I just finished the novel What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman. This was the first novel that I have read written by her.
Ellen Marie Wiseman is a bestselling author whose novels have been translated into seventeen languages. Her debut novel, The Plum Tree, was named by Bookbub as One of Thirteen Books to read and What she left behind, was on Huffington Post's Best Books of Summer 2015.
She has written 15 novels and all have gotten great reviews. I had a difficult time with this novel. Many times I needed to put it down because it was so hard....but I always ended up going back to it.
This novel follows the lives of two young women whose lives were horrendously affected by the actions of their parents.
Isabelle ends up in the foster system after her mother goes to prison for shooting her father. She is 18 years old and concerned about how she will take care of herself once she ages out of the system. Today's world is very cruel and Izzy has been the "new" girl in schools more often than she can count. This is her final year of high school and she is once again faced with mean girls and apathetic teachers.
Clara lives a charmed life in the early 1900's. Her family is wealthy and powerful. She is given everything she wants as long as she behaves as her parents want. When Clara falls in love with a man who is "beneath her station" and refuses to marry the man chosen by her parents, they have her committed to an insane asylum. The treatment in these asylums are horrific and barbaric. Ice baths, electric shock therapy, isolation therapy, etc.
I love Historical Fiction....History is very hard to face sometimes whether it be as an individual or as a country. It is important that we know what happened in the past so that we can learn from it and make sure that history does not repeat itself.
Isabelle learns that the hard way, when she finally is forced to confront her past and the reasons for her mother's actions. Luckily this final foster family was supportive and helpful to her coming of age. When she walks into their home one night they greet her and tell her they are making tacos because they know she likes them. She has never had a foster family that knew or cared what her favorite foods were. This was my inspiration for the Chicken Ranch Tacos that I am sharing with you and the folks at Foodies Read today.......
Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 lg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 T. taco seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 strips bacon, cooked and diced
- 1 c. sour cream
- 2 T. ranch dressing powder
- 1 head romaine, cleaned and chopped
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 large avocado, pitted and sliced
- 1 1/2 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 18 taco size flour tortillas, warmed
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, taco seasoning and garlic in a sealable plastic bag. Shake to combine. Add the chicken breast to the bag, remove air, seal and massage the bag to coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Heat a grill to med high. Remove the breasts from the marinade and cook until an internal temperature of 165* is reached. Let rest for 5-10 minutes and then cut into bite size dice.
- While chicken is grilling. Combine the sour cream and ranch dressing powder. Set aside.
- Prep the condiments and place into bowls.
- Warm the tortillas and place onto the table with the chicken, ranch sour cream, bacon and condiments for people to make their tacos as desired.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
675.71Fat (grams)
38.61 gSat. Fat (grams)
14.18 gCarbs (grams)
55.62 gFiber (grams)
8.18 gNet carbs
47.44 gSugar (grams)
7.85 gProtein (grams)
28.05 gSodium (milligrams)
1116.02 mgCholesterol (grams)
82.55 mg
Hey Wendy, hopefully all is well with you! However, life can be difficult, for all of us at one time or another. So, I'd probably skip this book, knowing the history already, I'm not in avoidance necessarily, but don't like rubbing my nose in it :) Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a hard read....I won't read her others unless someone let's me know whether they are different.
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