Jean Davis Okimoto weaves a simple, inspiring story in “The Love Ceiling”. In this book, the main character, Anne Duppstadt, wrestles to pursue her life-long dreams against the reality of several obstacles. With the death of her mother, Anne faces her twisted relationship with her famous father with courage and strength. Loaded with artistic talent, Annie has spent a lifetime running from the very thing that she loves – painting. The voice of her abusive father rings loud and clear from her childhood, even as she moves into her golden years.

With the encouragement of a patient teacher and an elderly woman, however, Annie slowly learns to see herself as an individual, separate and free from the bondage of her inner demons. At time same time, she feels caught between her passion and her love for her family, especially her daughter, Cass, who is fighting her own personal battles.

The themes of self-respect and setting healthy boundaries play throughout the story, showing us that many of our obstacles are truly of our own making. Nearly every mother finds herself making deep sacrifices for her children, and Annie slowly comes to terms with meshing her personal goals with her roles as wife, mother, and grandmother.

There were a couple of threads that ran throughout the book that did little to move the story forward. For example, Anne’s hatred of Dick Cheney is mentioned several times. This felt more like the author’s personal political platform than it did a part of the heroine’s personality. I was also distracted by the side story of two lesbians caught in the middle of their own family drama with an upcoming wedding. The stories of Anne’s relationships with her husband, children and father provided more than enough drama to keep the story interesting without adding some inconsequential side bars.

Overall, I found Okimoto’s fiction work to be a fascinating tale of redemption and healing. I enjoyed watching Anne Duppstadt mature and grow, and I took to heart the idea that people are capable of huge paradigm shifts even later in their lives. “The Love Ceiling” inspires hope and courage to move through life with deliberate purpose. ( )

I truely enjoyed this book.
I was able to relate to Annie and her pangs of guilt and unworthiness, trying to find herself after 60, as well as her daughter Cass' struggles to build a new life after an emotional break up.
Okimoto's descriptions of the conflicts going on, personal, emotional and physical hit a mark. Annie's struggle to reach her goals while supporting family is a reality most of us older ladies face.
It is on my shelf for rereading! ( )

I really liked this book and thought it was originally going to be boring, centering on a female character that is in her sixties. In fact, I found it quite the opposite and it has a little bit of everything in it. Almost every character in this book has some sort of inner conflict. The main character Annie has the most conflict of all, a husband who does not know what to do with his life, a daughter who returns after she has her heart broken by a cheating heart, and her mean spirited father. The good memories she has are of her mother, but once she is gone, Annie is left to pick up the pieces. Her father is a famous artist and he is very controlling. I really love that she tells him off in the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone and I am so grateful that I won an autographed copy. ( )