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Fireworks Over Toccoa: A Novel
Fireworks Over Toccoa: A Novel
Fireworks Over Toccoa: A Novel
Ebook222 pages2 hours

Fireworks Over Toccoa: A Novel

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Every so often that story comes along that reminds us of what it's like to experience love for the first time—against the odds, when you least expect it, and with such passion that it completely changes you forever.

An unexpected discovery takes eighty-four-year-old Lily Davis Woodward to 1945, and the five days that forever changed her life. Married for only a week before her husband was sent to fight in WWII, Lily is anxious for his return, and the chance to begin their life together. In honor of the soldiers' homecoming, the small Georgia town of Toccoa plans a big celebration. And Jake Russo, a handsome Italian immigrant, also back from war, is responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned. But after a chance encounter in a star-lit field, he steals Lily's heart and soul--and fulfills her in ways her socially-minded, upper-class family cannot. Now, torn by duty to society and her husband--and the poor, passionate man who might be her only true love--Lily must choose between a commitment she's already made and a love she's never known before.

Fireworks Over Toccoa takes us to a moment in time that will resonate with readers long after the book's unforgettable conclusion. A devastating and poignant story, this debut novel will resonate with anyone who believes in love.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 30, 2010
ISBN9781429937238
Author

Jeffrey Stepakoff

JEFFREY STEPAKOFF has written for more than a dozen different television series, including the Emmy-winning The Wonder Years, Sisters, and Dawson’s Creek, for which he was co-executive producer.  Author of the acclaimed novel, Fireworks Over Toccoa, he has also developed and written plays, TV pilots and major motion pictures.  Stepakoff holds a BA in journalism for UNC-Chapel Hill and an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon.  He lives in Georgia with his wife and three young children.  His fiction is published in six languages.

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Reviews for Fireworks Over Toccoa

Rating: 3.578571425 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was not a bad first effort by Stepakoff. I generally like this type of light, weepy read and this one didn't disappoint. I think with time, Stepakoff could be the next Nicholas Sparks. I did find that the beginning really reminded me of the Titanic (ie: uncovering an item that belonging to someone so long ago and then hearing the story about it). It then switched over to Bridges of Madison County and continued in that vein for a bit. Generally you can predict the ending but with this one, it could have gone a number of ways. Overall, if you want something light and fluffy, this is a perfect curl-up-in-front-of-the-fire-with-a-cup-of-tea kind of book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Short but light, Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff is a nice novel and a quick read. Opening in 2007, grandmother Lily recounts the story of a love affair she had in the summer of 1945, days before her husband was due to return home from the war. Having only been married for a short time before her husband was sent overseas, Lily feels as though her privileged life has been missing something. Unhappy with her restrictions, yearning to break free from society’s expectations, Lily follows the tail of a firework and finds Jake Russo, young, handsome, damaged, and passionate. During their brief time together they explore the boundaries and battles of true love. But Lily’s familial and domestic duties bound her to Toccoa, while Jake’s life expects him to leave.One could say this was a pleasant sort of novel. The writing was not bad, the character voices were realistic, the setting was perfect, and the images were lovely. But if I’m to be perfectly honest, the flaws that I found outweigh the nicer parts.Lily seems quite happy with her life before her husband is sent to war. We are told how they met, how he loved to watch her, how she was different from other girls, brash and bold, and basically how she charmed him and they were happy together. Yes, they were only married a brief time before he was sent away for years, but I found inconsistencies in Lily’s narrative about how she had always felt unhappy in Toccoa. If that’s how she truly felt, why was she written so happy before? Why not show us in the beginning that she was unhappy, instead of making it a later excuse for her to fall for the Fireworks Man days before her husband is due to return? It seems to me like the reasons we’re given to justify her love for Jake are thrown together as the novel progresses, instead of being constructed in the beginning. I was glad when Lily’s father told her to pull it together when he figured out she was up to something, since, to me, she was being selfish and unrealistic. We’re told she talked to her husband frequently during the years he was away, so why now? Why this unexpected (convenient) emotion that she’s supposedly had all along?Additionally, the similarities to other works of fiction were too obvious to pass up. Take the beginning of the movie Titanic (old lady sees news article about a recently found artifact that used to be hers which brings up memories of old love affair), and add it to the middle of The Notebook (including a slow-motion run-toward-each-other-in-the-rain scene), pick one of the few available endings, and you’ve got Fireworks Over Toccoa. Now, none of these works are bad per se, but they’ve all been done before, so reading them in a new novel is a bit redundant. I’m always piqued when I feel like an author is assuming I’ll be okay with gross similarities such as these.I was a little surprised to see that Stepakoff has been a television producer and screenwriter for some years, as it would seem to me that the number one rule you should never break is having your work be so similar to another that readers are annoyed. I find it hard to believe editors wouldn’t notice. The back cover says Fireworks is “The next great love story.” But really, the love stories in this novel have already been told. If you like these types of books, you will like Fireworks Over Toccoa, as I said, it’s not bad. But if you really are looking for “the next great love story,” I might pass by this one.3 stars(I received an advanced copy from the publisher)
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I wanted to like this book, especially since it was the first one I've won from the goodreads giveaways!

    I started reading it when waiting on my computer (for reboots, downloads, etc.), thinking that once I got into it, I'd take it to my comfy chair for "serious reading" time.

    I finished it at my computer.

    One caveat--I generally do not read romance. I don't have a basis of comparison on whether this is a typical book for the genre or not. I found the characters to be flat. Lily, the circa 1945 belle of Toccoa Georgia, fluttered about, didn't have many thoughts, and unbelievably considering her background, fell in love with a manual laborer just days before her soldier husband was to come home.

