Turning Point
Author: Lara Zielinsky
Publisher: PD Publishing, Inc.

Turning Point, by Lara Zielinsky is a story that’s been around on the ‘net for a while. I read the online version when it was first written in 2003 and was eager to hold this finished book in my hands. It’s taken some time, and some editing, for the original online story to make it to the printed page, and it has been worth the wait.

Zielinsky has created a believable set of protagonists in her story, set against the backdrop of the television industry. Her details of set work and the politics of life in the “industry” ring true. Even truer is the emotional connection she makes with her readers as Cassidy and Brenna begin to realize their feelings for each other. Filled with the wonder of new love, both women have to balance their newfound happiness in each other with their children, their families, and their careers.

The author’s treatment of Brenna, especially, is well done. Zielinsky writes of Brenna’s emotional upheaval at discovering she’s in love with another woman while being both Catholic and married with a sure and steady hand. Brenna’s conflict is deftly handled, and the reader is pulled into Brenna’s struggle as she works to sort through her feelings.

Cassidy, Brenna’s love in this story, is also well rounded. While her emotional journey isn’t as painful as Brenna’s, she has her own demons with whom she must deal, and again Zielinsky’s style is to take the reader along for the emotional ride without leaving the reader exhausted or drained.

Zielinsky’s secondary characters are well developed and interesting as well, and do what good secondary characters do: they add to the depth of the story and do not distract from either the protagonist’s growth or the story overall.

A significant plotline from the original online version was left out of the printed story–Cassidy’s alluded to domestic abuse at the hands of her husband–which to me indicates either a hint at a sequel or just the author’s desire to not revisit the issue. One of the issues I had with the book is the font size. If I’m correct, the font size is about 10 pt, or slightly less, which is quite small in a book of this size. Another issue were some of the transitions in scenes; a small symbol, or bar, would have helped the flow overall and been less jarring for the reader.

That said, Turning Point is well worth the price of admission. A true love story, the sort of “slow growth” story that so many of us enjoy. Pick up a copy, you’ll be treating yourself to a time of discovery in the lives of these women, a worthwhile journey indeed.

~Polly Robinson