible happens that Olivia finds herself staying away. She only returns to Cassandra when things are so bad that her best friend is almost lost to her forever. 

This story is about life in the 60s, 70s and 80s. All the things that happened during those times in Australia. From legal abortion to being able to carry a baby for another woman who can no longer have children. From the fight women had to fight for their rights to certain things. From how horrible even doctors treated a pregnant woman. Much like here in the US right? Times were horrible but doable in many ways. From learning about what all happened to her mother in a Japanese POW camp Olivia comes to terms with her mother's death finally. I didn't like Olivia much for a while in this book but by the end I truly loved her. She was whiny in ways that she should not have been. Jealous in silly ways too. But when push came to shove she bucked up and was there for Cassandra. Cassandra was the strong one too. Go figure.

This book will make you laugh in places. Get angry in places and I assure you it will make you weep. Big fat ugly tears. It's just that kind of story. Historical fiction, Women's fiction. It has it all. It's one you

do not want to miss. I promise. It's that good. 

I give this book 5/5 stars. For overall beauty. Heartfelt passion. Feeling like you can't breath. And a little laughter. For the realistic points. This book is one for the ages. This is my honest view of this ARC. Grab it as soon as you can. Devour it.

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Meet the Author:

Jenni Ogden and her husband live off-grid on spectacular Great Barrier Island, 100 kms off the coast of New Zealand, a perfect place to write and for grandchildren to spend their holidays. Winters are often spent in Far North Tropical Queensland, close to Killara, the fictional home in Call My Name, her third novel.

Her debut novel published in 2016, A Drop in the Ocean, was an Amazon bestseller and won multiple awards including the 2016 Gold Nautilus Award for Fiction, Large Publisher.

Her second novel, The Moon is Missing, was published in 2020 and is set on London, New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and Great Barrier Island, NZ.

​Jenni, who holds a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology and was awarded the Distinguished Career Award by the International Neuropsychological Society in 2015, is well-known for her books featuring her patients’ moving stories: Fractured Minds: A Case-Study Approach to Clinical Neuropsychology, and Trouble In Mind: Stories from a Neuropsychologist’s Casebook.

Connect with the Author:  website  ~ facebook  ~ twitter ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ goodreads

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Tour Schedule:

​Aug 18 – Rockin' Book Reviews – audiobook review / guest post / giveaway
Aug 18 - Literary Flits – book review / giveaway
Aug 19 – Novels Alive – book review / giveaway
Aug 19 - Book Reviews by Linda Moore – book review / giveaway
Aug 19- Bookish Trisha - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Aug 22 – Leels Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Aug 23 – Leanne bookstagram – book review
Aug 24 – Authors on iTours: Let's Talk Books – audiobook review / giveaway
Aug 25 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Aug 26 – Stephanie Jane - book review / giveaway
Aug 29 – FUONLYKNEW – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Aug 30 – A Mama's Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
Aug 31 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 1 – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review / giveaway
Sep 2 – Paws.Read.Repeat – audiobook review / giveway
Sep 6 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review / giveaway
Sep 7 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Sep 8 - Celticlady's Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 8 – Locks, Hooks and Books – audiobook review / guest post / giveaway
Sep 9 – Books Are a Blessing - book review / giveaway
Sep 12 – I'm Into Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 12 - Geaux Get Lit - audiobook review / giveaway
Sep 13 – Books for Books – book spotlight
Sep 13 - The Garden of Reading - book review 
Sep 14 – Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview / giveaway

 

Enter the Giveaway:

 

CALL MY NAME: A Novel Book Tour Giveaway