romantic, evocative and suspenseful, life is a melody, weaves an unforgettable collection of memoirs, based on a young man's journal entries during the summer of his eighteenth year. set in virginia in the late 1970's, john tierney has journeyed from his hometown of burlington, vermont to his aunt's house in elkton, virginia to come to terms with his future career plans versus his parents pre-determined ideas for his future. a sensitive, intuitive young man, john is torn between loyalty to his family and his personal beliefs that his father, the owner of a textile mill, has exploited the factory workers. the novel starkly contrasts the deplorable working conditions of the factory workers versus the management personnel. during his summer internship, john meets melody, a beautiful yet mysterious young woman. as their relationship evolves, melody inspires him to become his own person and to follow his dreams. yet, melody has a past that threatens both their relationship and their lives. their entire summer is overshadowed by danger that constantly lurks in the shadows. author betsy munson weaves a poignant story that demonstrates how passion can either enrich or destroy lives and how choices made long ago can haunt us forever.