A QUILT FOR CHRISTMAS by Sandra Dallas

A QUILT FOR CHRISTMAS   by Sandra Dallas

This is a lovely story by a favorite author.  Placed in Civil War Kansas the story follows a young wife is left behind as her husband goes off to fight for the Union. Eliza carefully makes a quilt to ease his bones and keep him warm and sends it off to him with another soldier as a Christmas gift. 

Eliza and her two children soon find themselves challenged, first by a Confederate widow and child and then by an escaped slave.  Keeping the farm producing is another challenge.  Discovering what has happened to the lovingly made quilt is a prime element of a story that contains heartbreak, danger, suspicion, wickedness, love, cooperation and redemption.

The characters are true to life, the situations and conversations realistic.  Dallas fans will discover that some of the characters are the grand parents of the characters in THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB.

5 of 5 stars

LADIES NIGHT by Mary Kay Andrews

LADIES NIGHT   by Mary Kay Andrews

One of my favorite “light read” authors has written a fun take on divorce and retribution with a smattering of romance.  You will laugh at the antics of wronged women compelled by a sadistic judge to attend “divorce recovery” sessions with a well meaning but slightly loopy therapist.  When one of the attendees turns out to a “wronged man” instead of woman you know you have a few laughs at his expense. 

The characters are clearly drawn if perhaps overdone, the “mystery” is solved with the perpetrators brought to justice.  The situations are believable and hilarious.  Altogether this is a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

4 of 5 stars

DESIGNATED DAUGHTERS by Margaret Maron

DESIGNATED DAUGHTERS  by Margaret Maron

Margaret Maron has written a mystery with heart where some of the miscreants get what they deserve and some get mercy.  The Knott family saga continues with more life in the characters and more fun in the tales they tell and live out. 

Well plotted and with enough red herrings to challenge the best armchair detectives, DESIGNATED DAUGHTERS tells of young and old, rich and poor, cheated and cheater, but mostly Maron spins a tale of life. Her characters resonate with vitality. Maron fans will find the characters familiar as they age, grow up, mellow and are revealed in this latest novel from a master of the continuing story. If you are reading a Deborah Knott mystery for the first time, you will need the family tree found in the front of the book.   
5 of 5 stars
 

THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL by Nadia Hashimi

Two women who were “bocha posh” in their youth are the two heroines of this double story.  Rahima is the modern girl who is turned into a boy in order for her family to survive in a patriarchal society where girls/women are forced into the extreme background of life.  Shekiba (the  great-great-grandmother of Rahima) becomes “bacha posh” because of the deaths of her immediate family and the shunning of her extended family.  Both women live in a very structured Aghan society that does not permit females to participate in society. 

The intertwined tales follow the women throughout their lives as they transition from girl to “boy” and then back to girl. The second transition is the most difficult as they must adjust from relative freedom to a rigidly obedient life under the complete domination of both males and the older women who can make their lives miserable or pleasant.

Traditional Afghan society is made very clear as we learn the intimate details of Rahima and Shekiba’s lives. Both women make choices that determine their fates as well as the fates of those they love or simply grow to know.  The character who connects the two women is Shaima, Rahima’s aunt, who tells the story of Shekiba in order to encourage Rahima to live her life as fully as possible.

Book groups will ponder the fate of the many women who people the book and find much to discuss – husbands, education, the position of women, ethical behavior, the importance of family and, of course, the oddity of “bacha posh” itself.

5 of 5 stars 

APPALACHIAN SERENADE by Sarah Loudin Thomas

APPALACHIAN SERENADE by Sarah Loudin Thomas This novella introduces you to some of the characters in MIRACLE IN A DRY SEASON. Delilah. the main character here is also a character in Miracle. Charlotte, her sister, and Charlotte’s husband Ed and daughter Perla, also appear. The other major character is shop owner Robert . APPALACHIAN SERENADE tells the love story of Delilah and Robert. The tale is pretty straight forward and the end of the love story ambles to its natural conclusion. The real purpose of the novella is to give you the back story of the characters in MIRACLE. It does the job very nicely with a tiny bit of foreshadowing of a main conflict in MIRACLE. A quick read that will entice you to read MIRACLE IN A DRY SEASON. 4 of 5 stars

THE ARSONIST by Sue Miller

THE ARSONIST  by Sue Miller

I enjoyed this very well written book until I got to the end. Then I felt cheated.  Where was the conclusion? What happened?  Who was guilty? Who died? Who loved?

Frankie and Bud were clearly drawn, likeable characters.  Frankie’s life in Africa was detailed enough to make her believable if unknown and unknowable.  Bud was always known and knowable.  Sylvia and Alfie were good foils for Frankie and Bud. 

The fires seemed peripheral to the story, unnecessary even. 

Did I like this book? While I was reading it – unequivocally yes!  Did I like it once I finished the book – not so much.  The last 10 pages seemed like a cop out – I don’t know what to do with these characters and their story, so I’ll just end it.  Very unsatisfying.

1 of 5 stars

MIRACLE IN A DRY SEASON by Sarah Loudin Thomas

This debut novel is a quick read with a Christian wholesomeness.  You will figure out the love story by the second page, but the story is really about people a small town in West Virginia, their prejudices, secrets and the ability to forgive.

Coincidence and misunderstandings abound as the story progresses to its foreordained conclusion.  You won’t be surprised but you will enjoy getting there. The characters are likeable. The villain is driven out of town. The good folks find salvation and redemption. The writing is solid.

If you like Christian, family centered novels, you will love this book. If you find them boring and cliché ridden, you should read something else. 

4 of 5 stars