Mayne
gives us another slice of southern family life. The Bucklin family is
working up to another huge family reunion. We follow the various
family members as they prepare for the event. There are problems.
There are accidents. There is romance and jealousy. There is pride
and humility. There is good and bad parenting. There are tears and
there is laughter. And there is lots of cooking, baking, and eating.
Mayne
has written the narrative so that each chapter is from a different
person's viewpoint. It always takes me a while to get into the flow,
remembering who is related to whom and how. It is fun to see how the
family members navigate the events of life. There are not so good
boyfriends for some and better ones for others. There is the
possibility of new living arrangements for Sally, one of the twins.
Like
in any family, there are many issues included in the book. A major
one is the possible change in the relationship between twin sisters
Sally and Sara. It might be time for Sally to find another place to
live, something very hard for her with her devotion to her twin.
Another issues is wealth. Bucky is one to flaunt the wealth he has
acquired through oil on his land. His son is an out of control rich
kid. It was interesting to see how the greater family dealt with it
all.
I
recommend this novel to readers who enjoy the subtle drama of
southern family life. There is not much action and no suspense. There
is a good account of the dynamics of a southern family.
This
is the second book in this series and you can read my review of High
Cotton here.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
Debby
Mayne writes family and faith-based romances, cozy mysteries, and
women's fiction. She is the author of more than 60 novels and
novellas and more than 1,000 short stories. She and her husband live in Charleston, South Carolina. You can find out more at
www.debbymayne.net.
Gilead
Publishing, 304 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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