Books

The Late Mrs. Willoughby (Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney #2)

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By Claudia Gray

The most invigorating and interesting experience of Juliet’s life was to be repeated! She would have to pray for forgiveness, taking such delight in circumstances that had proved tragic to another. “I quite agree, Mr. Darcy,” Juliet said. “Let us investigate.”

I found this one pretty much on par with the first of the series. The detection on the part of Miss Tilney and Mr. Darcy (and an unexpected friend and ally) still dragged, but I enjoyed the slow burn relationship of our two detectives. The writing almost feels like Jane Austen and is top notch. I found the authenticity of the characters to Austen’s original creations rather remarkable with one exception. That would be Willoughby, who is much darker than Austen painted him. I suspected the murderer right from the beginning but allowed myself to be deflected by subsequent happenings. But that’s a murder mystery for you.

**Spoilers for Book #1**

Miss Tilney is invited by her new found friend Marianne Brandon for a visit to Delaford. At the same time, Mr. Darcy is invited to Willoughby’s estate because it turns out they went to school together. They were not friends: Willoughby bullied and mocked Jonathan throughout their schooldays. In Austen, Willoughby is a cad with little character but popular and charming. In this book, he is very mean and nasty which I found inconsistent with Austen’s creation. It’s not really explained why Jonathan or another old school friend, Bamber, are invited. Jonathan reflects that he thinks it was for entertainment because Willoughby got his kicks out of mocking him and making a joke out of him. For someone described as so handsome, charming, rich, and sports-oriented, one would think he would have more sources of entertainment within his reach, and have had lots of real friends rather than two old schoolmates he hadn’t seen in years. When unhappy and unpleasant Mrs. Willoughby is poisoned, the game, as they say, is afoot. Since it appears that Marianne is a top suspect by virtue of the events in the previous book, the daring duo, along with another guest, scientifically oriented Bamber, who asks to join them, investigate informally. Despite the stabilizing influence of her happy marriage and her sister Eleanor, the town of Barton still remembers her unrestrained behavior with Willoughby little over a year before. All eyes of the town, the constables, and others who don’t really know her, turn to Marianne as the culprit. Not to mention the fact that she is already a “known murderess.” (Completely choosing to ignore the circumstances whereby she was responsible for killing Mr. Wickham.) This attitude was an irritant and a frustration. Even when evidence and suspicion start to indicate that Mr. Willoughby, not Mrs. Willoughby, may have been the target, Marianne still cannot escape suspicion.

Some still thought Mrs. Brandon had done it… Others thought Willoughby’s had been the hands that delivered the poison, but that it had been done at Mrs. Brandon’s urging. Another camp held that Mrs. Brandon had known nothing of it, but that she was the reason for Willoughby’s action, which meant she was nonetheless to blame.

The poor girl just cannot win! As the three detectives consult, observe and uncover evidence, a lot of time and effort is spent only to realize or discover they are not really making any progress. They spend a lot of time running around in circles. This slows the book down and it was a little boring. However, my interest did not flag completely because there are side stories involving Colonel Brandon and his ward, the daughter of his former love Eliza, Eleanor and Edward Ferrars, and especially the continuing up and down development of Colonel Brandon’s and Marianne’s romance. Even Edward Ferrars’ estranged mother, Fanny, and Lucy Ferrars (nee Steele) make an appearance. Also Jonathan and Juliet are both very lovable.Neurodivergent Jonathan especially is a very sympathetic and well rounded character you can’t help but root for. The book ends with Juliet and Jonathan still good friends, but each clueless that the other’s feelings are developing into love. Actually, Jonathan is still confused about his feelings because he’s Jonathan. They part with little hope of meeting again despite their warm friendship.

“The courses of Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney might well have parted there forever, had it not been for the extraordinary circumstance that would, in the fullness of time, reunite them.”

Book 3 is on the docket!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Three Men in a Boat

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By Jerome K. Jerome

3 silly men, J., Harris, and George, decide to take a little vacation in a boat floating down the Thames. Oh and there is a dog named Montmorency. I’ve known about this book since I was a teenager, and I’ve always been curious about reading it since it is supposed to be one of the funniest books of all time. Well, that finally happened. I listened to it on Audible, and though it was mildly amusing in parts, sometimes very amusing, I didn’t think it was very funny. By that, I mean I didn’t laugh, and I only chuckled a couple of times. It reminded me a lot of the one book I read by P. G. Wodehouse (so far). I got the humor, and appreciated and even admired it and was amused. But…I guess I like more of a plot and more character development.

The book is narrated by the author “J.” (Jerome K. Jerome) describing the decision to go on the trip, prepare for the trip, and their adventures on the water. In between real time activities, “J.” recalls various anecdotes that come to mind, such as Harris’s getting lost in the Hampton Court Maze, and an Uncle trying to hang a picture on a wall which results in catastrophe, and a stinky cheese. During the trip, the guys deal with opening a can of pineapple without a tin opener (resulting in the near death of one of them), making a pot of Irish stew, a fight with swans, incompetent rowing and losing track of each other, getting lost, and trying to find shelter. In the end, they go home early.

One of the funnier bits was J.’s description of how he loves work.

