Boarding house owner falls for one of her boarders. A very good read.

I learned a lot about the depression that I didn't know even though I consider myself pretty well aware of the history of that time period. The portrait drawn of the times and the people who lived through them was extremely vivid. The characterization was wonderful. They kind of just gently knocked on the door of your mind and stepped inside. Before you knew it you were totally vested in them. You'll probably cry. I did. But so worth it. ( )

This is a first romance book I've read of Sandra's thus a little perplexed. She writes well so even though the storyline is expected, I do enjoy this light read. I would still prefer Envy though ☺ ( )

Beautifully written story which could have been depressing but managed to be hopeful in the end. I'm not a Sandra Brown fan, but found her description of Depression era hardships, racial conflicts, and the difficulties of dealing with a "special child" to be heartbreaking while at the same time affirming the basic goodness of humankind. would recommend. ( )

In this poignant, beautifully written novel, Brown takes a detour from her usual contemporary romantic suspense thrillers and gives readers a moving, historical cinematic-styled story. Now, I should mention that this is the first story I have read by the author, so I cannot speak to the author's writing shift except to say that it was mentioned in the forward as something different the author undertook to write in between two contracted books. The end result is a solid piece of historical literary fiction. Yes, there are some elements of sexual tension/ romance between Ella and David (cannot expect a romance novelist to keep characters chaste, even in a genre-shift), but these are secondary elements as Brown focuses on some tough issues such as poverty, bigotry, corruption, racism and bullying. Ella's 10-year-old son Solly is an idiot savant (keep in mind, autism was not recognized as a medical disorder until 1942, 8 years after the setting for this story) so the story also focuses on Ella's struggles as a single parent to care for and raise Solly at home in an era where individuals like Solly were shut away in institutions.

While the story is wonderfully written and has a quiet, contemplative story-telling aspect that I tend to love, it doesn't get full marks from me. I found the characters to be on the wooden side, lacking the depth and development I would have loved to see. Also, parts of the depression era setting are just a bit too perfect and orderly. Great for a cinematic experience but somehow seems just a little too perfect, right down to the planned tear-jerker ending for this bittersweet tale.

Overall, a quick reading, historical literary fiction that may appeal to readers looking for books set during the Great Depression (this one is set in 1934). ( )