Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.
This tale narrated by Rob Shapiro not only warmed but broke my heart many times. Mr. Shapiro's emotions flow through his voice making you feel the heart retching pain as well as the humorous moments shared with in this small town.
In a town where Fern Taylor, the pastor's daughter and devoted cousin to Bailey resides, she goes unnoticed. Living in the shadows of her cousin and her best friend Rita, she accepts her role as the "not so" pretty girl. Fern has been in love with the town wresting star Ambrose Young since the day he helped her bury a spider in her cousin's back yard.
Ambrose is beautiful on the outside but doesn't often bear his sole on the inside until he unknowingly begins to write Fern secret love notes, thinking they are too someone else. Their "love note" affair is romantic until Ambrose realizes that he's not writing to the person he thought he was and feels betrayed.
His expectations with wrestling cause him added pressure and in an attempt to run away from them he enlists in the army and enlists his four best friends to come. After their term in the army was almost complete a tragedy takes place and Ambrose learns how to wrestle with his demons about his own beauty. Fern's beauty and strength are present throughout the book and her bravery to help Ambrose with his demons is amazing.
The real hero of this story is Fern's cousin Bailey who shows courage and stubborn determination to inspire the characters as well as the readers. He brings humor and excitement to the story as well as courage and honor. He speaks his mind and dictates his own limitations. I think that Bailey Is the example of bravery when the odds are against you. He wanted to be a superhero and he was!
This was my first read from Amy Harmon and I really enjoyed it. She took me through every
emotion a person can have. I really liked Fern and Ambrose together. The meaning behind the story was beautiful! I definitely recommend this book!
NARRATED BY: ROB SHAPIRO
LENGTH: 10 HRS AND 10 MINUTES
RELEASE DATE: 3/19/2014
PUBLISHER: TANTOR AUDIO