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Linda Heavner Gerald has received much acclaim for her books. She has been writing for over seven years and published seventeen novels. Her work includes all genres. Linda writes each day with the goal of publishing books of substance. She draws from her medical background to alert her readers of current medical problems as well as providing inspiration through her many travels. Linda hopes to transport her readers from the safety of their home to places which they may never discover. Her most important goal is to demonstrate that God loves all of us. Even though her characters create problems for themselves, she wittingly shows how God can extract us from the mess we make. The President's Book Award has been awarded several of her books for the past three years. This author has also obtained international acclaim. Linda's books are all over the world. Reader's Favorite bestowed the silver medal for her YA book, AnnaPolis Summers, in 2018. In 2019, Linda won the Reader's Favorite Gold medal in Urban Fiction for the book: Cycles Of Hatred.
The Gulf of Mexico delights her as she shares her world with her husband, Buddy, of twenty-six years and their yellow cat, Jackson Brownie Gerald. Her son recently joined them in Florida, where the most beautiful beaches in the world welcome them.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
'If only I could return to the joyous days of our past. All of those memories are about to be filed in my memory bank as “obsolete.”' Everything changes in life and things never remain the same. Dear John by Linda Heavner Gerald introduces readers to an aging group of friends and, along with that group, she takes readers to an aging town, Port St. Joe, where the characters relive their days, realizing as they grow older and traverse their individual paths in life that things can never be the same. Sometimes life has a way of showing you the truth that is masked and it is heartwarming to read about the main character, Becky Connors, and her life, her letting go of the past, closing the past chapters of her life, and moving towards a new life. Growing old and dealing with the challenges that accompany aging have been dealt with in this book and readers become familiar with her close group from elementary school and at the Auburn University and how they deal with the process of aging and growing old together.
It is a book about friendship, love, sadness, aging, humor, joys, and sorrows. Becky's pain in being betrayed and abandoned by her husband is tangible and she also gives a glimpse of life in that Southern town (one of the oldest in the state of Florida) in those days. The author knits in Becky Connors growing up along with the good times shared with her group of friends and the breaking up of her marriage with John with expertise, tying them all together without sounding forced or losing the momentum of the plot. Readers will be able to connect with the character's experiences and friends, and the stories that happened during each stage of their lives are heartwarming. The author's style of writing is neat and simple and her way of expressing is detailed, honest, straightforward, and unapologetic. There is a thread of nostalgia, uniqueness, and an accompanying sense of joy that runs through the plot which makes this book endearing to readers.
