THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN (Kate Morton)

I thought I owned this novel, but couldn't find it, so I borrowed it from the library.  The other day I noticed it in my 92-year-old mother's bookcase among the books I had brought for her (she reads 5-6 books a week!).

Anyway, be prepared for a truly great and intriguing story.  It is interesting to me that the same techniques (multiple narrators, jumping back and forth in time) that really annoyed me in Morton's The House at Riverton somehow delighted me here.  The story is basically a woman's search for her own identity, continued for her after her death by her granddaughter.

When "Nell" was 3 or 4 years old she was discovered sitting alone on a dock in 1913 Australia with a small white suitcase and no clue who she was or how she came to travel from England all alone except for the memory of "the authoress" who boarded the great ship with her and then disappeared.  The Dockmaster, Hugh, takes her home and he and his wife raise her as their own after failing to discover her identity.  On her 21st birthday her father reveals that she is actually not their daughter, but a foundling of sorts, well-loved but not of their blood.  This throws Nell's world into chaos, prompting her to break her engagement and rethink her whole life and identity.

Morton does a wonderful job creating doubts and revealing the details of Nell's past bit by bit, moving back and forth between 1900, 1913, 1975, and 2005.  The novel begins with Nell's death in 2005, with many questions about her origins still unanswered.  When her granddaughter, Cassandra, learns that she has inherited a mysterious cottage in Cornwall, purchased in 1975 by Nell, she travels to England to investigate this possible clue to Nell's past.

I need to warn you that the transitions from one era to another can be confusing and I found myself several times thinking, "Who is Linus?" and "Who was Hugh again?"  The novel was well-worth a little confusion, though.  It is rich is fairy tales, historical details, mystery, adventure, and characters ranging from diabolical to romantic to delightfully eccentric.  I would recommend it highly.

HURRICANE SISTERS (Dorothea Benton Frank)

Families are complicated.  I think we can all agree on that!  The Hurricane Sisters are actually 3 generations of women:  Maisie Pringle, the controlling matriarch with a much younger man in her life, Liz Waters, the frustrated wife trying to juggle career, marriage, and motherhood, and headstrong daughter Ashley, the ambitious artist who envisions herself as the next Jackie Kennedy.  Liz's husband Clayton is a focused businessman who has difficulty accepting that their son, Ivy, is gay, in a committed relationship, and a success in his own right. He is also involved in an affair with a man-eater, a former rival of Liz's in New York.

Liz is committed to her work for a nonprofit that is dedicated to helping victims of abuse to recover and start new lives, but she fails to see that her own daughter is on the brink of a dangerous and inappropriate relationship with an up-and-coming politician with control issues.  Ashley and her friend Mary Beth, who live in Liz and Clayton's summer property, launch a secret (from her parents) money-making scheme that is not quite legal, but very lucrative.  When things start to unravel and relationships seem on the brink of imploding, what will happen to the Waters family?  If you read Dorothea Benton Frank, you know that you can expect drama, warm hearts, and a satisfying resolution.  This is definitely a great few hours of reading!

THE BEST OF FRIENDS (Joanna Trollope)

Joanna Trollope is different.  What I mean by that is that her novels don't whisk you away to another world like those of many contemporary women's authors do.  She creates "everyday," but with different people.  I can't think of another writer who is able to so expertly capture life and human foibles the way she does, without much hoopla and definitely no car chases!

Gina and Laurrence have always loved each other, but never been "in love."  Gina is married to antiques dealer Fergus and has a daughter, Sophy, and a mother, VI, who lives nearby.  Laurence and Hilary run the Bee House, a historic estate inherited by Laurence, which they have turned into a successful hotel and restaurant where they also live with their 3 sons.  When Fergus decides to leave Gina and Sophy and move to London, Gina initially turns to Laurence and Hilary for comfort, but Sophy is somehow left to work out her own life with the help of Vi, who has finally found her own true love.

I know this doesn't sound to exciting, but, then, Joanna Trollope never does.  She is, however, insightful and sympathetic to the predicaments in which ordinary people tend to find themselves.  I always enjoy her books, but I;m never completely sure why, or at least I can't articulate it!

SAME BEACH, NEXT YEAR (Dorothea Benton Frank)

Same Time Next Year (Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn) is one of my favorite movies.  Well, maybe it's the song that runs through, but I defnitely liked it a lot.  It's the story of a couple who meet for a weekend (she's on retreat and he's on business), have a brief affair, and then continue to meet every year on the same weekend for years and years.  I wonder if that movie inspired this title?

