This book has to be one of the best books I've ever read!!! The bond and the enduring love of the 2 main characters...their lifetime of loving each other...simply undescribable! If you have ever loved someone since childhood....and think they are lost to you....don't give up yet!!! You must read this book!!! It moved me in ways no other books have before, and I still find myself thinking about the characters all the time. A beautiful, haunting love story!

I read this book in one sitting, which would've been fine if I didn't have to sleep! I've read other books by Deborah Smith, and although I liked Blue Willow, it isn't my favorite one. (So far I like 'Stone Flower Garden' and 'When Venus Fell' the most, maybe because I read them first.) There's only one reason I didn't give Blue Willow 5 stars: it was too long for me. There were great characters with lots of depth, but towards the last few chapters I felt like it was dragging and I only stayed up late to finish it because I just wanted it to finally end! All of Smith's books I've read are wonderful romantic reads, with lots of meat to them. I enjoy her books a lot, and usually don't want them to end after I've finished, but I do have to take breaks in between because they all have a common theme: star-crossed lovers who meet as children.

Phew! WHat a book! Sure it looks long and bland looking. But don't let that stop you. It is much more than a romance novel. It's about family, forgivness, fighting for what you believe in and also persistance. Halfway in the book , I was getting frustrated and hopeless, like the character of Lily. Lily and Artemas grew up loving each other. But litterally everything kept them apart. Everytime, they wanted to be together , someone or something drove a wedge between them. He had to choose between his family and Lily. The first time he chose his family, but the second time he was at a standstill.

All in all, the characters were well developed and believeable. The plot had many twists and turns and the family drama was aplenty. Phew, and I thought I had family problems!?!-Enjoy

I like Deborah Smith as an author. She has a way of creating believable characters and stories, with plots that can alternately tug at your heart strings and make you smile. I liked Blue Willow, but I found the characters hard to believe, thereby causing the entire story to be unbelievable. I know, it's fiction and I should probably lighten up, but the reality of a character is what often drives a novel. It seemed incredibly far-fetched that Artemus Colebrook could have such a powerful drive to overcome his parent's shadow, be the strong leader of his siblings, and turn around a failing business into an international powerhouse. Not that that kind of strength and integrity isn't possible, but all before he turned twentyfive! I also found it unreal for such a handsome, rich, powerful man to harbor feelings for a child he'd seen, what, two or three times? A young girl he faithfully corresponded through the mail for several years? Come on.
I also found the Stepford-like loyalty of the Colebrook clan to be unreal as well as a little scary. Six brothers and sisters who can't see further than the bounds of their family is more than a little bizarre.
And for Lily to simply stand by and say nothing when evidence came to hand that aleviated the blame the Colebrooks placed on her deceased spouse? Give me a break! If I were Lily, I would want the world to know the blame for the tragedy the story is centered around was shared with the Colebrook sibling running the project. Especially after Colebrook International sued her dead husband's firm, causing her to lose her home and all of her worldly belongings. Heck, I'd call a press conference. If Artemas had to do what he had to do, so should have Lily. Better yet, Artemus should have done the honorable thing and informed the public of his sister's involvement.
Oh well. That's just me.
This is a good read for the most part, if you can past the inane behavior of many of the characters.

Once again, Deborah Smith has written a powerhouse of a book. It will not bore you - it is quick moving and surprising. Her characters are memorable as usual. She has a wondrous imagination and I love her style of writing.