The second half of the book was more enjoyable ( to me anyway) than the first, which was a bit slow. Betty Stern was raised by her grandparents at their kosher resort on Lake Michigan; now in her 80s she feels that her life was micromanaged and taken out of her hands.
She and her two friends since kindergarten were going to spend a last few weeks at the resort,now her home, in anticipation of her moving to live with her son.Events took on a life of their own, as her granddaughter Hannah announces a pregnancy, while unsure she will marry the father. Deja Vu for Betty who has been called "Boop" most of her life.
Most of the books was spent reviewing her early years, but quickly coalesces about her own unplanned pregnancy, wedding and her regrets. There is a fun surprise ending one would not expect. Recommended for seniors, boomers and others.
5 Stars ! What a marvelous book! I couldn't wait to finish it and see what happened how it all turned out. Now I must read more about the Pack Horse Librarians and exactly what they did, when and how.
Alice Wright,a young English girl meets and marries a man, Bennett Van Cleve from Kentucky who was on a tour with his father. It was a whirlwind marriage that failed abysmally for a variety of reasons, and had repercussions throughout a small Kentucky town.
To escape from the situation she finds herself in, Alice heeds a call to join a WPA group needing librarians who have riding skills. The life she begins, to live are almost terminated by her father-in-law, an unscrupulous mine owner using blackmail and lies to ruin her and her companions.
A quick paced book with vivid depictions of Appalachian life, very fine writing and a terrific ending.
I enjoyed this book by Karen Harper although it clearly was a novel, with some aspects likely embellished for the story line. The "secrets", more than one of them by the way, may be partly rumor and innuendo but of course did not detract from the story. The author used them adroitly in the story, whether they are factual or fabricated in some way.
The most enjoyable parts of this novel for me were the day to day events going on with the war and it's effects on England and it's people.Their is no doubt the "Queen Mum" as she was later called was a beloved figure to many.
I have read and enjoyed several books by this author, this one was a good read but not my favorite.
Recommended for the time period.