It is not that I object to the work, mind you; I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart.
You cannot give me too much work; to accumulate work has almost become a passion with me: my study is so full of it now, that there is hardly an inch of room for any more.
And I am careful of my work, too. Why, some of the work that I have by me now has been in my possession for years and years, and there isn’t a finger-mark on it. I take a great pride in my work; I take it down now and then and dust it. No man keeps his work in a better state of preservation than I do.

All of the humor is like that: one thing leading to another with absurdities piling up and up until you think it can’t get any more crazy, until it does.
Actually, looking back on it, this book is funnier than it was while I was reading it. The narration by Martin Jarvis was great, but because of the book’s episodic nature, my attention kept going in and out while I was listening to it. I guess I need cohesiveness to keep me fully engaged.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Business as Usual

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by Jane Oliver

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This was a very cute epistolary novel set in a large London department store of the 1930s. It strongly reminded me of another novel, Dear Enemy, by Jean Webster. Not only are both books written in letters, mostly by our heroines, but they share the same humorous breezy tone, satirical takes, and many elements of their plots. Both of our young heroines write to loved ones describing their adventures in new and unfamiliar environments. They both illustrate their letters with their own humorous drawings. Both girls are wealthy debutantes leading frivolous lives, who find themselves employed in jobs in which they are, at first, way over their heads. But both manage not only to survive, but prevail, and greatly change their new environments for the better. That is a lot of similarities, but there are even more. They are both engaged to eligible “suitable” men who don’t understand them, but find true love with men who are heavily involved with and supportive of their new endeavors. In Business as Usual , most of Hilary’s letters are written to her fiancé who is a doctor. In Dear Enemy, Sallie’s are written to her best friend Judy Abbott, of Daddy Long Legs fame, and the local doctor, the “Enemy”, with whom she continually butts heads and whom she completely misunderstands at first.

Webster’s novel, written in 1915, 18 years prior to Business as Usual, is one of my most fondly regarded books. In fact, I fear I am in danger of letting Dear Enemy completely take over this review which is supposed to be about the other book! In spite of their similarities, it really is not fair to compare the two. In Dear Enemy, Sallie is tasked, by Judy, of reforming and overhauling the repressive antiquated orphanage in which she grew up and of which she is now the titular head. Hilary’s adventures take place in a London Department store and has more of a comedy of errors feel to it. Young lives and futures are at stake at the John Grier Home, so in Dear Enemy there is much more scope for humor, drama, and pathos. The orphans are mostly funny, but there is potential tragedy looming as well. Important social issues of the day are tackled albeit in a light and humorous way. Social conditions are explored to a lesser extent in Business as Usual including one game-changing incident involving an unplanned pregnancy. Sallie is much more of a force of nature than Hilary, although both are extremely admirable and likable. The romance is much more developed and emotional than in Business as Usual, in which we barely get to know the man whom Hilary begins to realize is more her soulmate than her fiancé.

Business as Usual is set in early 1930s London and I quickly became charmed and immersed in that other world. Hilary has just become engaged but since they can’t get married for another year she decides to spend that year in London, working at a real job and seeing if she can support herself and be independent away from her somewhat shallow life. She ends up in Everyman’s, a huge department store, and starts out as a lowly clerk. Precisely because she is so intelligent and over-qualified (Oxford educated!), she is not very good at it. Her unconventional thinking and sense of humor make her a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. But due to a chance encounter, she comes to the attention of Mr. Grant, the powerful and revered “head of publicity,” or “minor prophet” as Hilary calls him. He immediately recognizes her great qualities, and she is soon rising through the ranks in the book department, much to the consternation of some of her co-workers and her stick-in-the-mud fiancé. Her adventures are chronicled in letters to her parents and to bad boyfriend Basil, as well as internal store memos and such. She has her work cut out for her trying to survive in London on her meager salary. It is a light fun book, and I loved the authenticity of the setting. My copy had helpful footnotes explaining terms and words used, the meanings and significance of which have been long forgotten.

The book also strongly reminded me of another book I read and loved a long time ago, Here Come the Brides, by Bernard Glemser. That one was set in the bridal department of a huge New York Department store where our heroine has to deal with difficult customers and fellow employees, just like Hilary in the book department of Everyman’s. I really liked Business as Usual and I recommend it to those in the mood for a frothy humorous novel with a very likable heroine who finds real love in the London of a very different time and a very interesting setting. But I loved it more for the sake of the two books I read and loved long before. **3 1/2 stars**

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.



Five Windows

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By D.E. Stevenson

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When you’re very young you take people as you find them. It’s only when you’ve had experience that you begin to measure and weigh.

After reluctantly quitting Crooked Adam after about 3 hours of listening to it, I turned to this book. I immediately settled into the feelings of joy and peace and comfort that I look for in D.E. Stevenson and that Crooked Adam was not giving me. It felt like I was coming home again. I chose this one of all the ones that I have waiting for me on Audible because it is often cited as a favorite despite the unusual, for DES, choice as a male main character, and in first person, to boot. The narration by David Monteath was perfection.