    The relationships were also hard to believe, for the most part. Honey, Lily's mother, was a stereotypical Southern matriarch, with poor coping skills for life's trauma. Friends and and old boyfriend were wispy and nearly non-existent. There was one nice scene with Lily and her Father, that was perhaps the highlight of the book.

    The writing seemed to be trying too hard. About every ten pages, the author attempted to lyrically describe something. The phrasing tended to kick me out of the book, as I thought to myself, "Oh, the author is trying to be poetic or literary--boy that doesn't work!"

    Although Toccoa was in the title, the setting could have been any Southern place that was hot and sticky. I'd hoped to learn more about the region as part of the back story, but, as with the whole book, was disappointed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I waited to write the review on this book because there were just no words to form to even begin to articulate how awesome this book is. This book is one of those books that changes or ruins you for the rest of your life. The love that Lily gets the priviledge to feel is intense, I cried so hard when reading this book, and that doesn't happen often. The author knows exactly how to capture the readers heart in the palm of his hand and cause the reader to start questioning everything they know about love, life, and loss.

    The setting is amazing, the town, the characters, the writing, everything about this book is absolutely wonderful. It had a bit of a Nicolas Sparks feel to it, but something that was also completely Mr. Stepakoff's. I hope to see many more novels by this author.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While the bulk of the novel is set in 1945, it is framed by an afternoon Lily - the protagonist - spends with her granddaughter Colleen in the present. Colleen is getting ready to start a "perfect" life with her fiance, a respectable doctor who is loving, kind, and handsome. Lily thinks that Colleen is making a mistake, but she's too wise to tell her granddaughter what to do. Instead, when she finds out that a WWII "mortar" recipe is on display at the local historical museum, Lily brings Collen along to claim the recipe and tell her story.

    Lily explains that she, too, had a "perfect" life. The daughter of a wealthy Coca Cola executive living in Atlanta in the 1940s, Lily met and married her father's handsome young protege, a former college football player, a good man who had a bright future ahead of him. They were only married for two weeks when Lily's husband Paul went off to war, and as Lily begins her story she is only days away from seeing him again, after the close of the war in 1945. But Jake Russo comes to town to orchestrate a magnificent fireworks display in honor of the soldiers' homecoming, and he and Lily begin a five day affair that teaches her that passion is better than perfection; that soul-deep connection is more important than material comfort.

    Lily determines to run away with Jake, but she misses her chance. Her husband Paul never arrives home, as scheduled - after surviving years of war, his plane crashes on the way homr and he dies. Lily has to postpone her desertion, out of respect for her husband, and by the time the funeral has been arranged and Lily has attended, Jake has left town. Lily tries to reach him, but it takes her many months to find him, and by the time she succeeds he's met and married someone else.

    Lily, too, finds another husband. She lives a happy life, a fulfilled and adventurous life, achieves respect as an artist, travels with her new husband, an archeology professor. But those five days with Jake remain in her memory like the fireworks he produced, bright and unforgettable. Jake also left behind a keepsake - a blue firework the exact color of Lily's eyes, the most beautiful firework he ever made, a recipe that made its way to the historical museum as a "mortar". It's not clear how Colleen reacts to this story; she doesn't immediately break off her engagement, but she has been inspired to see life in a new way.

