This book is about survival, desertion, sexual appeal (and appetite) and really living without what we might imagine as basic needs. How many of us live in a home without running water or electricity or gas? Maud learned early in her life not to depend on Mustard, her father, but to take up the role her mother might have played if she had survived. This all takes place on land in Oklahoma. And, the author has lovingly drawn from family stories to flesh out Maud's life. This is a story well told. I very much enjoyed reading about Maud's family, their traditions and "expectations'.

This is the first time I've read this author, but not the last. I am recommending this book to several friends who are also readers. What a joy it is to start a book and get so caught up in the plot that you don't want to put it down. That is exactly what happened with this book. The plot was well executed and the author painted an excellent picture of her characters. It was easy to imagine the lake and village where the story takes place. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The book captured my attention from the first page. I am always interested in reading books about women, but Midwives is more than that. The author's development of her characters let me really see them. These women certainly had faults, but there were also strong women with a clear sense of what is right and they had the courage to do the right thing. Especially Grace who was courageous enough to stay with her pregnant mothers, even while under investigation. I thought it took Neva much longer to figure out the right thing to do. This a book I would recommend that my book club read. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.

This book was so enjoyable. Mimi,the central character, is fun to read about. She has family that is determined to live her life for her, in a direction she doesn't want to go.
I just finished a book called Still Alice when I started Mimi, so, at times, both books blended together. I, too, am retired, so forgetting things isn't unusual. However, this book has spirit. Having the author introduce Duffy made the book even better to read. While we learned about Mimi's life, it was also a pleasure to learn about Duffy. Mimi was lucky in many ways to have family that cared about her. I would recommend this book to my book club.

The only problem with this book was that it ended! Katie must have found a way to send her journal to someone. What a wonderful journey she and Hector must have had, but I want to know the rest of their story. Does Laugheed plan a sequel?
I enjoyed every moment of the book and will recommend it to my book club.

Emily Lowry's life changed forever on Wrecker's Cay when her husband failed to return to the lighthouse. Emily took over the lighthouse duties, tended to the 3 children and, one day, when a runaway slave washed up on the beach, everything changed yet again. This is almost a historical novel, but it's truly about Emily, her courage and strengths. Joanna Brady, the author won the Key West Writers Award in 2009 for this book. It is well deserved. I hope she is writing another book. I can hardly wait to read it!

This mystery takes place in England and centers around the world of sculling, how competitive it is and how physically fit the athletes must be. There is, of course, a murder and both Gemma and Duncan who are protagonists of Crombie, become an important part of the investigation. I found the book enjoyable. It held my interest and revisited Gemma and Duncan's history together which I appreciated since I must confess this is a first time I've read a book by Deborah Crombie. I am looking forward to discovering her many books and would highly recommend this book to everyone.

I live in the Sonoran Desert with an ocean hundreds of miles away. I think heaven must look like Folly's Beach with oyster shell roads and houses on stilts. I am one of many fans of Dorothy Franks Benton who celebrate the arrival of a new book by this author. And, Folly's Beach is a good reason to celebrate.

Within the first page of this book I was drawn into the plot and characters. I knew these people, cared about them and could hardly wait to know more. Folly's Beach is one of those rare books that hooked me immediately and, before I knew it, I had read and finished the book in two days. It is cleverly written moving between current time and a play narrated by a talented woman named Dorothy Heyward who lived 80 years ago. I was familiar with George Gershwin and DuBose, but I have to confess that I had to Google Heyward. What a remarkable woman.

Thanks to Franks for enlightening me. This book offers up family ties, forgiveness, love and more. It's the perfect summer read.

This first novel by Victoria Brown is not just a good read, but it holds your attention throughout the entire book. I immediately became caught up in the life and experiences of 16 year old Grace Caton who came from Trinidad to NYC to find employment as a nanny (or child-care worker), but also to further her education because she had a life vision. It is clear that Grace is much more mature than one would expect. She is faced with unusual situations with friends and relatives that make promises they won't keep and they also try to take advantage of her regularly. If is often just a struggle for Grace to find a safe place to spend the night in Brooklyn. She does find a few people who protect her. However, Grace is always able to have a positive outcome. She's a delightful woman and I hope Victoria will give us more of her as she moves through life.

Any Elizabeth Lowell fan has to be thrilled to see a new book available. Death Echo continues with the St. Kilda's 'family', along with several twists. It's always good to have some romance thrown in at the same time. Lowell has a wonderful imagination. However, this is not the most suspenseful Lowell book I've read, and, as a fan, I look forward to her next book.

Fair warning to the reader who starts Nancy Pickard's new book, you will be immediately pulled in to the book and it's all encompassing plot. This is an author who continues to delight, giving us well-developed characters that we learn to know.
Nancy is comfortable locating the plot in Kansas, rain, flooding, drought and range fires seem familiar to her characters who are so well drawn.
I honestly could not put the book down, but kept returning to it and was sorry to see it end. I highly recommend this book and already anticipate her future books

If you have a curiosity about the early days of women's struggles to independence, this book answers some of those questions. Initially, it was difficult for me to keep the characters straight and I did have to go back and reread sections. However, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it as a bookclub selection.

When I started this book, it seemed to be about choices and hopefulness, with an innocence about it. However, by the time I was to the middle, I stopped feeling sorry for the writer. I was distressed by the events in her life and what seemed to be her poor decision making skills. This woman is clearly intelligent, but how she choses to live her life was frustrating to read about. She obviously loves her child and very much wanted a family, but I found the book to be very sad. Asha is so gifted that I wanted more for her.