David tells his story starting from when he was a little boy living with his wonderful parents at the vicarage. He starts out each phase of his life with the views he sees through one of the windows he looks out from at each residence he moves to as he grows up. After the rural manse in Haines, he moves in with his Uncle William in Edinburgh to complete his schooling. He starts his working life as a lowly clerk in a law office where he lives in a dingy and depressing boarding house filled with foolish and unhappy people. He escapes from there to a much more copacetic environment in a room above a book shop that he is able to afford due to his growing success as a writer. The fifth window we will remain silent on, but his life through the last window we are introduced to follows a bell shaped curve, with his childhood in Haines and his home at the end being the epitome of happiness, and the time in the boarding house being rock bottom.

Along the way, we become acquainted with the many people who enter David’s life and have an influence on him. David is gentle, kind, and trusting of others, and, at first, more than a little naive, due to his upbringing in Haines. The fellow boarders in the seedy London boarding house provide him with quite the education in the ways of the world as in one way or another they take advantage of his good nature. At one point, I thought he was going to get into an Of Human Bondage situation with one of the residents. But David is no dummy, and he shows himself very capable of putting his foot down, which made very satisfying reading on more than one occasion. Everyone we meet has something to teach him for good or ill. Some situations David encounters are rather dire, but his gentle sense of humor and inner strength of character always see him through. Many of the people we meet are happy allies. Particularly worth mentioning are Barbie and Nell who have their own story in The Tall Stranger. It is through them that he becomes reacquainted with a childhood friend who becomes his romantic interest. She is enmeshed in a trap that she is too softhearted and easily manipulated to escape from, but for the the help of David, Barbie, Nell, and his shining star of a mother, a sad future is avoided.

Well into the book, David becomes quite a success as an author of both fiction and non-fiction. In coming to the end of Five Windows, I felt like I had just finished one of his books. No wonder he was such a successful author.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Me I Used to Be

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By Kristan Higgins

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“Audrey,” Jasmine says, now that things have settled down a little, “you still have to tell us about your life. You moved back here, obviously, but what else?” Ah, yes. Here comes the moment. “Right,” I say. “Well. I married Clay, who never got over his first wife. I’ve got a stepdaughter who’s hated me every minute of every day since we met. And . . . grand finale . . . I have early-onset dementia and plan on killing myself before it gets too bad.” The three of them freeze, their eyes wide. “Sorry,” I say. “Was that a buzzkill?”

Hoo Boy! This was a tear jerker. But thanks to the last 2 chapters and an epilogue, it ended on ahappy and hopeful if occasionally poignant note, I have learned to trust my favorite authors, which includes KH. They may make you cry buckets or make you want to spit fire at the behavior of their villains (or heroes!) but they never abandon you holding all of those negative emotions at the end.

The book is about 4 women and how their lives diverged for the worse following a horrible car crash on the day after they graduated from highschool. Or was it for the worse? It was certainly not the futures they fondly dreamed of and had every chance of realizing. Each was damaged and their futures encumbered by the effect of the accident: Two from shame and guilt, one physically, and one from the loss of a beloved mainstay and home.

We start out with Audrey welcoming her 3 best friends from high school to her home. She has invited them to stay upon the occasion of their 25th high school reunion. They were once the “core four” but we learn very quickly that they have been estranged ever since the day after they graduated. They blame themselves and each other, one way or another, for a horrific auto accident they caused which changed the trajectory of all their lives. It also killed one of the town’s most beloved citizens, Doctor Kate, who also happened to be Audrey’s mother, and friend and maternal figure to the 3 other girls as well. The inciting incident for Audrey to gather the core four together, hopefully for a reconciliation, is her diagnosis of early onset dementia. Before she loses her faculties completely and turns into a “potato person”, she wants to mend the breach and restore the deep and life-defining bonds they once shared. The book takes us through what each of the women are dealing with in their present lives and explores their past to show how they got to where they are. None of them are in a good place.

After the accident, Audrey leaves her Vermont home to attend the Savannah School of Art and Design as had been long planned. But without her home and her mother she feels isolated and alone. Her happy perfect family and home, which was the basis of her whole identity, is no more. She is lost. Her father remarries and her beloved brother is wrapped up in medical school and the obligations that followed on the way to a successful medical career. So after graduation, she stays in Georgia and 10 years later meets Clay, a widower with a 5 year old child. Clay is kind and a good guy, but kind of “vacant” as her brother Stephen says at one point. The marriage becomes vaguely unsatisfactory. She fiercely loves her difficult stepdaughter, but Mathilda (or Kylo, as “they” like to be called) hates and resents her, egged on by her late mother’s parents. When Audrey inherits her childhood home, Bitter Creek Farm, she finally returns home to Vermont with her husband and stepdaughter, in tow.

Jasmine was the first of the three to be befriended by Audrey in elementary school. She was from the wrong side of the tracks with a drunk for a mother, but was academically brilliant. Upon graduation she was accepted at Princeton with nothing but success on her horizon. But it never quite happened. The whole town blamed Jasmine for the crash as she blamed herself, because she was driving the car that killed Doctor Kate. What did one expect from poor white trash, after all? She ended up working on Wall Street, but was not a super star. One day, she meets Oscar, who was a super star. They marry, have 3 daughters, and as the story opens, Jasmine is a stay at home mother and a lady who lunches. She has left the rat race on Wall Street only to get sucked into keeping up with the social climbing wealthy wives of Greenwich, CT. Her once happy family is now disintegrating, her husband is cheating on her, his business is in trouble (the kiss of death in her world), and her 3 girls are out of control.