    The story is mature and romantic, but the writing is so-so. The structure, the way that the story cuts between events, has the feel of a TV show; to me, it seemed that the author had not made a natural transition to his new medium. While there is nothing actually wrong with FIREWORKS OVER TOCCOA, it didn't strike me as extraordinary.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I bought this book simply because the Toccoa River runs very close to my grandfather's old homestead. The book was....okay. It was neither a great book nor a bad book-I just couldn't stay interested in it. It certainly wasn't a 'can't put this one down' read.Lily Davis' father is an important man in the town of Toccoa, Georgia. He is also an executive at the Coca-Cola plant. Paul Woodward is on his way up in the company and has captured Lily's heart. He and Lily marry before he is sent to Europe during WWII. Paul's job? Making sure all the men in uniform have an ample supply of Coca-Cola. Jake Russo, just back from the war and an actual soldier who saw battle, is an expert at making fireworks. Jake is preparing for the first 4th of July celebration since the war began when his path crosses with Lily's, causing fireworks to spark between the two young people. Now Lily is torn between her heart, which now belongs to Jake and her duties to her husband and her town. After all, she does have a reputation, as well as her place in Toccoa society, to consider.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "Fireworks Over Toccoa", by Jeffrey Stepakoff, is just like life itself--either more or less than what you expect, but never exactly what you anticipate. At times I wasn't sure if I liked it, and then on the next page the story line would turn around and be completely captivating. I did like the characters very much. Lily Davis is a young Southern woman cultivated by her mother, Honey, to be a society belle. Her father, Walter, with whom Lily shares some private family jokes, lets her mother rule the roost. Lily has some private dreams, but she is a good and dutiful daughter, and marrying handsome and well-to-do Paul Woodward is no hardship. Just two weeks after their marriage, Paul, an executive with Coca-Cola, is sent off overseas in his role as a support services provider for the armed forces. During his absence of over three years, Lily is left in a sort of limbo. Definitely a bride, but barely a wife, Lily waits at home for Paul. Just before his scheduled return, Lily meets Jake Russo, the fireworks expert hired to put on a big welcome home show for the returning military personnel. Lily and Jake find themselves intensely drawn to each other, and their physical relationship is needy, raw, and life-changing. Once they join together in passion, their lives will never be the same. Lily's father, Walter, was my favorite character. There was more depth to Walter than anyone suspected, and he came through when he was needed. With this debut novel, Jeffrey Stepakoff has put his own creative twists and turns on a touching story of wartime romance and the sacrifices we never expect to make. I look forward to reading his second book, "The Orchard", in the very near future.Review Copy Gratis Thomas Dunne Books
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Holy crap I love this book!!! From the first chapter, NO from the first page I fell in love. The moment I read on the back cover that Stepakoff had been involved with many wonderful TV shows, including Dawson’s Creek, I was very curious about the story. I don’t know if that is the reason I could not stop relating the book to other books, TV shows and movies but every time I turned the page I was reminded of something else I loved. I caught myself – unsurprisingly – remembering some of my favorite moments in Dawson ’s Creek (Grams’ one great kiss). Fireworks Over Toccoa has the Southern charm of a Sarah Addison Allen novel but the way it was told kept reminding me of Titanic.I continued to think I would find something, just one negative thing, because this book couldn’t really be this good and finally, towards the end, I knew it was going to be a bit too predictable (which isn’t even the worst thing I can say about some books) and then BAM! my whole predictable ending was shot down, as well as a chance of finding a flaw in the story. This was truly a lovely, delightful and delicious story. It made me want to sit down with a Coca-Cola in a bottle and watch some fireworks.I love that the story came about after Stepakoff began research for a TV pilot that never came to be. The characters were so real, and I was so lost in the story that I forgot to wonder which parts of the story were actually real. Love it!!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I don't often read contemporary adult romance. Not necessarily because I don't enjoy it, but because I tend to enjoy young adult romance more. I see a book with Nicholas Sparks' named emblazoned on the top though, and feel sort of turned off, he's just not the right author for me. I cannot get into his books, but a few of my friends can. I approached Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffery Stepakoff with trepidation. The plot piqued my interest, but one of the cover blurbs mentioned Nicholas Sparks, which is again, sort of a turn off.Fireworks Over Toccoa starts off in present-day Georgia, two boys find some artifacts during a drought. Then immediately we are transitioned to meet a supporting character, Colleen. Colleen's all examining this house with her fiance and questioning her relationship. Everything is perfect, but she's just not content. Grandma Lily has the answers of course, and so relates her story to Colleen. Lily's story is the meat of the novel. Lily takes us back to World War II, when she's engaged to someone perfect as well and a fireworks man causes her to give pause to her life. Really, Lily's story is simply a moment in time, a quick snapshot.I did empathize with Lily, but could only feel so bad for her. Her life was a little too perfect for me. I mean, she's painted as this free bird that everyone likes. Her dad is a company executive. Her parents gave her a house, so they aren't all up in her grill. Her biggest problem is getting married too young, and the guy she married was not a bad guy at all, clearly in love with her. It sucks to be trapped in a loveless marriage, but from my reader-perspective the marriage looked like one that could be based on friendship and grow from there. I understand passion, and yes, passion is amazing. However, I personally think passion is something you can build from friendship. It does happen all the time, people become friends, fall in love, and get married.Anyways, there's sexytime in Fireworks Over Toccoa. It's steamy, and clearly not derived from real life. These are probably not scenes you'd want to be reading on the bus.The setting is particularly fabulous too. It made me want to go to Georgia despite the heat. I mean the small town southern atmosphere just rolls off the page. It all sounded so lovely, and like a great place to take a vacation or dance under the stars.Fireworks Over Toccoa is a quick read, my ARC was 260 pages and just a little bit bigger in height than a mass market paperback. I did not care much for the ending, but then I am very particular about endings. Let's just say I felt a little emotional.