Reviews

Reviewed By Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
As someone who has lived a co-dependent relationship in the past, I found Searching for the Shire to be a clarion call to my psyche. Reading Florence St. John's words and deeds, I experienced many "Aha" moments as I was able to relate to her "need to be needed." I suspect this issue is felt more intensely by women, but as a man who has experienced these issues, I was very easily able to relate to her thought processes and decision making. At the end of the day, this book can give real hope and a path out of co-dependency for anyone suffering from this. The book is simply a summation of St. John's life that led her to the point of needing to find an answer to her continual problems. My biggest takes from this story were 1: It's okay to be alone and 2: How can you expect anyone else to love you unconditionally when you don't even love yourself? I think this book would prove very useful for those suffering from co-dependency or feelings of inadequacy.Reviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Florence St. John's Searching for the Shire takes a hard look at dysfunctional family relationships and the legacy of codependency passed on to those who've grown up under those conditions. The author's story is a compelling one, and her voice rings out with honesty, conviction and occasional ruefulness throughout. I found her drive and determination, as exemplified by her determination to build her dream house and her hard-won college degree in Accounting, to be inspirational indeed, and I found myself sighing as she briefly gives up her hard-won freedom, once again, to partner with Daniel. While quite supportive and understanding of many women's desires to be homemakers, St. John eloquently shows why it wasn't enough for her and discusses how the collapse of the soundest-seeming marriage can leave a woman with no working skills or experience to fend for herself in the outside world. While her memoir indicates that St. John's skills are numerical, her memoir is beautifully written and a joy to read. I hope she considers following this effort with a work of fiction next, as she's a gifted storyteller. Searching for the Shire is most highly recommended.Reviewed By Karen Walpole for Readers' Favorite
For anyone who has ever wanted to understand codependency, this is a great book. Rather than reading something clinical on the subject, the reader "lives" the codependent's life through the book. The narrative unfolds naturally and flows well. Reading about the author's life enlightens the reader, but the message about care of self becomes very clear as the story progresses. I recommend Searching for the Shire by Florence St. John for anyone who suspects they are codependent and anyone with alcoholic family members or friends. Seeing how alcoholism changes the people around the alcoholic helps in understanding codependent people and relationships.