In highschool, Micah was the beautiful one. Some, not as PC and kind as I am, might also have called her a slut and a drunk. But now in her early 40s, she owns and runs the town’s favorite bakery, is happily married to a wonderful guy who is still crazy about her, and the proud mother of 24-year-old Logan. But, other than still being a little too fond of the vino, Micah has a long held secret that is about to be exposed and probably ruin her marriage. Micah was supposed to be the designated driver the night of the crash, but, in despair after learning she was pregnant, got drunk anyway.

Beck was the last to become part of the “core four.” She came from a military family, and, used to moving from one place to another, developed an outgoing and fearless personality. She was also very tall and a star basketball player, winning a full ride to UCONN. A stellar college career was practically guaranteed, probably followed by a career in the WNBA. But her leg was crushed in the accident and that was the end of that. She was the one who was supposed to keep an eye on their designated driver and keep her from drinking. She didn’t. This left inexperienced and nervous driver Jasmine to drive the group home. (It is strongly hinted that Audrey was under the influence of a date-rape drug.) Beck is now a very successful and respected Casting Agent, with Oscar winners among her many clients. But her powerful position in the entertainment field is on shaky ground when she joins the group for their reunion. She has been accused of sexual harassment (totally false), the tabloids are having a field day, and her calls to clients and colleagues are not being returned.

As each of the women navigate these turning points in their present lives, we trace their pasts leading up to the reunion weekend. As they repair their friendship, there are many revelations, and some surprising twists. And in the middle of it all, we have Audrey. We live with her thoughts and journey, even as she fades in and out of losing her faculties. Just as she did with Lauren’s idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Pack Up the Moon, Kristan Higgins makes you feel like you are front and center with everything the victim is feeling and experiencing. As much as I love her lighter happier romances, Kristan is brilliant when it comes to her more serious novels.

When I saw that Kristan Higgins had changed publishers and this new book was being offered at a heavily discounted price, I admit I was worried. I still do not understand what is going on there, but I need not have worried about the quality of her work falling off. Not that I really was. This is her most powerful book yet. Not as funny or romantic of course, but though not front and center with those aspects, she can still bring the laughter as well as the tears. And yes, there is a romance.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham (Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney #1)

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By Claudia Gray

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**3 1/2 stars**

“I have learned one thing already,” Emma said, “and will forever heed it.” “To what do you refer?” “That house parties are more trouble than they are worth, and we shall never, ever have another one.” Knightley smiled. “On that subject, we are in complete agreement.”

Despite flagging somewhat in the middle, I ended up quite liking this one. The Darcys, along with their 17 or 18- year-old son, Jonathan, the Brandons, the Wentworths, and the Bertrams have all congregated at the Knightley’s home for a House Party. Also joining them is Juliet Tilney, daughter of Catherine and Henry Tilney. She is a happy mix of her parents best qualities, thankfully inheriting her father’s intelligence. Emma had gotten to know Juliet’s mother (our novel-loving heroine is now a novelist herself) and had a notion that she would do what she could to expand Catherine’s sheltered daughter’s limited horizons, much as what was done for Catherine so many years ago (not to mention Harriet Smith.) The connections between Austen’s characters that see them all invitees to the same party are complicated. Unfortunately, all is not well with any of the couples except possibly the Knightleys themselves (although they will have their own troubles before the book is over). Although the love is still there for all of them, everything is far from idyllic. With all of these couples, it is the husbands that have the most to learn in order to get their lives and marriages in order.

Elizabeth and Darcy, now married 21 years, are a little estranged due to the death of Lydia’s 5-year-old daughter, Susannah, 8 months ago. They took her in and raised her practically as their own upon the death of her mother. Elizabeth is still heartbroken, but Darcy seems strangely unaffected by her death, which hurts and confuses Elizabeth. They also part ways on how to deal with the peculiar ways of their son Jonathan. Today, he would be diagnosed as high functioning autistic. He is socially inept, does not understand the subtle rules of societal behavior, is very uncomfortable with crowds, and all of the other usual symptoms, positive and negative. He was bullied in school and works very hard not to be an embarrassment to his parents, particularly his father.
Upon first meeting him, Juliet Tilney is struck by his unusual demeanor and lack of social graces.

Did Jonathan’s parents keep him locked in the attic of the famous Pemberley? That sounded like something out of a Gothic novel, but how else could he be so unfamiliar with the basic niceties of small talk? Or he could be a simpleton, in need of Christian kindliness and forbearance. His deportment seemed to indicate otherwise, but Juliet decided not to make any assumptions. Perhaps it would be best to speak slowly and patiently. “I hope you enjoy your breakfast,” she said, enunciating clearly.

She soon realizes her misapprehensions as to his intelligence and character.

