ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (Eileen Goudge)

Lindsey and Kerri Anne are ages twelve and three, respectively, when they are taken from their drug-addicted mother, Crystal McAllister, and placed in separate foster homes.  Lindsey is eventually adopted by her foster parents, an older couple who raise her in an atmosphere of love and security, willing her the somewhat dilapitated family home on Blue Moon Bay in northern California.  Kerri Anne was not so fortunate, being bounced from one foster family to another, eventually falling in love with Jeremiah, a musician who introduces her to drugs and desserts her and their daughter, Bella. When the state steps in and removes 5-year-old Bella from Kerri Anne's care it appears that the past is destined to repeat itself, but Kerri Anne decides to clean up her act in an effort to prove that she is a fit mother.  She enters rehab, attends regular AA meetings, and finally, in a desperate attempt to prove that she can provide a stable home environment for her daughter, she finds Lindsey and asks to share her home.  Lindsey has been searching for Kerri Anne for 25 years and is both thrilled and appalled to finally meet her lost sibling after all of these years.  The two sisters appear to be as opposite as any two could be in terms of life circumstances and choices, but as they get to know each other they begin to discover a shaky common ground and to develop a strong bond.

In terms of plot, this novel is somewhat predictable.  Do we expect the sisters to bond or to reject each other?  How do you suppose the story will end?  Despite some predictability, Goudge's novel is delightful.  She has crafted interesting characters who are sometimes outlandish, yet still believable.  You'll love Miss Honi Love, the former exotic dancer with a heart of gold, and dislike Grant, the boring boyfriend who loves Lindsey but takes her for granted.  Ollie is too good to be true, but you still want him to be real, and the sisters themselves, though somewhat stereotypical, have the reader rooting for their relationship.  There are a couple of very interesting sub-plots involving corporate villains and a charming best-selling author that keep the story moving beautifully.  If I were going to rate this book, I'd give it 2 thumbs up!