Many of you in the blog world might know Mary Lee from her blog, Full Fathom Five.  I first "met" her about 2 years ago when I came across her blog and the current entry told of how she'd lost her beloved dog.  I felt the loss and compassion in her words and felt compelled to leave a comment and email her privately.  Since that time, we've become good friends and discovered we had much in common.  One of which was our desire to get our work published.  So I was thrilled to hear last year that this had been accomplished by Mary Lee.

And just a few weeks ago, her profound memoir was released.  I'd already pre-ordered it on Amazon and was anxious to read it.  And read it, I did......in one day!  I simply couldn't put it down.  So yes, it's a definite page-turner.

Mary Lee has flawlessly combined history, a romance, loss and redemption into a wonderful story.   Jim Coe was commander of a submarine lost at sea during WWII seven months before Mary Lee was born.  Her mother quickly remarried into a troubled relationship and Mary Lee's father was never mentioned.  It wasn't until her mother passed away in 1997 that Mary Lee began a search to "construct" a father she never knew.

Having grown up with a father that I was extremely close to, I felt a deep sadness for a woman who never had the chance to know her biological father.  And during my growing up years, I heard many stories about WWII and the fact that my father was part of the Normandy Invasion.  The older I got, the more I learned about the war in Europe.  But something that I never knew much about at all was the part that the submarines played in the Pacific during the war.

So it was with great excitement that I read about this in Mary Lee's story.  She was able to write in layman's terms about the patrols and day to day danger that was involved.  I was astounded by the volumes of research that she did in order to get her story correct.  She searched through old ships' logs, letters, naval communication, visited submarine museums, the Naval Academy and interviewed old friends and crew members that knew her dad and mom.  And all of her work culminates into her exquisite writing to share with her readers.

Mary Lee tells the emotional side of the story that affected not only her mother, but her sister and brother who were ages six and two when their father was lost at sea.  I was beyond impressed with the fact that she writes all of it without placing blame and without leaving the reader feeling sad.  I will admit though, there were parts of the story in reference to the brass where I got mighty angry.  But this author doesn't allow the anger to linger, because with her positive attitude and superb writing she allows the reader to do what she did.....move forward.

This book isn't just informational, it's uplifting and refreshing.  And when I read that final page, I knew I still hadn't finished it "in my head."  It was extremely thought provoking and in my opinion.....THAT is an excellent book.  One that leaves you still thinking about it days later.  And that's exactly what Full Fathom Five did to me.

Did she "find" her father, you might ask?  Well........I'll leave you to read the book for that answer.  However, not knowing Mary Lee as well as other friends that I've had for years, I will say this.......without a doubt, she IS her father's daughter.  And as I read the book and discovered little ways in which I connected the both of them......their love for dogs, their love for the sea, their diplomacy in social situations......it left me feeling joyful and gratified that this daughter's search had proved there is a very special bond between fathers and daughters.

My thanks goes to Mary Lee for enabling her readers to also come to know Jim Coe.....a very special man.  One that I know I would have liked.  And a man I'm sure she's very proud to call her father.

Do yourself a favor and pay a visit to Amazon so you can also get to know Jim Coe.

See you here next time..........