I found this novel to be very sad and borderline depressing. The life of Paulette is fraught with bad decisions and heartache. She carries grief for years from the accidental death of her married lover, has a baby with his best friend, and lives her life moving from one mistake to another. Her treatment as a Black woman in 1970’s England is reflective of the racism of the age and the hardness of life in a predominantly white area. The last chapter was a tearjerker.
An undelivered and returned to sender letter draws three grieving persons together on a journey across the country to deliver the letter to the intended. The story is a heartfelt and tender look at grief which has impacted two sisters (one fourteen years old) and a stranger on this quest. Along the way, feelings are evident as healing begins. Add in an unexpected romance and it is a very touching and often uplifting novel.
Just as a side comment, if you have ever experienced the type of grief that steals your Joy and strikes at any moment months or years later, the emotions of the characters will ring very true, as they did for me.
A romance sparked by magic, vexes, and spice. A relationship starting with contention and distrust is so cute and often funny. Lucy and Grayson are at different ends when it comes to his grandfather, the owner of the bookstore where Lucy is manager. He has not communicated with his grandfather for twenty years and during that time, Lucy has become very endeared to the grandfather. Grayson wants to correct the distance and envies Lucy’s relationship. Sparks and chemistry between them muddies the water.
The injustices and horrors of crimes and of racism are recounted in a story of a Texas Ranger, a Reconstruction Quaker school teacher, and the trial of a murdering gang in Corpus Christi. The dialog is reflective of the time as is the furor of racist mobs and the inequality of justice. A great historic novel.
The tumultuous and very challenging and changing lives of teens at a prestigious private high school is the setting for the novel. Characters from The Academy novel continue into their senior year joined by some new students and staff. The engaging story flows similar to Elin Hilderbrand novels and utilizes dialog, thoughts, and the voice of a narrator.
Fun and engaging novel. So enjoyable to read as the pages are filled with oddball neighbors in a brownstone in Calgary. Main character, Moma, has her own definitions of each resident as she has never interacted with them. When she is tasked with being the temporary manager, she reevaluates her definitions and finds there is more to the people than she imagined. Plus, there is a budding love with Sami, the restaurant owner next door.
A funny cozy mystery about a dog crazy town, a group of critical dog moms, a savvy septuagenarian crime reader, an outcast woman, and murder. The outcast woman is cast as the villain by the town because of her outspoken behavior. She teams up with the septuagenarian and antics ensue as they set out to solve the murder.
