Leave Everything You Know Behind by Ginny Fite | 4-Star Book Review ~ Guest Post by Author | #LiteraryFiction #WomensFiction #Cancer #Hope #Friendship @iReadBookTours @unwrinkledbrain @ginnyfiteauthor
A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour. 
Quick Thoughts:
Prepare to be swept away by Fite’s masterful storytelling as she paints a vivid portrait of family dynamics, hopes, fears, and the unspoken truths that bind us all. With each turn of the page, you’ll find yourself drawn deeper into a world where emotions run high and every choice has consequences.
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Book Details
Leave Everything You Know Behind by Ginny Fite
Published by Milford House Press on January 7, 2024
Genres: Adult Fiction 18+, Literary Fiction, Women's Literature
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 236
Source: iRead Book Tours, Kindle UnlimitedCranky, aging newspaper publisher Anne Canfield is determined to live forever, no matter what. Young, brilliant writer and teacher Indira Anand thinks she wants to die. But the winter morning Anne saves Indira Anand from drowning, everything changes.
That evening, Anne stumbles and falls. Diagnosed shortly after her fall with incurable brain cancer and only months to live, she must hurry to save her newspaper, heal her regrets, keep her secrets hidden, and protect her son from the truth before time runs out.
Indira, suffering a second incidence of ovarian cancer, wants to invoke her right to die. Thwarted by both the law and her distant husband but desperate to escape the pain she watched her grandmother endure, she wavers, unsure of her decision.
Out of options, Indira reaches out to Anne. Even as they make a pact to help each other, Indira realizes Anne won’t live long enough to be with her at the end. She must find another way.
Meanwhile, Anne’s daughter-in-law, Laura, suffering her own loss and resentful of her husband Freddy’s flagging attention, discovers Anne’s secret. In a move she’s sure will hasten Anne’s death, Laura locates Anne’s old lover, Colin, and goads him to turn up at Anne’s home, hoping he’ll upset the family she hates. For good measure, in an attempt to cause a rift between mother and son, Laura suggests to Freddy that Colin is his father.
Leave is a story about what keeps us wanting to live, what we’ll do for redemption, and how love can save us.
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: issues of suicide, some strong language, death
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Purchase Links for Leave Everything You Know Behind
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Fite, Ginny (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 276 Pages - 12/22/2023 (Publication Date) - Milford House Press (Publisher)
- Fite, Ginny (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 236 Pages - 01/07/2024 (Publication Date) - Milford House Press (Publisher)
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My Thoughts on Leave Everything You Know Behind
Step into the poignant world of “Leave Everything You Know Behind” by Ginny Fite, where the raw edges of life, love, and loss intertwine in a breathtaking tale. Meet Anne Canfield, a spirited yet aging newspaper publisher with an unyielding determination to defy time itself; opposite her stands Indira Anand, a brilliant young writer and teacher whose battle with cancer has left her questioning the very essence of existence.
Their worlds collide one winter morning when Anne saves Indira from the depths of despair, igniting a chain of events that will challenge them to their very core. As Anne grapples with a devastating diagnosis and races against time to tie up loose ends, Indira wrestles with the right to choose her own fate, haunted by the specter of her grandmother’s suffering.
In a tender pact born out of necessity, these two women find solace and strength in each other’s company, navigating the turbulent waters of life, love, and redemption. But as secrets unravel and tensions mount, they must confront the shadows lurking in their own hearts.
Enter Laura, Anne’s daughter-in-law, a woman consumed by resentment and fueled by betrayal, whose actions threaten to unravel the delicate tapestry of their lives. With twists and turns that will leave you breathless, “Leave Everything You Know Behind” is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of love.
Prepare to be swept away by Fite’s masterful storytelling as she paints a vivid portrait of family dynamics, hopes, fears, and the unspoken truths that bind us all. With each turn of the page, you’ll find yourself drawn deeper into a world where emotions run high and every choice has consequences.