The Brandons are still newlyweds, and predictably are still trying to navigate married life, their contrasting personalities, and age difference. Marianne actually loves her husband greatly but Brandon does not understand her feelings towards him, assuming she looks upon him as a secure haven she quite likes and respects, but somewhat of a consolation prize after the loss of her true love.

The Wentworths have suffered a serious financial reversal thanks to the pride and foolishness of Captain Frederick Wentworth. In seeking to ensure their daughter’s future prospects and stay on par with Anne’s noble family, he fell victim to a swindle. In his shame, Frederick has turned into an angry and bitter man, despite his supportive wife, who always cared little for luxury, status, and finery. Afterall, her happiest days were spent at sea with her once even-tempered and in command husband.

The Bertrams have been married for 4 years. There is nothing wrong with their marriage per se except that Edmund, although still a good man at heart, has become a know-it-all pompous prig and Fanny is timid, watery, and idolizes him. I am thinking that her deference to him in all things probably contributed to what his character has become. She is very pious and shy. “She was always declaring herself wicked for such vile offenses as failing to get the tea ready on time or riding her horse in hot weather. Often it made Edmund smile.” Although Edmund is very appreciative and protective of her, Fanny senses that his love for her is not on par with hers for him which adds to her diffidence and reserve. I think it is fair to say that they have not been good for each other. And now Fanny harbors a terrible and disturbing secret that she fears to tell Edmund about. I actually found Fanny and Edmund’s journey to enlightenment, wisdom, and a healthier happier marriage the most compelling of the four couples.

As they are somewhat awkwardly getting to know each other on the first evening of the house party, a most unwelcome visitor forces his way into their midst. It is no surprise when he is murdered (see title of the book) and every one of the 8 guests have strong motives. This was well-contrived on the part of the author. It is safe to say that whoever murdered Mr. Wickham did the whole company a service. Being intelligent and liberal minded, Juliet and Jonathan are drawn together by their desire for justice when they see that the magistrate in charge of the investigation (Frank Churchill) is determined to blame the crime on an innocent wandering gypsy or one of the staff. They proceed to investigate while concealing their unconventional and, in the light of the times, improper, partnership.

While the author is establishing the couples’ troubles, their motives for murder, and the early days of the investigation, the book got a little slow and lackluster. However, both Jonathan and Juliet are likable intelligent protagonists. I enjoyed the appearances of some familiar Highbury personages: Miss Bates, The Eltons, and Frank Churchill and his daughter. Jane sadly died in childbirth. The callbacks to the original books were amusing and well done.

Darcy sat at the small desk near their bed, writing a letter. Elizabeth might have teased him about contriving to keep such even lines, were she not equally occupied with letters of her own.

Maybe I am too easily pleased, but I thought the author stayed true to what Austen’s characters might have become and the circumstances of their lives and histories. I was afraid the author would be too afraid to have the killer be a beloved main character, but she didn’t chicken out. I picked this book up because I needed something “low stakes” after finishing two emotionally demanding novels. But by the end, the likability of the two detectives and their developing relationship, as well as the mystery itself, had me hooked. I do believe I will continue with this series.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Big Little Truths

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By Liane Moriarty

Now she was crying all the tears she hadn’t yet let herself shed, and there were a lot of them, and Bonnie was trying to hug her, and Jane was trying to do the same, and everyone in the car except Celeste was weeping with voluptuous abandon, and Celeste was pulling tissues from the packet and tossing them about like confetti. “Find something to cry about, Celeste,” said Jane as she noisily blew her nose. Celeste pretended to dab under her eyes with a tissue. “I never got to speak to the nice man in the blue T-shirt at the library!” “Oh, and he was so cute!” said Renata. “Now he’s gone forever,” Celeste fake-cried. Then she stopped and said, “You know what? I’m actually genuinely sad about that.” Their tears tipped right over into teen-girl hysterical laughter.

4 ½ stars
I can’t quite give it 5 stars, but mostly because that’s what I gave Big Little Lies. It was a worthy sequel. Set 10 years after the events of the first book, it was good to become re-acquainted with the three good friends, plus Bonnie, plus Renata, plus Celeste’s mother in law, Mary Louise. Mary Louise was not in the first book at all, but Liane writes in her introduction that she had such an intriguing role in the mini-series (thanks to Meryl Streep’s portrayal,) that she pushed her way into this book. She does have a great character arc. Renata’s role (played in the series by Laura Dern) was thus expanded as well. But this sequel to BLL has nothing else to do with the TV series. Although there are marriages and even lives on the line in this one, the stakes didn’t seem as high as in the first book. The happiness and security of vulnerable innocent children were not in peril in this one. Jane is not a struggling young single mother and fragile outsider. She is happily married (to Tom of the first book), although there is one big problem to resolve, and Ziggy, her bullied child, has grown to be a great kid. In fact, all of the kids are pretty great (Renata’s Amabella, Madeline’s Chloe, Celeste’s twin boys, and Bonnie’s Skye.) There was one there that I was really worried about for quite awhile, but I think he will be OK. Although there are repercussions for the parents and their children stemming from the killing of Celeste’s abusive husband 10 years ago, the group is now dealing with another unrelated shocking event.

