That Summer

That Summer by Lauren Willig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Julia Conley, recently New York unemployed, has found that she has inherited her great-aunt’s home in England. Her memories of her childhood there have perished along with her mother’s death in the accident. With nothing else on her plate, Julie flies over to London, preparing to sort, clean, and sell the house for desperately needed income. While there her snooty cousin calls, wanting to look for “treasure” amidst the mess. Is there really a treasure or could it be hanging on the wall right in front of their noses?

I love how the story switches from 2009 back and forth to 1849 within the same home. A story within a story is always more exciting and mysterious! Lauren Willig is such a great writer and I could barely put the book down for fear I’d miss something!!


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A Perfect Proposal

A Perfect Proposal by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophie - who seems to me, is quite smart and funny - is the black sheep of the family - the non-academic member.(think tops in common sense) More than a lil snobby and money-grubbing, they're quite happy to stick Sophie with the mundane tasks of life, like working, cooking, and taking care of the house. When Sophie get the chance of lifetime to jet over to New York and see a friend and follow up on a job lead, she jumps, only to find out the job has fallen through. How like Sophie to land on her feet, as Sophie as usual and without airs, lands another one. Read more about Sophie and her up and down life in A Perfect Proposal,


There is something about the way Katie Fforde cooks up her characters - a little charming, goofy, a bit trodden upon and taken advantage of, and sometimes even a little dizzy - that keeps me coming back for more.

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The Dressmaker

The Dressmaker: A Novel by Kate Alcott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A friend of mine suggested the Dressmaker to me - she knows of my interest in anything Titanic - and I'm so glad she did so. I could not put this book down. At one point to my horror I looked at the clock and the digital display showed 2:30am. Morning was to come all too soon. Reluctantly I closed the cover until the next evening!

The Dressmaker tells of the other side of the Titanic story - what happens after. True events and historical hearings are set within the fictional story of a young maid named Tess, eager to escape her life of servitude in France, who is thrilled to find gainful employment with Lady Duff Gordon - a world renowned designer of women's clothing. As they ship out on the Titanic, Tess is ready for her new life in America and hopes to learn more dressmaking skills from her new mentor. Within four days of studying the wealthy, learning of Lady Duff Gordon's eccentric ways, and meeting two new men that will change her life, the doomed Titanic meets its well-known ending at the iceberg. With so few lifeboats, the wealthy, including Lady Duff Gordon and her husband, Cosmo, jump into one and Tess is fortunate to barely make it into another - clinging to two young lads whose father begged her to save. When the Carpathian finds the survivors and hauls them aboard, stories start to circulate of half empty lifeboats, survivors of the sinking but not gathered in the boats, of bribes/payoffs to the sailors, and men who cast themselves into the boats, foregoing the women and children. Once the rumors hit New York and Washington, DC they can no longer be hushed and the world has to come to terms with the inescapable moral aspects and coverups of the Titanic tragedy.

As I scorned those who lied, I ask myself what I would do in such a situation - I could only hope to act with honor and dignity, but none will know until confronted.

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Heartwood

Heartwood by Belva Plain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Laura is the daughter everyone wants - reliable, loving, kind, and loyal. But Laura's marriage is in trouble - her loving support of her brilliant, but weak husband, Robbie, is waning. She puts her own talents and gifts down to build him up. Her mother, Iris, a professor and her father, Theo - a doctor, will not understand if steadfast Laura allows her marriage to fail. Unknown to either woman, Theo holds a secret that could hurt either one. A book about 4 generations of women who learn to cope with disappointment, lost love, and the crises that life always seems to hand out.

Belva Plain's final novel - Mom and I will miss her writings of family and relationships.



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