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I don’t read many straight romance novels. It’s not that I have anything against reading about love and romance – after all, most of the novels I read have those elements in there from one degree to another. It’s just that my basic reading interests don’t often lead me in that direction. When I was asked to read Fireworks over Toccoa, I was more interested than I normally would have been because of the background story. Lily is a young American woman who got married rather quickly to a nice young man working for her father just weeks before he left for Europe to fight in World War II. Although Lily enjoyed the short time she had with her new husband before she left, she returned to her parent’s home when Paul left. Those three years he was at war gave her time to think about her choices and grow nervous over the upcoming return of a man who was pretty much a stranger to her. As Paul's homecoming approaches, Toccoa prepares for its first fireworks display on the Fourth of July since WWII began. Lily, not having much experience with fireworks, is enthralled. When she coincidentally runs into Jack Russo, the artist responsible for the display, more than just fireworks were sparked. Lily has to decide how she truly feels about her husband and figure out how to live the rest of her life.To lead into this novel, we first meet Lily's granddaughter, who is preparing to get married. Lily believes her granddaughter is making a mistake. As much as this brings the reader into the story of Lily's early life, I found it to be distracting. I had no real interest in Lily's granddaughter knowing from the beginning that this novel wasn't about her. I think that the story would have been better served to start with Lily in her youth. Even though the end of the novel uses the beginning to paint a complete picture of Lily and Jack's time together, I think I would have been just as happy with more ambiguity.Despite things that didn't work well for me, there were many details of this story that I enjoyed. I liked the cabin and Lily's artwork. I especially liked Jack Russo. I loved his dedication to his craft and his quiet nature. I liked Lily, but I really would have been interested to have lived those days through Jack's eyes. What was it like to travel and set up fireworks displays the way he did? What was it about his time alone that helped him find peace with his past in Europe during the war? What I knew of him from reading the novel made me want to know more.I did not enjoy Fireworks Over Toccoa as much as I had hoped that I would. Still, I found that it read easily and I never lost interest in the story. There are some strong scenes between Lily and Jack that deliver the romance as well as build a bond between the two lovers. It wasn't just about romantic love, though. I found the relationship between Lily and her father interesting. While aspects of the ending were a touch too easy for my taste, I can see how this novel might translate into film. Fireworks Over Toccoa would be a good selection to take to the beach or the pool this summer, especially around the Fourth of July. Even if you never hit the beach or a local pool, you might want to keep this in mind for when you're in the mood for something quick and relaxing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    FIREWORKS OVER TOCCOA by Jeffrey Stepakoff is a historical romance set in 2007 Toccoa, Georgia and 1945 Toccoa, Georgia.It is this author's debut into romance. It is well written with details and depth. It is a glimpse into the love and sacifrice during 1945. It has romance, sacifrice, fate, chance,fireworks (gives in depth details into the making and carrying out the display), choice and consequences. It is a page turner, fast paced, full of surprise that brought a wartime couple together, their passionate love affair, the need to fulfilled their duty,and destiny. This is a wonderful love story and shows great sacifrice and courage. This book was received for review and details can be found at St. Martin's Press and My Book Addiction and More.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Does Lily's love endure or burn fast and quick like a firework shot into the night sky?Lily's husband is on his way home after being away for over 3 years fighting in WWII when she meets Jake Russo, the guy sent to Toccoa to set up the fireowrks display for the 4th of July celebration. Jake also fought overseas and carries dark, personal memories from the war. After one chance encounter she is drawn to Jake and questions her choices.Good, quick read but would have liked a bit more character development(ie- love story felt a bit rushed for me) but still a fun read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fireworks Over Toccoa is the quick, light, romantic story of Lily, a girl who has been raised to know her place in society who falls in love with Jake, an Italian pyrotechnician who has recently come home from World War II. The story is told through a flashback Lily has when a war artifact is displayed in the historical museum and she seems to be the only one who can tell the story of what the artifact is and how it came to be. Lily was married at 17 and shortly after her husband left for war. He is due to come home after 3 years away when Lily meets Jake. Lily must choose between the two. I felt as torn as Lily must have felt! I loved the setting of Toccoa and I could feel the close knit small town as though I were there. I enjoyed the escape to a much simpler time. It is a passionate story and really tugged at my heartstrings! It is a wonderful story. Once I started it, I read it straight through. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good love story. It's a great story for a Sunday afternoon! This is Jeffrey Stepakoff's debut novel and I think he does a fine job capturing the essence of love and it's conflicts. I hope he writes more novels as enjoyable as this one.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Fireworks Over Toccoa is a love story about a young, wild girl named Lily and her very brief love affair with an Italian firework maker named Jake. The story starts off with Colleen visiting her grandmother Lily. At this visit, Lily happens to see an article in the paper about some new finds that were displayed at a military museum. Lily recognizes one of the artifacts as being part of her property that she lost many years before. Colleen and Lily visit the museum to collect that artifact. This is where the real story begins as Lily tells Colleen and the museum owner the tale of the artifact in order to retrieve it. The tale she tells is of the brief love affair that she has with Jake, even though she was married to Paul.In all honesty, I had this book figured out from the beginning. I think that if you read a good deal of love stories, or even watch them on television/movies, then you have a good chance of guessing what is going to happen in this book. There was only one part that actually surprised me, and that was towards the end. Knowing the plot did not deter me from enjoying this book however. The writing is beautiful. There are times that I feel like it is lyrical like a poem instead of prose. Stepakoff does an excellent job of describing the setting. Toccoa sounds absolutely gorgeous, and from the bits that I have heard he really does the land justice in his descriptions. Lily is a very dynamic character as well. I got wrapped up in her emotions and struggles.All in all, I recommend this book as a quick read that will leave you with some warm fuzziness. Even if you feel like I did and know what the basic plot line is going to be, follow it through to the end. There will be at least one surprise in there for you.