The Sheep Walker’s Daughter

By Sydney Avey

This is a gem of a book, telling the story about knowing and understanding, about past hurt and present secrets told in a beautiful, rich prose. – Janka, GoodreadsDoes it really matter where you come from?In 1953, a war widow’s difficult mother dies before revealing the identity of her daughter’s father and his cultural heritage. As Dee sorts through what little her mother left, she unearths puzzling clues that raise more questions: Why did Leora send money every month to the Basque Relief Agency? Why is her own daughter so secretive about her soon-to-be published book? And what does an Anglican priest know that he isn’t telling?All of this head-spinning mystery breaks a long, dry period in Dee’s life and leads her to embark on an odyssey. She might just as well lose her job and see where the counsel of her new spiritual advisor and the attentions of an enigmatic ex-coworker lead her.The Sheep Walker’s Daughter pairs a colorful Basque immigrant history of loss, survival, and tough choices with one woman’s search for identity and fulfillment. Dee’s journey will take her through the Northern and Central California valleys of the 1950s and reach across the world to the Basque Country.Along the way, she will discover who she is and why family history matters."The Sheep Walker's Daughter is a novel about delving into the past ….It is also a novel about getting to know God and oneself better." – Julia, Goodreads"Their lives are changed in substantive ways and as readers, we are made the better as we bear witness to the lives of these two women who undergo a powerful transformative journey that allows them to embrace the richly woven tapestry of their unique cultural and generational identities. Their hard-won wisdom becomes an irrepressible summons to all of us to live spirited, authentic lives." –Calder, GoodreadsEnjoy the beauty of a story by Sydney AveyThe Sheep Walker's DaughterThe Lyre and the LambsThe Trials of Nellie BelleSydney Avey’s debut novel, The Sheep Walker’s Daughter, is an absolute treasure. Set in the years just after WWII, it’s a story of mothers and daughters and sisters, all members of one family and yet all isolated by both physical and emotional distance. Avey’s characters are compelling and deftly drawn. – Jan GoodreadsThe Sheep Walker's Daughter is a novel about delving into the past ….It is also a novel about getting to know God and oneself better.– Julia, GoodreadsLives are changed in substantive ways and as readers, we are made the better as we bear witness to the lives of these two women who undergo a powerful transformative journey that allows them to embrace the richly woven tapestry of their unique cultural and generational identities. Their hard-won wisdom becomes an irrepressible summons to all of us to live spirited, authentic lives. –Calder, GoodreadsThe plot was interwoven with provoking insights into conflicting differences between two people of different cultures seeking the American Dream in CA, that ultimately included life choice decisions that divided their family with secrecy and isolation. – Sandra, GoodreadssI found myself rereading passages just to hear the way the words blended together to paint a wonderful word picture. Sydney Avey has a real gift for creating such wonderful imagery with her words. Avey is also gifted in her ability to take many plot lines and weave them together into a wonderful story. – Shari, GoodreadsThe Sheep Walker's Daughter explores complex relationships between richly developed characters. I loved the bits of wisdom, poetic analogies, and unexpected twists. It was a pleasure unraveling this family saga set between the Basque region and California’s Central Valley. The book’s give and take theme lingers beyond the final page.– April, GoodreadsI have always wondered how an author is able to weave many intricate details seamlessly into a compelling story. Such is the case with The Sheep Walker’s Daughter. – Shari, GoodreadsI loved this book – it was a great sto

• Language: English
• Publisher: Torchflame Books
• Release date: Sep 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781611532579

Sydney Avey

Sydney Avey writes about ordinary people who muster faith and courage to step over uncertainty and continue the journey. Her novels invite compassion for the stumbles of the past and offer hope for the future, if only a glimmer. Sydney Avey is the author of The Sheep Walker’s Daughter,The Lyre and the Lambs and The Trials of Nellie Belle, in which she tells the story of the great grandmother she never knew. Reputed to be the first female court reporter in the Pacific Northwest, she left a legacy of short stories about life in the West during the progressive era, where justice was swift and common sense overruled. Avey’s poetry, short stories and articles have appeared in Foliate Oak, Forge, American Athenaeum, Unstrung, Blue Guitar Magazine, Ruminate and MTL Magazine. She has a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley and has studied at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival as well as many other conferences and seminars. Fans describe her writing as having ”an artist’s gift for using strong visual language, and a counselor’s gift for describing the conditions of her characters’ hearts,” with an “impeccable grasp of structure, pacing and character development” that “paint(s) a lovely word picture.” Avey has an artist’s gift for using strong visual language, and a counselor’s gift for describing the conditions of her characters’ hearts. – Jan, goodreads I found Avey’s descriptions delightful and not contrived – clear, real, and vivid – Susan, Goodreads Sydney Avey’s impeccable grasp of structure, pacing and character development is what separates The Sheep Walker’s Daughter from the average debut novel. – Calder Lowe, Goodreads The 60's were a time of change in America . Sydney Avery is able to capture that change and spill it out onto the pages of her novel. – Karen, Goodreads It left me satisfied with a good wrap up. I hope to see more work from Sydney Avey – Heather, Goodreads I thoroughly enjoy this author’s use of colorful and descriptive language.- Shari, Goodreads I found myself rereading passages just to hear the way the words blended together to paint a wonderful word picture. Sydney Avey has a real gift for creating such wonderful imagery with her words. Avey is gifted in her ability to take many plot lines and weave them together into a wonderful story. – Shari, Goodreads Series - It was a fascinating book and I was sorry to finish it. However the story continues into the 1960's in The Lyre And The Lambs - so pick up both books, and settle down for a nostalgic read! – Julia, Goodreads I highly recommend these novels.- The Rt. Rev. Douglas B. Weiss