Cynthia Reyes

An Honest House

Cynthia Reyes

Cynthia Reyes has done it again. Picking up from the early days of her recovery from a car accident, as told in her first book, A Good Home , she shares in this new book intensely lyrical stories of life in her historic farmhouse north of Toronto. You will hear the birds sing, smell the flowers in their lavish gardens, and taste the red currant jelly and other dishes from plants grown on her property. You will be challenged as the author immerses you in the reality of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and the courage it takes to live with chronic pain. And you will say a wrenching farewell to the farmhouse as she opens a new chapter in a life still devoted to creating beauty out of the materials that life serves up to her, be they dark and haunting or light and joyful. Praise for the author’s previous book, A Good Home : “…full of warmth, deep emotions, and a vibrant understanding of just what a home can mean.” —YVONNE BLACKWOOD, author of Into Africa: The Return “Reyes’ glass is almost always half full, but ours, as we read her uplifting story, always brims over.” —COLIN McALLISTER and JUSTIN RYAN, www.colinandjustin.tv“…There is magic in these words.” —DEBRA USHER, President and Editor-in-Chief, Arabella Magazine “…proves – word by word, line by line, and page by page – you can go home again.” —LEE GOWAN, author of Confession “… contains some of the most moving and recognizable accounts of happiness and grief that I have ever come across.” —HILARY CUSTANCE GREEN, author of Surviving the Death Railway: A POW’s Memoir and Letters from Home

A Good Home

Cynthia Reyes

A Good Home is an addictive read, a profoundly emotional book about the author's early life in rural Jamaica, her move to urban North America, and her trips back home, all told through vivid descriptions of the unique homes she has lived in – from a tiny pink house in Jamaica and a mountainside cabin near Vancouver to the historic Victorian farmhouse she lives in today, surrounded by neighbors who share spicy Malaysian noodles and seafood, Greek pastries and roast lamb, and Italian tomato sauce and wine (really strong wine).Full of lovingly drawn characters and vividly described places, A Good Home takes the reader through deeply moving stories of marriage, children, the death of parents, and an accident that takes its high-flying author down a humbling notch. Its pages sparkle with stories and reflections on home as:A foundation on which to build connections with children, relatives, and friendsA place to celebrate the joys of elegant design, overflowing gardens (except for the wisteria vine, which cannot be coaxed into blooming), and the sharing of good foodA wise teacher, showing us who we really were – and who we really areWhen this brave, clear-eyed, and honest book returns, full circle, to the way it began, readers will want to read it all over again.