The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is a strange book, with odd characters, all damaged in some way and in the end, all connected.

The story ebbs and flows as does the ocean tide, sometimes overwrought with emotion but always compelling the reader along. As a reader, you want to know if and how the lightning-strike survivors and their families survive. The descriptions of Becca’s artwork were exquisitely detailed, enough so that as I turned each page, I expected to see the actual painting. The use of the text for an actual handbook was an excellent method to keep the reader grounded (no pun intended) in reality. A good fast read. But if you’re reading this story outside – keep your eyes out for any lightning!

Mary Sharratt has taken a piece of English history and made the women and their story come alive. Her occasional use of olde English-language words is initially unsettling but eventually infuses the story with an other-worldliness, without intruding on the narrative itself. Rather, the language is a subtle reminder that we are reading about a time in history when magic was real, and could be used for good or evil.

The story revolves around two ‘cunning’ women and their families. Life is hard, begging for basic sustenance is the norm, and the wealthy have ultimate power over the people who are literally and figuratively beneath them. The Catholic Church is a main character in the story - as an underdog. The Reformation has taken place and the old trappings of the Catholic Church (Latin prayers, saints, rosaries, religious feast days and the Virgin Mary, for example) are forbidden. These once familiar icons and holidays grow in esteem by those who remember them, and are feared by the new generation growing up since their demise and the men who are now power-hungry in their Protestant austereness. The women who continue to call upon Mary and the saints for help are soon transformed in the eyes of the others into witches – their Latin prayers become devil worship, their blessings for good health are evidence of evil deeds.

As can happen with people who have little or no political power or protection, the Daughters of the Witching Hill and a few of their men eventually become enmeshed in the struggle between good and evil, poverty and wealth. A small gathering of friends at the home of one of the Daughters is presented in a court trial as an act of treason against the King, resulting in several guilty verdicts and a punishment of death.

But before the sad and inevitable ending, we are introduced to several strong women who live, love, laugh, cry and pray. The author’s descriptions of the characters’ acute awareness of Mother Nature and her many gifts invite the reader to use all five senses to understand. The author writes about Mother Nature the way Cameron directed the new world of Pandora – you believe you are there and everything is real.

I found myself dawdling over this book as I neared the end. I enjoyed meeting these women; knowing how their story would end, I was in no hurry to say goodbye.

After more than a month struggling through this novel, I surrender. One hundred pages from the end of the book, I am no longer willing to give any more of my time or effort to this novel, The Lotus Eaters. While some of the descriptions are rich and evocative, they cannot counteract the flatness of the characters. I don’t care what happens to any of them. This reads like a screenplay, headed for the stage – and it may make a fabulous movie, full of intrigue and lust, cityscape and jungle – but the book itself is just is tedious.

Conroy’s newest Southern adventure “South of Broad” is worth the wait – I inhaled this novel. His liberal use of adjectives allowed me to imagine or remember the ambiance, smell and taste of everything about the cities of Charleston and San Francisco, both favorites of mine. “South of Broad” introduces Leo King’s unusual family and strangely wonderful companions who share the adventures and misadventures from his childhood to adulthood. Anyone fortunate enough to have good friends (especially if they've married one) will be reminded of those relationships while reading Leo’s life story. “South of Broad” has enough ambiguities to satisfy a mystery lover, and unanticipated surprises. The book is also an excellent window back to the 1960s, 70s and 80s, when racial tension was high, the rules of right and wrong seemed to be changing, and sex turned deadly.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with characters who are intimately involved with each other and their environment; in fact, sometimes the city or the water surrounding the city becomes an important character.

Do not start this book on a Sunday - unless you are retired, or have a vacation day available; you will not want to close the book until the satisfying end.