Product Description

What would you do with a second chance at life?

Sarah Talbot thought she’d never see another birthday. But against all odds, she beat the illness that could have killed her, reopened her bedding shop, Cloud Nine, and vowed to make the most of a fresh start that few are given. With Thanksgiving approaching, Sarah charters a small plane to take her to Elk Island, a remote spot off the rugged Maine coast where she spent some of her happiest days and where she hopes to reunite with the two most important people in her life. She arrives on the island with pilot Will Burke, a kindred spirit with whom Sarah forges a bond that will give them the courage to confront the past and have faith in the future…no matter how uncertain.

Once Sarah thought happy endings occurred only in books; now she believes they can happen for anyone. And as she and Will grow closer, and something unexpectedly real blossoms between them, she has him believing it, too. But is believing it enough? Is even love enough? Can real life be lived on cloud nine? In this stunning novel, New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice tells a story you will cherish, peopled with indelible characters whose challenges are your own.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1270270 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-25
• Released on: 2006-07-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 400 pages

From Amazon.com
Thirty-seven-year-old Sarah Talbot's lengthy battle with cancer forced her to put life on hold. But a clean bill of health has given her a second chance and she's not about to take anything for granted. Intent on living life to the fullest, Sarah reopens her bedding shop, aptly named Cloud 9, and plans a trip to Elk Island, a tiny island off the coast of Maine, where her unfeeling father and runaway son wait. Family reconciliation has long been her heart's desire, and Sarah knows that now is the time to mend familial fences. On the short plane ride to the island, she finds an unexpected confidant in pilot Will Burke, whose own personal demons make him the perfect conversation partner--and so much more. As Sarah struggles to communicate with the father she left behind and a son troubled by his own father's death--and his mother's illness--she takes refuge in the arms of Will and discovers a love she never thought possible, a love that will sustain the two in this life and beyond. Both beautifully written and well plotted, Cloud Nine is a moving testament to the eternal power of love.

From Publishers Weekly
Readers sympathetic to Rice's (Blue Moon) highly sentimental take on the eternal power of love and family will enjoy this skillfully wrought tale of courage on the part of a single mother recovering from a brain tumor. Sarah Talbot, who has built a down-bedding mail-order business ("Cloud Nine") based on the products of her father's farm in Maine, finds new joy in life's simple pleasures, such as celebrating the 37th birthday she thought she'd never see. Her delight proves infectious to others in her small upstate New York community. They include Susan Burke, also known as Secret or Snow, a troubled teenager from a broken home who is still grieving over the accidental death of her brother; and Susan's father, pilot Will Burke, who is trying to cope with his failed marriage and his inability to save his son. In quiet, unassuming prose, Rice fashions a tightly paced story that is hard to put down, delicately constructing the blossoming relationship between Sarah and Will. At the same time, she effectively depicts the impact a loving person can have on an adolescent simply longing for a real connection with a caring adult. The Talbot family's island home, where Sarah's recalcitrant father and her estranged teenage son live together in a complex relationship, is idealized as a healing environment for the Burkes. The plot veers into melodrama at the end, when love and death meet in a heartbreaking scene, but Rice's message remains a powerful one: the strength of precious family ties can ultimately set things right. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Sarah Talbot is the survivor of a very difficult form of cancer. She has once again taken charge of her destiny and reopened her bedding shop, Cloud Nine, when an emotionally wounded young pilot and his daughter come into her life. The trio together search for the meaning of life, family, and everlasting love in this breathtaking celebration of the human spirit. Rice (Home Fires, LJ 5/15/95) has created one of those rare reading experiences that we always hope for when cracking the cover of a book but rarely find. The characterizations are marvelously executed, the relationships between players are reasonable and real, and the Maine and upstate New York settings are excellent backdrops. What a joy! Buy plenty, and stock up on Kleenex.
-?Beth Gibbs, Charlotte & Mecklenburg Cty. P.L., NC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Cloud Nine
Sarah Talbot is a cancer patient in remission... She still has lots of life in her even though she just finished her treatments. She meets Will Burke just after her hair begins to grow back and the two begin to fall in love. He is worried that he will loose her, but is willing to take a chance. Sarah is full of life and is an inspiration to all. She becomes a good friend and role model to Will's daughter Susan. Susan is young, confused and is trying to find herself. Sarah's carefree acceptance of life's tough circumstances serves as an inspiration to Susan. She teaches her the meaning of love.

Sat on the Beach and CRIED for one hour!
I am a GREAT fan of luanne Rice! i'm researching and buying books before they hit the shelf! This one, i will have to say was the hardest one to "get into" that I have read of hers (and yes, i have read all that are out!). BUT, once I got into the 4th chapter it was impossible to put down. The last few chapters were the ones that got to me! This happens to be Easter weekend and I was sitting on one of our NC Beaches reading this book and crying my eyes out. The ONLY time I stopped reading was to look around to see if ANYONE was looking at me. I finished the book, fried my skin and then ....went into the house. my husband's response was "look at you". i didn't know if he was talking about my red and swollen eyes or my sun baked skin!
This is definately a book to buy and enjoy! one of the best of ms. Rice's that I have read in awhile! Go buy it now! Don't stop until you have it in your hands and then grab a box of tissues and a beach chair!

Wonderful Book
This is my first Luanne Rice novel and I loved it. I couldn't put the book down. It was beautifully written. The book reminded me a lot of "A Walk to Remember."