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this wonderful love story told in the present and during WWII in 1942 to 1945. You will need some tissues as you approach the final third of the book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Jeffrey Stepakoff's Fireworks Over Toccoa is a romance set around World War II -- a time when decisions between young couples were made in haste and passionately. Lily Davis runs against the grain of her family and society's expectations, but she's trying to curb her wayward inclinations and carve out her own life."It was a gorgeously plated meal that was ordered for her, one she was reluctant to disturb with immutable matters rendered by the fork, but even more loath to send back untouched." (Page 10 of ARC)Lily meets Paul Woodward, and they fall in love just before he is shipped off to the war overseas. She spends three years alone, living at home with her parents as their marital home stands empty. In many ways, her life was put on hold, but just as her "life" was coming back to her it is turned upside down. She meets a fireworks technician and her soul mate, Jake Russo."The smell from the furnaces lingered. It ruminated through the woods well beyond the razor-wire-topped fences that surrounded the muddy camp like a nightmare that remains upon waking. Indeed, it was a smell that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Sulfurous and singed, coppery sweet, the remains of deer after a wildfire. It was nauseating, the stench of madness." (Page 222 of ARC)Readers will be immediately drawn into Lily's story and the effects of war on Jake, Lily, America, and the entire world. There was much more WWII in this novel than readers may expect, but it is integrated well from how it impacts the characters and their decisions to their environments. However, one element that may bother readers is that Lily's granddaughter Colleen is introduced early on in the story and by the end seems little more than a plot device to get Lily to revisit her past. Readers may feel cheated in that the lesson they expect Lily's story to illustrate for Colleen is not as clearly defined and interaction between the two characters is very flat -- especially given parallels drawn between their lives. Overall, Fireworks Over Toccoa is a well-written romance that offers a look at a tough time in America's history, the passions of young love, and the duty-bound decisions many of us have made.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If there are any Nicholas Sparks fans out there, I'm sure you'll enjoy this novel. Fireworks Over Toccoa is a light and delightful read. Stepakoff's writing is smooth and fluid throughout the book. He does a beautiful job describing the love between Lily and Jake. If this book was ever made into a movie, I don't think that it would fully capture that compelling love. A wonderful novel by Stepakoff, I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Overall, a rather cliche bit of "fluff". I found the movement across time, particularly early in the book, distracting. The inclusion of Colleen's storyline, set in the current day, did not add to the underlying story of her grandmother Lily and, if anything, only added another flat, cliched character. Lily's story is certainly touching, and I would recommend this book if you're looking for an easy sappy read. Otherwise, skip it.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Light, frothy, and insubstantial - like meringue - all egg whites and sugar and air, calories with very little nutritional value.Reminiscent of The Bridges of Madison County, but even more cliched and sentimental, this story of a 1940's Georgia housewife falling in love with the Italian guy in town to create the fireworks show could have been romantic and touching and fun to read, but just wasn't. The characters are cardboard cutout stereotypes, the sense of place and time is loose at best, and Coca Cola is mentioned often enough that I wonder if the author got product placement from them (yes, I know Coke is a Georgia company).Honestly, don't bother.Thanks to the publisher for giving me an advance copy of this to review - I wish I had like it more, but you can't win 'em all.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    If you are in the mood for a tearjerker romance that is predicable and not too intellectually challenging, this book will suit you. (And I'm not casting aspersions, since obviously I read this, didn't I?!!!)Lily Davis and her husband, Paul Woodward, were only married several weeks before he was called overseas to serve in World War II. Now it is late June of 1945, and Paul is due back on Independence Day. Looking out from her porch, Lily sees fireworks and they seem to stir a longing in her. She goes to check out where they are coming from, and meets pyrotechnics man Jake Russo. And then the real fireworks begin! Jake is lean, hard and muscular (in his thin t-shirt). Lily is beautiful with “tawny trails of hair.” He has dark eyes; she has eyes like blue sapphires. His hands are rough, but his touch gentle; she is “refined but bold.” The electricity starts when Jake jumps on top of Lily to protect her from flying fireworks debris. Then he applies a bandage to her knee. For Jake, the feel of Lily’s skin is “rooted in his mind like a lovely haunting melody;” And as for Lily: “The feelings wept into her heart like a pad of butter on warm grits.”Makes me think of biscuits. But anyway….Lily and Jake are immediately drawn to each other, and spend a blissful two nights together. Lily thinks she has only found love for the first time. But in her small, Southern town with its conservative ways and her important parents, a choice in favor of passion over duty is not so easy to make. Which should it be, she wonders, and how will she live with her decision either way?Evaluation: I don’t quite understand how this book gets to be a work of “literary fiction” instead of “romance novel” but obviously this business is as foreign to me as a pile of ketchup on a mess of pancakes. …to paraphrase the author….In spite of everything, I cried at the end. Yes of course I did! I cry at pizza commercials, for heaven’s sakes! I feel relatively confident this book will be made into a gloppy, soppy movie with lots of beautiful pyrotechnics and beautiful actors and actresses. And it will be as successful as, well, as ice cream melting over a slice of sweet potato pie! But personally, I’m thinking I’ll skip the movie…
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fireworks Over Toccoa is Lily's story - and although the story really takes place throughout a span of a couple of days, her flashbacks take you back several decades to a dry, hot Georgia summer and a love that is unforgettable.Although the story started a bit slow for me, and even had me a bit confused (since it starts with two children finding something unnamed near a lake, then to a woman named Colleen, and finally to Colleen's grandmother Lily), once Lily actually commences her story, I became totally immersed in the town of Toccoa, it's residents and the relationship between Lily and Jake. Mr. Stepakoff's writing is rich and vivid, yet simple, it really gives the story this lazy, summer feel (I'm not sure if I explained that properly), but it felt just right.Lily and Jake's relationship is something to behold. I loved how fireworks came into play throughout the story and how it was used as a metaphor for their love of one another. I've read several reviews where they compare this to Nicholas Sparks' work - and as an avid reader of Nicholas Sparks, I can definitely see the similarities. But don't let that be the factor that determines whether you read this or not. Mr. Stepakoff has created a beautiful story with characters that you will feel as if you know and will regret when you reach the last page and know that your time with them is over.This is a bitter-sweet tale that will sweep you up and deposit you at its end with tears in your eyes but a smile on your face. I really enjoyed it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Moving and poignant, this book is phenomenal. The descriptions of setting and emotions really make you see what the characters see and feel what they feel. This tragically wonderful love story will keep you reading until the very end. I completely agree that this novel could be compared to a Nicholas Sparks book, so if you love Sparks, this is a must read. I am thrilled that I got to get and an advanced copy of this book. I hope we see many more novels from this wonderful author.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this book from the first page. I started reading it yesterday afternoon and couldn't put it down. The characters are so well written and the storyline so moving. The relationships Lilly has with her Mother and Father are also well written. This book was definitely a page turner.It reminded me of other wonderful books such as 'The Bridges of Madison County' and 'The Notebook'. If you enjoyed either of those books you will love this book. My only complaint would be that it was over too soon. Wonderful debut novel! I highly recommend this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4.5 out of 5 This is a wonderful love story told from hindsight. The beauty of that is that it gives you all the emotion but with clarity that only comes over time. I liked Lilly from the first moment. A rebel, a refined rebel, and also artistic in a time when it was not popular to be an artist for refined women. Also a honest look at how many in this country felt during WWII. As I get older, I feel like there is not enough discussion sometimes of how it used to be to our younger generation, and I am afraid that they will repeat some of the mistakes of the past.