Actually there is some similarity here, but this story involves 2 couples, Adam and Eliza Stanley and Carl and Eve Landers, who meet at one summer during their vacations with their children at a South Carolina condo community.  It turns out that Adam and Eve were serious sweethearts back in the day, which ignites some jealousy in Eliza and Carl (although he appearing to be the type that believes every woman is fair game).  Despite this, the families form a strong friendship and continue to vacation together for twenty years until relationship issues finally come to head, threatening both marriages.

In typical DBF fashion, this novel draws you into the life of the Lowcountry.  You can almost feel the humidity!  This is a just-can't-put-it-down novel, perfect for summer or, really, anytime.  You will enjoy it!

SECRETS IN SUMMER (Nancy Thayer)

Maybe it's just me, but Nancy Thayer seems to be getting a lot more "romancey" than she used to be and I'm not a big fan of novels that focus too much on lust.  That's NOT to say that it wasn't a good book.  Thayer always comes through with her wonderful descriptions of the Nantucket weather and lifestyle.  She makes you feel the sea breezes and smell the salt air.

Darcy Cotterill, the main character, is a divorced librarian living in her Grandmother's old house on Nantucket.  She has friends, a man in her life, and a job she loves.  During the summer the population of Nantucket swells and Darcy meets and develops some unlikely friendships with her summer neighbors, a harried mother and her philandering husband, an elderly woman and her devastating handsome (and single) grandson, and Darcy's own ex-husband, staying with his new wife (the one he left Darcy for) and adopted daughter, Willow, a 14-year-old who turns to Darcy for the guidance her parents are not providing.

This is not my favorite Nancy Thayer novel.  Darcy spends a little bit too much time considering potential romantic partners (who assumes that when one is in an intimate 3-month relationship, but no one has mentioned that it is "exclusive," that it might be OK to consider sleeping with someone else?), but the relationship that develops between Darcy, Willow, her elderly neighbor, and the harried mother of 3 during the summer is one that is worth reading about.  I give this 3 1/2 stars, but I'd go higher if I was more interested in the romance part!

SUMMER AT THE CORNISH CAFE (Phillipa Ashley)

What a great way to spend a weekend, especially if you are counting the days until Poldark shows up again on Public Television!  I admit that I was initially oblivious to the plotline of this novel.  I thought it was billed as being for fans of Poldark because it was set in Cornwall!

Demi (short for Demelza), self-sufficient and resourceful, is estranged from her family and living rough aside from her job at a local cafe.  Cal Penwith has been long away from and out-of-touch with his Cornwall family.  In fact, he left to do humanitarian work in the Middle East after his father's death instead of tending to the family estate, a campground that his father nearly mismanaged into bankruptcy.  Sitting in the cafe, he witnesses the unfair firing of waitress Demi by Mawgan Cade, the ruthless owner of the building that houses the cafe, after an accidental spill.  As Cal makes his way home, he decides to first stop in at his Uncle Rory's home where he discovers a party in progress.  The occasion?  The engagement of his cousin Luke to Isla, the love of Cal's life.  Is this all starting to sound a little familiar?  It certainly will to fans of Poldark.

This is a fun little book.  We all know from the start that Demi and Cal will end up together despite that fact that he still harbors feelings for Isla.  There are several references to Winston Groome, the author of the Poldark series, and it's obvious to anyone who has watched the current version of the series that Cal looks suspiciously like Aidan Turner.  Someone even remarks on it later in the book and his response is that he has never heard of the guy!

You will find this light, interesting, and entertaining.  For fans of Jenny Colgan and Katie Fforde, it will feel like coming home.  I'm planning to read the sequel, Christmas at the Cornish Cafe.  I already have it downloaded to my Kindle!

AGE OF INNOCENCE (Edith Wharton)

We read this for our Vintage Book Club.  It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 and Wharton's was the first female to win achieve this honor.  Set in the 1870's, The Age of Innocence is an attempt by Wharton to reconcile new and old, male and female, rich and poor.

Newland Archer, a young man from a distinguished upper-class family, is madly in love with May Welland, a beautiful young woman who represents Newland's ideal female.  They are betrothed and he believes that she will be the perfect wife, supporting his career and running a household of which he will be proud.  When May's cousin Countess Ellen Olenska returns from Poland in disgrace, having left her abusive husband, Newland becomes obsessed with her, but since she is still married and unsuitable as a wife, he follows through with his marriage to May.  All of Ellen's relatives encourage her to return to her terrible marriage, to not seek a divorce because appearances are so much more important than personal happiness or even safety.  Throughout the novel Newland pines away for Ellen, alternately denying his feelings and deciding to leave May for his true love.  May is not stupid, though, and continually manipulates circumstances to ensure that Newland remains where he belongs, with his family.  When May dies after years of marriage, Newland considers finally reuniting with Ellen in Paris, but discovers that the woman he has been longing for throughout the years may not really be the one for him.

