Scattered Links (Weidenbenner) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Captivating. Scattered Links takes you down the street of nearly any Eastern European town, arm-in-arm with the orphaned. Michelle has captured the beauty and horror millions of children live everyday. The attention to detail is impressive. Having lived in a post-Soviet country for a time, visiting orphaned children, this fictional account rings with truth, from the heart-wrenching pain of abandonment to the realization of self-worth, and the love family and faith brings. Thank you for such an uplifting book, appropriate for the young reader, as well as adult. May your heart be encouraged, as mine was.
Kim de Blecourt, author of Until We All Come Home: A Harrowing Journey, a Mother's Courage, a Race to Freedom


This story rings so true and close that it is sometimes hard to remember that it is fiction. This book is good for all ages and opens your eyes as you follow the journey of the main character, a Russian orphan. The story is written very well, researched and edited with added attention to details. The entire story is constructed to make it an experience for the reader and it is one I enjoyed. From the very first page until the last, I was riveted. This is a read-again story and even with the emotional charge in it, I recommend it. (5 stars.)
Kathryn Bennett - Reader's Favorite


This was one of the best books I've edited, and that's saying a lot. I critique and edit more than 200 books a year for writers. I can easily say Scattered Links is one of the best books I've worked on and read in years. Perfectly written, full of heart and soul, this is a story for teens and adults. I cried many times, so moved, and I rarely experience that kind of power in a novel. I absolutely love these characters, and the relationship Oksana has with Boris the horse is so terrific. Michelle's use of metaphor and symbolism in the book is beautiful, and her story is the kind that will endure for generations and should move hearts all over the world. Don't miss this book. It should win all the big awards.
Susanne Lakin - Amazon Customer Reviews (also, an author, editor, blogger at Live Write Thrive)