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A story much like that of Nicholas Sparks' "The Notebook," "Fireworks over Toccoa" thrusts readers into a story of love, passion, and duty.An unexpected discovery takes Lily Davis Woodward back to 1945, a time that would forever change her life. Toccoa is preparing for the 4th of July celebration in honor of the troops returning home from the war. Married only a week before her husband was sent off to war, Lily was anxious to get him back and finally start their lives together.It was not until an unpredictable encounter with Jake Russo - the handsome Italian fireworks technician in charge of the 4th of July display - that Lily realized what it was like to love and be loved in a way that she could never have. When their relationship escalates, Lily needs to decide which road to take - true, honest love, or a commitment that she has already made.An unforgettable story, "Fireworks over Toccoa" will pull the reader in from beginning to end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fireworks over Toccoa, by Jeffrey Stepakoff, is a charming love story. The story takes place at the end of World War II. The soldiers are returning home and the world is full of possibility for the anxious families waiting at home. Lily, a twenty-year old bride, is preparing her home for her husband's homecoming. They'd been married only two weeks before he left and she has never really had the opportunity to be a wife.Lily is torn between the expectations on her as the daughter of a state senator, a society wife, and her own hopes and dreams. She is trapped into what everyone wants her to be. When she meets a man, in town for the celebration fireworks, her life is changed. He offers her adventure, romance, and an opportunity to escape her overbearing mother. She struggles between what she knows she should do and what her heart wants. I enjoyed this book, even if I wasn't completely satisfied by the end. It reminds me of a Nicholas Sparks novel with rich characters and a setting that I could picture so easily in my mind. Lily changes with each chapter. My first thought was that she was a spoiled princess who always got her way. In the end, she's a woman who fights for what she needs and wants in life. It's worth a read. I recommend it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The story begins in Toccoa, Georgia in 2007. Two boys find something buried in the receding Lake Hartwell due to one of the worst droughts in recent years. Colleen is Lily's granddaughter. She is engaged to Drew Candler. Everything in her life seems to be in place and perfect just like her grandmother, Lilly, thought when she married at the age of seventeen. A marriage that took place only a few days before her husband Paul was sent abroad to fight in WWII. Colleen is visiting Lily when a newspaper article, detailing new additions to the Currahee Military Museum, catches Lily's eye. There is an item listed that Lily insists belongs to her. The two women go down to the museum where Lily tells Captain Carol stokes that it belongs to her. Her is where the heart of the story begins. Lily Davis is the daughter of Walter and Honey Davis. Her father is an executive at Coca-Cola and her parents are prominent members of the community. In true 1940's southern fashion Lily has learned her place in this society and puts on the public face of a distinguished southern lady. A role that does not fit into the person that Lily actually is. She meets Paul Woodward, a young man who works for her family, and falls in love. With the knowledge of going off to war Paul asked Lily to marry her before he leaves. In the three years that Paul has been gone Lily blossomed into the adult that she has become. She knows that she has everything that she should want and with the promise of her husband coming home her life will finally begin. Despite these things Lily feels that something is missing. The happiness that she should be feeling is not there but she can not figure out why. Just a few days before her husband's return in a chance meeting, that fate may have organized, Lily meets Jake Russo. An Italian American pyrotechnics man, fireworks. He has been to war and the effects of war has buried emotions deep within him that he is content to live without. From there very first encounter Lily knows she can be yourself and that she has found a kindred spirit. Jake feels the same way. Lily opens up his heart and soul again. With Jake Lily can share everything about herself and be who she truly is. She realizes that this is the piece that had been missing in her life. She loved Paul but they do not share the same passions. Jake and Lily complete each other and fall completely in love. Lily is faced with choosing between the duty to her husband, her parents and society or to follow her heart and her duty to her own happiness. Back in the present Colleen discovers that there was so much she did not know everything about her grandmother. Lily's story opens Colleen's eyes to her upcoming marriage. A gripping, beautiful story that captures how our decisions big and small shape our lives forever. A dazzling love story that attaches to your heart and does not let go. Complete with intriguing true facts of the fireworks industry and the reality of the effects of war.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a very good book written in a almost lyrical fashion. I found it very easy to read; full of genuine feelings, thoughts and regrets. Jeffery Stepakoff has a fine debute novel here. The writing style and storyline reminded me a little too much of Nicholas Sparks, however, the story of Lily and Jake was captivating and certainly held my attention. A very good read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Married for just a few weeks before her husband Drew left to go overseas during the war, Lily Davis Woodward, daughter of a wealthy Coca Cola executive, has waited three long years to take her place in society. Now just a few days before his scheduled return, she meets Jake Russo, war veteran and pyrotechnic engineer. He is preparing a huge fireworks show to honor the returning servicemen.When they meet, love happens-- slowly, tentatively, tenderly and then with same explosiveness of Jake's fireworks.In understated, elegant, exquisite prose, Stepakoff presents us with a painful, tragic, gorgeous, affirming love affair. The character development of Lily and Jake, as well as the presentation of Lily's parents and other supporting characters, gives us a picture of longing, duty, relationships, and heartbreaking honesty. Lily's dad for instance says to her when he suspects she's conflicted about her husband's return:"I have been married to the same woman at least five times. Marriage comes in phases. Some good, some not so good. But you work through things, and you grow, and you change, and you stick by the decision that you made, even when you were seventeen. That is your duty." (pg. 178)The searing anguish of these star-struck lovers reaches its peak when Lily must choose whether to leave her home and roam the world with Jake shooting fireworks, or stay with her husband. The resolution of her dilemma is heart rending but almost inevitable. I will not spoil it for other readers.This is simply one of the best love stories I've read in my adult life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Beautiful story, within a story. Didn't want the magic to end. What a bittersweet dilemma, very glad I wasn't the one having to make any decisions. Jeffrey Stepakoff successfully captured the feelings and nuances of the old South. My heart ached for Lily, Jake and Paul, beautiful novel, wonderful resolution. Can't wait to see what his next novel will be.

