Reviewed by Heather Osborne for Readers' Favorite

Seasons of the Heart by Stephanie Fletcher is a compilation of four short stories. Each story focuses on a different season of love. The first story, “Spring,” is about a teenager named Stacey. It’s the last day of school and her friend Jennifer convinces her to come down to the local recreation park for some fun to celebrate. Although unsure, Stacey agrees. Tragic events begin to unfold as one of the fellow teenagers is not as kind and caring as he seems. The second story, “Summer,” is about a woman, Sally, who is questioning the purpose of her life. She works in a menial job with little fulfillment. All around her, friends and family are developing relationships. One afternoon, Sally takes a walk and meets Mike. She realizes that love comes to those who are not searching for it.

“Fall” examines the stories of five couples in the autumn years of their lives. Ralph and Ivy have just celebrated twenty-five years together, but Ivy feels that her life has no purpose now that their kids are grown. She realizes that they have been so swept up in their children, they have forgotten how to communicate with each other. Tragedy strikes when their son is injured fighting in the Falklands Islands. The second couple, Sam and Poppy, are children of the Sixties. They give up their material goods and live on a commune, growing and loving with other families. While their son decided to carry on the tradition, their daughter vanished into the modern world. They live daily with the regret of not knowing what happened to her. The story continues much in the same manner, exploring other couples with their regrets and triumphs later in life. Finally, “Winter” brings the loss of a love and moving on with life.

Miss Fletcher does a remarkable job of developing four unique stories with a single, common thread. I particularly enjoyed that she explored many different types of relationships, including same-sex and where one partner is much older than the other. I felt particularly sad during the first story as I was able to relate to the tragedy that befell Stacey. Each tale carries a powerful message and Fletcher is not afraid to push the limits of what is considered normal. Seasons of the Heart is a compelling read and opens the mind to the impossible.