Readers should heed the content warnings because “Leave Everything You Know Behind” is not for the faint of heart. With its poignant exploration of themes like cancer and mortality, it lays bare the fragile nature of life itself. So, arm yourself with tissues and an open heart as you embark on this unforgettable journey of love, loss, and the enduring human spirit.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love to read books through my Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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About Ginny Fite
Award-winning writer and journalist Ginny Fite has been a journalist, a spokesperson for a governor, and a member of Congress, and has held posts in higher education institutions and a robotics R&D company.
Her eight novels, which feature ordinary people grappling with extraordinary circumstances, span the genres of mystery, thriller, adventure, and women’s fiction.
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Guest Post from the author of Leave Everything You Know Behind
Venturing into the Unknowable
By Ginny Fite
Late in 2018, I woke with the phrase, “Leave everything you know behind” ringing in my
ears. The TV wasn’t on. Alexa hadn’t said anything. I sat on the edge of my bed, thinking about
this message.
Spoken out loud, it had the ring of a commandment. Was it a title, an instruction, or the
gossamer tail of a fading dream? Should I sell my house and all my possessions and go live in a
van in the Arizona desert? Or was this a decree to discard what I knew and venture into the
unknowable?
The phrase followed me for hours, unrelenting, until I Googled it. The line is from a
David Whyte poem, “Tilicho Lake,” that I’d read two decades before (a reminder that everything
we ever read lives in our minds forever). Rereading the poem, I saw the outline of a novel as
clear as the shape of my own face reflected from the icy surface of a frozen lake.
I knew then that whatever was brewing in my mind was not going to be a mystery,
thriller, or adventure. During this period, I was also editing The Physics of Things, so I knew I
had shifted into another genre, although I had not yet classified what I was writing as women’s
fiction. I made notes about the poem and waited. Half of writing, after all, is listening for the
words.
Knowing the genre is helpful in building a novel, otherwise I might wind up with War
and Peace. I’ve since learned Jeff Deaver’s clever way of categorizing genres. The central
question of mysteries is “what happened and who did it?” In thrillers, the question is, “when will
it happen?” Perhaps what drives women’s fiction are the questions, “why did it happen, and how does that change things?” For me, the answers to why and how are just as mysterious and thrilling as rolling out the plot of what, who, and when.
While I was waiting for words, Anne Canfield Morrow stepped out on the highwire of the
novel that was already titled Leave Everything You Know Behind. She had probably been
teetering there for years, waiting for me to notice her. And then, clear as day, I saw her hiding
behind a holly bush from what she thought was a bear, and I immediately loved this cranky,
opinionated character. If you want to fall in love with a character, give her all the attributes of
your best friends. And then, make life really hard for her.
If you want to know that one indestructible thing that can save us, read Leave Everything
You Know Behind.
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Purchase “Leave Everything You Know Behind” online from your local bookstore.
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Official Tour Page for Leave Everything You Know Behind
Full Tour Schedule:
Mar 3 – @peculiarbooks_ – book review *
Apr 1 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / guest post
Apr 1 – @this.human.reads – book review *
Apr 1 – @bookreviewsbytaylor – book review *
Apr 2 – @janinesbookcorner – book review *
Apr 3 – Leanne Bookstagram – book review
Apr 4 – Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s – book review / author interview
Apr 5 – Novels Alive – book review
Apr 5 – @acourtofspinesnpages – book review *
Apr 8 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post
Apr 9 – @bookishrebel01 – book review *
Apr 10 – @lizzies.readingrecs – book review *
Apr 11 – Liese’s Blog – book spotlight
Apr 11 – Karma Zee Readz – book review / author interview
Apr 12 – The Sexy Nerd Revue – book spotlight
Apr 15 – @2_girls_bookin_it – book review *
Apr 16 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / guest post
Apr 17 – Country Mamas With Kids – book review / author interview
Apr 18 – Dana Loves Books – book spotlight / guest post
Apr 19 – @bookgirlbrown_reviews – book review *
Apr 19 – FUONLYKNEW – book spotlight / author interview
Apr 19 – @all_books_great_and_small – book review *
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Book Title: Leave Everything You Know Behind by Ginny Fite
Category: Adult Fiction, 228 pages
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Sunbury Press
Release date: January, 2024
Tour dates: Apr 1 to Apr 19, 2024
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: issues of suicide, some strong language, death
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Sounds like an intense but interesting read.