Book preview

Fireworks Over Toccoa - Jeffrey Stepakoff

DISCOVERY

Toccoa, Georgia, 2007

The two boys rode their mountain bikes along the soft uncovered lake bed between the Bartam’s Field subdivision and the old Holly Hills property.

In 1955, the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Savannah River, creating Lake Hartwell and flooding nearly fifty-six thousand acres, pretty much everything for miles along the Georgia–South Carolina border. There were stories of people refusing to give up their land—some reportedly met work crews with shotguns—but in the end, the government won out. The low-lying pine forests were cut down and any outbuildings in the floodplains hastily bulldozed. Where creeks once rambled through quiet woods to the northeast of Toccoa, gated golfing communities now rimmed the wide fingers of the massive artificial reservoir.

This history was lost on the two boys. To them the lake was simply a backyard, a place for waterskiing and motorboating, a selling point for the area’s multitudinous new developments spiraling out from the waterfront. But the record drought that had plagued Georgia since mid-2006 now made water sports, and even swimming in some areas, potentially hazardous. Rotting sorrel stumps jutted through the water. Mud-covered rocks lay exposed.

So on this day, because playing in the water was not an option, the two ten-year-olds rode their bikes along the dirt of the lake bed that had been submerged just a few months ago. It was sludgy and uneven, and though their knobby tires were designed for such things, riding was difficult. The muddy moonscape was peppered with granite and decayed roots and the occasional beer can oxidized through with rust.

As they were navigating and trying to maintain enough speed to stay upright, something caught their eyes. A glint of metal. A shiny sparkle off glass.

They fishtailed their bikes to a stop. Both looking intently, they saw sunlight reflecting off something wedged under a stack of large, smooth river stones. The low waterline lapped at the stones, the sort the boys had seen imbedded in chimneys in multimillion-dollar faux-rustic cabins.

They dismounted their bikes, dropped them, and headed toward the river-stone pile, following the glistening light that shone off something that looked very much out of place here. It was something that no one had seen for more than six decades—something that, if not for this record drought, may never have been seen again, as the cabin and its bulldozed river-stone chimney had been underwater since the summer of 1955.

A PERFECT HOUSE

Buckhead district of Atlanta, six months later

And I think we should get pregnant right away, Drew Candler said, turning off Peachtree onto a tree-lined side street.

We? Colleen turned in the leather bucket passenger seat and playfully raised an eyebrow at him.

Well, I’m a participant in this process, too.

"So you’ll be carrying a bowling ball in your belly?"

I’ll be rubbing your back.

Will you be changing diapers?

Every chance I get.

Midnight feedings?

Wouldn’t miss ’em.

And what happens when you’re on call?

Nannies.

She couldn’t help but laugh. He always had the right answer to everything. See, this is why my friends’ husbands hate you.

Because I’m the sensitive type.

You’re raising the bar too high for these poor guys.

He feigned a worried expression. Oh man, you didn’t tell anyone about the little love notes, did you?

Well…

I’m gonna get whacked, he joked. They’re gonna invite me out for a beer and beat me. I can see this coming.

Drew drove up to the front gates of an elegant new housing development, punched a code into the call box, and drove in as the gates opened.

Hey, I’ve told them about your affinity for lying around all Sunday in your boxers watching football and eating nachos, but I get no sympathy.

I can be more of a jerk. Really, I know I can.

I know, my dear. You can do anything you set your mind to. That’s one of the things I love about you. But I’m good with the football and the nachos.

He broke into a broad smile and turned his eyes toward Colleen for a moment, taking her in as he had from the first day he saw her. She was so beautiful, he thought, as he always did. Even with her black hair pulled back in a casual ponytail away from her dark eyes as she had it today. How could anyone look at her and not think the same thing? Somehow this notion was reassuring to him.

They pulled up in front of an expansive new house, a little too big for its lot but stunning nonetheless. Where once a single ranch-style home sat on two wooded acres, there were now nine estate homes. Hundreds of containers of azaleas and dogwoods and Cherokee roses, ubiquitous in these kinds of North Atlanta communities, were lined up along the curb, ready to be planted in the smallish yards.

What do you think?

Wow. She just stared at the residence, at a loss to articulate any kind of detailed response.

‘Wow’ is right. Come on.

Drew hopped out, jogged over to Colleen’s side of the newly leased luxury sedan, and opened the door for her. With a boyish glee that belied his tall build, he grabbed her arm and marched her up the front walkway and through the open front door. They were hit with the intoxicating scent of fresh paint, new appliances, and sawdust.

He watched as she took in the house.

Five bedrooms up. One below. And the master suite is off the main, around that way, he said, pointing. Oh, and just off the kitchen, over there, they call it a family studio.

Colleen peered into a large room with washer-dryer hookups, a worktable, a message center desk with cell-phone docks, and three built-in child-size lockers with coat hangers and space for boots and books.

There’s room for more than three lockers. You know, just in case one ever wanted to expand. Drew couldn’t be happier.

Colleen continued looking around at the house for a long time. It was as though Drew had extrapolated everything she had ever mentioned in passing about the future and what he had seen on the dog-eared pages of the house and style magazines she’d recently been perusing and what he heard discussed at dinner parties and golf outings and silent auction cocktail events by those who had their names on wings of buildings vital to the community, and then put it all together and come up with this house. Her friends would most likely describe the house in the same terms they talked about Drew. It was an ideal house.