The format is Liane’s signature one where the book begins with something deeply upsetting and mysterious occurring. We look back on that event through the perspective of the teens, who clearly know more than they are telling through their school counseling session with “Brenda.” Meanwhile, we also alternate between their parents and other main adult characters and the happenings in their lives leading up to what the kids call “D-day.” At last, all roads lead to the big explosion culminating in shock, awe, and huge reveals. In this one, even more than in her others, we have a fully fleshed out aftermath following the climax that was incredibly satisfying and hopeful. At every stage, we have twists, turns, and reveals that both dismay and gratify. Adding to the picture is that along with the parents, we have the stories of their teenagers with agency and personalities of their own. There were a lot of tales to tell: both funny and worrisome alike.

My love for Big Little Lies stemmed largely from the suspense. There is a violent death that begins the story. As we meet the players and get to know them, we fear for the characters we have grown to love and be invested in. Not only that they may be guilty of murder but also that one of them may be the dead victim, the identity of whom is part of the mystery. In this, the sequel, I always felt like the big reveal was going to be shocking in a juicy way, not a devastating one. So again, the stakes were not as high as they were when the vulnerable and powerless are involved. I was not tempted to skip ahead to save my sanity but enjoyed the ride as we made our way to the climax. Now that I think about it, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Although this book ended with hope and enough closure to satisfy me, there were some loose ends that I could definitely see might be tied up in a third book. But one centered on the teens navigating their lives as adults. We saw the beginnings of what their characters might prove to be. I would like to see more of them.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Happy All the Time

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by Laurie Colwin

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Misty realize that she had spent a good deal of her life ready to ward off some terrible low blow. She did not believe that most people were decent or kind. She had never believed that life went along smoothly. She did not believe that life left you alone to be happy in this world. Vincent believed all these things. He thought that his happy vistas and Misty’s grim vision fused into one full-balanced picture of the world

That was what a moral system was: it helped you be good when you weren’t very nice. From Vincent, Misty learned that goodness and stupidity were not necessarily linked. You could be good and smart.

I read this book many many years ago in my twenties. I have no idea why I picked it up. Probably the title. At the time it was out of my comfort zone, but I remember I enjoyed it very much. I’ve recently seen this title by Laurie Colwin mentioned and raved about by some of my favorite reviewers, so I decided to re-read it. I really didn’t remember a thing about it. It was a sheer delight.

Set in 1970’s Manhattan, and positively reeking with the vibe and atmosphere of privilege, we follow two life-long friends, themselves fairly normal guys though very different, and their love for, courtship, and marriage to two very unusual women. Unusual for them, and just unusual period. I wish I could encapsulate them in words, but words fail. They are quirky to the point of being peculiar. But maybe they weren’t so unusual for the times and their milieu. I don’t know. They were certainly outside my experience. Endlessly unpredictable, loveable, and entertaining, I felt like I was, with them, on the edge of my seat constantly. They are not hilarious women, quite the contrary, but I was constantly chuckling and shaking my head at them in wonderment.

We meet Guido’s Holly first. Guido is smitten at first sight, but Holly is unimpressed.

“Are you still working on your thesis? I’m almost finished,’ said Guido.
I can never remember what it’s on,” said Paula. “Medieval property law and its relationship to courtly love,” said Guido. Holly Sturgis snickered.

Yet, despite her lack of warmth and cool self-possessed detachment, Holly loves him and they get married. She is very accomplished.

Holly had no ambitions to speak of, except to live nicely from day to day. It amazed Guido that she knew so much and did so little with it

… [insert a very long list of a smattering of Holly’s talents and skills]

Guido had once recited this list to Vincent, including the fact that Holly spoke French and Italian. “Does she fly on commercial airlines?” Vincent had asked. “Of course she does. Why?” “Anything short of a transport carrier would crash under the weight of those accomplishments,” Vincent had said.

She is a domestic goddess and creates a beautiful home and life for Guido, despite his constant state of bewilderment over what is going on in her head. The reader is also very intrigued about and interested in Holly. She keeps Guido and us on our toes. But with Guido, it is more that just curiosity. “…when Holly came back from so little as a trip around the corner to buy a bunch of parsley, Guido felt his life had been saved.”

We are still trying to get a handle on Holly when Vincent meets Misty. Another largely closed book.

One morning, Vincent had discovered a girl named Misty Berkowitz. He found her sitting in her office, slumped over her old-fashioned calculator stirring her coffee with a fountain pen. She had amber-colored hair that fell into her eyes and small gold spectacles that slipped down her nose. She looked bored and misanthropic. The sight of her caused Vincent’s heart to leap in an unexpected manner

“I see,” said Vincent. “Why can’t I simply take you out for lunch?”…
I don’t permit myself to be taken out for lunch.” “Is that some sort of militant stand?” “No,” said Misty. “I’m just not that sort of girl. I don’t go in for all that adorable socializing. I think it’s stupid and disgusting.” “I see,” said Vincent. “You’re not very nice, are you?” “No,” said Misty.

“Well, now, said Vincent “is Misty your real name, or is it short for something?”…:It’s real said Misty. “How did you get a name like that?” “Because my mother is a jerk,” she snarled.”

