Laura O'Connell
From the Author:
Jesus spoke in parables to help the people understand his messages. He was creative, and because I’m created in his image, I am creative. God inspired me to write African Hearts by planting the seed in my heart when I was in grade three at school. I saw a picure of dark- skinned boy standing beside his mud hut in my social studies textbook. That image comes forward every time I think about Africa. Several years ago the Watoto Choir visited our church. We billeted two choir members and their guardian. I spoke with the guardian for a long time about the challenges of the orphans. I had a lot in common with those young boys. I’d lost both my parents by the time I was eight years old. The biggest challenge for the orphans their guardian told me is their sense of belonging. It was this sense of belonging in my own heart that inspired me to write African Hearts.
Reviews:
AFRICAN HEARTS
Laura O’Connell
Wombat Books ?
Gold Coast entrepreneur and business woman Gina Messina receives a letter urging her to go to the remote Ugandan village of Gumboli. Her estranged brother, Mario, is near death. Gina has little concept of the difficulties that lie ahead.
Life in Gumboli is a world apart and as far removed as can be imagined from all that Australia offers. The good and simple folk of Gumboli walk to a different beat. Yet it is in Gumboli that Gina eventually finds true happiness.
African Hearts by Laura O’Connell is a romantic novel that is at times challenging but always relevant. I often asked myself: ‘What would I do in these circumstances?’ Of over 80 books I have read recently, I rate African Hearts in the top 3. It is easily read and should appeal to women of all ages from 18 to 80. It is a must-read for any man or woman contemplating a cross-cultural and/or inter-racial relationship. It raises difficult questions requiring frank and honest answers. Yet, despite this, the book remains a light hearted romance. DS