However, to stand awake in the middle of such a thing, to hear the wraithlike echoes of children to be born and days to be lived and nights to be pondered among these planked halls, was to stand in the future, to see it and know it plainly. No more hazy morning daydreams about what life might be. No more giddy talk over lattes or margaritas. This was it.

It was a gorgeously plated meal that was ordered for her, one she was reluctant to disturb with immutable matters rendered by the fork, but even more loath to send back untouched. What Drew happily took for overwhelming excitement was in fact apprehension over the sudden reality set before her.

She hadn’t known him for very long, but what she did know seemed very right. Whatever doubts or questions she might have had about the future and what she wanted out of it were always allayed by his certainty. He was always so sure about everything, about a life that would be very much like that of the most senior partners in his practice, and about how she fit seamlessly into that. Along with his other attributes, Drew possessed a kind of confidence that could sweep a girl off her feet. But there was something about standing here in this house that made her realize how quickly the future was happening, and just how little thought, of her own, she’d really given it.

His BlackBerry rang and involuntarily he snapped it off his belt and answered it. Yes.… How many centimeters?… Yes, that’s fine, page the anesthesiologist. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. He hung up and snapped the phone back on its belt cradle.

I have to get to Northside. I’ll drop you on the way.

You go ahead. I’ll call the office and have someone pick me up. I want to stay here for a little while.

You know, it might be time to give them your notice.

We’ll talk about that.

Whatever you want. I just hate seeing you working at a job you don’t need or love.

He gave her a kiss.

When I saw this place and thought about us here, he said, I felt like all the pieces were just snapping into place. So what do you think?

What do I think?

About the house! Do you like it?

It’s amazing.

But?

No but.

Come on, Colleen. This is your fiancé you’re talking to. What’s wrong with the house?

Honestly…, she said, looking around, searching for words to describe her complicated feelings. She settled on simple truth. Absolutely nothing. It’s perfect. It’s a perfect house.

Good. Because I put an offer in last night. He gave her a broad smile and then walked out, his footsteps echoing as she stood alone in the enormous empty house.

Watching him hurry down the walkway and hop in his new car, Colleen wondered what was wrong with her. She never had a problem committing to things. She made plans weeks in advance, bought multiyear magazine subscriptions, she was someone who turned in term papers early. She knew how to make choices and act on them. Then again, this house, she wasn’t really being asked to make much of a choice about it.

But how much did that matter?

Lifting her head, she rotated it again. Yes, it was like looking at a model home picked out for a magazine shoot. So what was the problem? What else was there beyond perfect? What was there to think about?

LILY

Toccoa, a few days later

What could you say to a young woman who thought she was in love when you thought she might be making the biggest mistake of her life? Lily chewed on this as she waited for her granddaughter.

Lily sat in a comfortable chair on her wraparound porch, looked out at the Blue Ridge foothills, and drank her morning Coke. It was in the traditional curved glass bottle, upon which the tiny words HECHO EN MEXICO were affixed. Every month since July of 1988, when the Georgia bottlers started using corn syrup, Lily had driven to a small Hispanic-owned shop in Gainesville and bought her stash of Mexican-bottled Coca-Cola, which was still made with cane sugar.

Lily liked living alone. She missed her husband, of course. But since his passing four years ago, an odd kind of restfulness had made its way into her days. She often told herself that this was simply the opportunity provided by more time on her hands. But deep down, she knew it was something more. It was as though the seams of her life had been let out just a bit.

Eighty-two years old, living alone in her big house, Lily was lonely at times. But this was a feeling, an exquisite bittersweetness, that she didn’t entirely mind. Simply put, Lily was at peace.

Her residence, a white Queen Anne–style classical revival, was built in 1901 on a hill just north of town. It was initially used as a summerhouse for well-to-do boarders escaping the heat in Atlanta. In July, during the day, they would sit out on this sprawling porch in high-backed white rocking chairs, sipping sweet peach tea and enjoying the cool Appalachian breezes. And at night they would drink gin and tonic and marvel at the wonder of a billion stars over Toccoa. Since then, everything had changed, and not much had changed. The world was such a different place, but there were the same stars, the same kinds of yearnings beneath them.

Lily watched as a large car pulled up the hill and parked in front of her house. Stretching her legs after the hour-and-a-half drive up from the city, Colleen got out of the shiny new sedan, which Lily thought was way too big and stuffy for her granddaughter. But these kinds of vehicles were apparently one of the enviable perks of working in sales for a huge pharmaceutical company.

Grandma, the kudzu is nearly up to your front porch! Colleen said as she bounded up the walkway in front of the house.

It’s fine. I just trimmed it back this week. The broad-leafed vine made its way out of the woods behind the house but was cut before it could invade the lawn.

Why don’t you just have the gardeners get rid of it once and for all? Colleen scooped up the newspaper resting on one of the stone steps leading to the porch. You’ll wake up one morning and you won’t be able to get out your front door.

You leave my kudzu alone. We have an understanding. Lily grabbed her granddaughter, hugged her quickly, and then held her back for examination.

How’s life in the fast lane? said Lily.

Fast. In fact, I can’t stay too late. One of Drew’s partners bought a table at this silent auction black-tie thing at the Grand Hyatt tonight.

Lily noticed that Colleen made very little effort to hide her lack of enthusiasm for the event. A million things rushed through Lily’s mind, but she just smiled.

You ready to see it? Lily said.

Colleen took a deep breath and nodded.

*   *   *

Lily had been cooking earlier in the day and the inside of the house smelled of something wonderful, risotto with summer vegetables, Colleen guessed. Lily was a famously good cook and Colleen always came here hungry, knowing she would be fed something simple but

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