And like Holly with Guido, Misty improbably falls in love with Vincent who is her opposite in everyway. Like Guido, Vincent is equally at sea with Misty. But despite her difficult ways, as Misty reflects one day, “How happy Vincent would have been to know how often she thought of him, how secretly she doted on him.”

We follow the two couples’ married lives. There is drama in the workplace, we meet the families, Holly gets pregnant, Holly disappears for awhile. Twice. Once to a nunnery. Holly has a baby. We meet some of their off-beat friends and acquaintances,

“Is Sybel a runaway slave?” said Vincent. “Or is there something wrong with her feet? She seemed to have some sort of shackles on her ankles.” “Those are her leg weights,” said Misty. “She says they keep her calf muscles clear and full of physical intelligence.” “She ought to try wrapping one around her head,” said Vincent.

Towards the end, we meet a cousin of Holly’s whom Misty realizes should have been Vincent’s perfect match, at least on paper.

Gem stood for a part of Vincent that was not second nature to Misty—the part that was sporty and larky and on cheerful terms with the world, the part that had grown up sailing and fishing. Suppose Vincent got tired of someone who was not second nature to him?

It turns out this is one of those “slice of life” novels that I seem to gravitate to on a regular basis except for the setting, which is not early or mid-century England. Also, it’s funnier. I was reminded of another recently-discovered-by-me author, Amy Poeppel. So A Comedy of Manners, if it must be categorized.
I see that this review is full of quotes. If you were the least entertained, interested, or amused by these samples of Laurie Colwin’s writing. I highly recommend this book. Because there are literally gems and nuggets like this on every single page.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The Keeper’s House

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By Jane Fraser

I went ahead and purchased this hard-to-find early Rosamunde Pilcher title when it came my way at a good price. It was part of Harlequin’s Golden Library collection. It was her second to the last book she wrote under “Jane Fraser”, the name she used to publish her Mills and Boon romances. It would be 4 years before she published The Sleeping Tiger, the first book I read by one of my favorite authors and still a favorite of her “little” books. When I first started reading, I had high hopes that this would turn out to be one of the best of the Jane Frasers I have read. I liked our “not pretty” heroine pretty well, and I liked the hero too, thanks to his being introduced with a good bit of his backstory, before the heart of the novel started. The book turned out to be a pretty good one, but a bit below my favorites. I did feel that it was very close in quality to many of her Pilcher titles. In a few cases, better, as far as the character of the heroine. Some of her young ladies can be very weak, lazy, and not too bright.

The book opens with 20-year-old Amabel on the last day of a ski vacation in Europe. She meets Jeremy, a Major, and a former underling of her retired military father there by chance, whom we know from his description is not destined to be her love interest though he is a perfectly nice guy. He has a bristly blonde mustache and a receding chin. As usual, Pilcher’s leisurely pace is full of background and detail which established an atmosphere that drew me right in. As with her more acclaimed novels, the smallest detail conveys atmosphere, nuance of character and paints a whole picture. She makes everything interesting no matter how seemingly inconsequential.

Unfortunately, upon Amabel’s return home to England she is met with the devastating news of her 49 year-old single father’s death. She, her two young siblings, Emma and Adrian, and their Nanny are forced to move from their large farm to a much smaller cottage on the property, the Keeper’s House. Their former estate has been rented for two years to Bill Hopper, a very rich Canadian rancher. We met 26-year-old Bill in New York City in the process of his being dumped by his beautiful model fiance. Because of this abrupt change in his plans he has decided to turn a quick purchase of a prize bull into an extended stay in Scotland. He hears about Kilgenny being available and rents it for two years, planning to spend his time raising cattle for his father’s huge cattle concern.

Although Amabel takes a dislike to Bill thanks to her resentment of his occupation of her beloved home and his amusement of catching her in an embarrassing situation (under the piano with flour on her face) at their first meeting, she pretty much behaves herself. She is not rude or petulant, and though they have a few unpleasant run-ins after their initial meeting, she even apologizes for her fractious behavior. Bill is a very likable guy, making friends with whomever he meets, besides being very large, tall, and very good looking. He takes fatherless young Emma and Adrian under his wing and they make themselves right at home at Kilgenny, spending most of their time there “helping” him with the farm. It isn’t long before Bill and Amabel also make friends and are well on their way to falling in love with each other. Things eventually come to a head when Jeremy makes a re-appearance and Bill goes rushing off to London after an unexpected phone call from his ex-fiancé.

I liked this one quite well. The plot did kind of flag in the middle once Bill and Amabel became friends and started to fall for each other. Everything was proceeding a little too predictably with seemingly no trouble on the horizon to shake things up a bit. When things did start to perk up, Amabel behaved like a really stupid idiot, actually putting her and her family’s whole future happiness on the line by a knee jerk reaction. Luckily she ran into a brick wall (rather amusingly). Also, a highly anticipated confrontation on another front happened off stage which is one of my pet peeves. One aspect which was distracting and bothersome was Bill’s constant smoking. It seemed like he was buying a carton of “Players” at every opportunity. I know, it was usual for the times, but I don’t have to like it. It’s one of those old-fashioned aspects of vintage novels that is not a bit charming. As far as the happy ending, thank goodness for Nanny, who pokes her nose in and saves the day. Those crazy kids.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Dolly All the Time

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by Annabel Monaghan

“Well, hello, Dolly,” says Grant, at the head of a table for eight. If I had a nickel.

