The Girls We Sent Away - Meagan Church

Genre - Historical Fiction

When I chose Meagan Church’s The Girls We Sent Away, I knew that while it wouldn’t be an “easy” or “comfortable”read, it would be an important one. I was right. Lorraine was a young lady in 1960s North Carolina who had goals. She wanted to be valedictorian of her graduating class, and she wanted to become an astronaut. An unexpected pregnancy, the result of one intimate encounter, disrupts her plans in ways that Lorraine can’t even imagine. Her boyfriend deserts her after she refuses to “take care of it.” Her parents are determined to protect her reputation and their own and sneak her out - laying in the back seat of their car - to a home especially designed to facilitate birth and adoption for unwed mothers. While her baby’s dad enjoys college life and finds a new girlfriend, Lorraine tries to figure out how to move forward in her life. She makes friends but experiences much sorrow with them as well. 

Lorraine is such a precious character who is brought to life through the narration of Susan Bennett. The optimism with which she first approaches this pregnancy, her grief at losing her boyfriend and the respect of her parents, her naivete, and ultimately her strength and determination are excellently rendered by Church and enhanced by Bennett. The development of setting is crucial to the novel’s success as well. Church tackles the lack of information that was likely common in teenage girls during this era as Lorraine just passively allows the intimacy to progress - mostly because a marriage has been discussed. My 2024 self rails- “Lorraine you have goals!” But Church quickly delineates why Lorraine thinks differently. Mistakes are not a 60s thing to be sure, but her particular naivete that stretches into how she thinks her parents will respond and further into what the experience at the home will be like - broke my heart. I have read and watched other works about the “baby scoop” era, but the pure evil that was illustrated here still took my breath away. The woman who gets the expectant moms to sign adoption papers was … well evil. I’m not even sure I get any sense that she thinks  she is doing the right thing for the babies. She is doing a job that she considers herself very good at. The birth experience was stunning in its cruelty. Church gracefully balances this horror with beautiful - albeit temporary - friendships, a comforting librarian and a teacher there, and even a dance where these girls can experience some temporary teen joy. The girls who are with Lorraine here illustrate more of the horribly painful stories, but they also give us these glimpses of joy. And of course she gives us a Lorraine who slowly learns to take ownership of her life, and while we don’t get the ending we necessarily want, we do get hope for Lorraine’s future.

I have much to think about when reflecting on this work. We have come a long way in the equitable treatment of young women. I am grateful to those who had to stand in the gap to give me a world where I have more autonomy and agency than they did. But, we have a ways to go. Politics is not my gift or my interest. But we need to do better on a number of fronts for women.  As often happens for me with historical female protagonists, I admire the strength with which they face things they aren’t  in a position to change. Their resilience is always an example to me. I have seen it in my grandmothers and my mother. Lorraine refuses to wallow in her situation - in part because her mother teaches her to pick herself up and move ahead, much like she had done as a woman of the 50s. I believe we can learn from history. I spent much of my career choosing literary works to encourage such reflection. I am grateful to Meagan Church for her research and thoughtful approach in The Girls We Sent Away. Please, read and reflect. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Summers at the Saint - Mary Kay Andrews

Genre: contemporary, mystery, suspense, romance

When asked to read and review Mary Kay Andrews’ upcoming publication Summers at the Saint, I couldn’t agree quickly enough. As expected the novel was engaging, suspenseful, entertaining - an all around excellent read. Traci Eddings was widowed young and left to try and manage the St. Cecelia resort on the coast of Georgia. Traci was considered an Ain’t as she grew up - but marrying a St. Cecelia Eddings transforms her into a Saint. But as a young widow she is often at odds with this wealthy family as she tries to save the family business which has never seemed to recover after the Covid epidemic. She builds a new dorm, hires new employees including her beloved niece Parrish, the daughter of her former best friend Olivia, and KJ Parkhurst a local rich boy whose dad is trying to teach him a lesson, and looks toward a brighter future. But things go wrong quickly - Whelan is new in town and dredging up a tragic drowning from when she was a teenage lifeguard and complaints about everything from mattresses to wine abound. Soon the resort endures an unexpected death and a fire. What is going on at the Saint?

