An emotional journey, in search of love, acceptance and
redeemption., In her debut novel,A Place For Ida, author, Patricia Richardson conducts a a heart wrenching trip from South Carolina to New York City that spans more than a decade. Ida has been denied the most precious of things needed to thrive, love. The sole source of solace comes from the maternal grandmother. Carrie finds herself, at an age and physical condition where she should finally be able to relax, carrying the weight of her offspring and theirs as well. Relying solely on her faith in God, Carrie provides for her charges often hindered by their parents' shortcomings. In a racist South, during the turbulent 60's, she does the best she can with what is available. Despite her very obvious physical beauty Ida is shunned and mistreated by all of the females in her family (except Carrie). She pretty much experiences only the negative aspects of her birthright.


Fortunately, the men in her life seem to appreciate her but are often too busy just trying to survive to give her the kind of affection Ida's soul cries out for. Today one can turn to any one of the daytime talk shows and hear young, troubled, teenaged girls potentially destroying their lives in futile attempts to get attention or unconditional love. A Place For Ida will make you want to holler. She suffers several deeply traumatic incidents and in her suffering grows into her adult self. Her family, in much need of healing and redemption will be inadvertently forced to see themselves in a new light. I found the story to be compelling and only wished she had shown more of the story that was told in narrative. It should be a great movie some day and I look forward to reading more books by Patricia Richardson