I found this novel to be an interesting commentary on life and social values in the gilded age.  Thank God things have changed since then, especially for women!

THE CHRISTIE CAPER (Carolyn Hart)

Annie and Max Darling are hosting a week-long conference in honor of Agatha Christie's 100th birthday.  Attendees include authors, agents, publishers, Christie fans, and at least one murderer.  Hart weaves together an intriguing group of characters immersed in secrets, vendettas, and hero-worship.  One thing I will say about The Christie Caper is that it is designed primarily for readers who LOVE Agatha Christie.  Anyone who has read Christie extensively will revel in the huge number of clues and references that Hart includes.  My advice is to definitely read this.  It's a great mystery with many twists and turns and a lot of those instances when you think, "Of course!" and 5 pages later you realize, "Oh, no, I guess not!"  And if you're a Christie expert, you'll be in Heaven!

FAT CHANCE (Rhonda Pollero)

Do you love Janet Evanovich's Stepanie Plum?  Then chances are you'll also love Finley Anderson Tanner!  Pollero's series is delightful and you will enjoy this novel from start to finish.  Finley (named for the 2 men that her mother was keeping company with when she was conceived) is a paralegal who can't seem to avoid stumbling over dead bodies.  This time the murder scene is the cottage that Finley's mother has just sold to her, a legacy from her beloved step-father.  Finley and her friends meet at the Palm beach cottage, formerly occupied by her step-father's personal assistant turned foster mother, to celebrate Finley's good fortune.  While there they stumble upon a long-dead body clutching a medallion given by Finley to her step-father many years ago.  Who is it and how did they end up in the closet? Is there a connection to Nancy, the previous tenant?  Will Finley and the irresistibly handsome Liam ever get together?

I loved every page of this fun novel.  The characters are likable, the plot is intriguing, and you'll find yourself fully invested in Finley's life before you're done.  Highly recommended!

CITY OF FRIENDS (Joanna Trollope)

Stacey, Beth, Melissa and Gaby have been friends since university.  All of them focused on finance and through the years they have remained friends as they climbed the ladder of success.  When Stacey Grant, married and childless by choice, asks for flexible time on her demanding job to better care for her mother, who suffers from dementia, she is made redundant from her London equity firm.
This unexpected event throws Stacey into the depths of depression.  Without her work to help take her mind off of her mother's declining health she questions her choices and her friendships.  One friend, Melissa, a single mother, runs her own business and is content to raise her son Tom alone until Tom's father is suddenly back in the picture, complete with a new family for Tom to share in.  Gaby, very successful and happily married with 3 children, is lucky to have a supportive husband but has no room in her organization for Stacey because she has hired the woman in Tom's father's life, keeping that fact a secret from the rest of the group.  Beth is busy remolding her dream home with Claire, the love of her life, until Claire decides that there may be something better out there for her.

Joanna Trollope is an expert at examining the everyday lives of real people.  There are no terrifying car chases, no dramatic murders, no wild sex scenes.  These could be people who live next door.  I think you have to have a particular mindset to enjoy Trollope's work because it's not so much escapism as ultra-reality.  I like it so much that I just picked up another of her novels that I've never read.  If you haven't read Trollope you might want to give her a try!

NOT WORKING (Lisa Owens)

I picked this book up because it looked easy and we were counting down to my daughter's wedding so I didn't want to be bogged down by anything too involved.  In retrospect, though, I think I would have preferred to be MORE involved.  Instead of wondering what happened to the characters AFTER I finished to book, I realize that I'm still wondering what happened DURING the book.  I feel like it wasn't quite finished.

The novel was fairly well-written and the premise was interesting.  Presented in short vignettes from the point of view of Claire, the title character, it is about a young woman who resigns from her job in hopes of finding a new career that inspires passion.  As weeks stretch into months, Claire drives a wedge into her relationship with her critical mother by inadvertently suggesting that her late grandfather (her mother's father) was a pervert.  She tests the patience of her longtime and devoted boyfriend, Luke, a brain surgeon.  She drinks too much.  She makes wry observations about people on the tube and in coffee shops.  In fact, she does quite a few things, but little in the way of finding here true calling.  I like her boyfriend, Luke, who is faithful, loving, patient, and supportive.  Claire?  I'm not so sure. She never quite works her way into my imagination and her family is not especially likable.  I think it was a good idea, but I need a bit more.