And what do you do, Dolly?” asks a woman whose name I’ve already forgotten. “I teach kindergarten in Boston.” “Ah,” she says, resting her hand on the golf ball–sized emerald around her neck. “You two are like Charles and Diana!” It’s a grim comparison to say the least. “Well, sort of. Except he cheated and she’s dead,” I say, and look up at Stewart, who winces a bit. I could have just said nothing. Nothing was the thing to say. I feel a little blush creep up my neck.

There were times when I was reading this that I just loved it. I liked the brand of humor and I was actually a little excited about the similarities with at least one of my favorite and most dependable authors. I really liked Dolly and continued to like her throughout the book. I loved the set up of a romance between two socially and financially unequal partners. It is called the “punching up” trope and is one of my favorites. So many humorous and dramatic possibilities as well as opportunities to develop or reveal character. Some of my favorite authors incorporate this dynamic: Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, and old timey gothics as well as some great rom-com movies including Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, Sabrina, and Crazy Rich Asians,-book and movie. and lets not forget dramas like Downton Abbey, North and South (Elizabeth Gaskell) and Titanic.

Overall, this one did it well. Dolly is a single mother whose father owns the local fish store in the New England tourist town of Whitfield, Rhode Island. She works as a Kindergarten teacher in Boston, but as the novel begins she has been called home to help her father and her mentally disabled brother when the roof of their beloved family home has to be repaired due to a fire. They do not have the money. Yet. While delivering fish to the local “nobility” she comes across the handsome scion of the family stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. Stewart Whitfield of Whitfield is having a very bad day. His beautiful socialite fiancé has just publicly dumped him and has made him look like a victim in the eyes of his family and society. The timing is particularly bad as he is up for a hotly contested promotion in his family’s real estate firm. When a picture is snapped of Dolly changing his tire for him and goes viral, it is a hit to his image that he can’t afford. Can Dolly can play along and pretend to be his public girlfriend so as to avoid having him look like a helpless rich-guy dumpee? With two side hustles, helping at the family fish store and taking care of her family, Dolly doesn’t have time for such foolishness. But when he offers to pay her, she tells him she will do it for $60,000, enough to fix the roof plus a little extra. Also a clothing allowance for the hoity-toity functions that she will be required to attend.

As the romance progresses, we are treated to a bit of a makeover courtesy of Stewart’s nice sister, a supportive if a little giddy ride-or-die friend, interactions with Stewart’s powerful family where we meet both good people and bad, Dolly’s lonely son, Gus, whom Stewart takes under his wing, and Stewart’s conflicts and challenges with the direction the family business is taking. And that is just a random sampling that just scratches the surface. Lots happens in this book. Being with Dolly helps him enormously and starts to change his priorities from giving everything to his career to carving out time for a personal life and relationships. His mental health has suffered because of the enormous pressure he has put on himself.

And it is somewhat the same with Dolly. Ever since her mother deserted them when she was only 11, Dolly took on the caretaker role in her family, which has led to an estrangement with her younger sister Paula. Reading between the lines of Dolly’s narration, we see that despite her strengths she takes on too much for the sake of her loved ones. This has not been good for her or them.

I really could not have asked for a more likable heroine than Dolly. In addition to her voice and her wry observations, I loved the way she was unapologetic about her rather pedestrian background. She was not defensive or even proud of it either. When snooty people at the various social situations would ask her, she was just very matter-of-fact and up front about things in her life that some might, shall we say, not be able to relate to. And sometimes, she finds some kindred spirits when she didn’t expect to.

*Spoilers*

The romance proceeds smoothly. So smoothly that it started to get a little boring. Of course there is no doubt about Dolly’s feelings. She repetitively spells out her physical and emotional attraction to him for the reader. Not a fan of this tendency in romantic comedies. Stewart’s devotion to Dolly is not in question either, by his words and actions. Which makes it such a shock when does a 180 with a very hurtful and confusing ghosting, betraying everything she and the reader had come to believe about him. Similar to the MMC in the author’s Nora Goes Off Script he behaves abominably. But it didn’t bother me as much because it didn’t stem from an idiotic and inexcusable misunderstanding, but from internal psychological issues he had been struggling with. The drama ends up being a good thing for him. As for Dolly, the whole experience ended up giving her insight into how her own behavior had not been helpful to her or to her family. The repair of her relationship with her sister Paula was very satisfying, though I was hoping for an appearance of and confrontation with her much talked about mother. That didn’t happen, but I was mostly satisfied with the way her abandonment was dealt with. Of course, Dolly and Stephen are reconciled in the end, but not without her giving him a piece of her mind first. It was a turning point and I liked that she was ready and willing to move on before he came back hat in hand, though it was a whole year after the initial parting of ways. But maybe it had to be. I believed in their happy ending. After three of Monaghan’s books, this is my favorite so far. I had some reservations, but not nearly to the extent as I had about the other two.

Rating: 4 out of 5.