The world of the resort comes to life in this novel. Very quickly I could feel the pressures that Traci endures as she works to maintain St. Cecelia. The inner workings are fascinating to me (more on that later). I am torn between wanting to stay there and wanting to work there. The setting is beautiful and beachside and screams luxury. The town nearby - of the Ain’ts - is also well drawn and contributes well to the overall setting and conflicts of the novel. Andrews introduces a wide cast of characters and brings them to life. She explores the complexity of family. She tackles lifelong friendships through Traci and Shannon. She gives us romance - and we want romance - for Traci. We come to care greatly about some of the characters; we question others. We root for some, and against others. Like real life, our feelings about the characters change over the course of our reading. The plot - like that of Andrews’ Homewreckers for me - builds in complexity and suspense. First we are suspicious that someone is working against Traci to prevent her success (well, I was anyway). Then we gradually become more aware of the circumstances surrounding the drowning and its impact on lifelong friendships. I love how Andrews weaves all these threads together creating suspense and mystery (and that  little bit of romance!). 

I promised to talk about my fascination with the resort. As a school librarian, I spent most of my time reading YA. In that reading I became fascinated with boarding school books. I’ve never attended one; I never sent my kids, but, boy, I did read all that I could get my hands on. I guess it had something to do with the rarified air that I imagine existed there. Who really knows? But now that I have this time for adult reading, I’m suspecting I may replace boarding schools with exclusive resorts. I just read and reviewed Alison Espach’s The Wedding People and Nita Prose’s The Mystery Guest and loved the settings. I felt the same here. I’m not sure why. (Any insights out there?)  I am grateful for Andrews’ ability to bring St. Cecelia alive for me. And not to make a strained connection, I am glad that as things change, some small things can remain the same. I think Traci learns this among other things in Mary Kay Andrews’ Summers at the Saint. Listen, I think summer reads are good year round (see here), but if you are planning for summer, don’t miss this May 7 release. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Trouble With You - Ellen Feldman

Genre: Historical Fiction

The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman begins with a family wedding on a snowy night. Dad is dazzled by his beautiful daughter and wife. Celebration and dancing abound followed by a treacherous drive home. The tension and foreshadow created here are some of the finest I’ve read recently (and I read sooo much!). When Fanny loses her husband just after his safe return from duty in WWII, she is faced with profound grief and what seem to be impossible decisions in the living of her life and the raising of her daughter. 

Feldman evokes the 1950s setting in a remarkable way. She captures the spirit of the wives and husbands in the wake of World War II. She explores the unique challenges of being a widow in this time period. Poor Mimi…Poor Fanny…these women become a sort of caricature in their communities after losing their husbands. The job that Fanny takes - as a typist for a radio serial illustrates the entertainment industry of the time. The characters - actors and writers are fully fleshed out - and their dialogue resonates with the time.Ultimately, we are exposed to the red scare of the 1950s led by Senator McCartney and see its impact not only in the entertainment industry but also in the personal life of Fanny. I love the glimpse into this time period through this novel.  The people surrounding Fanny are as well developed as the setting. Mimi, Fanny’s cousin, represents the conservative view of woman hood. Rose, Fanny’s aunt, represents a more nontraditional forward thinking view of woman hood. Both women love and support her, but both also create conflict for her. The men in her life are thoughtful and complex as well. I am not a huge fan of the triangle trope, but this one is well done and quite believable. We even get glimpses of her daughter and how she felt about her father and feels about her life without him. Fanny’s success for me as a character is in her struggle. I appreciate her thoughtful consideration - her concern for her daughter - her indecision. 

I wrestle with change…and with decisions. I’ve had a great deal of both lately.  I guess that is part of why I appreciate Fanny’s struggle. I am always just a bit surprised when I am reading about the limited options women had in my mom’s lifetime (very nearly mine!) I know the facts intellectually of course, but Feldman brings the struggle alive in The Trouble With You. If you’ve read my reviews, you know that I can get frustrated with characters - but even though she wavers - for a long time - and changes her mind, I am not frustrated with Fanny. Her journey feels real and complicated and one with which I can empathize. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I will say that I can continue to work toward being the kind of woman who makes a decision with certainty and presses forward. From the incredibly engaging start to the epilogue, I thoroughly enjoyed The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman. Thank you to NetGalley and Griffin Publishing for the ARC In exchange for an honest review. Grab your copy on publication day, February 20, 2024.

