"An accurate and heart-wrenching picture of the sensibilities of the American South." Kirkus Book ReviewsThe heart has a home when it has an ally. If Millie Crossan doesn't know anything else, she knows this one truth simply because her brother Finley grew up beside her. Charismatic Finley, eighteen months her senior, becomes Millie's guide when their mother Posey leaves their father and moves her children from Minnesota to Memphis shortly after Millie's tenth birthday. Memphis is a world foreign to Millie and Finley. This is the 1970s Memphis, the genteel world of their mother's upbringing and vastly different from anything they've ever known. Here they are the outsiders. Here, they only have each other. And here, as the years fold over themselves, they mature in a manicured Southern culture where they learn firsthand that much of what glitters isn't gold. Nuance, tradition, and Southern eccentrics flavor Millie and Finley's world as they find their way to belonging.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Claire Fullerton grew up in Memphis, TN and now lives in Malibu, CA. She is the author of contemporary fiction, “Dancing to an Irish Reel,” set in Connemara, Ireland, where she once lived. Dancing to an Irish Reel is a finalist in the 2016 Kindle Book Review Awards, and a 2016 Readers’ Favorite. Claire is the author of “A Portal in Time,” a paranormal mystery that unfolds in two time periods, set on California’s hauntingly beautiful Monterey Peninsula, in a village called Carmel-by-the-Sea. Both of those novels are published by Vinspire Publishing. Her third novel, Mourning Dove, is a Southern family saga, published in June 2018 by Firefly Southern Fiction. She is one of four contributors to the book, A Southern Season, with her novella, Through an Autumn Window, to be published in November 2018 by Firefly Southern Fiction.
MY REVIEW:
The first thing that drew me into this book was the author's eloquent writing. She wastes no words and everything pulls you in and gives you the feeling you are a part of the story yourself. There is no better story than that.
The story is told from the viewpoint of Millie, a young girl who has been transplanted from Minnesota to the mysterious South by her Southern Belle mother, Posey. Millie is able to navigate this new lifestyle because of her friendship and reliance on Finley, her older brother by 18 months. With him around, she feels safe because of his natural outgoing nature, something she doesn't have.
They move into Millie's grandmother's home, a home that is filled with antiques and things that children have to be careful of. Her grandmother is out in a new little cottage her mother has had built so the home is quite large for this little family of three.
We are told of Posey's flirtatious nature, even with good friend's husbands, and her other escapades as she falls right back into her southern lifestyle and personality. All of this affects Millie and her brother as they try to navigate the new rules of the South and their friend's mother's snubs after one of their mother's dalliances.
When I first met Finley, I really liked him, however, the fawning over him by his sister and mother have an undesired affect on him as he gets older. He becomes quite egotistical and a bit unlikable. Because of his father's lack of being available for him also contributes to this. Of course, we see that Posey, herself, is quite self-centered so he really does come by this naturally.
This is a growing up story from the 1970's, an era I'm well acquainted with, since they were also my growing up years. I could relate to so much of what Millie and her family went through and the pretenses they go through for the sake of what others will think. The fact that this is set in the South, adds to this.
This is a slow moving story, but not boring. It really takes you along quite nicely and you become very involved in these family's lives. I enjoyed this book a lot and give it 4 out of 5 stars.
*This book was provided to me from the Just Read Publicity Group. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book. (See more under my Legal tag at top).
Blessings - Julie
I am so grateful to you for this lovely review! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really interesting! I would love to win
ReplyDelete