About Preserving Cleo

She tried saying it softly to herself, “Cleo, that’s a pretty dress. You look nice.” No one else had commented, even before they left home that morning.

Cleo has been the model wife and mother all these years. Sharing her husband’s childhood home – with his disapproving mother – Cleo goes through each day meeting the family needs. Only problem is that her needs are being woefully neglected. She can’t seem to talk to Paul anymore, and her son and daughter take her for granted. Her mother-in-law never thought she was a good mate for Paul. Cleo can only take so much before she reaches the end of her rope – and when she does, she does it in a big way. Her rebellion stuns them all, but Cleo will not back down; not now, not ever. And her ally in her newfound direction may surprise you.

When tragedy strikes the family, Cleo has to put her personal ambitions on the back burner. She never loses sight of her goals, but her sense of responsibility to the family overrides her steadfast march toward them. Coping with the overwhelming adversity thrust upon the pair might pull Cleo and Paul together, but only if they have enough faith in each other.

PRESERVING CLEO reads fast and straightforward. Jo-Brew writes with an easy style, seamlessly taking the reader on a journey through two years in the lives of a family in crisis. You want to turn the page to find out how Cleo will handle the next bump in her rocky marriage. The story almost serves as a manual for marriages in trouble. Watching Cleo reassess herself in relation to her husband is a constant discovery – at once refreshing and frustrating. And while she is engaged in her own inner struggles, Paul and the children must reassess her as well as themselves. There are many changes in their household, not all of them good ones. Does this couple have the strength to stay together or has too much happened to salvage their relationship? Well, read PRESERVING CLEO and find out.

-- Kate Ayers

Worth Preserving

This is a great book about an American farm family struggling to survive in a modern world while preserving their heritage, love of the Earth and ideals about family. I was especially impressed that the characters where able to grow enough to get what they need and keep each other as well.

-- Melissa

Cleo - A Voice for Women

Preserving Cleo touches on feelings and frustrations that are prevalent in the lives of many women who find daily routines and parenting responsibilities no longer demand the majority of their attention and energy. Cleo feels invisible to her husband and unnecessary to the running of the family and farm. As she tries to understand and voice her feelings, she finds that she alone, must take responsibilitiy for making the changes in her life that will ultimately lead her to feel more worthwhile and content in her relationships.

I enjoyed the book, as it was possible to follow Cleo's thoughts and actions as she moved towards a goal that changed her life and the lives of her husband and children. Although the story is about relationships in one family, the feelings and emotions expressed by Cleo are familiar. I appreciated her efforts to keep the marriage strong despite many obstacles, as the book ended with the possibility of a healthier, more fulfilling relationship for all.

-- Jesse

Cleo Looks at Life

Like many of us, Cleo learns how much she loves the life she has created with family and friends only when she is given the opportunity to change that life. For many years she fulfilled the homemaking responsibilities of wife, mother, sister, friend, and teacher but wished for a more glamorous life. When she loses her husband and her children are grown and making their own way, she realizes she has been fooling herself all along.

Cleo copes with the same parenting, scheduling and transportation problems of many famlies although she is fortunate to have mature teenagers and caring friends to help her with this struggle. Cleo's Slow Dance may motivate those of us caught up in family duties to think about choices made. It's a good story and a fast read.

-- Stephen

About Finding Clarice

I want to congratulate you on "Finding Clarice. I just finished reading it and it is my favorite of your novels. Great Job!
-- Helen Hollyer, Publisher of The Creswell Chronicle

You’re a good writer Jo and I hope you never stop writing books.
-- Marlene Moore of NorthwestWriters.com.

Finding Clarice by Jo Brew is a delightful, heartwarming, coming of age and love story. It was a page turner that flowed nicely and ended just
right. Brew outdid herself on this one.
-- Dewey Woodland, author of Hoof Beats

About What Next, Ms. Elliott?

I liked What Next, Ms. Elliott? I would have liked more about the romantic relationship but I also recognized that both had lives they couldn't set aside but had to live with, like real life. I thought Jo did a really good job making it clear that resolving care issues and settling an estate is harder than you would expect regardless of any emotional attachment to the involved person. I have passed my copy on to a friend who also enjoyed the story.
-- Dianna

What Next, Ms. Elliott is a gentle story of how life doesn’t always turn out the way we think, sometimes it’s better. This book tells about an overlooked but quietly powerful segment of the American population, retired women. These women are caring for their parents or grandchildren (and sometimes both), helping in schools, libraries and beginning new careers. A must read for any woman about to retire.
-- Melissa Shepherd

I especially enjoyed the discussion about retirement in our book club that was generated by your novel.
-- Judy

About Marge, Back on Track

I love the way Marge takes control of her life and turns what seems like an impossible to escape trap into a new life. It is a great message for women of any age.
-- Anon

About Ann Marie's New Melody

Anne Marie's New Melody is the perfect ending for the trilogy of three friends whose lives change in unexpected ways. Jo-Brew's
development of the characters, Ruth, Marge, and Anne Marie, showcase the adaptability of women to confront and overcome the difficulties women of all ages may face.
-- Patricia E. Lanier

 

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jo@jo-brew.com