The Faculty Lounge - Jennifer Mathieu

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

This newly retired teacher librarian couldn’t resist the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Faculty Lounge by one of her favorite YA authors - Jennifer Mathieu. Mathieu did not disappoint with this adult title. Mathieu gives her readers a glimpse into the lives of teachers, counselors, and administrators in a Texas public school. The novel begins with the unfortunate death of a retired substitute (in the faculty lounge, of course). A series of events that follows allows Mathieu to explore day to day life in the public school system. 

Mathieu creates what almost reads to me like a series of short stories expertly woven together with the overarching narrative. In my experience, this structure is not unlike the school experience. Teachers remain in their spaces much of the day - doing their job with few breaks, but the overall operation of the building creates camaraderie, friendships, and tensions that are shared. Through these chapters she addresses much of what creates the tension and the need for camaraderie. Educationally - she covers standardized testing, teacher evaluation, mandatory trainings, book challenges, helicopter parents and so on… I was amazed at the accuracy with which she captured most teachers’ responses to most of these. I can remember thinking that if it weren’t teachers reading the book, they might not believe it. Additionally - she covers topics like abortion, immigration, alcoholism, and so on…tying each carefully to the educational system, clearly illustrating the effects of issues that may not seem at first blush to be tied to education on our children. 

Perhaps most fascinating to me, among all of this she creates a huge cast of characters with joys and sorrows, successes and failures, dreams and fears  - just like anyone. We get to know them well - just spectacular characterization. These folks were like my friends. Mathieu beautifully communicates the passion that sends lifelong teachers into the classroom each day. She captures the love of a subject, the joy of creating understanding in a student, the satisfaction of a lesson well taught. She articulates these right alongside the stresses of the job. I was not surprised when I read in her bio that she is, in fact, a teacher herself. 

Possibly I visited the faculty lounge a bit too soon after retiring. I felt maybe a smidge of PTSD in several places throughout the book which ultimately speaks to its excellence. But as I’ve been reflecting on my career, I appreciate being reminded of the joys of teaching that can be chipped away over time. I guess unsettled best sums up how I felt. Ultimately, I think, perhaps at some level - unsettled might be exactly Mathieu’s intent for her readers. If we are unsettled we are more likely to advocate for change. A friend sent me a graphic last night that illustrates the increase in teacher resignations from 2019 to 2023. Change will have to happen to keep our schools well staffed to create students ready to deal with 21st century challenges. I find The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu to be an important novel and also a lovely introduction to an engaging group of people. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for an advance copy of this book - publishing July 24, 2024.

The Faculty Lounge, Jennifer Mathieu, Book Cover

Field Notes for the Wilderness: A Guided Journal - Sarah Bessey

Genre: Nonfiction, Self Help Companion

If your faith is changing…and you are thinking deeply… and writing helps you clarify your feelings and make better decisions, the combination of Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith reviewed here and Field Notes for the Wilderness: A Guided Journal both by Sarah Bessey will delight you. 

Sarah is so careful throughout the entirety of her book to be clear that she is offering notes and suggestions - sharing practices built on her own difficult experiences as her faith evolves, but that the wilderness traveler must find their own way through the wilderness. Her wisdom, combined with the thoughtful reflection provided through journaling responses to the guided prompts will prove an invaluable help to the traveler. How to word this properly? When moving from a faith built on fairly inflexible and prescribed belief systems, the joy of having freedom to make choices and move from “againsts” to “fors,” through study and writing is a gift.

Please - if you are struggling - if you’re not but your faith is transforming - do yourself a favor and get to know Sarah Bessey. Read her letters to you in Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith. Reflect on the ideas in her Guided Journal. Publishes on 2/20/2024. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to review.